Bottle Deposit
OMG! MY FUCKING NALGENE IS KILLING ME! I wish I was in Darfur, where all I’d have to worry about is being raped and murdered…… Nalgenetic Deficiency
Call before you come!
I had a friend get pissed with me and break a friendship because I explained to her house rules are that people call before they come? Is it me or is ettiquette an art form now adays?! Ginger
Big Fucking Rental Company
Hey you big fucking rental company, your fucking “building associates” aren’t doing their fucking job, they have disconnected their number 5 times, none of our work orders have come through and everything you promised to fix or replace haven’t come to fruition, so I would just like to say, from the bottom of my heart.…
to The BASTERDS
i’am addressing this to you as a whole. one of you pricks gave my kid some crack. mixed it With something. made him very sick Your a bunch of low life’s . To The store staff. you all will be punished, if it was on or off The work site I Really don’t care. it’s…
#80
WHY is the # 80 bus always late? I have never once been down at a bus stop and had it show up on time. It is always at least 5 minutes late… One time it didn’t come at all! I had to wait for the next 80. I was commenting on this one day…
we pay taxes too!
so, we live at the end of a cul de sac. in spryfield, close to purcell’s cove. whenever the snow plow does our street the driver dumps all the snow at the edge of our driveway. as this pile has grown out and back up the road, so too has the plow driver decided that…
Take ’em down
Anyone who knows the woman who put up the ‘Lucy (is still?) missing’ posters in plastic slipcovers all over east side of Halifax – please pass on the message: We hope your cat is okay or you have gotten over your loss but PLEASE be courteous and take down the posters that have been up…
stop picking your nose
You are always taking the same bus as me and worse you work in my building too. Not one time do I not see you without your finger in your nostril. Gawd, what’s inside that you like so much to pick. Is it gold? I wish I can be a doctor for once and use…
Big City Big Money
Published November 01, 2007. Big City Big Money This Bitch goes out to all those Princess that go to Dal. You may dress like a million bucks (and probably have a million bucks in your wallet) but you ALL look like New York Transvestites. You may think that you are Ms. Popularity at school, but…
#87 to dartmouth
GRAH I dont know how to really start..im so pissed off, first the buses threaten striking, they get what they wanted, then they dont fucking DO THEIR JOBS!! I was at Cobequid bus terminal waited an hour for an 87 dartmouth bus to come at 6:08pm and it doesnt show up! In my opinion bus…
noisemaker
To the jerk at work — you know who you are — who sits at his desk and pounds on the floor with his feet: SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! I sit on the other side of the fucking wall. Work is for work. Drum your mindless shit somewhere else. wishing I was deaf.
You – black car turning left onto Parkland Dr. 10:40 am Tuesday. Me – almost roadkill.
All I can say is that I am shocked at your lack of driving skill. Believe me I am a understanding person. I would understand if you were groggy, or the sun was in your eyes, or perhaps you just didn’t notice the 7 month pregnant woman crossing in the crosswalk. But when has it…
No free rides
To anyone who has the luck of having a friend with a car which you scoot around town in. Please, please, please have the sense to offer some funds (plus) for gas for short and long trips. They are covering much more than the cost of gas for any trip with maintenance, insurance and gov’t…
hurry up and die already
to the little bitch boy who’s driving around town last night. raging cursing and annoying drivers WAHT IS YOUR PROBLEM. YUO RAGING LITTLE BITCH BOY. HOW ARE YOU SOPPOSED TO DRIVE. AND RAGE AT HTE SAME TIME. YUO FUCKING IDIOT. YOU HAVE BIGGER PMS THEM MOST WOMAN. You need to check between your legs make…
Sit Down Already
To the guy who insisted on standing next to his seated girlfriend on the bus. There were seats available futher away from her, but you decided to stand and block the way of people trying to get on the bus, who probably would have been happy to take a seat had they been able to…
Smarten Up!
This bitch is for all the numbskulls who have fucking office jobs and fill their wastebaskets with recyclables: Get of your lazy, fat, indulged asses and recycle your fucking paper, pop cans, and organics! It’s cretins like you that cause the fucking planet to warm up because you’re too goddamned lazy to walk to the…
Dangerous Deoderant
So, I know this is not a new thing, but I am bitching because I thought things would change by now. How much of a security risk is my toothpaste? Really? I mean the shoe thing I could understand for a while because some numpty actually lit their shoes on fire. But we got over…
the fucking dicks having a fucking party last night.
hey! kids yes i said fucking kids. the one’s outside in willowbend court last night. what the fuck is your probelm. you cursed and swore all night. into 8 in them morning.feb 9 08/too the neibours next to us. you fucking cunts your imature and stupid just fucking grow up, i ish your parents were…
Origami is not stupid
I hate people who make fun of Origami . Origami for Ignorami, they tell people. Ease off, it’s not as stupid as you think . My boss is really good as Origami and he is the manager of the company I work for. He’s not stupid! There, so shut up about Origami for Ignorami Origami…
Broken sidewalk in front of Government House.
