shout out kingz

I guess I am a "music" "blogger" so I need to come out with a douchebag year's best albums post. Because that's what ultra cool bloggers do, they fall asleep on Saturday night and wake up once it's too late to go out and post on the internet :(


10. H20 - Nothing to Prove

Rounding out the top 10 is NYHC band H20. This is a band that I have straight up NEVER liked over my years involved in hardcore. When my friend Jay-Hu told me to check out this album I treated it with a healthy dose of whatever. Man, was I wrong. H20 have made the perfect album about sticking with hardcore regardless of how "passé" it might be amongst hipsterdom. Where Fucked Up is popular for evoking first generation hardcore and merging it with bells and whistles, H20 gives us something devoid of any trickery. This is an extremely solid melodic hardcore album with great lyrics that really strike a chord with me. STAND OUT TRACK = STILL HERE.

9. Coeur de pirate -S/T

Young francophone songstress Coeur de pirate is making pretty big waves with her self titled debut. This is an album that I have had on repeat for full afternoons of writing, lying down and thinking of greener pastures. Like I said when I wrote about her a few weeks ago she sounds like a mix between Cat Power and Françoise Hardy which is maybe the best complement I can give to a woman. Now the question is can she avoid the guaranteed rock journalism backlash! STAND OUT TRACK = POUR UN INFIDÈLE


8. Cuizinier - Pour les filles vol. 3

TTC squadron keeps on pumping out track after track of quality. Yelle might have got a bit more buzz off her Cuiziner diss track but she has re-released that song 3 times now. All the while Cuizinier has been involved in a new album as well as THREE mixtapes. He says he will answer her eventually and I think it's gonna hit a whole new level of post-feminist fair game misogyny (which is totally awesome BTW). Anyways the 3rd mixtape is totally great. He's able to mix American hipster rap, French hipster house and mainstream B.E.T. r&b-hop and just make into something special. The song GIRLS showcases this perfectly. It heavily samples Blur and features Baile funk's biggest star Marina (formerly of Bonde Do Rolle). Young Cueezy holding it down. STAND OUT TRACK = GIRLS and MESSAGE PERSO.

7.Vivian Girls - S/T

You know I love theatre but a lot of times I'm sitting there and stuff goes way over my head due to extreme weirdness. Hard art is great and all but man 2 and half hours is long to sit through a bloody man foetus doing a one man show. That's why I love one acts. In and out and I get it! Vivian Girls play some beautiful weird music that harkens back to 60s girl bands and surf music. However it clocks in at less than 30 minutes which is amazing. This album creates a weird and mysterious world, doesn't overstay its welcome and leaves you wanting more. Up and coming indie bands take note of this. STAND OUT TRACK = TELL THE WORLD.



6.Dillinger 4- C I V I L W A R

Punkrock, Hardcore, whatever you want to call it is a the greatest drug man will ever know. I still remember my first time in an all ages space getting my mind blown square off by this full on sensory assault. Nothing can ever come close to equalling that first high. Dillinger 4's C I V I L W A R is not the second coming of Christ but damn is it a legit punk album. It's like a veteran junkie who's got almost no veins to stab but he gets his hand on some real good heroin. It's never going to be like the first high but damn is this good heroin and it's an afternoon well spent. C I V I L W A R is like that for me. It's also a perfect conclusion for the past 8 years we've all gone through. A perfect send off for G.Dubya... Bush punk at its finest! STAND OUT TRACK = AMERICASPREMIERFAITHBASEDINITIATIVE.


5. Diplo/Santogold - Top Ranking

A real late addition to my list but WOW! I'm surprised seeing Santogold's album in the top 10 of all these yearend lists as I have been listening to the tracks on that disc since 2007. This mixtape however is like a musical treasure chest, a pirate radio show from another planet! From the new Santogold tracks to the friggin intense ragga dancehall and the wonderful hip hop mashups. It might not be a conventional album but this is easily the most listenable album of the year for me. It's 70 minutes long but it feels like a maxi single as time flies when you are having fun! STAND OUT TRACKS = GUNS OF BROOKLYN and BIG BELLY GUNS.


