Cancanon Fridays: Welcoming the Working Weekend

First: I’d like to thank the multi-talented Matt and Attackoftheswank for designing the new header for my blog – hopefully, my significance of my blog title becomes a little clearer. Matt is far more visual-arts oriented and talented than I’ll ever be, so I left the job for the pros. He is also unnecessarily single, which is as much a mystery to anyone as Stonehenge. Matt enjoys fun music, vomiting into cups, and ‘reading’ ‘books’ (what’s that?). Lady-readers of my blog unite! Back to scheduled programming.

I hate work.

Well, that’s not true; I don’t hate work. I feel that work is an essential component of human existence, a biological impulse like nourishment, reproduction, and self-preservation – it’s the need to be contributing member of a social organization. Of course, how we define work and contribution varies on a case-by-case basis; but, if you’ve ever spent any actual time seriously idling, you’d no doubt understand the importance and fulfillment that work can bring.

So, I don’t hate work. I hate my work today.

And here’s why: I’m in the process of getting laid off, and I have about two and a half weeks left in my current position (ostensibly, they kept me on because they’re still ‘busy,’ but apparently not ‘busy’ enough to keep me hired indefinitely). And they are right. It’s busy here today. And because of that, my hatred for my soon-to-be-former job is growing exponentially.

I hate my job, mostly, because at this point, I’m not going to be able to tangibly see the fruits of my labour. Any gratification I’d receive from a job successfully completed would be evidenced in a few months (when I’m gone, potentially street-ridden), as I’m a proposal writer. Further, I don’t have the motivation to help my company succeed; despite my ethical qualms with the place I work, I also – and very understandably, I might add – have very few loyalties to an employer who deemed me expendable.

I'm not as bitter as it sounds.

But, regardless, I’m still here at my desk, and I’m still working. And it dawned on me that a must be at an all-time low for productivity; I’m insanely de-motivated, aside from a few twinges of personal pride, I now have no vested interest in the quality of the work that I produce. I must be an absolutely horrid worker today, and my current working conditions, from both an employer and employee perspective, benefit absolutely no one. Aside from monetary compensation, my work is without purpose – this is work completed by workers at a complete disconnect with the product of their labour. And I’m no expert, but this sounds like alienation to me.

And while music isn’t work in the strictest definition of term, I feel that the concept of alienation can also be applied to musicians. I’ve always felt that, as a band, if you’re neither producing songs that are different or artistically stimulating, then it’s probably just time to give up – you’re experiencing alienation, labour minus purpose. Truthfully, producing albums that are distinctly different (from an artist's previous work) or artistically stimulating are completely unrelated to the quality of a record, but I’ve always suspected that music listeners have been able to discern the purpose (and subsequently, the authenticity) of a musician’s output.

And this is precisely why U2’s Pop isn’t an abomination of a record. While probably the worst record of U2’s career, Bono and co. were at least experimenting with new sounds. And while Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky also isn’t the best in their discography, there is still the sense that Jeff Tweedy and co. still find artistic stimulation in creating new music. And, yes, experimentation and stimulation can be mutually exclusive.

And, of course, there are artists like Tom Gabel – of Against Me! – who have had led musical careers. While not all of Against Me!’s albums are good – I’ll point to Searching for a Former Clarity as a clunker – each successive album demonstrates Gabel’s growth and experimentation. Gabel has recently released a very solid solo EP, one that consists mostly an acoustic guitar accompanied by a drum machine. It’s maybe the best collection of songs since Reinventing Axl Rose; and while it’s certainly a testament to his progression as a songwriter, it’s also refreshing that it’s barely comparable to anything that Against Me! has released in the past. Gabel has, as far as I’m concerned, has completely avoided placidity throughout his musical career, and resultingly, he’s never allowed himself to get alienated from his craft.

And it’s Gabel’s authenticity that is so compelling. While his lyrical authenticity on his earlier works (Reinventing, Vivida Vis, etc.) was Gabel’s initial appeal, in the latter stages of his career, it’s simply just impressive that he is he hasn’t soured on the creative process and is still clearly focused on experimenting with his music. And this, precisely, is the type of authenticity that is resonant with Gabel and Against Me! fans.

And, every now and again, like Against Me!, an entire city catches lightning in a bottle. Every now and again, a city will develop loosely defined groups of musicians, at the apex of their creativity, and whose raison d’etre stems simply from the necessity of their existence. Seattle in the early 1990s was such a scene; Halifax in the mid 1990s was similar; and, around the turn of the century, Montreal experienced such magic, as well. And while I was never able to witness Seattle or Halifax first hand, but I was lucky enough to experience life in Montreal.

So, this week’s edition of the Cancanon Fridays commemorates a few new Montreal-ais members into Cancon’s storied coffers. I know that Montreal has been beaten to death in music mags worldwide, and I apologize if today’s posting is old news; but truthfully, it was (and is) something exceptional. To alienation (or a lack thereof)!


The Adam Brown - Big Rocker
I'm not sure what's since happened to Adam Brown, but he had one of the best voices in Montreal. Backed by a completely destructive backing band and live show, I was convinced that Brown was Canada's next Springteen - and, honestly, I'm disappointed that he's not.



The Arcade Fire - Wake Up
Yes, I know this band is beaten to death, and everyone's aware of this song. But 'Wake Up,' to me, is probably the most defining songs of the Montreal explosion. It's my favourite song from Funeral, an album which certainly captured the essence of early-2000s Montreal; and though it's a good album, Neon Bible doesn't even come close.



The Stills - In the Beginning
Unlike the Arcade Fire, my choice of Stills songs comes from their second album, Without Feathers. And while it's not even the better songs in their catalogue, I did get to hear the fantastic snare-hit-into-bridge portion of the song while watching a sunset dip behind a hill (this story may, or may not, involve drugs). Which, truthfully, is one of my favourite music-related memories.




Malcolm Bauld - Goodnight Amarillo
While Bauld is still typically defined by his work with the Frenetics, I'm convinced that his solo work is a lot better. He's a far better troubadour than a front-man; give a listen.



Bad Flirt - Hiroshima, Mon Frere
Seriously, is there anything more adorable than bad flirts? The body language is awkward and conversation is choppy, but bad flirts are always redeemable and always adorable, because hey - they're putting in the effort to talk to you, aren't they? And yes, Bad Flirt, the band, is also adorable.