McNutt Against the Music (EP)

Just a few of my favourite Man Machines.

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:30:09 -0400

Just a few of my favourite Man Machines.

Photo

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:54:21 -0400

For some reason, had missed raiding my parents 7”...

Sun, 12 May 2013 19:46:57 -0400

For some reason, had missed raiding my parents 7” collection. A few cool finds.

Record fair pickups. Officially putting a stop to my buying any...

Sat, 04 May 2013 10:36:24 -0400

Record fair pickups. Officially putting a stop to my buying any more records for several months.

adambarrett: I hate using the word “haunting” when describing...

Thu, 02 May 2013 14:43:37 -0400

adambarrett:

I hate using the word “haunting” when describing songs, but God damn if this isn’t a haunting cover of Glory Days.

Brilliant, beautiful, Boss, Basia Bulat, Bruce.

lindsayzoladz: Kind of funny that the best song ever written...

Thu, 02 May 2013 08:04:36 -0400

lindsayzoladz:

Kind of funny that the best song ever written about Gen X is also the best song ever written about Millennials. Maybe it is just the best song ever written about being young.

There’s something appropriate about how almost everyone (including, apparently, Pitchfork staff writers) gets the lyrics to this song wrong.* I feel like it’s what Westerberg would want.

*the chorus is “WAIT ON the sons of no one”

Huzzah to Record Store Day. #rsd13

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 12:56:19 -0400

Huzzah to Record Store Day. #rsd13

I’d happily rank The National among my absolute favourite...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 07:20:48 -0400

I’d happily rank The National among my absolute favourite bands, which makes their new single, “Demons,” all the more heartbreaking: it’s terrible. Simply terrible.

I want to write more about it, but won’t have the time right away, but my initial thought is that this is the band’s Elizabethtown: like Crowe’s nadir, it feels like the work of an artist stuck in a formula to the point of self-parody, making qualities that were once endearing now exhausting. It you were to tell me that this was actually another band spoofing the National, I’d be inclined to believe you.

Young Galaxy - “New Summer” Chord change of the year...

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:41:44 -0400

Young Galaxy - “New Summer”

Chord change of the year at 3:12.

I have a funny feeling a lot of Haligonians are going to be...

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 08:13:00 -0400

I have a funny feeling a lot of Haligonians are going to be sharing this Herald story today about how a Billboard promoting an initiative for the Riva Spatz Women’s Wall of Honour at Mount Saint Vincent University shows a group of men.

Full disclosure: I have friends who work at the Mount’s PR office. But I’d still feel bad for whoever it was getting this coverage today for two reasons:

1) The ad has a copy problem, absolutely (or perhaps a design problem) but it’s also not difficult to discern what the ad is trying to do: showcase how men are donating to the cause and supporting the Wall of Honour, presumably in the interest of getting more men to donate. The issue is that it’s not clear who “we” and “us” refer to: the men or the university. Given that ads usually default to the voice of the company or organization, you can’t blame drivers for being confused when they drive by quickly. But this sort of slightly-off copy confusion on the part of ad writers/designers is the sort of mistake that’s all too easy to make: I’ve seen first-hand how readily stakeholders and planners alike get caught up in the idea of a campaign and miss particulars like this. So I have a distinct “this could happen to any of us” feeling here.

Which brings me to…

2) That the Herald’s headline has an entirely different tone than the article. The article basically reads as follows: “A few people were confused by this ad - we had to resort to a tweet as our best example - but here’s a detailed explanation of what the Mount was trying to do and, more importantly, here’s all kinds of great details about an initiative that probably wasn’t going to get much press otherwise.” But what the headline writer came up with was “University tribute to women shows men only.” I’d argue that isn’t just against the spirit of the article, but borders on being simply wrong (since the billboard isn’t a tribute to women, but to encourage donations TO the tribute).

So yeah: it’s a ad with a copy and/or design problem, absolutely, and its shortcomings offer good lessons for those of us working in the field. But I can’t help but feel like the Mount is taking a bigger hit than it deserves here, and all in the interest of the Herald’s hit count.

Edit: A few people have mentioned to me the gender connotations here: that “men” are needed to support remarkable women. Fair enough, but I do wonder if that concern would even come up had the ad’s copy/design not been confusing. That said, it is worth asking why they decided to separate the men’s ad from one featuring women, rather than doing them together. If nothing else, that would have avoided some of the reaction.

I love you already, Bioshock Infinite.

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:40:13 -0400

I love you already, Bioshock Infinite.

vanmega: This is the first (and I assume last) time anyone has...

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:17:40 -0400

vanmega:

This is the first (and I assume last) time anyone has ever taken my advice on the internet!

At the blog today, I wrote about Kickstarter, Veronica Mars,...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:24:07 -0400

At the blog today, I wrote about Kickstarter, Veronica Mars, Amanda Palmer and some of the complications I see in the crowdfunding model as it relates to music.

While I might be too late to the conversation, I felt like I wanted to unpack a phrase in Palmer’s TED talk, “This IS fair,” that really unnerved me. So I’m glad I had the chance.

Sick singer rock setup: “God Save the Tea.”...

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:13:11 -0400

Sick singer rock setup: “God Save the Tea.” #1stProofRevisions

First kick I took is when I hit the ground.

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 11:54:05 -0500

First kick I took is when I hit the ground.

thesufjanstevensmodel5000: Hell yes. Spring Break 2013. Pop a...

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:40:20 -0500

thesufjanstevensmodel5000:

Hell yes. Spring Break 2013. Pop a Molly and get jolly in south beach. New York is a dream to me now.

This guy.

Sometimes, I get to do some pretty amazing stuff for work, like...

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 12:36:00 -0500

Sometimes, I get to do some pretty amazing stuff for work, like interviewing Shin Dong-hyuk, who is believed to be the only person who have been born in North Korea’s brutal, oppressive political prison camps and escaped to share his story. Truly a humbling experience.

(Bruce Bottomley photo)

CRJ mashed with Nine Inch Nails. Maybe Forever.

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:07:13 -0500

CRJ mashed with Nine Inch Nails. Maybe Forever.

Pitchfork: Listen to a New Track From the Replacements

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 17:25:00 -0500

Pitchfork: Listen to a New Track From the Replacements:

blownspeakers:

A cover of Gordon Lightfoot’s “I’m Not Sayin” off the Songs for Slim EP

New Mats new Mats new Mats new Mats new Mats new Mats

(via McNutt)

Reblogging my own “via” because, obviously, new Mats new Mats new Mats

thatzak: This is seriously the best post I’ve ever seen on...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:51:28 -0500

thatzak:

This is seriously the best post I’ve ever seen on Tumblr.