Quote of the Day-John Lennon

"The more I see, the less I know for sure."

-John Lennon

(Gone 29 years today. Rest in peace, Mr. Lennon)

My Favourite Christmas Music Ever!

I'm truly a nut about all things Christmas, even when it comes to the music. Come December, I love walking into stores that are blasting the determinedly cheerful tunes. I am that person who, on the 1st, puts my burned holiday compilation in my car and doesn't eject it until January. The same goes for the ring tone on my phone (I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas) and what I press play for on my iPod. I truly don't understand people who insist they hate Christmas music! Okay, some of it may admittedly be rather too cheerful or even downright bad, but there are so many beautiful and stirring choices as well. I have honed down the best list over the years, with both old classics and new loves, and have decided to share with you my absolute favourites. These songs are all available for purchase on iTunes and make the perfect holiday season mix for any party or get together. Or burn a few copies and give them as gifts! 

1. Happy Xmas (War is Over) ~ John Lennon

2. O Holy Night~ Josh Groban

3. Christmastime is Here~ The Vince Guaraldi Trio, Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack

4. Carol of the Bells~ John Williams, Home Alone Soundtrack

5. River~ Robert Downey Jr. and Vonda Shephard, Ally McBeal Soundtrack

6. I Believe in Father Christmas~ Greg Lake or Emerson, Lake and Palmer

7. White Christmas~ Bing Crosby

8. The Winter Song~ Eisley

9. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)~ U2 or Death Cab for Cutie

10. Winter Wonderland~ Dean Martin or Bing Crosby

11. God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman~ Charlotte Church or The Barenaked Ladies

12. Do They Know It's Christmas?~ Band Aid or Band Aid 20

13. Driving Home for Christmas~ Chris Rea

14. A Spaceman Came Travelling~ Chris de Burgh

15. Baby It's Cold Outside~ Lee Ann Womack and Harry Connick Jr. 

16. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas~ Judy Garland

17. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire)~ Nat King Cole

18. Same Old Lang Syne~ Dan Fogelberg

19. Please Come Home For Christmas~ Eagles

20. I'll Be Home For Christmas~ Bing Crosby

I hope you enjoy this compilation as much as I do! And~ If I had to choose only one CD for the duration of the holiday season I would definitely choose White Christmas by Bing Crosby~ it reminds me of putting up the tree as a child and is truly the perfect mix of all the most iconic Christmas songs. Plus, his voice is as smooth and dreamy as it gets! 

Favourite Lyric of the Day

When routine bites hard

And ambitions are low

And resentment rides high

But emotions won't grow

And we're changing our ways

Taking different roads

Love, love will tear us apart again. 

-Joy Division

Elias on MTV Live! Album To Purchase Now!

My brother's kick ass band Elias was in Toronto last week and what did they do? Oh, they just played MTV Live! Yep, they hit up the Temple to play three songs off their new album, Lasting Distraction. Could I be more proud of these four guys or thrilled for them? Not possible. 

Watch the three clips from MTV here, starting with All We Want, then Thousand Pieces and finishing with Dropouts. 

And don't forget~ you can purchase the album, Lasting Distraction,  in stores, online at Amazon or on iTunes. 

It would make a great Christmas gift! Buy lots! 

(Photos are screen grabs from MTV.ca~ Sorry for the poor quality!)

Lasting Distraction~ Out Now!

Lasting Distraction is the new album from Vancouver band Elias and it is my heartfelt recommendation that you buy it. Immediately. You see, this is my brother's band, but aside from that these are three guys that are passionate about their music and inordinately talented to boot. The new album was released today and you can find it on iTunes as of right this moment. Do yourself a favour and buy it. My faves? It is a toss up between Dropouts (sorrowful and angst-y), Thousand Pieces (if only boys wouldn't break my heart into so many pieces) or Awake Tonight (sexy as hell). Buy now!

