Wednesday, 30 August 2017

S.o.t.D. - To Vanish – Mojoman

To Vanish – Mojoman

Another fairly recent discovery. Done right. Subtle, sweet elements, with smooth beaty bits.

The insanely gorgeous video is taken from footage produced for the 2011 Mexican centenary celebrations.

Monday, 28 August 2017

S.o.t.D. - Abseil – Technimatic

Abseil – Technimatic

There’s no abseiling in this song called “Abseil”. Although the terrain featured in the video looks like the climbing and abseiling would be out of this world. From a film called “Between Heaven & Earth” by Henry Jun Wah Lee taken in Zhangjiajie, China. Thousands of jagged quartzite sandstone columns, several hundreds of meters tall rise above the landscape, and caves sit below it. Song’s decent, but the video is what grabbed my attention. 

Thursday, 24 August 2017

S.o.t.D. - One Touch (Technimatic Remix) – Macca & Los Contreras

One Touch (Technimatic Remix) – Macca & Los Contreras

Beats are a bit too hard and fast for my liking, but still a good tune. Everything else is smooth and lovely. That’s what the ladies call me too. Smooth and lovely. Yup.

Video is nice too.

Wednesday, 23 August 2017

S.o.t.D. - Up All Night – Beck

Up All Night – Beck

Another artist I’ve known about for a long time, but one I’ve shamefully not paid as much attention to as I should have.

Fun video and song.

Tuesday, 22 August 2017

S.o.t.D. - Paradise Lost – Doc Scott

Paradise Lost – Doc Scott

One of those artists who manages to capture both the hard and soft. A mellow intro to martial beats leading to a mellow outro.

Monday, 21 August 2017

S.o.t.D. - Being With You – Foul Play

Being With You – Foul Play

I never cease to marvel at how many artists from this genre and era I still have never featured here. And this artist I think I only really know as a remixer of an Omni Trio song. And for all I know, it’s merely a pseudonym of someone I am familiar with.

Saturday, 19 August 2017

Signage: Doorbell Broken

In the transom of the door leading to an apartment above a store. Made me laugh. On Barton Street near Wentworth in Hamilton.

S.o.t.D. - Four – Insomnia

Four – Insomnia

Rifleman’s Ration

I don’t condone firearms use under the influence of alcohol. But after some time on the range, this is a delicious beverage to unwind with.

Wednesday, 16 August 2017

S.o.t.D. - Chinz n Grinz – J Laze

Chinz n Grinz – J Laze

Surprised I’ve never featured J Laze. (I’ve had another jungle artist, J. Majik on here. Another fella I suspect is actually called Jason.) Certainly given how totally creamy the first two minutes of this are.

Military Occupation at Burlington Heights

There’s a fairly new sign outside Dundurn Castle, with a photo illustration detailing what the area would have looked like during the War of 1812 and some explanations. (Hopefully you can zoom in and read it okay if you’re interested. And please excuse any wonkiness in the image. It’s cobbled together from over a dozen photos.)

Pulaski

Having wielded a few in my day, I can say, “now THAT’s a pulaski!”
https://www.barebonesliving.com/store/products/garden-tools/pulaski-axe

Thursday, 10 August 2017

S.o.t.D. - Bankrobber – The Clash

Bankrobber – The Clash

The Clash are one of those bands that I’ve been familiar with forever, but haven’t really appreciated enough.

Listened to this the other night, and it gave me a renewed appreciation. Both in terms of their ability to broaden beyond any narrow confines, and in terms of how this sound would have hit people when it came out.

Wednesday, 9 August 2017

Bruce Trail Hike August 5

Went and explored a local section of the Bruce Trail, that for some inexplicable reason have only ever been on once. A long time ago. From Highway 6 towards Waterdown. Friends Michelle and Amanda came down from Toronto. Not too long of a hike, but time spent in the woods is always good in my books. And it was an opportunity to try out my new pack, the Squish’mups. Stay tuned for an update on it.
One side and the other of the underpass beneath Hwy. 6. Big improvement. Before you had the choice of trying to run across the highway and dodge traffic or make a long detour.

One of the first things you come across is the ruins of a homesteaders cabin. Not sure how old it is.
Some scenes in the woods.
A quarry has been turned into a managed wetland area.
Amanda and I in the underpass. (Photo by Michelle M.)

S.o.t.D. - Falling Up – Natus

Falling Up – Natus

Slick video that accompanies this.