Remarks: We understood that the reconstruction of Government House was going to create some inconvenience and we were forgiving—patient, even—when the sidewalk along Barrington Street was partially torn up. But that was in the fall…of 2006! We’ve gone through winter, then spring, summer, another fall and now back to winter again, and still the sidewalk…
Food Court Blabber Mouth
This is for the four-eyed, ponytailed and loudmouthed twit who announces everybody’s business in the Scotia Square food court between 3PM and 4:30PM: Shut the fuck up! Mind your fucking business, you lamebrained asshat! Lornesett
WHATS WRONG WITH YOUR HEAD!!
I dont understand these parents who think it is OK to leave their children in a car!! A parent leaves two babies in an suv when temperatures are at -30 A parent leaves their 12 year old in the car, now shes missing.. STOP LEAVING YOUR KIDS ALONE!! they are your children, they are your…
never mind your credentials
I agree with julie it’s tiresome 2 c the same name in every bitch response or those who cannot say anything but “why don’t you …xxx? And what else? one of your losers present us with her credentials and then belittle those who hilariously made her eat crow? Are we supposed to be scared or…
what my sister thinks of you
my sister thinks you are all a bunch of lamebrains who waste your life away answering every single bitch with the same repetitive bad remarks. now it’s even worse, you’re all trying to act like you’re as capable as this guy call lol , who was really only there to make fun of you. it’s…
CURIOUS
Do you think a certain chicken franchise is wrong in refusing delivery in Uniacke Square? This should stir the shit….
“What’s wrong with you?”, she said.
To the lady on the Number 41 heading towards dartmouth today at 3:00. You got on at scotia sqaure and i kindly moved my bags so you could have a seat, even though there was room elsewhere which would not cause problems. so i go to get off at my stop, OBVIOUSLY GATHERING MY THINGS,…
mp3 players
Hey, sheetheads with yer mp3s, if yer gonna walk with your noggin down, listening to your plastik muzack, charging out thru traffix against de lights, have the fuckin’ common senze to acknowledge the rest of de world or you’re gonna enz up somebuddy’s hood ornament. Ya can watch and listen at the same timez.
Stupid Smokers!
Do people not see the “no smoking” signs in bus terminals??? If it’s raining, snowing, windy, or just shitty outside….the people that don’t smoke do not appreciate you assholes that cloud up the place with your cancer. And when someone asks you not to smoke inside…..get your stupid ass out in the cold. Hope to…
sad sad sad
Just because you’re sad with your life…because you lost the best thing ever…stop bashing her to everyone that will listen..she’s a good person..your last gf was a jerk..crazy..manipulative and opportunistic ..and no doubt has been filling your head with lies…why don’t you take the high ground..suck it up and stop talking shit to anyone that…
ECMA punishment
Why is no one questioning why the CBC isn’t broadcasting the ECMAs this year? You don’t think that the fact the ECMAs are not being broadcast this year is because the CBC’s terrified that if it continues to broadcast an awards show where presenters make comments like the federal Conservatives are “arse lickers of Satan”…
YOU STINK!!
Take a shower, wash your clothes, brush your teeth! Stop smoking like a chimney!! You smell like a dumpster!! You walked by my desk and i gaged.. I SERIOUSLY GAGGED!! How the fuck do people not know that THEY STINK!! when he left i had to take out the lysol and completly go over my…
Crazy Driver
To the Crazy lady behind the wheel of the Mini Van Thursday, Feb 7th at Mumford Walmart. You were driving like a crazy person to the 3 way stop by Tim Hortons.. Key word .. STOP!! You didn’t STOP OR LOOK.. You may as well drove in on 2 wheels the speed you were going!…
Bitchin’ that Tim’s is not Bitchin’!
I wanted to add a comment to the 56 Tim’s cups the bus rider counted as litter on his trip by saying what also galls me is the amount of people who leave their Tim’s cups on store shelves! It’s bad enough that you are so addicted you have to take it into a store,…
Suicides
I feel quite unsympathetic towards the whole suicide ordeal of “Adam”. It’s funny how we can give a drunk driver so much reprieve because he was too afraid to face his punishment. It’s too easy to blame inanimate objects like bridges and buildings. How about changing the way we perceive failure and how to cope…
Bitch rules
Please: NO NAMES in bitches! No company names either– if we think there’s even a chance we might get sued, we’re not posting your bitch. Also, will you keep your bitching about each other to the comments already? Web site nazi
Give us Mom’s a break HRM
To the Bus driver of the 61 bus route at about 2:50 pm yesterday (Monday afternoon), thank you so much for yelling at me for being late, while I carried my stroller onto your bus. I wouldn’t have been late if the city/metro transit system took care of their bus stops and cleared them after…
Money for Libraries, What about The Homeless/Almost Homeless?
