Song of the Day: The Pixies - Gouge Away

So I've been getting an influx of flyers and and random junk mail as of late. This could signify only one thing - Christmas season. As much as it is about family and sharing, let's face it, it's shifted to a major consumer consumption season. Sales galore... Anyways, my agitation of the day goes to the online shopping. I figure I would avoid the made scramble and the shop in the comforts of my own room. I came upon a website, which advertises their holiday season sales and their online-exclusive sales. So the premise is you click on what you want to buy, you enter a credit card number, fill in some information and about a month later you should receive something. Easy right? Wrong. Apparently, some places do not sell to Canadian customers. Their websites are exclusive to the United States only! What a major piss off! You would think that if there is an online shopping capability to a website that shopping would be allowed no matter the geographical barrier. Granted there are some definite roadblocks to the online shopping realm. But if an international corporation advertises it's understanding of a nouveau stream of sales, then it would work to its clientèle, whether London, England or Bangladesh! Canada is a rather industrialized country, we should be allowed to participate in online shopping.

So to retail corporations out there who offer online shopping functionalities, get your shit together. Either offer it to everyone or don't offer it at all! Now, I'm forced to sharpen my elbows and head to the nearest mall and battle my way through lineups and disregard all the screaming and crying children of the madness we call holiday shopping. Ugh...
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Song of the Day: Majormaker - Rollercoaster

Excited? Maybe a little.

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Song of the Day: Shad K - Get Up

I guess it's been due time for a post. Though the topic of this particular blog-edition is rather dated, I still think it deserves my 3 1/2 cents (given the value of the Canadian dollar). Anyways, I had the chance to attend the CD release party for up and coming artist Shad K. This Canadian artist has been terrorizing my eardrums for at least a year now and his CD release show raised the bar for expectation for the next show I see. Shad is a soulful hip hop artist that uses his lyrics to tell a story or convey a message. Shad takes you of the beaten trail and leads you to a different path to a quest for glory. I think I identify with this Canadian wonder more than the other hip hop artists around based on our somewhat backgrounds. Some of the references in his lyrics takes me back to certain times in my youth that were never talked about before. I mean, I too have had dreams about someday winning my fantasy basketball pools as well. I just feel what he's sayin' you know!

Anyways, back to the show... You know when you're flipping through the radio and listen to a Canadian urban music radio station and the Can-con effect kicks in, you can totally tell which artists are Canadian. There's something about the flow that just separates it from the music South the of 49th. Canadian hip hop artists seem to lack a extra polish or finish. So when it came time to see Shad live, I was worried I'd be let down. Needless to say, I have not seen a better show in my life. Shad delivered with pinpoint precision with a style and grace that is most organic - totally original. I was surprised how well his lyrics were delivered while playing the guitar. It was as if Wyclef was in the house. His show embraced a vibrancy and vitality unwitnessed before. Overall, Shad not only revealed his new music to an eager audience, but he also showed how much of an entertainer he is really is. I think most up and coming artists in Canada focus solely on the final product that the audience won't take anything away from a live performance. Fortunately for Shad, he's mastered both song and showmanship with great poise. Here is a sample from Earwaks.com


Anyways, I've been spreading my gospel that is Shad K to all my friends. I'm sure they're all sick of it by now, so I figure why not blog about it? Before Shad is discovered in the US, check out his myspace account. You can thank me later.

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Labels: music