 

(Band photo via Cohene.com)

Elias Back Onstage at The Biltmore

My gorgeous friend Chloe and I hit up The Biltmore last night to see my brother's band, Elias, as they opened for Pilot Speed (read previous posts here and here). The boys had just returned from a quick tour hop in Alberta to play Vancouver and are already back on the road as of this morning. Having not played together live in a year (I last saw them last October at the now defunct Richards on Richards for an Oxfam benefit), I was both excited and nervous for the show, especially as there is new material I hadn't yet heard live. Suffice it to say, the night kicked ass. I know, not very eloquent, but nonetheless true. It was a fantastic comeback show and the boys sounded tighter than ever. The new songs are beyond amazing and I can't wait to get my hands on their new album Lasting Distraction next Tuesday, October 13! Although one would think a sister could get an advanced copy..... hmmmmph. 

Congratulations, boys! Have a great tour! 

Click here to listen to new Elias. I highly highly recommend Awake Tonight. I've listened to it about twelve times today already. Amazing.

(Band photo by Mark Cohene)

Track One

Music. It is such a sickeningly powerful thing. It can transform a mood in a second. It can elicit feelings you didn't know you still had. And it can take you back to a moment two years ago that you thought you had long put behind you (and have, truly....but still). Not forgotten after all. Sitting in bed, past midnight, listening to a playlist I haven't put on in ages. Opening notes to a song are quiet and stirring. My heart starts thudding and my mind hurtles back in time to a room, a wall full of windows, overlooking the dark sky and the city dotted with lights. How in that moment, during this exact song, what I felt was nothing but utter confidence. And joy. Followed by months of not being able to listen to this song without feeling sick to my stomach. So two years later. I listen to its haunting beauty....still one of my absolute favourites. And now, while it can take me back to that moment in a split second, it doesn't hurt like that anymore. It's just another memory. 

Another piece of the past. 

Passenger Seat

I roll the window down and then begin to breathe in

The darkest country road and the strong scent of evergreen

From the passenger seat as you are driving me home.

Then looking upwards I strain my eyes and try

To tell the difference between shooting stars and satellites

From the passenger seat as you are driving me home.

Do they collide? I ask and you smile

With my feet on the dash the world doesn't matter.

When you feel embarrassed I'll be your pride,

When you need directions then I'll be the guide,

For all time

For all time. 

-Passenger Seat, Death Cab for Cutie

You know how sometimes one small thing can trigger an especially wonderful memory or evoke something you love that has been buried in your mind? Every time I drive down a particularly lush, tree lined street or even just look at an image of such a thing I immediately think of this ridiculously lovely song. It is the simplest of love songs but I think I adore it so much because of its very simplicity. I can always imagine myself and that someone else driving in the dark through an alley of trees that you can just see through above, see through to the stars. I bought the above photograph because of this very song and every time I look at the beautiful image, it makes me happy. I am building my photography collection and soon I will have a gallery wall full of images that make me as happy as this! 

PS- Listen to this breathtaking song (or watch this). I highly recommend it. 

And congratulations to my huge crush Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie on getting married this past weekend to the adorable Zooey Deschanel (my girl crush from 500 Days of Summer). 

Buy Tunnel of Trees yourself here. 

Favourite Lyric of the Day

"Life is easy with your eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see."

-The Beatles

Quote of the Day

"When people hear good music it makes them homesick for something they never had, and never will have."

-Edgar Watson Howe

Music, lyrics make me feel exactly that. Sometimes a longing to live in the moment of that song or to feel that feeling forever. I think this is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. I think that love is very much like that feeling too~ a sense of homesickness for someone else.