Why not use the money to build affordable housings first? The libraries are in need of improvements, true, but if it were up to the masses, would the masses choose improved libraries or freeing the homeless/ almost homeless people from homelessness? Hope people are putting up sign-up sheets at libraries asking library-goers to choose between…
It’s your fault you’re fat
I’m sick of these fat people whining about how they can’t help but be fat. They blame it on genetics, and the overabundance of food in society, and on social pressures. I will address these in order: 1. genetics: some people are more likely to store calories as fat than others. That does not mean…
Tasteless crap
This is aimed at an office building restaurant downtown. Since your old cook left (happily because you’re such a cheap prick), the quality of your food has gone down the tubes. Your sandwiches have no taste, your soups are watery and also tasteless and despite having different kinds of muffins, they all taste exactly the…
PJs
Okay, this is at all those immature nut jobs that think wearing their PJ pants out in public. THIS DOES NOT MAKE YOU LOOK COOL! In fact it does quite the opposite. The only thing I ever think of when I see you lazy retards is that it’s really sad and pathetic that you’re SO…
Fuckin haLiFaX
No fucking Jobs Low as wages. wut the fuck like!!! Fucked halifax off
Learn to DRIVE
I don’t understand why, if they’re not turning anytime soon, people drive in the left lane .. and 9 times out of 10, much slower than people in the right lane. SWITCH lanes idiots. SO annoying. If you need to go below 40 on perfectly dry pavement, get out of the “passing lane”. You’re giving…
sMarTy panTs get a life
like there’s this bunch of kids in school, duh. dey hang around ech other n talkbk 2 evrythg u say. they so tuff n smarty pants like until we answer dem bk. and we sliced em like stale bread laffing our noodles off. they keep coming back 4 more, geez, u think they catch the…
Office solicitation.
All too often (at least once or twice a week), i come into work to be harrassed and bothered by another coworker to buy something. One week it’s some kid’s school trip, or a sports team, the next it’s your stupid avon crap that NOONE needs, or would possibly want to buy if you weren’t…
F-off Anti Blinky Hippie wannabee
Blinky sounds like a wonderful human being. Pity she has to end up in the same elevator, or bldg, or worse, same planet as you. You, on the other hand, I have no words fit enough to call you because you are beyond insult. Your existence alone is already a blooming insult to the hippie…
ECMA Blog
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MENS ASSES
FASHION BUG. WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT BIGFOOT? not me… Teets
Drive Thru Idiots
Alright, I know working drive thru at McDonalds must really suck but does that also mean you must deliver the worst customer service out there? (I’m talking about you Mcdonald’s on Nantucket) Whenever I go through I hope that maybe just this once someone will atleast look at me; the customer. Instead of grabbing my…
Laugh Out Loud
You’re so lame!! someone less lame.
re MegaCorp
I lived with megacorp and had the same thing happen to me with leaky bathroom since October 2006. I got halifax coalition against proverty on my side and got out of my lease rent free and damage deposit back, fight the fuckers they deserve slumlord of the year! happy to be moved to clayton park!
Bitch about the bitches
Wow….where’s quality control when you need it? The bitches have become REALLY lame and juvenile lately…. Spock
Lets stop and look at every god damn thing for 20 hours
To the saggy assed horse in superstore on Braemar dr in Dartmouth : You walk like you have been gang raped by 30 elephants. HURRY UP! You knew I was walking behind you and you went so slow it hurt. To make matters worse, you managed to walk with your shopping cart on a diagonal…
Beer class continues….
This semester, Kings College is offering a course titled “Brewing Science: The History, Culture and Science of Beer,” taught by professor Gordon Mcouat, an instructor in King’s History of Science and Technology program. I managed to get myself enrolled in the class, and so will be posting regular updates on its progress. I suppose it…
don rickles copycat lol
IN A FEW SHORT DAYS lol WAS ABLE TO GATHER ENOUGH HECKLERS FROM LTWWB TO MAKE ME LAUGH OUT LOUD . did it occur to anyone that this guy is merely taking a page out of don rickles? I guess you’re all too young to remember, but he chose the right place to show off.…
areverderci losers
vi avete molti che possono dare ma non possono ricevere quando sono perdenti usano la formazione vulgar del povero di discorso LOL
messy street
I have had with walking up and down North street and finding bundles of dirty used clothes on the curb. What are you thinking? That someone will pick up your dirty hole filled clothes and wear them? Not even street people are picking them up so put them in a plastic bag, wait until its…
Line it up
February 15, tickets go on sale for the Halifax International Writers Festival, running from April 1-5. The festival mixes local, Canadian and international poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Watch for Nova Scotian talents such as Budge Wilson (Before Green Gables), Beatrice MacNeil (Butterflies Dance in the Dark), Carol Bruneau (Glass Voices), Anne Simpson (Small Bones of…
Rat race
According to Chinese astrology, the Year of the Rat is a fantastic time to hunker down for some hard work. Thats exactly what contemplative photographer Joanne Chilton captured when she took thousands of images of performer Azalia Liu meticulously preparing backstage for the Beijing Opera. Thirteen of those photos are on display at Pier 21,…
Love, actually
In our Valentines Day issue last year, writer Tara Lee Wittchen mined stories about the crappiest gifts ever received. Take Christina, whose boyfriend gave her a homemade CD featuring him singing songs like Space Oddity, Moon River and Famous Blue Raincoat alone in his dorm room, accompanied only by the original versions playing faintly in…
Daily News stops publication
The Daily News is no more. This morning at 10 am, some 85 employees of the Daily News were gathered together for a meeting with representatives from Transcontinental Media, corporate owner of the paper, and told they no longer had a job. The news came as a complete surprise, leaving the employees wondering how to…
The other kind of Juno
Juno nominations are in. Congrats to nominees Jill Barber (Roots & Traditional Album), Joel Plaskett Emergency (Songwriter), Classified (Rap Recording) and Wintersleep (Alternative Album, New Group). All are vying for ECMAs this weekend in Fredericton as well. Be sure to visit thecoast.ca for our ECMA blog.
