S.o.t.D. - Blue Driver – Michael Hurley

Blue Driver – Michael Hurley

S.o.t.D. - Rock Stone – Stephen Marley (ft. Capleton, Sizzla)

Rock Stone – Stephen Marley (ft. Capleton, Sizzla)

S.o.t.D. - Coming Jah – Guitoud

Coming Jah – Guitoud

Stellar production.

S.o.t.D. - King Without A Crown – Matisyahu

King Without A Crown – Matisyahu

I’ve known about this guy for ever, but never bothered to check him out before. Pretty good.

S.o.t.D. - By Any Means Necessary (Original Mix) – DJ Trace

By Any Means Necessary (Original Mix) – DJ Trace

Not nearly as dark as what I’ve come to know him for.

S.o.t.D. - Black Mask – Lowlands

Black Mask – Lowlands

A band not from my homelands, but a half hour’s drive from here, Guelph, Ontario. Really dig this, even though I don’t usually swing that way.

S.o.t.D. - War (EmoBoys Remix) – Julien Jabre

War (EmoBoys Remix) – Julien Jabre

April 7 Dusk Wander

Went for a walk down to the Valley Inn Road bridge and back on a Friday night, before stopping in the spot in the cemetery where I do calisthenics. Windy and cold, but the light was gorgeous. And other than about a half dozen people walking their dogs in Dundurn Park, didn’t see anyone. (Cars passing by don’t really count.)

The cockpit and Dundurn Castle.

Dundurn Castle and the promenade.

The promenade.

Burlington Bay.

Gnarly roots.

The coach house.

Burlington Bay.

Burlington Bay and Carroll’s Point.

Moon over Hamilton.

Moon over Hamilton.

Looking back towards the High Level Bridge. The restored turtle habitat on the right.

My phone takes lousy night time shots, but I kinda dig the weird scuz in the night sky it creates. Looking out across Cootes Paradise.

YouTube’s Skewed Priorities

I watched something yesterday about the controversy regarding the YouTube channel of one “Daddy O 5”. (For those of you not in the loop, white trash parents have five kids who they include in “prank” videos. From what little I saw, most sane people would regard what they do as being verbally and emotionally abusive to these children.) I’m not sure whether I found their treatment of those children more appalling, or that 3 quarters of a million people regard this as “entertainment.”

But my friend Ryan made a great point.

YouTube has recently been de-monetizing channels that feature weapons. Forgotten Weapons, a very informative channel that discusses old, rare, prototype, etc. firearms, takes them apart, shows what makes them interesting, was just one example. Joerg Sprave, and his always entertaining Slingshot Channel was threatened with a ban because he demonstrated how a supposedly stab proof vest was anything but, and that people shouldn't trust their life to it. The geniuses at YT claimed that this was a “training video” for terrorists.

Watch either example for a few minutes, and it quickly becomes apparent they’re harmless.

Yet a channel devoted to emotionally scarring children in a low rent attempt at reality TV stardom - that’s just fine.

Guns? They might harm children! Children being harmed? Meh, no big deal.

S.o.t.D. - Everything Around Us – Submerse

Everything Around Us – Submerse

Mathematics and beats.

Wickedness Loves Company

New piece up at Cottage 13 from Old 5 and Dime Sign Company.

S.o.t.D. - Love Becomes She – Sines

Love Becomes She – Sines

Very upbeat.

S.o.t.D. - Enjoy The Silence – DMK

Enjoy The Silence – DMK

I’ve been aware of the huge smile inducing efforts of Dicken Schrader and his two children, Milah and Korben, and their Depeche Mode covers for a while now. Can’t believe something this awesome has taken me this long to post.

Can’t not love this.

S.o.t.D. - Down – ST!LER

Down – ST!LER

Perfect song for today.

S.o.t.D. - Knotty Pine - Dirty Projectors & David Byrne

Knotty Pine - Dirty Projectors & David Byrne

S.o.t.D. - Tomorrow’s Child – Ghostek & Roof Light

Tomorrow’s Child – Ghostek & Roof Light

Positively swingy.

S.o.t.D. - Shift – CiM

Shift – CiM

Floatalicious.

S.o.t.D. - No Ordinary Love – Sade

No Ordinary Love – Sade

Loved this album.

S.o.t.D. - Beating The Retreat – Test Dept.

Beating The Retreat – Test Dept.

Had to laugh when I watched Children of Men for the first time and this was the intruder alarm when the Fishes approached Jasper Palmer’s (Michael Caine’s character) house.

S.o.t.D. - Fuck the USA – The Exploited

Fuck the USA – The Exploited

Never much of a fan of them, although I did get to see them live in, 1984 I think. Don’t agree with the sentiments expressed in the tile, but a fun example of the era and style.

S.o.t.D. - White China – Ultravox

White China – Ultravox

My tastes by the time this album came out were already veering towards a lot of darker and more experimental stuff, but still loved this album.

