Handsome Furs

I mentioned in my last post that I was digging the Handsome Furs debut album, Plague Park. I should elaborate.

I like it. It is very Wolf Parade-y, unsurprisingly (one-half of Furs duo is WP frontman Dan Boeckner). I read a review that described the record as "rock electro". Now, I'm often not quite sure what terms like this mean, but I assume they are referring to the fact that the group employs a drum machine. If you can handle this, you might like the record. It seems like Pitchfork couldn't:

When Boeckner told Pitchfork a few months ago that Handsome Furs were "basically Wolf Parade without the guy that everybody likes and no real instruments," he might as well have said, "...with a drum machine instead of a drummer." That trade-off seems to have determined their debut album's tone and texture, because each of the record's nine songs moves to a precise beat that's rarely changed or improvised, doesn't adjust speeds, and can't sense the intentions of the other players. Thus, Plague Park creates a feeling of listlessness and jet-lag-- too much potential and too little movement.

Anyway, to give you a taste of the record, here are a few mp3s:

• Handsome Furs - What We Had -- of the 9 tracks on Plague Park, probably the most characteristically Wolf Parade-like. For me, that's not a bad thing.
• Handsome Furs - Dumb Animals -- my favourite off the record. It might just be because it's in a minor key, but if the band develops their own signature sound, I hope it might be something like this. The fact that the song has an organ prety much clinches my approval. There's also a video for this song.
  

Happy listening.

The Greats

At one point during this weekend's May Long camping excursion to St. Ambroise (cold, rain, fun, swimming, smokies, sleep, although not necessarily in that order) conversation turned to music. There was a moment where I was forced to consider who would make my top 5 list of classical composers. At the time, I wasn't able to build a conclusive list, only admitting that Bach and Tchaikovsky would definitely make the cut.

But I've given it some more thought over the past few days, and have come up with a list. I must say that membership in this group of 5 is pretty fluid; there was a time not so long ago when Richard Wagner would be near the top. And I can't claim complete familiarity with the canon of classical music, so composers that I have encountered as a cellist, particularly in chamber ensembles or orchestras, the inside track. I've been drawn to these composers by certain pieces, but it's the body of their work that clinches things.

Without any further ado . . .

5. Ludwig van Beethoven
It might seem a little obvious, but there is a reason that Beethoven is almost universally regarded as one of the greats. I played a few of his symphonies (#1 and #5, you know, duh-duh-duh-duuuuuuhhhh), and countless pieces for piano and cello, and each time you get into it you find something new.

He had me at . . . : Moonlight Sonata

4. Antonin Dvorak
I visited the Czech Republic in 2004 and it was pretty dreary and drab. Maybe things were different back then, or his music was a form of escape from dull Czech winters, but Dvorak's symphonic works never fail to grab me, with chilling melodies, and the salient harmonies you'd expect from a late-Romantic, eastern European, composer. In my orchestral career, I've played 3 of his symphonies (I won't list the numbers because those are open to debate), including the enchanting Symphony for the New World. I don't think I'll ever have the technical ability to sink my teeth into his cello concerto, but that is a masterpiece as well.

He had me at . . .: Symphony for the New World (2nd mvmt, check out the rest as well)

3. Giuseppe Verdi
I only know one Giuseppe Verdi work, his Requiem. And unlike most of my musical experiences, my performance of this work was as a singer. Still, this work is variously a stormy tour-de-force (you probably recognize its Dies Irae from countless TV commercials), and sublime. I'm not sure I could think of another work I'd rather listen to, on repeat, for the rest of my days.

He had me at . . .: Requiem - Agnus Dei

2. J.S. Bach
I think the most helpful analogy one can draw to underline Bach's importance to the western music tradition is to Shakespeare. He wasn't the first, but certainly defined the structure and many of the idioms of the language of western classical music. For cellists like myself, his six unaccompanied suites are our Hamlet. Even in the relatively innocuous realm of music played at weddings, his Air on a G string blows the far more popular Canon in D from Pachelbel out of the water, defeating repetition with simplicity.