Switzer rises again
When Gilbert Switzer broke up in October 2007, they left in their wake a prolific body of work (including releases on mini-disc, floppy disc, cassette and vinyl) and lots of very disappointed fans. But please dont completely blow your wad over the fact that theyre playing again this Thursday, February 7, at Gus Pub (with…
Poseidon surfaces
The aptly named Poseidon’s Trident Sound System are playing a brief but powerful stint at the Seahorse, filling in for Verbal Warnin’ on their RockSteady night for the next two Wednesdays. DJs Jeremy Hawkins and Matt Mills, with Verbal Warnin’ percussionist and Youth Club Records founder Andy March on melodica and mixer, have grand musical…
Sugah!’s new Tantric Tablet Collection
Looking for a saucy way to express feelings Valentine’s Day? Check out Sugah! Confectionery’s new Tantric Tablet Collection, available at Sugah! (1479 Lower Water Street), various metro Uncommon Grounds locations and online at sugah.ca. Chocolate bars in the series come in seven yummy varieties; each comes with a cheeky wrapper, featuring a handy drawing and…
Ragamuffin Kids closes
Kids boutique Ragamuffin Kids (5475 Spring Garden) has indeed closed up shop. “Spring Garden Road can be a tough place to do business, if you’re starting a new one,” says owner Lisa Risley, who also owns The Plaid Place in the Barrington Place Shops (Kids’s storefront was once home to a second Plaid Place location).…
Turnstile Pottery
The Turnstile Pottery Co-operative (once found at 2207 Gottingen) has settled into a new home at 2733 Agricola (formerly Sassys Antique Market, which closed in December). Its really exciting, says co-op member Wendy Shirran. We were very hesitant to leave where we were, and certainly that was kind of forced upon us, Shirran adds about…
Blue Vine Photography
Sick of commemorating special moments with lame pictures and uncomfortable- looking poses (like that grad pic where youre inexplicably pointing at your chin)? Semi-new business Blue Vine Photography wants to help you fill your living room walls with better photos. Blue Vine, owned by local photographer Jenine Dowden, actually opened last June, but failed to get…
Agricola Liquor store
Recent rumours that the liquor emporium on Agricola had been sold had the Shoptalk inbox abuzz, with concerns about the north-end mainstay’s fate. (OK, two people were worried. Still.) The plot thickened after a call to the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation. The NSLC actually leases the Agricola store, said NSLC manager of corporate communications Ted…
Crappy cars
One of my favourite places in Halifax is the Holy Cross Cemetery at South and South Park Streets. Its terrain, with unexpected swales and depressions and interesting hillocks, is a snapshot of what the entire peninsula must have looked like before Europeans showed up and started scraping off the highlands to fill in the gullies,…
Danny Ledwell no Michael Jackson
To the editor, I’ve been digging Danny Ledwell’s new CD, Two Over Seven, as I drive my truck to the beach and back everyday. It’s mellow, thoughtful, well recorded and refreshing. But Ian Gormely in his “Flying solo” article (Jan. 24) may be just a little over-the-top when he writes “Diana Ross. Michael Jackson. Gwen…
Snow day siesta
Most Nova Scotians dread the snow. We have to salt it, shovel it, drive in it and deal with it. I would like to suggest that maybe the snow is trying to tell us something. In countries around the world, the heat tells the people something. It tells them to rest every afternoon. It’s called…
Wark turning optimist?
