Canada Kicks Ass

All I want to do is get some new music, and I've hit a wall. I find albums I want, and I just don't have the money to buy them. I could go back to my old Limewire ways, but then I get a huge guilt complex for stealing music. Not as if that's stopped me in the past, but when it comes to emerging artists, I feel terrible downloading their songs without giving back at all.

Bit-torrent just confuses the shit out of me. Plus, I tried it once, and my spywear went into nutso-lockdown mode. I'm also using Philadelphia University's network, so illegal downloading is basically a no-go all around....

Nerd that I am, I started an Excel spreadsheet (pushes up glasses) with all the songs/artists included that I want to download. We're talking about two columns, A and C, full of everything I find. Someday, maybe I can raise some funds to buy them or swallow my guilt and download them.

To help me on my music-seeking quest, I found another site, Pitchfork.com. I know I say every site I find is amazing, but I'm kind of in love with this one. 

Pitchfork has a pretty extensive staff, so the site is updated daily with  new indie music to listen to. For instance "Rocket" by Goldfrapp, "World Sick" by Broken Social Scene, "Facelove" by PS I Love You, and my latest obession, "What Would I Want? Sky," off Animal Collective's recent EP Release, Fall Be Kind.

VCR by The XX is another great track from a band that's gaining more and more popularity daily:

It's also fabulous because the people writing the album reviews actually know their shit, as opposed to those who just base it all on opinion, and don't delve any deeper than the album cover. They put up news and tour dates, interviews, pictures and  have a tab called "Forkcast" that has links and info to buy the new music the site posts. 

For instance, my favorite bit of news from today was about a sandwich shop in Toronto named and themed after Wilco. The shop is called "Sky Blue Sky Sandwich Company" and flaunts a menu of dishes all named after Wilco songs. Genius.

The Canadians have gotten it right. They stay out of international affairs, allow 19 year olds to consume alcohol, make restaurants named after alternative rock bands, and boast artists like The Arcade Fire, Handsome Furs, The Stills, Broken Social Scene, The New Pornographers, Feist, just to name a few. Not to mention my favorite geek boy actor, Michael Cera is from Toronto. If it wasn't so damn cold up there, I think I would become Canadian.

If this is How To Fight The Loneliness, I'm game.