4. Kid Cudi - A Kid Named Cudi

Mr. Cudi is the owner of the year’s best song DAY N' NITE and it's on this mixtape which does a lot to bring it up my chart. More than Lupe this guy is the next step in Kanye inspired hip hop evolution. The format of hip hop is surprisingly still very much underused in terms of what we can do with it; Cudi (like Kanye) is way ahead of the game here. This album is free and you should do yourself a favor and get it. If he's not a superstar in 2 years I will eat my hat. I believe in Kid Cudi. STAND OUT TRACK = DAY N' NITE and DOWN AND OUT.




3. Vampire Weekend - S/T

Oh man did I want to hate this, I just can't though. This is one of my most listened to albums of the year. I hate being on team-pitchfork or team-spin but It's just fun and good yo. I've had so many pathetic moments with this album. Like being on my school campus this spring while the song campus is playing and seeing a recently ex gf on the lawn in front of the theatre department, all the while feeling sad, wearing a keffiye and limited edition Nikes thinking about how god damn cliché I am, hahaha! Jesus I’m a loser, man fuck this band. STAND OUT TRACK = Almost all of them but CAMPUS and OXFORD COMMA


2. Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak

Kanye West is the most important mainstream artist of our generation. People just hate him for the sake of hating him. This guy puts in so much work and effort at being good that I can see how frustrating it must be to not receive the full appreciation from the music press. A bad break up and the death of his mother pushed him to completely forego a traditional rap album. Luckily this is something he can do because he's fucking Kanye West. It reminds me a lot of New Order and that is something I could have never predicted from Kanye. The only thing missing is Joy Division/New Order like killer baselines. In an interview he said he wanted be like a Thom Yorke you can blast in the strip club. What an amazing dude! I wish I could be part of his entourage I think we would get along real good. STAND OUT TRACK = ROBOCOP AND STREET LIGHTS.


1. Fucked Up - Chemistry of Common Life

One of the most important records in recent history. They have been getting some backlash in the hardcore community but fuck it. This thing is going to be remembered. I liked Hidden World but I think that album was a warm up session for what they wanted to do on Chemistry of Common Life. It's funny they are one of the best live bands out now yet this album is almost unplayable live. Which at the end of the day gives us two distinct "albums", them recorded and them live. It doesn't have as many listens as most of the albums on this list though; it's not an album that you can really listen to the tracks by themselves. I just put this on and drink a big old rum and diet Pepsi before going out to the bars. Neo-Neil Young in a lot of ways. STAND OUT TRACK = none, you should listen to it in its entirety. That being said, TWICE BORN.

merry xxxmas (see what I did there?)

The best xmas movies ever, I plan on watching these within the next few days.

Die Hard



Gremlins



Home Alone



Scrooged

HO HO HO

Best videos of the year.

N.3. The Alchemist feat Snoop Dogg, Jadakiss and Pusha T - Lose your Life. Sure the song isn't the best, the animation is a little bit low budget and it's got "web exclusive" written all over it. It doesn't change the fact that it puts some of my favorite rappers in fucked up Halloween situations. Snoop comes out of a coffin and rips his god damned face off. How the shit is that NOT video of the year material? act like you know.





N.2. Vivian Girls - Tell the World. Now we have one of my favorite songs/discoveries of the year all girl brkln hpstr band Vivian Girls. The thing I like the most about this band is that when I listen to their music I feel like they create a certain otherworldly ambiance and this video translates this PERFECTLY. Everything from the old school driving scene to the creepy forest is perfect. If you haven't copped their album yet you should.



N.1. Justice - Stress. Without question the best video of the year. Justice took their least dancy song and added images that went along great with the aural texture of the track. They also managed to showcase that they are from France and that France isn't all Amélie Poulin bullshit. This video is also heavily influenced by one of my favorite movies La Haine. Youth Anthems wholeheartedly supports misanthropic youth that scares the shit out of adults.