S.o.t.D. - Stillpoint – Orphx

Stillpoint – Orphx

Shocking that I haven’t had these home town favourites on. And also shocked that I only discovered them maybe a year and a bit ago too, when a friend in Toronto mentioned them. For an act with an enviable international reputation, certainly. Straddle the line between techno and dark industrial.

S.o.t.D. - Tour De France – Kraftwerk

Tour De France – Kraftwerk

Possibly the purest thing ever associated with the Tour De France.

Damn Dirty Hippies!

I went into the bathroom at the library and recoiled in disgust.

There was an individual of indeterminate gender identity in there.

Is this what disgusted me?

No. Not in the slightest. Don’t care.

Was the fact that this person was wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt and had a bunch of predictably left wing buttons on their bag, what disgusted me?

Well, yeah, that generally disgusts me.

But what really disgusted me was this soap dodgers pungent, hit you from 5 paces away, quickly clamp your mouth shut, immediately expel all the air in your lungs through your nose, BO.

Holy hell, did this scumbag stink!

“Wash, you sack of shit!” was the not particularly articulate comment I gasped out, before quickly turning on my heel.

I can just imagine the conversations in the antifa, SJW, Marxist club house.

“Okay, our next attack on the foundations of civilization needs to be the tyranny of washing. This culture’s unrealistic hygiene standards need to be destroyed. Laundry is simply a conceit of the privileged white people. Poor people from marginalized communities can’t afford a bar of soap, so it’s unfair to make them feel bad with the micro-aggression of smelling nice.”
“Precisely comrade. This revolutionary struggle requires us to stand in solidarity with the downtrodden members of the great unwashed masses. Since we’ve bullied everyone into silence on all the other issues, our next campaign needs to be about wino rights.”
“Exactly! While some of them may well be from the unpeople class of white males, we should make an exception and include them on the intersectionality scale, creating a special victim class just for them. And of course, we should adopt their mode of dress and radical rejection of modern bathing habits.”

Fucking stinky hippies.

S.o.t.D. - Faux Monsoon – Giyo

Faux Monsoon – Giyo

It may have faux in the song title, but the appeal of this track is very real.

Owl & Squirrel Taxidermy

New piece up at Cottage 13.

S.o.t.D. - The Light In Your Eyes – Polaris

The Light In Your Eyes – Polaris

A producer from Toronto, originally from Bucharest, Romania, by the name of Vlad Tiron. He manages to pack more juiciness into one track than many producers do into an entire album. From a Hospital Records e.p. called The Future Sound of Canada.

Bibliophilia: Normandy – A Graphic History of D-Day by Wayne Vansant

Normandy – A Graphic History of D-Day: The Allied Invasion of Hitler’s Fortress Europe by Wayne Vansant

I enjoyed the previously reviewed graphic novel by Mr. Vansant so much, that I immediately grabbed this one.

While I knew about all the salient points discussed here, I thought this was a great overview. Yes, I’ve read scholarly treatises about this pivotal event in world history. Thick books by history professors. Sure, I enjoyed them. But not everyone brings the same level of interest to the table. For some people, those who may still want to learn a little more, without wanting to plow through a thick tome, this is a terrific option.

Again, various perspectives are examined. Allied and Axis. General and private. Citizen and politician. Major battles and small skirmishes. Technology and human will.

The work being done by Mr. Vansant is a very worthwhile attempt to engage a wider and more diverse audience in learning more about history. The art is fantastic, and his ability to synthesize a great deal of info into a cohesive and engaging package is masterful.

S.o.t.D. - Deya (Ōzaka Remix) – Niels Freidel

Deya (Ōzaka Remix) – Niels Freidel

S.o.t.D. - Stumble and Fall – Clan of Xymox

Stumble and Fall – Clan of Xymox

Probably my favourite band from my homeland off of probably my favourite label ever, 4AD.

S.o.t.D. - De Jah Vu – Dub One

De Jah Vu – Dub One

Massive.

S.o.t.D. - Miracle For One – Koan

Miracle For One – Koan

S.o.t.D. - Vanadium-I-Ching – Einstürzende Neubauten

Vanadium-I-Ching – Einstürzende Neubauten

Music to annoy squares.

S.o.t.D. - Boab – Kalya Scintilla

Boab – Kalya Scintilla

If you like the sort of fat, groovy beats the likes of Tipper and Bassnectar offer, you’ll love this. The entire EP this is from, “Listen to the Trees” is fantastic.

S.o.t.D. - Sleeper – Tipper

Sleeper – Tipper

Chillout to give you chills.

S.o.t.D. - Everything – Riya (ft. Makoto & A-Sides)

Everything – Riya (ft. Makoto & A-Sides)

Convinced everything this lady touches has its value raised exponentially.