He had me at . . .: Prelude, Suite No. 1 (performed by the late Mstislav Rostropovich), and as a bonus, the sublime Sarabande, from Suite No. 2

1. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
For three years, when I was in youth orchestra, we had a conductor who was just as much of a Russophile as I was. During this period, we tackled some fairly ambitious works, among them Tchaikovsky's symphonies No. 4 and 5, and the magnificent Violin Concerto in A major. We didn't get to do the Pathetique (no. 6) but what we did get to play was infused with plenty of Slavic pathos. There's something about Tchaikovsky's music that makes you actually care, which may sound like high praise, but is definitely more than you can say for some composers (I'm looking at you, Vivaldi).

He had me at . . .: 1812 Overture (I like to think of this as the original mash-up, with themes from the French anthem, La Marseillaise, battling for prominence with the hymns "God Preserve Thy People", and "God Save the Czar", which eventually triumphs)

Do you wish to disabuse me of the notion that this is an ironclad list that brooks no dissent? Do you have your own list? Leave a comment.



And, on a much lower plane of greatness, I'm pretty excited about the new Handsome Furs album, Plague Park. I've only heard the two tunes on their myspace page, and I've already thrown around more than enough superlatives for one post, so let me just say that it all sounds pretty good.

The Rundown

I was somewhat surprised, the other day, when I came to the realization that Manitoba's current election campaign had less than a week to go. I think for most, if not all, of the elections in the past several years, I've made at least one post, generally with some sarcastic remark about how my vote won't really matter for much, a few links to candidates, and the like.

Well, this year isn't much different. I live in a riding, Fort Rouge, which will likely vote solidly NDP, and in a province where the latest poll from Probe Research suggests that the status quo, an NDP majority in the 57-seat legislature, is unlikely to change.

But I was paging through Uptown Magazine (a free Winnipeg weekly) the other day -- I have a habit of reading the interesting bits and then abandoning the copy on the bus, my part in their distribution scheme -- and I was surprised to learn that my riding was the most widely-, if not hotly-, contested in the province with 6 candidates.

Here is a rundown of the candidates, in order of quantity of campaign literature delivered to my door:

• Jennifer Howard, New Democratic Party: Thanks to an extra-wide glossy brochure featuring a giant mug-shot of Doer and a picture of a constipated looking Hugh McFadyen on the back, the NDP literature seems to emphasize how great a risk the Conservatives would pose should they be elected. I don't know who gets excited about prudence, but its not me.
• Paul Hesse, Liberals: This guy game to our door, but I didn't talk to him. According to the brochure, the Free Press calls him "one of the brightest Liberal candidates", which is kind of like calling someone "one of the sharpest butter knives". Still, the chalk stencils on Osborne Street sidewalks that read "Vote Hesse" are pretty convincing. Still, every time I hear the name I think of this unsavoury character.
• VoteEducation.Ca: I was surprised to receive two brochures from this candidate, since they're not on the ballot.
• Gerald Enns, Green Party: Has all the reasonable sounding, enviro-friendly ideas you'd expect from a Green candidate. Also, the only brochure that solicited donations and one of two (the other was from the Education people) that was not professionally printed.
• Christine Waddell, Progressive Conservatives: If I were to go only from the two-sided flyer I received, it would seem Waddell cares about one thing: putting guys with goatees in jail. She also promises "[a]n army of 350 new crime fighters". I'd rather she just hire some more police officers.
• Edit: The Communist Party of Canada leaves an e-brochure in the comment section to this post, and thus move up the list.
  
• Ron Nash, independent: No literature, no website, no votes.

So there you have it. I'll probably vote Hesse and then watch Howard win. Or perhaps Komarniski, because I've already, in various electoral outings, cast a ballot for Liberal, Conservative, NDP and Green candidates, but never a Communist. But I will vote. Last time around (ok, second to last by now, the January '06 federal election) I didn't bother to vote because the address on my driver's license was out of date, but this time I'll have no excuses.