LIsten To This~ Pilot Speed

As you already know my kid brother is the guitarist in a kick ass Vancouver band called Elias (read previous post here). Recently signed to the new label Wax Records, the boys are almost done their work in the studio in preparation for their upcoming album. And that's just in time, because in the lives of Elias, the month of October will be spent traveling across Canada touring with Toronto-based quartet Pilot Speed. Formerly known as Pilate, this band is signed to Wax's parent company, Wind Up Records, and are garnering attention in the Canadian music scene. I've been listening to their 2003 release, Caught By The Window, for the last day and I'm definitely smitten. It usually takes me upwards of five listens to any song or album to know if I like it or not but I was drawn in by the haunting beauty of the very first track, Endgame, and it only got better from there. Pilot Speed's latest album, Wooden Bones, can be found on iTunes and is definitely worth the purchase. 

Watch the video for the single Put The Phone Down here. 

Pilot Speed with Elias will be playing at The Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver on Monday, October 5 and I, for one, will definitely be there! 

Transatlanticism

The Atlantic was born today and I'll tell you how
The clouds above opened up and let it out.
I was standing on the surface of a perforated sphere
When the water filled every hole
And thousands upon thousands made an ocean
Making islands where no islands should go.

-Death Cab For Cutie

"All We Want" is Elias

It seems slightly unfathomable to me that I've been "blogging" (I hate that verb) for over three months now and I have yet to mention the likes of Vancouver band, Elias. These local boys done good are young, talented, dedicated and charismatic. Their music is inventive, alluring and always draws you back for more ~if you have taste, that is. And they are going places. I may sound biased, and perhaps I am, because this is the band in which my little brother belongs. Still, every word I write is true. 

Elias is currently a trio, comprised of lead singer/pianist (and a good friend of mine) Brian Healy, drummer Stefan Tavares and my kid sibling, lead guitar player (and for the moment, bassist as well) Rob Tornroos. I've seen these boys throughout the years, changing and growing, and it has been an honour to be part of the evolution (sometimes I get to hear the latest being practiced in my apartment). It has been a seemingly long road of cross country tours, club gigs and endless studio sessions but the result has been worthwhile. Not only has Elias emerged an even stronger musical act but have recently been in the studio, yet again, prepping for a new album under the label Wax Records (a new affiliate of Wind Up Records). I'm a ridiculously proud sister and I absolutely can't wait to hear the final result. 

In the meantime, do yourself a favour and visit Elias at myspace.com/eliasband to listen to tracks and visit their links. 

Watch Rob and Brian perform an acoustic set live on Global News here~ one of my fave performances when they released their album, All We Want, last year. 

Visit Wind Up Records here. 

All amazing images are by photographer and former Elias bassist, Jonny Healy. Join his Facebook group, Jonny Healy Photography, here. Prepare to be impressed!

Butterflies

(Image via Paper Tissue)

Where The Wild Things Are

While watching Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince last night with Leah I also saw the trailer for the upcoming October release of the hotly anticipated Where The Wild Things Are. Brought to life over the last eight years by director Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) the film is based on the 1963 classic children's book of the same name, written by Maurice Sendak. While bringing such an iconic book to the big screen has been apparently both controversial and grueling for Jonze, the film itself looks magical. The story centres around Max, a young boy who acts out when his mother has her boyfriend over and is therefore sent to bed without his dinner. Max then creates his own world of escape, a land dominated by the Wild Things, who crown him as their ruler. I haven't read the book but you can be sure I will be doing so now, and before the movie is released! 

Watch the amazing trailer here. 

The song featured, which I have been listening to all morning, is Wake Up by Arcade Fire (hello, great Canadian band). 

Inside all of us is hope. 

(Photos via IMDb)

I Will Follow You Into the Dark

One of my very favourite bands, Death Cab for Cutie, are in town performing tonight and so I'm heartbroken because I'm not going. I was, however, lucky enough to see them last July at the Pemberton Festival while also touring for their current album, Narrow Stairs, so I don't feel too bad, but still.... I would have loved to have gone. If you've never listened to the music of this amazing Bellingham quartet please do yourself an enormous favour and do so. Immediately. Ben Gibbard's lyrics are a mix of poignant heartbreak and charming bemusement while the music itself is always powerful and stirring. I can never ever get enough of this band. If you're in love try Transatlanticism (my favourite song in the world truly). If you've just gone through a break up listen to Tiny Vessels or Title and Registration.  Opt for Soul Meets Body or I Will Possess Your Heart for something more up tempo. No matter what your mood there is a facet of Death Cab that you are guaranteed to love. And if you don't love them.... then we can't be friends! 

