stop.blink.begin.again

So, for my first post i had written a huge missive about myself and this blog and where i hoped it would go and what music it would cover and whole other realms i cannot even remember now. And then i hit 'preview' to see if it was working up to that point and left without saving it and so now here i am, hours later, still working on my first post.

and you know what?

fuck it. yes, that's right. fuck it.

like all good dead rock stars would say.

I am Tim. I am a music addict. I take longs walks through scary parts of my city just to listen to my iPod and all the goodies i have stored on it. I hope to share some of these goodies with you.

After much deliberation and almost losing my fingers while trying to smoke a sad cigarette waiting for a bus that never arrived, i've decided to post a few of my favorite songs from the first three releases from my little label, Black Mountain Music. This blog won't be a advertisment for the label however, i just think it's a good way to introduce myself and the music i'm into.

Without further ado:



A Northern Chorus

A Northern Chorus are the reason i started my label in the first place. I am good friends with one of the songwriters and when i heard the intoxicatingly beautiful songs that were emerging from their jam space, i knew i had to release their music. Essentially, A Northern Chorus make music you wish were a blanket so that you could wrap yourself up in and never have to face the cold. Weaving delicate harmonies, soaring crescendos and goosebump enducing melodies each song is a little trip into that delicious space between consciousness and dreamtime. The band is often compared to a mix between God Speed You Black Emperor and Mojave 3, and while this is a fairly apt description, i've always felt the true strength of ANC's songwriting and musicinaship gets down played by such easy comparisons. This is a band that flirts between the sublime and subtle and the truly grandiose, but always manages to write songs that flow smoother then a glacier stream. Enough hyperbole? I think so. But believe me- this is music to get lost in.

Holly
Clear The Air
And Still She Sleeps
For Those Of Us Gone
(written in memory of a friend, Mike- keep blazing buddy...)

and now a couple of tunes from their Sonic Unyon debut album, Spirit Flags:

Red Carpet Blues
Song and I (my personal favorite)


Square Root of Margaret
SRoM are four crazy guys from Chatham Ontario who have quietly been creating their own parallel universe (that of Bleen) for the past 10 years. If you had to narrow it down, you could describe them as a psycheldelic pop band, doing their best to bend modern pop structures with progressive leanings to create something that will leave you slightly bemused but always smiling. The songs i've posted here highlight the more poppy aspect of their sound; believe me, other songs drift so far out to space that i don't think even the hubble telescope could find them. What initially attracted me to this band was that they are seemingly a straight forward indie pop band writing catchy tunes with tons of hooks, but when you dig a little deeper, you can hear all sorts of intricacies emerging in lead guitarist Po Kadot (get it?) guitar lines and sudden shifts in directions that emerge almost seamlessly. I acutally don't know what the band is up to anymore, but i'm sure you could find out if your interested..not that i'm not.

Dr.Firm
All Blond Trees
Before You Leave
Oyster Pirates 2



These other songs come from a compliation that i put out for a festival in Ottawa Ontario sometime towards the end of 2001 ( i believe). The festival was a disaster, as the club turned into a meat market at 11:00 and the bands had to be off the stage before that, so you can imagine the confusion that emerged trying to do 4 bands a night before 11:00. On top of that, none of the organizers for the festival arragned for any sleeping accomodations whatsoever, so me and my (very understanding) friend Jenn ended up crashing on the wooden floor of a very small apartment that we had to be out of by 7 a.m. We ended up going to sleep in my van until a street cleaner told us that, that was in fact illegal. We ended up stumbling around downtown Ottawa in search of breakfast and somewhere to brush our teeth...and it got worse from there. But the CD was good and some great bands did make it out, so it was not a total loss!


Two Minute Miracles- Sweet Confusion
Music For Mapmakers- Come Out Swinging
Panic Coast- The Distant Ship
The Peter Parkers- Sleep the Sleep of Ten