Vote Hesse!

Addendum: If reading isn't your cup of tea, I tracked down some youtube commercials featuring some of our fearless party leaders:

• Hugh McFadyen on our children's future.
• Jon Gerrard and the Liberals on Gary Doer's health care record
• Gary Doer on safer communities
• A set of negative ads, back to back: from the PCs, a hilarious piece on our revolving door criminal justice system, featuring the maligned smirking goatee man I mentioned above; followed by the NDP about the PCs' poor health care record.

Happy voting!

Corrections and additions (22.05.2007): I guess I didn't wait long enough for all of the campaign literature to find its way to our mailbox. Ron Nash and the Communist Party both made it under the wire, and they have websites.

I voted today, and wasn't asked for any ID, since I had brought my enumeration slip with me. I'm not quite sure how I feel about that, but it is definitely the first time I haven't presented my driver's license when voting.

CBC is showing 3 hours of election coverage this evening, which is a bit much, if you ask me. It also means that playoff hockey (Detroit-Anaheim) is being pre-empted. I'll have to watch the game online if I want to see it at all.

* * *

Results: My riding went as I expected:

Based on 57 of 57 voting stations reporting (100.0%).

Candidate Name	Party	Votes
HOWARD, Jennifer	NDP	3795
HESSE, Paul	Lib.	2456
WADDELL, Christine	PC	1194
ENNS, Gerald H.	GPM	507
NASH, Ron	Ind.	89
KOMARNISKI, Frank	CPC-M	29

And overall there was very little change. Doer and the NDP won, with one more seat than last year, the PCs dropped a seat, and the Liberals still don't have official party status, with just 2 seats.


Oh yeah, the Wings lost too, which I didn't like so much. Go Sens.

Moose-Griffins, Game 7: A story in pictures

Having immersed myself in the television-world of the NHL playoffs, it was good to walk down to the MTS Centre and take in some live playoff action, featuring the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League.

I was determined to make it to a playoff game this season, and since Tuesday night was the seventh and deciding game of the opening round, it could well have been my last chance. At the game, I was surprised to learn from the public address announcer that this was the first game 7 in Winnipeg in 30 years. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised since the NHL-era Winnipeg Jets rarely succeeded in stretching their opening round losses to 7 games (it happened twice, in 1990 and 1992) and when they did, they were the lower seed meaning they had to lose on the road.

On to Tuesday night's game. The Moose won 4-1, but really it was a one-goal game with two late goals scored by Manitoba, including an empty netter.
Pictured above is Jimmy Howard, starting goalie for the Grand Rapids Griffins. Anybody who watches playoff hockey is no doubt familiar with the tactic of derisively chanting the opposing goaltenders name. One guy in our section got a little carried away with this at times, but I was impressed with the persistence of the rest of the crowd.


This photograph is a bit blurry, not to protect the man's identity, but because my clandestine attempt to capture his likeness meant I couldn't keep a steady hand. In case you can't tell, this one individual is sitting down to an entire box of donuts (1 dozen). He had finished at least half of them by the end of the 2nd period.

And, in case you forgot that the game was in Winnipeg, here's a guy with a mullet:


Another Winnipeg tradition that I'm rather fond of is Dancin' Gabe, and he was out in full force, rocking the aisles between whistles, and tuning in to the game (notice the yellow headphones) on the radio the rest of the time.


Oh yeah, there was a game going on too. I'll admit that I allowed my attention to drift a little more than I would had it been an NHL or CFL game, but I was pretty into it by the end. The scoreboard -- which is rather more impressive than the old Winnipeg Arena version which always had several burnt out bulbs and a hand-clapping animation that never could keep time with the sound system -- captures the scene following the game winning goal.


All in all, a nice Winnipeg evening. Round 2 starts tomorrow night, against the Hamilton Bulldogs.