Monday, 7 August 2017

Mmmmm...Mangosteens

There is a legend about Queen Victoria offering a reward of 100 pounds sterling to anyone who could deliver to her the fresh fruit. Although this legend can be traced to a 1930 publication by the fruit explorer, David Fairchild, it is not substantiated by any known historical document, yet is probably responsible for the uncommon designation of mangosteen as the “Queen of Fruit.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_mangosteen

S.o.t.D. - Lonely Thoughts – Craset x Sibewest

Lonely Thoughts – Craset x Sibewest

Super good atmospheric vibes.

Patch’mups

The Patch’mups, a panel I made for all my Velcro backed embroidered patches. There is loop Velcro fabric available, but it’s pricey. I took four lengths of 4" loop Velcro and sewed it to a piece of 420 denier packcloth, folded it in half, inserted a piece of HDPE, sewed it together, and then put paracord with button knots on the end through the 1" tube sewn into the top. (And 85 of those patches, I sewed hook Velcro to. By hand. Ugh...) 

(Suspending it in the centre like that, still makes it bow. A rigid tube through the top will fix that, or suspending it from two hooks close to the ends, rather than one in the centre, will also make it hang better. That’s the option I’ll go with.) 

Friday, 4 August 2017

S.o.t.D. - Demon Seed – Exocet

Demon Seed – Exocet

Step into the void.

From back in 97, and I think this artist only did a few things. Shame. Could be just an anonymous guise for a known producer, but I don’t know.

Thursday, 3 August 2017

S.o.t.D. - UXB – Decoder

UXB – Decoder

An ominous yet perky tune, that sounds like it could be soundtrack for cops cruising through a decaying rust belt industrial area in a dystopian future.

Monday, 31 July 2017

Signage: Leon Furs

Overhanging signs like this were once very commonplace here in Hamilton. (And I’m sure many other North American cities.) Now they are a rarity. Regulations and insurance did them in. This derelict example on James St. N. is one of the few left. Curious how long it will be before it’s gone like the hundreds of others that used to exist.

S.o.t.D. - Pieces Of A Dream (Roger’s Raw Dub) – Incognito

Pieces Of A Dream (Roger’s Raw Dub) – Incognito

I’m guessing Roger is Roger Sanchez.

Soulful and funky.

Sunday, 30 July 2017

S.o.t.D. - Shadows – AIЯLIИES

Shadows – AIЯLIИES

Love how this genre has managed to turn the snap, crackle and pop of vinyl not into something integral to the sound.

Saturday, 29 July 2017

S.o.t.D. - Jade (Orphx Remix) – Svreca

Jade (Orphx Remix) – Svreca

Orphx are from the city I live in, and do a style of music that I’m not sure if it could be classified as techno or industrial.

Friday, 28 July 2017

S.o.t.D. - W.Y.H.I.W.Y.G. – Front 242

W.Y.H.I.W.Y.G. – Front 242

If I wasn’t already a huge fan, getting this album in 87, and reaching the 2 minute mark of this first track – yup...I’m a huge fan.

Sunday, 23 July 2017

Signage: City Motor Hotel

The City Motor Hotel is gone. While the sign alludes to a 50’s retro future of hopeful optimism, by the end it was a squalid dump filled with addicts, dealers and hookers.

S.o.t.D. - Expand – Jazz Cartel

Expand – Jazz Cartel

Blissful.

Friday, 21 July 2017

Thursday, 20 July 2017

S.o.t.D. - Deep And Rolling – The Specialist

Deep And Rolling – The Specialist

I like it when a song announces what it’s going to be. Like if Oasis released a song called Mopey and Whiny.

Signage: Private Property

Nothing that thrilling, but it’s a solid and stolid sign, one that the “get the hell off my lawn you little bastards!” curmudgeon in me can appreciate. And I find it interesting that the red fades before the black, and that some of the structure, how the sign painter did it, is revealed thusly.

Tuesday, 18 July 2017

S.o.t.D. - Contrast – PhD

Contrast – PhD

From 1998 on Good Looking. Predictably creamy.

Signage: Amsterdam Bicycle Club

If I spent any amount of time in Toronto, and wanted a hangout, this would be it. No idea about the staff or the food or or the decor or anything. But this just seems like a natural fit for me. On the Esplanade.

