Draft Night

Tonight’s the night. The NBA Draft. Will the Raptors appease the city’s Italian population by selecting Andrea Bargnani with the first overall pick? It seems more and more likely as the hour in question inches closer. Bargnani will be the final piece of the international pie that new GM Bryan Colangelo has been baking over the past few weeks. And this pie will have a uniquely European taste to it, with the team picking up Rasho Nesterovic at centre, Maurizio Gheradini as Assistant GM, and the just announced signing of Spanish star Jorge Garbajosa. The team just recently locked up Charlie Villanueva and Joey Graham until 2009, and they are reportedly close to signing Chris Bosh. Things are really looking up in Raptorland. Check out this video clip of Bargnani in action…



Andrea Bargnani

Don't it always seem to go...

…that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. If Q-Tip were here, he would undoubtedly tell us that Joni Mitchell never lies. But when Jay Dee produced “Got Till it’s Gone” for Janet Jackson, no one could’ve known that the line would resonate with the entire hip hop world following his untimely death. The sheer number of “J Dilla Changed My Life” t-shirts that are now seen is a testament to the impact he had. It seems, not to sound clichéd, that nobody really appreciated the masterful skills of Jay Dee until it was too late. Fortunate enough for his fans, however, is the fact that BBE has promised us two new records from the late-great James Yancey. The first to see the light of day is The Shinning, which is said to have been 90% complete at the time Dilla passed. It’s classic Jay Dee beats woven together with samples from the Stanley Kubrick flick of the same name. Standout tracks include EMC-2 (with Common), Love (featuring Pharoahe Monch), and Baby (with Madlib and Guilty Simpson). This is another one to purchase when it hits the shelves.



The Shinning (Advance)

The Hardest Working Man in Canadian Hip Hop

I’ve posted DL Incognito’s stuff here before, and today I’m happy to bring you a little more. If you have yet to familiarize yourself with his work, I implore that you do (that's right, I said 'implore'). DL is one of the true talents in Canada’s confused hip hop landscape. While many Canadian MCs have focused on producing commercial music, DL has stuck to his guns and come up with three quality albums. As a result, he’s developed a solid fan base of true hip hop junkies. They appreciate the hard work he’s put into his music, which is especially impressive considering he is both independent and Canadian! He’s latest album, Organic Music for a Digital World, is more of the typical that has become so appreciated. The beats are simplistic - samples looped over kicks and snares. They effectively help showcase DL’s lyrical capabilities… Support this guy! Get out there and pick up a copy!



Organic Music for a Digital World

Sports Update... wwwWWWhammy!!

I’m truly dumbfounded that anyone could find the NBA playoffs more exciting than the chase for the Stanley Cup. I realize that, as a Canadian, it seems that I’m biased toward what is considered our national pastime. Actually, I hate the prototypical Canadian hockey fan. In all honesty, the sport of basketball is where my heart lies. Growing up, I was one of the few Canadian youngsters who played basketball and NOT hockey. This was before Toronto and Vancouver were awarded NBA teams, when there was a noticeable lack of basketball knowledge in our country. I can still remember one of my coaches referring to the positions in hockey terms (our guards were known as defensemen, and our forwards were known as left and right wing). So to say that I have some sort of preference for hockey is just wrong. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. But when it comes to the NBA, there’s a lot that gets to me.

The most frustrating thing about watching the playoffs is trying to cope with the circus-like environment that now defines the league. The cheerleaders, the fireworks - the overall presentation makes me sick. On top of that, ABC’s coverage of the sport is like watching a video game. It was obviously designed for the MTV generation. Worst of all, it doesn’t acknowledge the history and traditions of the sport. That’s something that really makes me appreciate the NHL, and even Major League Baseball.

Not to say that the NHL isn’t guilty of any crimes, either. For years the league has whored itself out to anyone willing to shell over cash. Just look at the advertising that litters the boards, the ice, the bench, the post game interviews, and pretty much anywhere else there’s room. But I’ll take Hockey Night in Canada over ABC’s NBA coverage any day of the week.

What also sets the NHL apart is the effort that each player makes, both during the regular season and in the playoffs. There is an honest desire there, one that isn’t found in all NBA players (case in point, Vince Carter deciding to attend his commencement ceremony only hours before a playoff game. Ironically, Carter’s dedication has come into question again recently, after he was spotted in a Miami nightclub only hours before game day in this year’s playoffs). Players in the NHL understand and respect the sport’s past, and want that Stanley Cup more than anything.

And who wouldn’t? The Larry O’Brien Trophy pales in comparison to the Stanley Cup. Would Carmen Sandiego want to steal the Larry O’Brien trophy (sidenote – did you know that San Diego means “Whale’s Vagina”? It’s true.)? I think not! And what greater honour could there be than having your named engraved on a trophy with a history that traces back over 100 years?

A Personal Fav...

The burgeoning excitement surrounding Midlake and their latest album, The Trials of Van Occupanther, is a true testament to the power of the blog scene. The internet has been a powerful tool for many other bands. The Arctic Monkeys proved capable of marketing themselves with a well maintained website; Be Your Own Pet has established itself thanks to the ever-popular MySpace; Gnarls Barkley’s album (and the single for ‘Crazy’) shot up the charts after several songs made the online rounds for over a year, building momentum. Unlike these cases, Midlake’s success can be attributed to the bloggers out there more than anything else. Sites such as Gorilla Vs. Bear got the group’s name out there to readers hungry for skilfully written music. The band itself has managed to transcend the hype that has built up, and produce a record that will surely stand as one of the year’s best. The Trials of Van Occupanther will, without doubt, mark a breakthrough for Midlake. It’s an incredible listen from beginning to end.



Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther

No Longer Relevant

After they burst onto the scene in the late 90s, it was difficult to avoid a Neptunes produced beat anywhere. For a brief moment, they became the darlings of the entire music industry. The world of hip-hop, the world of pop, and even the harshest music critics praised their over-synthesized sound. I plead guilty myself. I used to love everything they touched - mostly early in their career. Now of course, they have fallen into the same trap the plagues most hip-hop producers; their tracks have become monotonous and boring. Sure, they've pumped out the occasional gem over the past few years, but even those rarities are beginning to sound familiar. Check out a couple of their most recent tracks below. It's as though they're trying to capture the excitement that surrounded their more recent "comeback" hits. In my opinion, they've failed.



Pharrell (ft. Kanye West) - Number 1

Fam Lay - Skrunt Owt

No Man is an Island

‘Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby’. How can you not love an album with song titles such as that? Of course, it’s unfair to judge a piece of work simply on the humour of a single name. But when it comes to The Island’s album Return to the Sea, perhaps there is no better way of explaining its atmosphere. The record is just that fun. Unlike most “fun” albums, the effort loses nothing in terms of musicality while establishing the mood. The aforementioned track is an excellent example of the tone maintained throughout the record. Other standouts include ‘Rough Gem’, ‘Jogging Gorgeous Summer’, and ‘Volcanoes’.



The Islands - Return to the Sea

Where you been?

I hate work. I have very little free time anymore. I will try to get more regular posts up again. In the meantime, I'm sorry.

Anyway, here's some music for you... remember to delete it after 24 hours!...



Thom Yorke - The Eraser