Music

Tofino Waves

| Mac

I was recently extremely fortunate to be able to spend 3 nights at the world class Wickaninnish Inn located in Tofino BC. My wife’s and my first trip out of town together was to this Relais & Chaeteaux independently owned and operated resort. So, four years later we returned for an anniversary celebration.

The resort is nestled into a wild, seaside landscape on the wonderful Chesterman Beach, and all rooms have water views. The waves are absolutely mesmerizing. I could literally watch them for hours. With a glass of champagne in hand, sitting in an armchair or double soaker tub situated in an expansive window, I could watch the waves come rolling in indefinitely.

At breakfast one morning in the onsite restaurant on the pointe I decided to film the waves from my table by the window so I wouldn’t miss any of the brilliance. I discreetly set my iPhone on the windowsill and hit record. Atttached is some of the footage set to one of my favourite songs – Monkeys Uptown by Iron & Wine. I’m sure it’s not as good as the real thing but I hope you find it mesmerizing nonetheless.

Creative Challenge: Create a Playlist

| Mac

The days of mixed tapes and burnt CDs seem like ancient history. They surface in pop culture like bubbles of ironic reference through vehicles like Bored to Death or Nick and Norah’s.

Today we’re more likely to just tell our phone to “play more like this” than we are to set aside the time to sit, listen, curate, construct, review, re-listen and repeat. Because who has the time? And why when there’s a trillion pre-made channels and pre-made playlists would you bother to make your own? Why would you? When instead you can just channel surf through near infinity. Why create when you can just consume?

Well I’m glad you asked… you create because in creation it is the journey and not the destination. You pause the stream of consciousness that would beg the question what’s next just to embrace, revel in, and enjoy the now. Listen to that song, listen to that beat and repeat. Everything else is paused when you’re in the creative flow. It’s beautiful.

To reflect the tone of the blog lately, I’ve crafted “Moderne Melancholy & Optimistic Overtures” (iTunes Link). The playlist features some of my favourite artists channelling everything from folk, choral and synth. As much as creation is about the journey and not the destination, I must say I’m really enjoying this playlist.

Create a playlist and post it here! This is your weekly creative challenge.

Albums of the Year

| Mac

I’m a huge fan of music – listening to it, not making it. With the exception of An Artist I Admire post featuring Zoe Keating, music has not enjoyed much of the spotlight here at exploring-art.com. Primarily this is because exploring-art is about investigating my less developed interests in the arts. That said, I feel the need to highlight my favourite albums of 2011.

Album of the Year: Kiss Each Other Clean

I am an Iron & Wine fan, but to me Our Endless Numbered Days stood out as the epoch of his achievement. Kiss Each Other Clean is at least on par with Our Endless Numbered Days, and it’s musically very different. It is a beautiful thing, dramatically different yet aesthetically alike. You’ll be left wondering why isn’t there more? Left wishing there were more, and yet you’ll be pleased to play it again.

Canadian Album of the Year: Land & Sea

I’ve been a long time fan of Sarah’s; I learnt of her in the early 2000’s living in Toronto, and I haven’t stopped buying her albums. With Land & Sea, an ambitious double album, Sarah shows off her spectacular vocals, as well as her meticulous compositions and arrangements. This album is one of my favourites, but why is it not at the top of the heap? Since it’s not the performance or the production, I suspect that it may be some of the lyrics that hold it back from perfection. But let’s not forget that Sarah is seen here towering over Feist for Canadian album of the year- No small achievement! For lovers of instrumental collections, I’d highly recommend Sarah Slean’s String Quartet Part II, it’s wonderful.

Underrated Album of the Year: Ceremonials

With headlines like, “More is Less”, I feel Ceremonials was unfairly treated in the press. I must admit after the single Shake it Out, the rest of the album wasn’t what I was expecting… but it grew on me, and now it’s a regular on the home stereo as well as my iPhone. With this album Florence and the Machine progress towards a sound that is more choir inspired and less modern bass line and alternative driven. The resulting sound is slightly reminiscent of the 80s, and more specifically, the Eurythmics; however, the music maintains its own identity, and more crucially, it is an evocative and enjoyable album.

Christmas Album of the year: Michael Buble Christmas

One of my wife’s nephews gets credit for this recommendation. He is a wonderful singer in his own right and performs in a number of High School ensembles. I’m not a Buble fan, so I was a bit of a skeptic. As it turns out Michael Buble Christmas is a fun, upbeat, and musical album which carries the possibility of  winning over even the biggest scrooge. Merry Christmas!