Sunday, 16 July 2017

S.o.t.D. - Planet – Four Tet

Planet – Four Tet

One of the only things I got excited about at the SuperCrawl 2 years ago was Four Tet. Super fun to dance to.

Signage: Giant Yard Sale

I’ll bet this giant yard sale was a giant success because of the giant letters they used to inform potential customers. 

No spidery, thin letters done with a marker, hard to read driving by. This? What it is! Where it is! Boom! No date, but likely put up in the nieghbourhood the morning of.

Saturday, 15 July 2017

S.o.t.D. - Raise The Pulse – Portion Control

Raise The Pulse – Portion Control

Definitely sounds almost 35 years old, but this stuff really had an effect on my musical interests back in the day.

Thursday, 13 July 2017

S.o.t.D. - Tranquil – J Majik

Tranquil – J Majik

Oh gosh.

Signage: Kids Slow

Not sure it’s necessary to let the entire neighbourhood know about the fact your children are developmentally challe...oh wait...they want you to drive slow because there are kids. Okay. It took me a while, but I figured it out.

Tuesday, 11 July 2017

Thursday, 6 July 2017

S.o.t.D. - Cleopatra – The Lumineers

Cleopatra – The Lumineers

What I’d really like to show is the video of my nephew playing this on acoustic guitar and his girlfriend and her amazing voice singing this. But apparently I’m not allowed to since it was filmed in their school auditorium, and the school logo appears. Not sure I understand the reasoning, but hey.

So, in it’s place, I’ll show the original.

Tuesday, 4 July 2017

S.o.t.D. - Forever – High Performance

Forever – High Performance

The tune is good, but I especially enjoyed it because of all the footage of Greece, where my brother is moving to soon.

Sunday, 2 July 2017

S.o.t.D. - The Russian Are Coming (Take Five) – Val Bennett

The Russian Are Coming (Take Five) – Val Bennett

Took me a second to realize why this sounded familiar. It’s a rock steady cover of Dave Brubeck’s iconic Take Five. In a different time signature too.

Wednesday, 28 June 2017

Thursday, 22 June 2017

Wednesday, 21 June 2017

S.o.t.D. - Samurai – Bonobo

Samurai – Bonobo

Figured since it’s the first day of summer, and my birthday, something as juicy and effervescent as Bonobo should be the song of the day.

The man is brilliant.

Tuesday, 20 June 2017

S.o.t.D. - Mumbo Jumbo – Quivver

Mumbo Jumbo – Quivver

Yesterday I mentioned that Skanna was an early 90’s drum & bass oriented project from one John Graham. Learned that he has since been doing stuff under the name Quivver. Totally different genre, and the name was new to me.

Checked it out and the first track I clicked proves that man is talented no matter what he decides to tackle. Will have to investigate more.

Monday, 19 June 2017

S.o.t.D. - The Greatest Thing (Summertime Mix) – Skanna

The Greatest Thing (Summertime Mix) – Skanna

Remarkable to me that Skanna was putting stuff like this out in 1993. Way ahead of its time.

Skanna was John Graham, who is now operating under the name Quivver.

Freaky Clouds

Jogged to a friend’s house last night, but had to stop a couple of times to photograph these clouds.

Saturday, 17 June 2017

S.o.t.D. - First In First Out – Front 242

Circling Overland – Front 242

Saw that it was the 242nd birthday of the U.S. Army a few days ago, which reminded me that that was a perfect excuse to play some Front.

Nerves connected to the center
We are tied to the machine 
Invisible and silent
Circling overland 

Signage: Authorized Personnel Only In Clean Room

Tightly kerned.

One of the more interesting aspects of my workplace is the clean room where sewing for the aerospace industry is done. You have to wear a Tyvek bunny suit, booties, surgical mask, the whole bit.

Thursday, 15 June 2017

S.o.t.D. - Careful What You Wish For – Coil

Careful What You Wish For – Coil

Still one of my very favourite musical acts of all time.

It shows their ability to be both accessible and off-putting all at once.


The film used in the video is Barbet Schroeder’s 1969 More.

“God please fuck my mind for good”

Bibliophilia: The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst

The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst

Quite possibly my favourite book ever. If judging the number of times I’ve read it is any indication.

I bought the first edition in 1992, immediately realizing it as the authoritative book it was. That it was beautifully designed, and written with the sort of grace a poet is capable of, just made it more appealing. (Bringhurst is a remarkable man, and this exemplary treatise on the subject is just one of his many achievements.)

