Seriously, what the crap?!

Here are some screen captures from Amazon Canada & US, taken Thursday November 22, 2007 at approximately 3:20 pm. At this time, the Canadian dollar is worth approximately 2 cents more than the US dollar.

As you can see, the exact same item cost $10.00 less in the States, even though our currency is  worth more. Here are the final prices:

As you can see, even though the shipping cost from the US to Canada is literally double the price of shipping within Canada, ordering the item from the States still saves you $10!!!!! What the crap! This is seriously complete B. S. Someone really needs to fix these ridiculous price differences. This wouldn't have bothered me when our dollar was worth 65 cents to the US dollar, but it is absolutely pathetic that I can save this much money ordering from the States. 

I am not gonna complain that I save $10, but this is going to be terrible for Canadian business. As much as I want to support local retailers, 10 bucks is 10 bucks, so obviously I'll be placing my order at Amazon US. What makes this even worse is that this is the SAME company!!! Did they not realize that people would do this?! Seriously, Canadian retailers need to wake up if they expect to make it.

Safari 3.0.4

Finally... finally Apple has updated Safari in a way that makes it unnecessary for me to use Firefox for anything anymore. Now I can do rich text editing on Safari. So this is the first blog entry from Safari since forever. And I can easily make it bold or italics or even insert a link with relative ease. Wonderful.

Also the new Safari finder owns with its animations and highlighting etc...

And the new Scott Pilgrim is wonderful, and also, wonderfully the longest one yet!

That is all.

In brief

Just finished my reviews for Radiohead's In Rainbows and Animal Collective's Strawberry Jam, expect them up on The Tollbooth within the next week or two.

Rach and Stevie are coming to K-Town tomorrow, and there promises to be a wonderful fun filled weekend for all. Rach and I have officially moved our wedding date up, it is about 99% certain that it will be on May 3rd. This is quite nice indeed.

I have fallen in love with Power Points. This is utterly ridiculous I know, but they make presentations so much more fun. And that will be all for now.

Top Albums of 2007 (so far...)

[This is a list of my favourite albums released in 2007, later I will post my favourite albums that I listened to the most in 2007, regardless of release date]

1. Radiohead- In Rainbows

2. Animal Collective- Strawberry Jam

3. As Cities Burn- Come Now Sleep

4. Project 86- Rival Factions

5. Derek Webb- The Ringing Bell

I prefer triple berry

Listenings to: The Rapture- Pieces of the People We Love This is really fun, kinda sleazy and silly, but fun...

Well, I am again at the illustrious Coffee & Company (aka the only place in Kingston that offers free wireless) and I am waiting for Rachel to make her appearance on the internets, as we are supposed to have a coffee and msn date, but perhaps she forgot. That is okay though, but I do want to talk to her, as always.

Rachel and I are almost done our wedding plans!!! And I'm only missing two of my four limbs!!! (Just kidding, love ya hon.) We should be able to get invitations out sometime in January. It's going to be a small wedding, family and close friends, however we also plan on having a post-wedding party later in the summer and a Jack 'n' Jill party sometime before the wedding, so there will be plenty of opportunity for everyone to celebrate our union with us. (Wow... "celebrate our union." For some reason that just sounds funny... am I crazy or is it actually funny?)

I now have two reviews up on The Phantom Tollbooth and that makes me happy. Though I may not get paid, I do get free cds and dvds shipped to me, and I get to say that I am a published author on my resume. That and I love writing record reviews. HM needs to hire me or something! lol, I wish.

Check out the new Animal Collective record Strawberry Jam. It is kinda weird spazzy folk pop with some psychedelic noise thrown in for fun. The video for "Peacebone" is seriously messed up, check it out. Reminds me of prime Neutral Milk Hotel...on drugs...jamming with a less ridiculous Wolf Eyes. Um... that does make sense, I promise.

always room for one more

fyi: Cool Hand Luke- The Balancing Act

More album review action

a million engines in neutral

hello from the pit of Kingston!

I like Coffee & Company... it is a fun place... My review of "OK Compy" will be coming but since it is Radiohead's seminal album I am taking my time and reading up... there are lots of books about this puppy. I also intend to write a review of Thom Yorke's "The Eraser," easily my favourite album of last year. Perhaps for the Tollbooth? And speaking of that my first published review is up, David Crowder Band- Remedy. (Mine is second down, there are two reviews.) I am really happy that this particular review is published, as I seem to be one of the few people who actually questions the merits of the new Crowder record. It's not bad, but it ain't great either.

I am having fun in Kingston so far again, but I do miss Rach. However I have a lot more free time with class than with prac, a blessing and a curse.

Rach and I are getting our wedding plans into high gear now, finalizing our guest list so that we can send out the invites. We also need to do other things such as finalize our venue, make a registry, and do our pre-marital counseling, all this within the next couple months! Crazy. It is all rather difficult to plan, and it is really causing us to examine things in a good way, to get down to some of those deep issues that you only get into when family is involved. It is all rather strange and crazy. One thing is for sure. I really love Rach, and I'm really looking forward to being married and not having to leave for months at a time for school.

