I am pleased to see Sting is premiering his new musical in Chicago. Pleased, because every time we think there’s not enough happening in Capital City, we can at least remind ourselves that Sting’s musical is one of the things not happening here.
And you have to feel good about that. Continue reading
Filed under Music
Earlier this week, I was lost in the College Square Loblaws, remaining calm in no small part due to the always-soothing sound of California Stars — to my ears, still Wilco’s crowning moment. And as I hummed along to the music emanating from the mammoth market’s PA, a thought struck me:
They’re playing Wilco as background music at Loblaws!
Moreover, this followed recent encounters at the same store with decidedly unmuzakky numbers from Nirvana and Sonic Youth.
Music to shop by, it seems, ain’t what it used to be.
It’s a brave new reality that brought to mind an unpublished feature article I wrote some years ago for a local newspaper. I had pitched the piece as something of a music review of what’s playing at the local malls. And while the editors were kind enough not to assign the story to another writer in my stead, they were not kind enough to run it.
And so, without further ado, I will run it myself. What an age we live in, this era of the blog. If only it paid better. Continue reading
Today our resident critic digs (up) the new entry from The Black Keys. It’s a fetching disc; indeed, Snorri fetched it from our door — after a bit of tentative barking — moments after its arrival Monday.
So, pup, mind if I tear you away from the new Keys album long enough for a comment? Continue reading
Filed under Snorri's Album Reviews
Thank you for your patience. A blogger will be with you shortly.
It’s been quiet here at The Wig, but only because I have devoted all my time to uncovering the Canadian media story of the year.
And here it is. After a full year of examining mounting evidence to support my suspicion, I can now conclusively report the following:
Rob Ford does not exist. Continue reading
I missed Record Store Day. Fortunately, I like to think of every day as Record Store Day. Kind of like Children’s Day. But without kids ruining one’s enjoyment of a good record.
Not that my interest hadn’t been piqued by the promise of some cool limited-edition releases. But my days of lining up to buy records ended around the time Organised Sound had its last Boxing Day sale.
Fortunately, as Paul “Going Underground” Weller has publicly lamented, there’s always eBay. Indeed, indications are that certain disreputable retailers may have hoarded treasured RSD releases, taking them straight to eBay rather than to store customers. Some RSD enthusiasts have suggested a retool of all that the day represents. Others are too busy buying and selling on eBay.
But if certain seedy retailers are to blame for tarnishing the record industry, well, they’ve learned from the best. And as sales of vinyl records continue to skyrocket — nearing two per cent of current total music sales, according to some estimates — perhaps we LP aficionados can take solace in the fact that greed continues to drive an industry built upon same. I get all misty-eyed just thinking about it. Continue reading
Filed under Music
Wig Bubbles 