I read that book cover to cover, over and over. The section on the Golden Section was worth the price alone.

I’d bought more recent editions as gifts for friends over the years, but never treated myself. While I was in Swipe in Toronto recently, I grabbed the fourth edition. I may not be as involved with graphic design and typography as I once was, but given how much I’ve enjoyed and gained from this book over the years, a second copy 25 years on was worth it.



Anyone who works with type to any degree, needs to own this book, and put the teachings in to practice.

Tuesday, 13 June 2017

S.o.t.D. - Infectus - Chris & Cosey

Infectus - Chris & Cosey

From the album released for their short stint with Nettwerk - before that label’s suckage really took hold. Nice Steven R. Gilmore cover too.

Sunday, 11 June 2017

S.o.t.D. - Police State – T Power

Police State – T Power

Surprisingly upbeat for such a gloomy subject.

Sterile Flower by Nathan Moody

Impressive (and creepy) stop motion animation from Nathan Moody.

Scottish Rite Stained Glass

Had a tour of the Scottish Rite Masonic Lodge last weekend. Undeniably beautiful building. One of the things that caught my eye was this stained glass.

Thursday, 8 June 2017

S.o.t.D. - Spaceship – Garage Skills

Spaceship – Garage Skills

It’s got that spooky vibe, but catchy at the same time.

Undulatus Asperatus Sunset by Mike Oblinski

Mike Olbinski is a photographer that chases storms in the United States. Earlier this month he took a time lapse of an Undulatus Asperatus at sunset in Bowdon, North Dakota. Gorgeous stuff. Bet you’ll watch it more than once.

Wednesday, 7 June 2017

Monday, 5 June 2017

Thursday, 1 June 2017

S.o.t.D. - Black Horse And The Cherry Tree – KT Tunstall

Black Horse And The Cherry Tree – KT Tunstall

One of those songs, that I think is familiar (heard it in the grocery store or something like that) but since I rarely listen to commercial radio on purpose, I’m not certain. I gather it’s at least a decade old. 

Tuesday, 30 May 2017

Sunday, 28 May 2017

Barefoot Hiking (Involuntarily)

Well that was one of my more adventurous hikes.

My dear friend Michelle came down from Toronto to go for a hike. Decided to wander along the north shore of Cootes Paradise.

Opted to wear my old Bates M-6 boots. I think about 8 or 9 years old by this point. I’ve been really happy with them, and they’ve seen a lot of clicks. They’ve largely been relegated to back up duty, but decided to wear them today.
(The aforementioned boots about 5 years ago.)

Lake Ontario is at its highest level in a century. Several wooden board walks sink a bit when you walk on them, getting them wet. Couple that with old foam, some steep inclines and declines, 
I started to notice that they weren’t doing so well. By the halfway point it was obvious they were completely disintegrating. To the point of the whole bottom on the left one coming right off. The right one was well on its way to being there.

I’m usually always really prepared on hikes. On longer trips I’ll have a pair of paddling shoes for wear around camp or for crossing streams. Usually have a repair kit. Today? “Meh. Casual hike, not too far from home. I’ll be fine.”

So...opted just to ditch the boots altogether and walked back to the car barefoot. (Not before saving the laces though, since they were fantastic.)

Kinda sucked, those little pebbles especially. But there was a margin of grass at the edge of the trails that made it doable. Just shy of 2½ kilometers.

Adapt. Improvise. Overcome.

I know what I’ll be buying with my next pay cheque.

S.o.t.D. - Broken – Lazarus Moment

Broken – Lazarus Moment

One to watch.

Monday, 22 May 2017

S.o.t.D. - Your Mind – DJ Boring

Your Mind – DJ Boring

Definitely not boring.

Thor’s Hammer Bracelet

I found an example of one of these in an Encyclopedia Britannica when I was a teen. Thought it as pretty neat. Found in Iceland, from around the time “pagan” beliefs were giving way to Christian beliefs. It combined elements of both. A few years later I saw ... I think it was one of the members of Coil wearing one ... or maybe it was Current 93 ... or perhaps it was Douglas P. from Death in June. Can’t remember for sure. Then I found one somewhere.

It’s pretty much sat in a box for a few decades. Came across it and even though I’m not Icelandic, Christian or Asatru, decided to use it as a closure for a bracelet.