I also now have everybody's Christmas presents except for my dad's. He is always the hardest to shop for. While shopping for Jer's present on the wonderful Ebay I also scored a reasonably priced copy of Thom Yorke's Japanese only EP Spitting Feathers which collects all the b-sides for The Eraser. Usually it goes for around $30, which is unreasonable for only 5 songs, especially since I already own (poor quality) iTunes versions. Anyway, I got it new and sealed for $16, which is still a lot to pay for five songs that I already have, but I really want to have them on hard copy and be able to make cd quality rips.... ah, the life of an audiophile...

Anyway, I guess that is a good enough update for now

Radiohead Reviews Part 2

The Bends (1995)

The first hint we got of where the band would go following the respectable but still disappointing Pablo Honey was “My Iron Lung.” Technically this was The Bends’ first single despite being released an entire year before the album. “My Iron Lung” is a no holds barred musical monster, lyrically Thom mocks the success of “Creep:” “This is our new song, just like the last one, a total waste of time my iron lung,” while Johnny lays down the most intense leads he ever has. Clearly we could expect lots from the new record.

However after the audio assault of “My Iron Lung” it is surprising how mellow the majority of The Bends was. Most of the singles, and well over half the record are focused on balladry. The second single released was “Street Spirit,” still one of the most haunting tracks the band has ever recorded, and arguably their strongest music video. Also of note were its two b-sides, “Talk Show Host” and “Bishop’s Robes,” easily two of the best b-sides by any band. They did as much as the single did to build hype for the album.

The Bends opens with a crazy electro-rock track that was apparently recorded while the whole band was completely pissed drunk, which unknowingly lays the groundwork for the band’s future work beyond OK Computer. After this we are treated to the title track, which hearkens back to Pablo Honey the most of any other song on The Bends, but fortunately evokes memories of great tunes such as “You.”

Then the ballads begin: but fortunately Radiohead has the knack for them. “High and Dry” was one of the band’s best charting US singles, though in retrospect the lyrics are rather trite. “Fake Plastic Trees” is gorgeous, and even though it lasts about 30 seconds longer than it really needs to, it is still an excellent listen.

The biggest highlight is “Just.” This is the band’s loudest song, and most unique video. The solo on this song alone proves that Johnny is one of the best rock guitarists ever. After it and “My Iron Lung” the album closes on a quiet note, with another few ballads.

This album is held in universal acclaim, and fans of “classic” Radiohead often cite it as their best record. Though it is great, in hindsight there are some significant flaws. There are far too many ballads, some of which are excellent but specifically on the second half of the record they become listless. Some of the songs are also a bit too long. However these critiques aside, the album still stands as a monumental achievement, head and shoulders better than Pablo Honey, and paving the way for the difficult and inventive music to follow.

4.5/5

Radiohead Reviews Part 1

Preface:

Radiohead has been my favourite band for almost 11 years now. To be honest, I don’t know exactly what it is about them that reaches out and grabs me with such intensity. All I know is that every album has been there at some special time in my life, and that in the past 11 years I have grown as the band has grown.

In order to help myself understand my love for this band I have decided to review each of their records. I know that this has been done hundreds of times, and I do it less to enter into the conversation as I do to understand myself. I plan on writing one review each day or two until they’re done, and if I like doing it I may tackle the EPs too. We’ll start at the beginning…

______________________________________

Pablo Honey (1993)

Rather humble beginnings for a band that went on to shape the end of the decade in music. Of course in the early nineties the kings were Nirvana, and this album is heavily indebted to that group. Not entirely derivative, but not the innovative heights we would see on later albums either.

The music is fairly general poppy alternative rock. Some tracks, such as “Vegetable,” where Johnny plays the guitar with a paintbrush, show the bands future experimentation, but in general this record is a product of its times. Some songs show transcendence though, the soaring vocals of “Stop Whispering” are truly magical, and “Anyone Can Play Guitar” shows the germination of Johnny Greenwood’s explosive and violent guitar assault.

The Radiohead song that everyone knows is “Creep.” It was so ubiquitous that the band was initially labeled as one hit wonders stateside. The song is a simple pop song, made interesting by Johnny’s violent “chugga chuggas” and Thom’s always impressive falsetto. The band really hates the song now, as evidenced by some humorous segments in the Meeting People Is Easy documentary released in 1998. In one performance Thom stands looking bored holding the microphone out to the audience as they scream the song’s verses, before taking the microphone himself to deliver the most ridiculously overblown and off-key version of the chorus you’ll ever hear. It is hilarious, and I wonder if anyone in the audience that night caught the irony.

The real downfall of “Creep” is the same downfall of the album as a whole: irritating, immature, self-deprecating lyrics: “I wish I was special, you’re so fucking special, but I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo.” Not to mention the embarrassing “Thinking About You:” “I’m playing with myself, and why should I care if you’re not there.” Thom has always been known for his depressive fair, but at least on later albums it serves a purpose other than teen angst and sexual frustration.

This album is certainly flawed and dated, but that is part of its charm. It is still a “fun” (if you can call it that) and nostalgic listen. Easily the band’s weakest record, but it still shows small glimmers of the greatness that is to come, and those moments are good enough to make some of the mediocrity palatable.

3/5