The CanCon Catalogue

I talked about how great Nathan Fielder was on This Hour Has 22 Minutes before on this blog, but have been somewhat less impressed with his output this season. I haven't caught the last few episodes, but I just found this one from two weeks ago. It works if you're into this sort of humour.

I swear, every Canadian of my generation knows this song. Concerned Children's Advertisers wrote some damn catchy tunes.

Sometimes I feel like I'm something special because not only did I get a Bachelor of Arts Degree (political science/international studies), but I actually got a (temporary) job from it. Inevitably, though, there's a million people out there to knock me off my high horse. Shad is one of those people.

Not only does he have two critically acclaimed albums under his belt, the most recent of which was nominated for both a Juno and a Polaris Prize, but he made his name in the music world while at the same time getting an undergraduate degree from Wilfred Laurier University. And then not only does he get a much cooler job (professional rapper) than me, but he destroys any dreams of intellectual superiority I might have by balancing his pending superstardom by working towards a master's degree from Simon Fraser.

On top of all that, he goes and makes the best music video (see below) I've seen in years! The worst part is, his music is so good (organic hip-hop with a sense of humour) and his live show so well-regarded (apparently he often has a live band, and he's been invited to play the Vans Warped Tour this year), that I am handing over MY hard-earned money to give HIM more. DAMN YOU SHAD!

Shad plays at the Lucky Bar on Thursday, February 19. Tickets here, Shad myspace here.

Further Reading: concert review, mindyourmind.ca video interview, torontoindie.com interview, eyeweekly, the globe and mail, the national post, exclaim.ca

LIGHTS - "February Air"


At some point I almost completely lost touch with popular music. I don't know when. I think it has to do with getting an iPod, discovering CBC Radio 3, the Hype Machine, and various reliable music blogs, and deciding I really didn't have to deal with commercials and various incarnations of "Newlyweds with Nick and Jessica" (this dates me) in order to listen to new music, which for the most part wasn't even close to reflecting all the good stuff that was going on. For the most part this has been awesome-- not only is there a lot of great stuff that never goes mainstream, but mainstream stuff sounds better if it isn't overplayed-- allowing me to appreciate pop in small doses as opposed to being assaulted with it until it destroys my soul.

The one drawback is that outside of my own little ghetto, I really don't know what the rest of the world is listening to. The song I'm posting today is a case in point. I heard about LIGHTS through my cousin, who saw her perform some small show in Vancouver last year and said she was going to be the next big thing. I just got around to checking her out now, and figured I would post the track so you could hear it, but according to my research, you already have. See, my cousin was right(ish). Her music has been featured in a bunch of commercials for Old Navy, and she had two songs chart last year. This song, "February Air" was number three on MuchMusic. I didn't even know MuchMusic still played music, so there you are.

Anyways, even if you're sick of this song already, I'm not because it's new to me. The opening synths (done on Garageband?) are the perfect sound for the glossy sheen of pop music heartbreak, but her voice is organic enough to prevent it from getting all Europop. The closest comparison I can think of is the Postal Service
fronted by Robyn without the attitude, and that's exactly what you need for a song that conjures up images of the cold grey of February as the backdrop to a broken heart. This video here, using Toronto as a backdrop, captures this mood a lot better than the official one (which looks way too much like an Ikea commercial).

LIGHTS: official site, myspace

For a certain generation of Canadians, particularly those who, like me, didn't have cable growing up, the world of politics was introduced through the lens of CBC's long-running series This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Back before John Stewart and Stephen Colbert became America's most-trusted news anchors, starting in 1993 we here in Canada had the four-person 22 Minutes team, anchored by Rick Mercer.

Buoyed by the success of his petition to have Stockwell Day change his first name to Doris, getting George W. Bush to thank Canadian PM "Jean Poutine", and "Talking to Americans,"* Mercer left the show in 2001 to focus on the series Made in Canada, a smart, dark comedy that was apparently before its time (the lead character talked to the camera of all things!) and some dark years set in. Most of the original cast left, Colin Mochrie tried to be the host, and, worst of all, Mercer returned to the fake-news-show game with the glad-handling Mercer Report which is more a love-in with the establishment than a skewering of it (a sleepover with Stephen Harper? Skinny dipping with Bob Rae?), It seemed like the Canadian news parody was dead.

But something wonderful has happened. Infused with new cast (minus Cathy Jones, who manages to not be a deadweight but is probably the weakest link), 22 Minutes is funny again. The news bits are on par with anything coming out of Stewart or Colbert, and the sketches are at least 50-50, but by far the best bits are the "field assignments" where cast members, in various guises, talk to Canadian celebrities (mostly politicians and hockey players). 

Nathan Fielder
And by far, the best of these segments are those handed over to Nathan Fielder, who is not a cast member, but is easily the best part of the show since Mercer's rants. Completely deadpan, his segments parody the heavy-handed "consumer affairs" docu-series like "Marketplace" and "The Fifth Estate," for a program called "Nathan on Your Side," which does everything from warn of the responsibilities that come with dog ownership to find out which winter tires best protect your family. Previously, his bits were only on once in a while, but this season he's had at least one segment per show, stretching out into Rick Mercer's "streeter" territory. There's a danger of the schtick wearing thin, but for now it's all been gold, so if you're looking for a Colbert for Canada, once again 22 Minutes is for you.

This Hour Has 22 Minutes is on 8:30 on Tuesday nights, on CBC television.

Further reading: The Last Laugh: Why Canadian Satire Can't Live Up to Stewart and Colbert. The Walrus magazine takes an interesting look at freedom of speech laws and its effect on news parodies.


Nathan Fielder and Jim Flaherty This is one of the weaker videos, but the only one I can embed on the site. To watch the rest, either browse through the 22 Minutes website, or watch this playlist with your proxy disguised.


Rick Mercer: Talking To Americans- Mike Huckabee, George W. Bush, Al Gore, et al.


*It seems a bit of a cheap shot to make Americans look dumb by displaying their ignorance of Canada. You could easily have someone from Greenland doing the same thing to Canadians-- they are our neighbour to the north, after all, and what do YOU know about them? But it's still pretty funny.

Damn it Chilliwack! While you're busy rocking, Carmen's getting away!


I was listening to the song "My Girl" by better-than-you-think rockers Chilliwack today when I noticed something-- it sounds a lot like the theme song to "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?" The chord structure, the vocal harmonization, the tempo, it's a lot a like. Let's compare....



Chilliwack- My Girl

Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?

Haida Manga is a new style of artwork being pioneered by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, an artist born in Prince Rupert and raised in Haida Gwaii. The art is basically a fusion of Japanese-style manga with traditional Haida style. To see it in action, check out some of Yahgulanaas' work here, here, and here, or watch it get animated by clicking "Read More."






The book, Flight of the Hummingbird: A Parable for the Environment, is out now.