Favourite Lyric of the Day

You can't just say 'I love you'

You have to live 'I love you'.

-Ben Harper, Heart of Matters

(Lyric choice thanks to Leah and Nicole and our crazy, heated conversation about boys last night! Love you, girls)

(Photo via Paper Tissue) 

Life in Technicolor~ Coldplay Rock Vancouver Yet Again

Nine years ago I fell hopelessly in love with four boys at the same time. They were a little bit older than me, English, talented and had great taste in music~ and I was smitten. It all started with one little single called Yellow, which I heard for the first time on Much Music in my parents' basement. A boy strolled down a beach in darkness singing about a girl he loved (look at the stars, look how they shine for you) and, in turn, I fell. Hard. For the last nine years Coldplay has been my go-to band, the one I turn to when I need inspiration, a good cry or to dance around my apartment. 

On Sunday I was lucky enough to see them for the sixth time in concert and it was an amazing night. To be fair the first five times were all phenomenal. First~ only a few hundred people at the Commodore, a time when people had barely heard of the band and Yellow had only just hit the airwaves. The small venue was incredible. Second~ six months later, still touring forParachutes, fourth row at the Orpheum. Theatre seating made them nervous and Chris Martin kept encouraging everyone to rush the stage. We complied! Third~ August 2005, White River Amphitheatre outside of Seattle for X&Y. Outdoor venue, third row, bodies smushed together = unbelievable evening. The four hour drive home in pouring rain, not so much. Fourth~ GM Place for X&Y the following January. These boys can certainly rock a stadium. Fifth~ Last July, the Pemberton Festival outside Whistler, B.C. The headlining act of the three day festival. My good friend Chloe and I shoved our way to about the fourth row (rather painfully) and were rewarded with being able to admire the boys' cute (and sweaty) faces up close! 

This past Sunday I was offered a last minute ticket by my cousin Kate and I was overjoyed, as I hadn't planned on going and was heartbroken about it. GM Place was packed and our seats were directly beside the stage, so our view was perfect. Snow Patrol opened the show and their set was fantastic~ energetic, fun and peppered with the lead singer's witty dialogue. When it was time for their set, Coldplay burst onto the stage with sparklers, waving them madly and running around in darkness before bursting into Life in Technicolor, followed by Violet Hill, Clocks, Yellow, In My Place and Glass of Water. The set list covered the band's four albums and their latest EP, Prospekt's March, across the board and the variety was well balanced to perfection. Other songs played include Fix You (tears!), Politik, Green Eyes and a lovely piano version of The Hardest Part, plus almost all of their latest album, Viva La Vida (the only exception being Yes). Fun elements of the evening included the band moving to a tiny stage in the middle of the stadium to play a few songs (including I'm a Believer by The Monkees and Will Champion performing Death Will Never Conquer) and inciting the audience to do the "wave" with their lit up cell phones. My favourite part? The millions of butterflies showering the crowd during Lovers in Japan. It was incredibly beautiful! The best part of the entire evening was knowing that the concert was being filmed for the band's Live DVD, so in a few short months I will be able to buy a hard copy of a show I attended! Chris Martin said that out of 90 countries they performed in they chose Vancouver to film the DVD. I can't wait to see it! 

The only thing lacking during the evening? No Gwyneth, Apple or Moses to be seen. Sigh....

Otherwise...perfect! 

(P.S. Most of these photos were taken last year in Pemberton)

Favourite Lyric of the Day

"Are you lost or incomplete? Do you feel like a puzzle, you can't find your missing piece?"

-Talk, X&Y, Coldplay