Snow Patrol - The Lightning Strike (i): What If This Storm Ends?

I'm a sucker for songs that build and build only to come crashing down in incredible fashion. From the quiet piano at the beginning to the overwhelming storm of orchestral sound at the climax this is a true epic. This is one of my absolute favourites by Snow Patrol. They were supposed to be putting on a free show tonight in Vancouver that I wanted to go to but it was cancelled at the last minute due to rain and illness. So to anyone going to the actual show tonight I sure hope the band is healthy and ready to rock.

Some thoughts...

- I guess the LA Kings are for real and we shouldn't feel so bad about losing to them in round 1... but fuck it still does suck ass.

- Oklahoma City Thunder have been my team all season, especially with the Fisher acquisition at the deadline. They've looked great so far through games 1 and 2 as well and are my pick to face the Heat in the finals.

- Watched Happy Gilmore for the first time in quite a while last night. Damn it's a great fucking movie. Shooter McGavin -  "I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast". Happy Gilmore - "You eat pieces of shit for breakfast!". LMAO. And who could forget the fight with Bob Barker. Classic.

Nine Inch Nails - Head Like A Hole

Head like a hole... that'll be me in a few hours as the second stage of my dental implant surgery is today. This one won't be quite as intense as the first one and hopefully I get some nice oxycotin for my troubles ;). Nine Inch Nails are an intense band. They take everything they do seriously and rock haaaard in the process. I was lucky enough to get to see at Sasquatch them during their "final" tour a few years ago. This song was their first encore right before the classic "Hurt". They performed the fuck out of everything they played and singer Trent Reznor was dripping with more sweat than a fat man at KFC.

Some thoughts...

- Absolutely lovin' the Android Galaxy Nexus Google phone.

- This year the NHL playoffs marks somewhat of a changing of the guard as smaller market teams have all found ways to succeed. The biggest thing, especially in the West, is that teams have finally mastered the trap system in the new NHL. Get ready for lots of low-scoring, tightly checked, hard-hitting games.

- Mmmm Bacon Cheddar Bigger Burger at White Spot.

Cam'ron & Vado - Girls Cry

Sick fucking rap song. That is all for today...

Beach House - Lover Of Mine

Today is my parents' 25th Anniversary. I can't believe it has been 25 years (and neither can they!). Beach House is an awesome awesome band that I know they both like after I showed them this album Teen Dream. I absolutely love Victoria Legrand's voice and just the incredible chillness of all their music. This song has always reminded me of Foreigner's I've Been Waiting For A Girl Like You which was one of my parents' wedding songs and was the main inspiration for today's selection. Here it is:

Some thoughts...

- Marriage obviously and undoubtedly is about love and friendship first. Second, I believe, is commitment to your partner. Today this second aspect has really dropped off as there are soooo many divorces these days. It is hard to stay with someone for 25 years, let alone even 5 years. This is what my generation must come to realize and must strive to work hard at in our current and future relationships.

Still Corners - Into The Trees

A gloomy yet epic song for a gloomy yet epic day. I honestly don't know much about this band but I do know that this song is sick. It starts out with a relaxing drum-powered beat over the singer's beautiful voice. Then it erupts near the end with some kick-ass reverb-heavy guitar. I first saw this video on The Wedge which is a music video show on Much Music that I would strongly recommend to indie music fans who are sick of the same top 40 videos all the time. This show plays a wide variety from the incredibly obscure to new popular indie to older lost classics.

Kurt Vile - He's Alright

Fuck. Once again I was forced to shave my playoff beard with nothing but my tears. The Canucks went out far too early and that totally sucks. Oh well, the Whitecaps and Blue Jays are playing great and the NFL starts sort of soon. Top 3 biggest changes for the Vancouver Canucks next season:

1.) No Roberto Luongo - our superstar #1 goalie simply failed to win big games in the harsh environments of Chicago and Boston and for that he has been run out of the city and is the scapegoat.

2.) No Alain Vigneault - for most NHL franchises back to back President's Trophies would be enough to warrant a new contract or at least an extension. But not in this Market where this season did not even matter and everything relied on the playoff run. Plus with Craig MacTavish waiting in the AHL it makes a move even easier.

3.) Calls for Eddie Lack once the Vancouver "fans" realize that Schneider is just a normal goalie like the rest of them...

Kurt Vile is super chill and a great guitarist. I discovered this song from one of my favourite TV shows Eastbound & Down in which this song was played at the end of the 2nd season. Vile also used to be a member of The War On Drugs which is a fucking sick band. This song has incredible guitar walls and is just really chill. It's also a good song for when it comes to coping with bullshit.