HONORABLE MENTION:

Gnarls Barkley - Who's Gonna Save my Soul. I never really got in to Gnarls but this video is visually stunning. We've all been there. Love it.

crucial times

The other day I was buying magazines to read at work (instead of working). I sit at my desk and take my loot out of my bag and I noticed I purchased The Economist and The Source. What can I say I'm a pretty interesting guy. That being said I have always wrestled with the chubness see sawing in weight over the years. I've come to terms with the fact I will always have a bit of chub. I am now selling myself as a mix between Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ice Cube. Think about it, it makes perfect sense.

I am iain seymour cubeman.

Tina's doing her dance, Jon's looking for romance

I think I might start posting as another one of my alter egos. "L'enfant terrible", not as catchy as B.B.C. but I don't know I'm just feeling that these days. Today we have a REALLY random grab bag of videos for you to enjoy. I can't believe how cold it is right now. I'm dreaming of white xmas is stupid.

Let's start his party up with some good old gospel music. JOHNNY CASH, ROY ORBISON and 2 other guys. Xmas tribute to Elvis. The song is called THIS TRAIN IS BOUND FOR GLORY. They have to whole special up at pitchfork.tv pretty intense stuff.



Next up is LADY SOVEREIGN! Video for her new song I GOT YOU DANCING. The video is pretty cool (references to clockwork orange AND the warriors). I also never realized that she had a real pretty face. A female friend of mine hung out with her in her tour bus in MTL and apparently she's super nice too. I think she would make a legit GF.


Lady Sovereign - I Got You Dancing


And finally we have a really a shitty group LEN. Now I have an explanation for this. This past month I have been OBSESSED with 1990's teen movies. I have watched Kids, Hackers, Idle Hands, American Pie and the Katie Holmes epic GO (which I watched last night). Anyways these movies make me all warm and fuzzy inside (well maybe not kids). On the GO soundtrack there was IF YOU STEAL MY SUNSHINE by Len. I know it sucks (I hated it back then to) but it just reminds me of being a 13 year old kid and I like that. Also for people who have been wondering what my blog post titles are they are lyrics from shitty one hit wonder style songs like this one, I am starting to run out though.

Len - Steal My Sunshine
Uploaded by hushhush112

Finally what are other 90's teen movies I should watch? ( They can be comedies, dramas, horror whatever). I think I'm gonna do a Scream/I Know What You Did Last Summer double feature soon.

divided by haircuts

Ok I need a haircut. My shit's been getting pretty long. What should I get?



JFK era buzzcut?



Douche Morissey hair as a joke?



Or what I have been talking shit about for months?

When will they stop?

Just when you thought you finally caught up to Youth Anthems. You arrive at the Youth Anthems safe house in Serbia. You realize the house was filled with cardboard cut outs (home alone style) and there is no party. The only clue is a note from Big Baby Campbell, it reads "dear douche, we are 5 steps ahead.". Today's post is brought to you by Korea Myriam a.k.a, K-Myr, a.k.a killa couturier a.k.a. M.Y.M.S. a.k.a. liar who promised to do a guest post and never did. Baby steps though, baby steps. For this post she hooked me up 2 videos and the third one is something I think she would like regardless.

Korea Myriam is always onto some out there stuff but it's always good. She's a non-hipster hipster making South Keys and Jonquière proud. She ends up in fashion blogs when she visits Brooklyn. So I'm like yo what are you listening to and she answers "German new wave" like if it was normal. I have no idea who DIE DORAUS & DIE MARINAS are but I like their style. The song is called FRED VOM JUPITER.



Next up is my selection. ROXANNE SHANTÉ. Legendary old school rapper song is called ROXANNE'S REVENGE. This girl stood up to KRS one. Respect. Sweet clothes in this video 80's youth culture got it right.



Finally we have something M.Y.M.S. schooled me on a few years back, SOVIET ANIMATION. CHEBURASHKA AND KROKODIL GENA. Really amazing/cute/melancholic stuff. Seriously this stuff is beautiful and worth the click.



You're welcome.

Hey, kid, you'll never live this down

YOUTH-CEMBER NEVER ENDS HERE AT YOUTH ANTHEMS INDUSTRIES.