I may have been misunderstanding Bruce Wark’s editorials in the past, but “Diagnosis psychosis” (Upfront, Jan. 24) strikes me as a departure from his unrelenting thrashing of all things smacking of establishment might. Sure, there is the usual caustic tallying of frightful statistics, of attacking scandalous waste by bureaucrats and of exposing greedy exploitation by…
Class of 2009 Shines Brightly
Based on last night’s DalTheatre performance of Carol Sinclair’s Firefly, I predict a boatload of success for the graduating students of the Class of 2009. The play itself—a musical set in the early 1900s on PEI–was an ideal vehicle for showcasing the students’ considerable talents. It’s difficult to single out performances from such a strong…
SMU Elavator!
So me and my 2 friends were in the elevator in Loyola – Smu Residence Sunday night before the Superbowl, and we were going up to my floor – 17th. So this retarded big shot hops on at floor 7, right before he got on I said to my friends, “watch him get off at…
Sleepless Nights
Sleepless NightsTurn Into VapourForward Music GroupMade up of members of The Superfantastics and The Establishment, Halifax’s Sleepless Nights are the closest thing the city has to a supergroup. Like its members’ musical origins, Turn Into Vapour is a summation of everything the Halifax indie scene can offer. The lyrics are smart but unselfconscious, the music…
Buck 65
Buck 65SituationStrange FamousOn Situation, Mr. Terfry’s killer flow time-travels back to 1957. A hip-hop homage to ’50s counterculture, Ginsberg and the avant-garde Situationalist movement, he abandons the singing and keyboards from his last album, returning to a familiar sound. Producer Skratch Bastid’s backbeats help keep it lively and fresh, like it’s 2007. Sue Carter Flinncategories:…
Mahjongg
MahjonggKontpabK RecordsIgnore the Chicago band’s weirdo manifesto “irratainment” designed to “teach the warnings and revelations of the almighty god Kontpab. Kontpab basically warns the human race of the mass ‘funnelling’ of the populace minds into The Grid.” Umm, yeah. Focus on the music. Electronic art-pop with an obvious adoration for Afro-funk dance, Mahjongg has been…
Graphic Adaptation
Adapting a graphic novel for the big screen is a double-edged sword. Whats there on the page has a visual style that informs the filmmaker, but the screenwriter must distill the story from drawings and dialogue, and tone and feeling. Academy-nominated Persepolis, the film adapted from Marjane Satrapis graphic novels that is screening in Halifax…
Michael Jerome Browne
Michael Jerome BrowneDoubleBorealisA recent live show at Montreal’s Main Hall comes packaged with Browne’s solo debut from 1998. Browne is neither a prolific writer nor volcanic singer, but if you appreciate the subtleties of interpretation, tunings and timbre, there is a great deal to like. Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Jimi Hendrix (“Manic Depression”) are…
Shooter Jennings
Shooter JenningsThe WolfUniversal southThe son of the late Waylon Jennings already had a go at rejecting country for rock. Now a fiddle and pedal steel hold their own with twin guitars. When Jennings does Dire Straits’ “Walk of Life,” it has renewed energy and sonic depth. Of his originals, “Old Friend,” stands out. Waylon composed…
The Magnetic Fields
The Magnetic FieldsDistortionNonsuch RecordsThe Magnetic Fields’ Distortion continues frontman Stephin Merritt’s penchant for aptly titled albums. But, unlike 69 Love Songs, i and The Charm of the Highway Strip, Merritt’s latest owes its name not to lyrical content but to the wall of white noise pinning up his brilliantly blunt lyrics. Merritt credits The Jesus…
Barmitzvah Brothers
Barmitzvah BrothersLet’s Express Our MotivesweeworkAn appropriately themed narrative of 19 under-appreciated jobs by this Guelph art-pop band weaned on the indie music scene—especially as all members are involved in side projects. Songwriting and style is split between Geordie Gordon, who gives “Projectionist” David Byrne-like lyrics and sound, and Jenny Mitchell, whose pretty voice and plucky…
Clorox Girls
Clorox GirlsJ’aime Les FillesBYOThe Pacific Northwest punk scene is known for The Exploding Hearts, The Briefs and Clorox Girls and BYO is known for releasing a lot of inessential punk records over the last 20 years. Portland wins (thankfully) out as the Clorox Girls deliver another catchy collection of brilliant harmonies and slightly creepy songs…
Classified
ClassifiedWhile You Were Sleeping(Halflife Records)White emcees have been fighting an uphill battle for quite some time, viewed by many as nothing more than a novelty act (see Vanilla Ice or Organized Rhyme)regardless of their upbringing. It wasn’t until a certain unknown rapper broke out of Detroit that white rappers/emcees were truly taken seriously in the…
OneRepublic
OneRepublicDreaming Out LoudInterscopeUnless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard the Timbaland remix of OneRepublic’s “Apologize.” It may not be a groundbreaking single, however it was certainly a breakthrough for the band. Frontman Ryan Tedder worked for Timbaland in the early 2000s, but it was the inclusion on Tim’s Shock Value which put the…
