Archive | November, 2008
The Beet

Eating out: The Beet Organic Café & Market, Toronto

The Beet Organic Café & Market is housed in an old TD Bank building, its entrance behind a still-functional Green Machine ABM terminal. I’m not sure if this is an amazing coincidence or a subtle, “only in the Junction” political statement: on Queen West, the big brands are taking over the mom & pop restaurants [...]

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Idan Raichel Project

Listening to: Idan Raichel’s Project

A review of Idan Raichel’s Project’s The Idan Raichel Project (2006) Am I dating myself (38) by talking about world music? Does anyone other than 35 plus year olds with a liberal bent still listen to world music? These days, I mostly encounter it in my artsier friends, or in people who aren’t really music [...]

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Sam Cooke One Night Stand

Today’s desert island disc: Sam Cooke, One Night Stand! Live at the Harlem Square Club

A review of Sam Cooke’s One Night Stand! (1963) Sam Cooke is commonly thought of as one of the originators of soul music and also gets frequent mention as a role model for black entrepreneurs in the entertainment industry. A very gifted singer, he ‘broke free’ from singing gospel with the Soul Stirrers and had [...]

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Van Morrison by Leo Reynolds

Van Morrison

Picture by Leo Reynolds I’ve been listening to Van Morrison for days now. He’s someone I had somehow ignored so far in my 25 years of listening and collecting music. In the 80s, when my listening habits were formed, Van was on a path that wasn’t very likable musically – his voice losing its elasticity, [...]

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Depeche Mode Violator Deluxe

Today’s desert island disc: Depeche Mode, Violator

A review of Depeche Mode’s Violator (1990) It’s hard to remember, from today’s perspective, just how powerful Depeche Mode’s Violator was when it came out in 1990. It neatly, elegantly bridged the gap between punk and mainstream pop while at the same time articulating an aesthetic that somehow convincingly melded the blues to the band’s [...]

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David Bowie Heathen

Today’s desert island disc: David Bowie, Heathen

A review of David Bowie’s Heathen (2002) Released in 2002, this is – for me – Bowie’s most satisfying record of the 2000s so far. It demonstrates what rock can sound like today – well-produced, full, dense, interesting, full of aural appeal, mystery, layers, greys and autumn colours. Bowie’s legacy, of course, is an impossibility [...]

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Toronto Brickworks

The Don Valley Brick Works consists of 16 heritage buildings and an adjacent 16-hectaire public park that includes the Weston Quarry Garden, wetlands, hiking trails, and wildflower meadows. From 1889 to 1984, the site was one of Canada’s pre-eminent brickyards. The Don Valley Pressed Brick Works Company produced a wide variety of bricks and kiln-fired [...]

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