Today's post is dedicated to la belle province. Got what's on and popping today as well as yesterday's classics. A lot of times I'm embarrassed of my French race like ponytails and sometimes being behind on the times musically. But when I watch theses videos I realize we are superior. We ain't white, we french.

N.1. VULGAIRES MACHINS great franco punk band that has grown a lot over the years and creates important music. This song is called TRIPLE MEURTRE ET SUICIDE RATÉ (triple murder failed suicide) and the video is from their newly released live DVD. Great lyrics and great energy. If you are loved in Québec they will love you forever. NOFX plays 2 nights when they come to MTL and they don't do that anywhere else.



N.2. 83 (name of the band) The best rappers to ever come out of Québec City. Kind of a joke but kind of not. They are kind of like a QBC version of Cypress Hill but with way more gang vocals. I have one of their crew t-shirts. The song is 2003's QUÉBEC GOLD about an apparently potent strain of Québec weed. Due to new technologies in indoor growing as well as cold resistant strains of pot Québec has surpassed B.C. in terms of weed exports. This song goes out to my boy Big Eagle P.



Finally we have an 18 year old girl who performs under the stage name COEUR DE PIRATE. I think will be a pretty big star. Like someone on punkottawa said she has yet to perform outside of Québec and I think once she does she will be winning that canadian critics prize. I would say she sounds like what would happen if Cat Power and Françoise Hardy had a lesbian baby together. Song is COMME DES ENFANTS.

no one can father our styles

No me gustan ternos, mi estilo es moderno

PART 2 OF OUR SPECIAL YOUTH-CEMBER POST ON SWEDISH INVASION.


Let's start the second post like we started the first one, with Dennis Lyxzén, the lead singer of REFUSED who went on to form true swedish invasion band THE (INTERNATIONAL) NOISE CONSPIRACY. A garagy band that went along the lines of The Hives and The Strokes except they were ultra political and less guitar driven. They played an apparently brilliant show in Ottawa that I missed cause my mom didn't let me go. That show was originally going to be with The Hives but they got signed to Warner like 2 weeks before and dropped off the tour. Bah, I give you their biggest song SMASH IT UP.



To following groupe is an all girl band called SAHARA HOTNIGHTS. Man when I first heard them and found out they were swedish I pictured the hottest blond girls ever in my head. Kindof a bummer to see they were only "regular" girls. Played some good tunez like ON TOP OF YOUR WORLD.



Finally we have a great proto-swedish invasion band that went on to have resurgence due to the wave, THE CARDIGANS. Just good straight up rock and roll and a blond singin'. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaah. (jeezy voice).



To wrap it all up we need a dose of Norwegian bitterness. Sweden's crusty evil little brother. I give you the dark lordz of all anus TURBONEGRO - DENIM DEMON. "The band's name raised some eyebrows, and for that reason their first releases were sometimes branded TRBNGR, perhaps to preclude backlash against what some consider to be a racist name. However, the band's stated motivations are anti-racist, trying to change the attitude of racism and nationalism perceived as prevalent in parts of Scandinavia. Founding member Thomas Seltzer once said, "A turbonegro is a large, well-equipped, armed black male in a fast car, out for vengeance. We are his prophets.""



You're welcome.

My only addiction has to do with the female species

YOUTHCEMBER CONTINUES. Today I'm going to hit you with a two part post. The theme is SWEDISH INVASION. The dominance of the blondes during the early to mid 2000s and there might be a special appearance from some Norwegian kids. NOOF please. Get in the YOUTH-MAS spirit and enjoy music from one of the cleanest countries in the world, I heard Swedes never grow pubic hair.

Let's start with some proto-swedish invasion. REFUSED were never part of that wave of music but they set the stage for destroying the Abba image we had of Swedes. They also made one of the most important hardcore records in history. I never saw them live but seeing Ottawa's best band Buried Inside cover them at Halloween a few years ago was pretty badass. Their big hit, NEW NOISE. Love it or love it.