Steven Bowers
Steven BowersTired LightIndependentLocated somewhere between Jim Cuddy and Brian Byrne, you’ll find Steven Bowers. Having recently released his latest studio effort Tired Light, the Halifax singer-songwriter is prepared to demonstrate the diversity of the Maritime scene to Canada. With tracks such as “Nor’easter,” “Mastodons” and “Only One”—a duet with Ron Hynes—Bowers’ folk-rock will seduce audiences…
Black Mountain
Black MountainIn the Future(Scratch Records)Black Mountain’s In the Future is so good—so complete in its vision–it’s hard to believe it’s only the band’s second record. Even Pink Floyd—whose influence, along with Led Zeppelin, figures heavily but never takes over—were deep into their careers before they started writing 17-minute opuses. But Stephen McBean and co. have…
Rivers Cuomo
Rivers CuomoAlone: Home Recordings of Rivers CuomoGeffenWeezer frontman Rivers Cuomo’s new release is the type of CD that needs to be listened to while reading the liner notes and drinking red wine. Alone. Not a crisp studio album, Alone is a scratch at the surface of the immense amount of material Cuomo has written and…
Sondre Lerche
Sondre LercheDan in Real LifeEMIIt’s always a shame when an original soundtrack sinks or floats by virtue of the film it scores. Consider Steve Carell’s Dan in Real Life. Its fanfare came and went quickly, but this new music from Sondre Lerche deserves a closer listen. A less affected but no less charming Danny Michel,…
Sia
SiaSome People Have Real Problems(Monkey Puzzle Records)Australian Sia has been successful in the last few years. She backed up Jamiroquai and Massive Attack and her own songs hit UK charts and American television. With her latest release, she hopes to establish herself as an international star. Some People Have Real Problems seems, at first hearing,…
Jill Barber, Rose Cousins & Meaghan Smith
Jill Barber, Rose Cousins & Meaghan SmithA New Kind of Light(CBC)The most powerful metaphor coming out of Christmas is the light. The whole world turns toward greater light, longer days, at this time of year (however, and if, you mark it). Around this time, we turn to storytellers like Jill Barber, Rose Cousins and Meaghan…
Jesse Dangerously
Jesse DangerouslyVerba VolantBackburnerIn Latin, verba volant means “words fly away,” and in Jesse D’s latest, that’s exactly what’s happening. This album kills on so many fronts—special props to Timbuktu and Fresh Kils, who lay down some inspired beats. But it’s ultimately Jesse’s talent as a linguist and MC that shines. On what could be one…
Chris Rock
[image-4]Published February 07, 2008.Chris RockCheese and Crackers: The Greatest Bits(Geffen)Though he constantly sounds like he’s losing it—and very few moments in this hour are not laced with obscenities—Rock leaves you with a warm feeling, much like Bill Cosby 30 years ago. Few comics are as brutally honest about touchy subjects. Rock knows O.J. did it…
It’s All Greek to Me
Halifax’s newest Greek restaurant should be called “It’s All Really Good Greek To Me.”
Gorillaz
GorillazD-sides Parlophone/EMIThe best thing Damon Albarn has done since the break-up of Blur is starting Gorillaz. While animated characters are the public face of the group, the music is the main and most important thing. The two-CD set D-Sides offers the expected fare of unreleased tracks, outtakes, alternate/original demo versions and remixes. But these aren’t…
Rufus Waingwright
Rufus WaingwrightRufus Does Judy at Carnegie HallGeffenYou might not be a Judy Garland fan beyond the ruby slippers. And maybe Rufus Wainwright’s nasal warble ain’t your thing. But one day, you’re going to get home after the shittiest day in the office/school/bar, and nothing is going to cure your malaise faster than a Rusty Nail…
Ken Whiteley
[image-4]Published February 07, 2008.Ken WhiteleyOne World Dance (Borealis Records)Ken Whiteley’s latest is more of an homage to B.B. King and the Southern blues rasp of Stevie Ray Vaughan than anything original. His version of a “world” sound ends up being too reminiscent of Colin James. If anything, Whiteley’s album mostly serves as inspiration to dig…
Canadian-made Genocide
Gen. Suharto, he dead. A penny for the Old Guy. And yes, a penny too for the Canadian leaders who aided and abetted the Indonesian dictators massacres and torture. A penny for Clark, Trudeau, Mulroney and Chretien. They refused to condemn Suhartos police state, preferring instead to sell him Canadian military equipment and to subsidize…
Ween
WeenLa CucarachaRounderGiven Ween’s propensity for spoofing and genre-hopping, fans may not know when to take them seriously. La Cucaracha is best enjoyed with an open mind and no concerns over missing a joke. Often there is none. Ween play many styles and can call in a cameo from the likes of saxman David Sanborn on…
The Hives
The HivesThe Black and White AlbumInterscopeWhile it was Veni Vidi Vicious that helped break The Hives into North America, it was the follow-up, Tyrannosaurus Hives, which led credence to the hype swirling around the band. While its eccentric stage presence lends an air of novelty to the proceedings, it’s the music that sets these Swedish…
