Heart Songs

I am a lover of music, and every once in a while I get completely obsessed with a musical artist.  I spent my teens listening to Our Lady Peace, studying their lyrics like poetry and creating art inspired by their songs. I discovered Tegan and Sara on Much Music, back before popular music became synthetic and when Much Music was cool.  I found myself in their songs, and that obsession has stuck with me to this day. 

In university, I owned a couple of CDs by Tori Amos, but I hadn't listened to them much. Then a friend of mine got me to hear her music in a new way, and I fell in love.  Her music was the soundtrack to many nights punctuated with good conversation, red wine and candle light.

There have been other bands of course, like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Metric.  But most recently, it's been Florence + The Machine. I first downloaded Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up) last May. I listened to it at work and needed more.  Her powerhouse voice and music that is orchestral and confessional at the same time.  It pulls you through this emotional journey. I'm still hooked.

Here is a taste:


Florence + The Machine - Drumming Song

Florence and The Machine

MySpace Music Videos

Women in Music

As someone who hosts a music show on UMFM called Venus Envy that focuses exclusively on music by female artists, I want to share two items of interest with you.  The first is a list of 50 essential women in music albums.  I personally think there are albums missing, but it's a pretty great list of must- hear albums.  Check it out here.  

Another item of interest is a radio documentary produced by CBC journalism intern Amanda Ash.  It inspired a special podcast on Women in indie music for CBC Radio 3.  Check it out here on Amanda Ash's personal blog.

METRIC System

I have a crush on the band Metric. I saw them in concert again a couple of weeks ago, and that was probably the fifth or sixth time I've seen them, if not more. As usual, they were fabulous. Emily Haines inhabits the stage like a Mexican jumping bean. How she manages to have so much energy, show after show, is beyond me. Just watching her dance and jump and strut across the stage is exhausting. Metric is definitely a band that entertains.

Their most recent album Fantasies came out last April and was promptly nominated for the Polaris Music Prize, an award presented for a full-length album from a Canadian artist based on artistic merit rather than album sales. They didn't win, but they made the short list, and they continue to do well for themselves. I dare you to turn on a show like Grey's Anatomy and not hear their music.
One of my favourite videos to come out of this album is for Gimme Sympathy. It's one continuous shot, which is quite a feat. The band is playing in a theatre in Toronto and while they all start in their usual positions, they rotate throughout the video. It seems to happen almost magically and I'm sure it was choreographed like crazy to do the whole song in ONE shot. The band has posted a behind the scenes video, split screened with the original video. It allows you to see how they did it. Mostly, a lot of running around and changing costumes quickly off camera. I've posted both the original video and the behind the scenes shoot below for your viewing pleasure.  Enjoy!