THE HIVES were a pretty big band for me at the end of my high school life. My friend shoplifted their album VENI VEDI VICIOUS for me in grade 12 at the west edmonton mall. I listened to it every day when I got home and did exercise on stationary bike (although I 'm pudgy now I'm still proud of having dropped almost a 100 pounds in a few months back then). I will however be playing the song WALK IDIOT WALK which is off a later album. Why you ask? because when I was doing a bus trip accross Scotland with my then girlfriend she had a cd player with The Hives on it. We were sharing the earphones and I kept forcing her to repeat this song. Good times.

The Hives - Walk Idiot Walk
Uploaded by The-Hives

We conclude part 1 with THE SOUNDS - SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. One of the last videos I had to watch Musiqueplus 24/7 to figure out who was singing this song. Hogging the television just to get closure onto what song was in my goddamn head. The singer is very swedish and very hot. Woo. She also described american Nu-Metal as Pizza Rock (cause they looked like they ate too much pizza). Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaah. (read that like it was young jeezy saying it).

The Sounds - Seven Days A Week
Uploaded by missgourmande

To the maximum

Man I gotta step my blog game up a little bit here. I don't like my decreasing level of posts as time goes on. I'm going to try to turn December into Youthcember. Maybe redesign the layout create some new graphics for this thing, get real crazy. In other news NFL in Toronto fucking sucks. You know your city is shitty when people would rather go to BUFFALO for sports games. If it wasn't for my amazing friends who live there I would have no reason to go there, ever. I also went to MTL for a habs game. My sister and I sang made up songs about the habs and we were superstars of our section. People wanted the lyrics to our chants AND we drank beers with straws.... The Campbells are a dangerous bunch. Last friday was also DISORGANIZED a monthly Ottawa dance night I've been going to for a couple of years now. Good times overall the girls get dressed up and they're hot (and coked up :( ). I went with my great friend PASCALE CONSPIRACY. We got pretty stupid as usual and we were on some next level shit. Way ahead of the rest of the crowd. Some douchy ultra gay guy used the word tranny as an insult and we just took it and ran with it. This post is dedicated to gender bending dance rappers.

N.1 is gay hip hop duo SGT. SASS. with a pretty cool baltimore club remix of their song HOMO HOMIE. This video is really gay (haha)

Next up is a pair of lesbian rappers who have been making a lot of noise recently YO MAJESTY. The song I am sharing is CLUB ACTION. These girls just come off as being fucking hard I'm surprised they do party rap and not straight up murder shit. Get into it.


Finally we have something that is not at all gender bending but it is dancey.... The undisputed song of the summer DAY N' NITE by KID CUDI. He was on the cover of XXL recently and he's on Kanye's new and wonderful album. I predict big time celebrity for this guy. I saw him at disorganized this summer and it was amazing. Not only cuz of the music but also cuz my friend Jon Linke and I were hammered and jumped on the stage at the end. Shit I also had an afterparty beside the Rideau Canal. Hands down one of the best nights this summer. This video is brand spankin new and it's the crookers remix of the song.



BONUS.

I think I might write up an entire review of Kanye's album.

Heartless
Uploaded by 23city

WELCOME TO YOUTHCEMBER KIDZ ITS ABOUT TO GET REAL ANTHEMIC UP IN THIS.

Promise you anything, I'll never lie

Haven't posted in awhile. Going to see the Habs and the Bills this weekend. It's going to be pretty intense. Today's post is big on videos and short on text. Essentially it's about how New York City was hip-hop and all this hate on this soulja boy nonsense is getting us nowhere. Rap sales are going down and it's a good thing. Big beat gritty yet thoughtful NYC hip-hop might get a chance and being relevant again. Today we have classic NAS giving a shout out to everybody, BIGGIE freestyling on a Bed-Stuy corner, BIG L repping harlem, Strong Island's finest RAKIM on one of his less classic tracks that's still better than 98% of kids on the come up, Queens' own PRODIGY of Mobb Deep on some new mixtape shit and finally some Brooklyn bullshit with JOELL ORTIZ who I think if signed to the correcte label could be our saviour. Enjoy.

Nas ft Pete Rock The World Is Yours
Uploaded by oublierleracismeskyblog

Rakim & DJ Premier_When I Be On The Mic
Uploaded by Cana_19