Laura Barrett
[image-4]Published February 07, 2008.Laura BarrettEarth Sciences(Paper Bag Records)Laura Barrett (of The Hidden Cameras) plays thumb piano all over this EP. In fact, it’s only thumb piano and Barrett’s youthful voice on Earth Sciences, with the exception of one remix. Still, the songs never sound tired. Like Ruth Minnikin, Barrett’s stories are by turns imaginative and…
Bad Moody
Its an interesting sign of the times when the chair of a mining company notorious for illegally evicting subsistence farmers to increase international coal exports is invited to lecture on sustainability. Dalhousie University invited Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, chairman of AngloAmerican, the worlds second-largest mining company, to address a packed house about Sustainability Challenges for Extractive…
Taken By Trees
Taken By TreesOpen FieldRough TradeCompared with Victoria Bergsman’s work with The Concretes, her first solo record is a strikingly minimalist recording. Save for the lush string arrangements of “Lost and Found,” its songs, like “Sunshine Lady,” with its twee melody over top of a solo ukulele, and “Too Young,” which uses only metalophone, snare drum…
Brooke Miller
Brooke MillerYou Can See EverythingHickoryA few years after playing Halifax, Prince Edward Islander Brooke Miller moved to Ontario and married one of the finest pickers in the country, Don Ross. Hubby’s playing and production grant this record some extra sparkle. An ear-opener is the quality of Miller’s songs and her charismatic performance. Predominantly acoustic, the…
Doug Mason
[image-4]Published February 07, 2008.Doug MasonInvisible Star(indie)You didnt need to be involved in the Halifax music scene in the mid-90s to appreciate Invisible Star. But it could help. Doug Mason—band name or alter-ego?—is the creation of Michael Jackson. Along with Cliff Gibb, Mike ONeill and a few other notable Halifax musicians, Jackson has turned out a…
Nalgene malice
OFFER: Nalgene water bottles. Various colours, sizes, conditions. Drop-off available. Look, I dont know what youre going to do with them. Store screws? Chill bacon fat so you can spoon it into the compost? Declare them found art? I dont care. As long as theyre not going into the landfill. See, this is a pressing…
Jay-Z
Jay-ZAmerican GangsterRoc-A-FellaJay-Z’s Black Album and Kingdom Come fell short of what we’ve come to expect from the head of Def Jam. But those who started to doubt the talent of the emcee turned CEO need look no further than American Gangster. While the last albums lacked what Jay-Z brought to his debut Reasonable Doubt, this…
Nordic Nomadic
Nordic NomadicNordic NomadicBlue FogEx-Deadly Snakes guitarist Chad Ross released a greatly under-appreciated solo record a few years back under the moniker Ghoststory. Now he goes by Nordic Nomadic. This record continues where the last one left off—softly sung, mid-tempo, neo-folk rock conjuring up images of abandoned western landscapes and quiet reflection. The lead track, “The…
Cat Power
[image-4]Published February 07, 2008.Cat PowerJukebox(Matador)While listening to Jukebox, it’s hard to avoid comparing it to 2000’s The Covers Record. While the obvious is obvious—both showcase Chan Marshall’s unique interpretive abilities via a series of covers from artists that inspire her—the differences are as pronounced as those between Moonpix and The Greatest. Jukebox (as with her…
Touching down
Like so many great bands before it, The Tom Fun Orchestra is an accident. The behemoth of sound from Cape Breton, with nine members at its core, began at the 2005 East Coast Music Awards in Sydney. Ian MacDougall, Tom Funs songwriter, vocalist and one of its guitarists, had returned home from a stint in…
Ryan Bingham
Ryan BinghamMescalitoLost HighwayIt’s good to see that Lost Highway is continuing to take risks and sign new artists that meet its criteria of combining raw talent with unwavering authenticity. Ryan Bingham, like the label’s other newest signee Mary Gauthier, is not interested in softening the harsh truths of life’s injustices to keep his listener comfortable.…
Bran Van 3000
Bran Van 3000RoséRemstarLong before music writers were frothing over Arcade Fire’s Montreal, Bran Van was demonstrating their hometown’s cosmopolitan influences—2001’s Discosis was equally at home in a neighbourhood bar as it was a soundtrack for champagne on the Riviera. Then the band disappeared, until head-Vanner James Di Salvio rounded up the old collective for Rosé.…
2 Days in Paris
[image-4]Published February 07, 2008.2 Days in ParisDirected by: Julie Delpy(20th Century Fox)Jack (Adam Goldberg) and Marion (Julie Delpy) have been together two years. On their way back to New York from a Venice getaway, they stop in Paris to visit Marion’s parents and pick up their cat. Since deep down, nobody (except my grandma) wants…
The Eye
Jessica Alba discovers in The Eye that her new corneas are showing her the evil that killed their previous owner. This follows her role in Awake, a film about a man who remains conscious through his heart operation. Albas unspoken hope that distributors could throw the amputated-hand-horror Idle Hands on the pile and release the…