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Sun Is Shining

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOoHTcuORcY

For some reason you can't embed Bob Marley videos... Oh well fuck it, it's 420! Bob is just soo awesome. Really, does anybody dislike him??? I don't think you can... It is gorgeous out today and this beat is just sick. Get outside and toke the devil's lettuce.

Some thoughts...

- Marilize Legajuana

- Show tonight at The Delta Lion. It's a good friend of mine's band, Grace Under Pressure, putting on a killer show. They're kinda goth rock but fronted by a chick with amazing pipes that're Amy Lee esque.

- Really, weed should be legal. It's retarded the number of positive/good things it brings to numerous things. 

- Biggest thing stopping legalization in my opinion is the fact that major US pharmaceutical companies will see lost profits if everyone turns off their expensive prescription drugs and just gets high.

The Band - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

RIP Levon Helm. May your amazing voice and drum banging always be remembered. The Band is one of the most underrated bands on the planet. They put out a ton of great music and were the backing band for Bob Dylan. Plus most of them are Canadian! This video is from their concert film "The Last Waltz" from 1979 directed by Martin Scorsese and featuring guest performances by the likes of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Dr. John, Eric Clapton, and Joni Mitchell. It is truly amazing. And just because Levon was so awesome, here's another classic:

Some thoughts...

- Got a new phone and am finally rid of my dinosaur Katana lol. Galaxy Nexus is dope

- Nice to get a win last night for the Nucks. Just gotta keep taking these games 1 day at a time.

- Holy fuck Levon was good!

Muse - Uprising

Well this is it folks, game 4 and the President trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks are facing elimination. Balls to the walls from here on out. Looks Like Daniel will start and we'll have back that missing firepower on the Power-play. A Schneider start (likely) means a new era of Canuck goaltending. I wonder how long it'll take before we hear the "Start Lack" chants...

Muse Fucking Rock. Period. Not many better pure guitar rock bands these days. I had the pleasure of seeing these guys in Europe and they killed it. I find it amazing that it was this song that finally launched them into arena rock stars in North America. Especially with amazing albums such as Absolution and Black Holes and Revelations that came out before.

Some thoughts...

- Any guesses on Torres' suspension? Sounds like Hossa will play so my original guesstimate of 5 games has dropped to 3.

- That fat lady who sings can go fuck herself

- RIP Dick Clark... this New Years just won't be the same... If we make it til then of course

- Levon Helm is currently fighting for his life. Prayers for Levon.

Miike Snow - Billie Holiday

Sick song that didn't actually make it onto their first album and had to be a bonus track. The lyrics are kinda messed up but still cool. And the constant synth line that goes from quiet to loud is really cool. I'm not sure what's up with the second i. It's either because they're Swedish or some other band was already called Mike Snow. If it isn't either of those I am definitely interested in finding out...

Some thoughts...

- Gotta love the NHL's discipline system. At least it's consistent at being ridiculously inconsistent!

- If the Canucks do manage to win tomorrow night they have to wait until Sunday to keep playing, losing any momentum in the process. Thanks Coldplay...

- That 2Pac hologram was pretty epic lat weekend at Coachella. My only worry is that this has opened the floodgates for every other dead musician to take the stage. I hear Kurt Cobain is slated for Lollapalooza...

Faith No More - Midlife Crisis

Faith No More seriously rocks, even though they're a bunch of goofs. I discovered this song from the Tony Hawk's Underground 2 video game. All of the Tony Hawk video games have awesome soundtracks that feature a crazy variety from RATM's "Guerilla Radio" to Damien Marley's "Move" to a number of Bad Religion classics to even "That's Life" by Frank Sinatra. Any video game that uses The Doors for its theme song is good in my books. Of course the games are ridiculously fun too! But I feel that the later games suffered as they became too realistic and you couldn't just do epic, unrealistic shit. 

Some thoughts...

- Fuck you Canucks!

- The battle for which superphone I should get really heated up yesterday as I was introduced to the Galaxy Nexus. iPhone 4S seems like a solid and safe choice but the Nexus is really cool and more unique. Tough decision but I'm now leaning towards nexus...

Trust - Sulk

Trust are an electro-pop duo from Toronto that make some very cool music. They're playing in Vancouver Saturday night at Electric Owl; I'm going and it's gonna be a great show. I've never been to Electric Owl before but I've heard it's quite cool. Hopefully sick sound!

Some thoughts...

- Game 2 tonight, fuck 'em up 'nucks!!!

