SOUND BITES

Ah, the '80s: a time of excess, the world a neon wonderland where money flowed like champagne and cocaine flowed like money. Oh, and music videos were at the height of their influence, with MTV still playing them and all; as for me, MuchMusic was a raging addiction not unlike those Wall Street power junkies and their powder. By 1986, my consumption of the stuff was up to a solid four hours a day give or take, as I soaked in all that I could. I was an impressionable 10 year old kid with a proxy membership to Columbia House through my older siblings and, between that and regular trips to K-Mart and Zellers County Fair, my cassette collection was growing nicely. 1986 was a year of ups and downs for me; I was excelling at school and living a young and carefree life, but I was also in for the worst injury of my life to date. On December 1st, a snowmobiling mishap (I was riding on back) ended up with both bones of my right ankle snapped. All told, I was bedridden for about a week an...

As I write this, it's been almost 24 hours since you played what most assume is your last show; and, what a show it was! Watching song after song unfold, witnessing it all alongside millions of heavy hearts, we had the privilege of feeling five hearts pounding out its unified pulse one more time. Your hearts and your songs have offered wisdom, solace and inspiration so profound, such cherished gifts to so many. We are in awe of Gord Downie's courage and determination. Watching him stand and deliver in the way which he did, defiant in the face of an unstoppable foe, has provided us with so much more than a remarkable memory; it gives us hope that we too may find the strength to fight through our own obstacles. That Gord chose to share this fight with us rather than suffer privately is an immense act of generosity, and one that we are most grateful for. To be given the opportunity to say goodbye in this way, if this is indeed goodbye, is perhaps the most precious gift we coul...

6  OKAY Ever since they released "the black album" a quarter century ago, Metallica has been embattled with legions of "fans" who claim everything they've done from that point "isn't metal". With that in mind, it seems every five to eight years we get an over-the-top attempt to appease the closed-minded, a contrived attempt at recreating a feeling that died with their first multi-platinum seller; a borderline tantrum to anyone saying "not metal", a petulant "is too". Hardwired may be the most contrived, desperate and disingenuous thrasher Metallica have turned out in the last 25 years. It's also a calculated bid at shushing the haters that almost works. The thing is, as decent as the tune is (and let's not get it twisted, it's a decent tune), there's that underlying feeling that it's all surface; at the end of the day (or, in this case, nearly eight years of waiting), it's thrash-by-numbers, with ...

I haven't been to the United States since June 21, 2002. If that seems like an odd date to remember, don't worry; I had to look it up. That was the day that The Tragically Hip celebrated the recently released In Violet Light by playing a show on Lake Champlain, just off the coast of Burlington, Vermont. On a ferry; cool, right? I know this, because I had tickets to see it. Not that I expected I'd actually get the chance; a week or so earlier, I'd entered a contest on their website, in which they were giving away tickets to a series of shows, none quite as close to home as the Vermont show. So, on a whim, I entered my name into the draw for that show. Cut to Friday, June 21. I arrived for work at 10AM, and started to sort through my show prep (I was working at the local radio station at this time). I booted up the music room's computer, and decided to check my e-mail. Lo and behold, there's one from The Hip, telling me I'd been selected for the contest...

You'd be hard pressed to find a more galvanizing band to Canadians than The Tragically Hip. Come to think of it, though I'm no expert on the music of all countries worldwide, I'm not so sure there's another band on the face of the earth that instills more national pride. Show me a Canadian who doesn't exude at least a passing respect for this band, and I'll show you someone who should have their papers checked. Over the span of a career that has stretched more than thirty years, The Hip have achieved undisputed legendary status, amassed a glowing discography and proven themselves time and time again as not only one of Canada's most important artistic voices, but also one of our most dependable and consistent live acts. Of course, it doesn't hurt that they've managed all of this without ever subbing out a band member. With so much success, so many accolades and so few disappointments, it's easy to see why this weekend's (perceived) far...

For pretty much as long as there have been movies, there has been music in movies. The relationship between film and music go back well over a century, and with that rich history comes scores and scores (pun intended) of amazing soundtracks. Somewhere along the way, consumers wanted to own the music they were using in films, and the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack became a viable source of income for film studios and record labels alike. By the time the '90s came along, soundtracks were big business. How big? Consider that the top five selling soundtracks pre-1990 (Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Purple Rain, Top Gun, Dirty Dancing) have combined to sell an estimated 125 million copies worldwide. You know, over twice the amount of Michael Jackson's Thriller, the highest selling album ever of all time always and forever. So yeah, soundtracks were becoming money grabs, and would soon become even grabbier thanks to two massive soundtracks released in the '90s. Whitne...

(NOTE: For the purposes of this review, I downloaded the "mastered for headphones" version of Afraid of Heights thanks to the voucher that came with my copy of the CD. While this is a bonus only some will take advantage of, I believe it's an incredible gesture that, in an age where more and more bands seem to care less and less about the quality of the music people like me are paying for, is deeply appreciated. So thanks to the band and Klipsch for making it possible and making it sound bloody fantastic, even though I opted instead to use my Sennheisers for the test run. Seriously though, this version of the album is a gift in more ways than one, and I can't think of many CDs I bought in the last fifteen years that wouldn't benefit from this sort of treatment.) The fifth record by Cancon mainstays Billy Talent finds them furthering the maturation process they eased into on their third and fourth LPs, while continuing to stretch their musical boundaries. In ad...