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic MonkeysFavorite Worst NightmareDominoConsidering the entire band still can’t legally hoist a pint in the US makes their success more impressive. With Favorite Worst Nightmare, these UK lads have definitely slain the sophomore jinx. Their visceral and authentic brand of scrappy rock ’n’ roll has earned the band a rabid following worldwide.Trevor Savorycategories: Best of…
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan8 DiagramsUniversal/MotownAs the song goes, “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta Fuck Wit,” the latest offering and fifth studio outing from Brooklyn’s finest is no exception. Wu-Tang Clan has always been a hard-hitting, hip-hop collective that has stood tall alongside such marquee names as Jay-Z, Nas and Biggie Smalls. However, in the current glut of…
Strange Wilderness
I anticipated seeing Strange Wilderness largely because Id heard so little about it. A comedy this under the radar had a chance at real countercultural bite. Alas, the latest from Adam Sandlers production company Happy Madison doesnt even rise to the lowbrow charms of most stoner comedies. Rather than being lovable idiots, the characters…
Battles
BattlesMirroredWarpMath-rock has come into its own and Battles are leading the charge into the mainstream (well, the mainstream of the underground, at least). Once the realm of noodley guitar and drum jams, Mirrored anchors synthesizer bleeps and computer-manipulated vocals with pounding drum lines creating a splendid headphone masterpiece. Ian Gormelycategories: Best of the year (2007)
Pizzeria a mano
The newest addition to Bishop’s Landing is a worthy one.
The Beastie Boys
The Beastie BoysThe Mix-UpEMISo this instrumental album sounds like a Money Mark (Beasties’ keyboardist) solo record. What matters is that this is an excellent album, more sure of itself than anything the band’s put out since Hello Nasty. The funk, r&b, soul and dub experiments all work. Apparently a vocal version is forthcoming. Unnecessary!Sean Flinncategories:…
Various Artists
Various Artists David Shrigley’s Worried NoodlesTom LabThere is something extra-special about an album with innovative packaging. Combine that with great music and you have something to truly behold. Which is exactly what Worried Noodles is. As an artbook—a hardcover booklet featuring 50-plus pages of original Shrigley drawings and handwritten lyrics—it would stand on its own.…
Ask and you shall receive, grandma
I hope you can help me. I am a 39-year-old divorced mother of four. Im also a grandmother. Ive started seeing a younger man, age 25, who is only a few years older than my oldest kid. We hit it off great and other than the sex, everything is beautiful. The problem is that my…
Brother Ali
Brother AliThe Undisputed TruthRhymesayers EntertainmentWhile Kanye looked (further) into himself and his wallet this year, albino Minneapolis MC Brother Ali dropped the most politically charged party record in years. His live show is untouchable, but throw on “Truth Is” for your friends and watch the room get up and get down with righteousness.Ian Gormelycategories: Best…
Lupe Fiasco
Lupe FiascoThe CoolAtlanticThe layered orchestration of rock and R&B hooks, melodic vocals and infectious beats found on The Cool are earning Fiasco much critical acclaim. Tracks like “Streets On Fire” and “Fighters” are great examples of Fiasco’s ability to spit intelligent lyrics while maintaining a beautifully melancholy sound. More important is the fact that The…
Reconsidering (RED)
Red is a complex colour, rich in meanings, connections and contradictions. Over the past few years (Product)RED has added more to consider. (Product)RED is a family of consumer brands within brands. You can buy (RED) clothes at Gap, shoes from Converse and digital stuff from Apple. According to the (RED) manifesto online: If you buy…
Don Brownrigg
Don BrownriggWander SongsindieEqually as comforting as a cup of tea, Wander Song’s coats listless souls with love and warmth. Don Brownrigg’s soft vocals spill tales of love, longing and insightful introspection. Guest appearances by Jenn Grant, Rose Cousins and his poetic platonic lover Tanya Davis on “Time Moves On” merely accent his timelessness. Shannon Webb-Campbellcategories:…
Colbie Caillat
Colbie CaillatCocoUniversal MusicColbie Caillat isn’t exactly a household name, but the moment her single “Bubbly” flows from your speakers, you’ll recognize the Joni Mitchell-meets-Jack Johnson sound. As you dip deeper into Coco, elements of John Mayer will begin to present themselves. Caillat was one of the first artists discovered on MySpace and offered a major…
Adam’s fall
Editor’s note This story was honoured with two journalism awards in 2009: The Canadian Association of Journalists gave a CAJ award for best investigative piece by a community newspaper, and it won a gold Atlantic Journalism Award for enterprise reporting. More importantly, the Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission has decided to install suicide barriers along the entire…