- The pic on the vid is fucking ridiculous

- I hope the coyotes tweet a you're welcome to all of BC

The Tallest Man On Earth - Walk The Line

No it's not a Johnny Cash cover, yes it's an awesome song. Hailing from Sweden, this dude sure has a unique, gruff voice and can write one helluva song. Discovered this guy through the daily podcast KEXP. It is a public radio station based out of Seattle that provides a free download of a song every day. I have been subscribing for over 3 years and I have discovered some amazing stuff. Everything from Bon Iver (before he got huge) to The War On Drugs to Miike Snow to Zion I to The Fucking Eagles (quite possibly my favourite band name of all time) and tons more. They also have a great live @ the studio podcast and YouTube page of great performances. Here's The Tallest Man On Earth live @ KEXP:

Some thoughts...

- Got 2 free bottles of wine from work today. Something tells me Game 2 on Friday is gonna get messy.

- The US tax system is so completely fucked; Millionaires pay less taxes than bus drivers!?!?!?! And Romney pays 15%?!?!?!??! Gimme a fucking break, no wonder their economy is in the gutter.

U2 - Where The Streets Have No Name

Iit's that time of year again. As I shave for the last time in hopefully 2 months and prepare my bank account for the copious amounts of money that will be spent on beer I am preparing for a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Vancouver Canucks. My car flag is in place, towel at my side and Burrows jersey is on. Round 1 - Los Angeles Kings. I feel that the team is better built for an epic run and they should win that crucial 16th game this time around! We got this shit!!!

This song is an absolute classic as well as the song that the 'Nucks take the ice to at Rogers Arena. U2 are one of the few, possibly the only, bands that have remained relevant and popular every decade since the early 80's. I was privileged enough to see them 6 years ago and they killed it for this song.

Some thoughts...

- BOLD predictions for the 1st round

VAN, SJ, PHX, NSH, NYR, BOS, FLA, PIT

- BOLD prediction for cup final: VAN defeating BOS in 7 and epic revenge!

- NO RIOT!!! But a severe drought of beer in downtown Vancouver

Shout outs to 2 EpiclyUnreal Vancouver Canucks songs

Kypreos - How The West Was One

Terell Safadi - Black Red Yellow

GO CANUCKS GO!!!

Curren$y - The Day (feat. Mos Def & Jay Electronica)

It's The Day! The last ever day of University classes/exams for me! Wow did those 5 years ever fly by. I learned a lot, met a lot of great fellow classmates, profs, and TAs. SFU (both Burnaby and Surrey) was good to me as I rarely had a bad experience with a class, prof or group. Now it's on to the real world.

Curren$y is Dope (pun intended - and if you don't get that, don't bother listening to the dude lol). Mos Def kills it on this one as usual too. Horns always make a song better too imo. Curren$y's hitting up Fortune in May so be sure to check him out if you dig it.

Some thoughts...

- Throughout my entire University career I was never once in a bad group. I heard countless horror stories of projects gone awry too. I just wonder how much that can actually be attributed to me or just pure luck. Probably more of the latter...

- With the playoffs starting soon I strongly urge all the male 'Nucks fans to do one last shave before Wednesday night and prepare for it to get gnarly! Hopefully this season you won't have to use your tears to shave it :(

- The Hunger Games is def movie of the year so far and it'll be tough to beat!

My Morning Jacket - The Day Is Coming

The day is coming, the day is near. The day is April 10th, the day of my last University class ever! I cannot believe that another chapter of life is over and that I am on to the next one, whatever that is. For now I hope to test the job market and gain work experience before even considering more school. But first I plan to travel and check out some more of this awesome planet.

These guys straight up rock out. Although this is a more chill song, the majority of their stuff is heavier, guitar-driven in-your-face rock. I highly recommend catching them live as they put on a helluva show!

Some thoughts:

- Now that I am about to graduate University, does that make me smart, mature, and/or responsible? I somehow doubt it.

- I once again finished 3rd (out of 3) in the Easter egg hunt at our house. I was the first to find all but one but choked in the end. Curse you colour blindness!

- What the fuck is up with eggplant? Does anybody actually like that shit?

- I spend time procrastinating like it's counterfeit. 

Daft Punk - One More Time

Daft Punk Rule. So many great songs to choose from but I had to go with this one, the classic and the first one that got me into them. If you do nothing else tonight be sure to bump to this one... One More Time.

The Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

A True Classic. I wonder if Mick, Keith and the boys realized how huge this song was after recording it. According to Keef, the reason this song was so successful was because of that buzzing guitar sound; a revolutionary sound that had never been heard before in a song. The Stones fuckin rule and they're celebrating they're 50th Anniversary this year! Incredible. Something tells me they're gonna do it in epic fashion!

TV On The Radio - Staring At The Sun

Saw these guys at the Commodore last Summer and they fucking rocked the house. Such a cool band with a truly original sound. Plus, it's a gorgeous, sunny day out today.