Toronto Mike

Music

Total 813 Posts

The Heart Of The Matter

I realize I'm a day late with this, but better late than never.  Last year I posted my ten favourite songs with the word "love" in the title in honour of Valentine's Day.  Today I bring you my ten favourite songs with the word "heart" in the title. Heart-Shaped Box
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Across the Universe To Buy Earplugs

I watched most of the Grammys last night.  Some stuff I enjoyed, like the Jamie Foxx & Alicia Keys tribute to Ray Charles, Green Day's "American Idiot" and the entire Kanye West "Jesus Walks" set.  Some stuff was entirely underwhelming, most notably the all-star rendition of "Across the Universe". "Across
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Nice Cover, Paul

Paul McCartney is singing "Live And Let Die" during the Super Bowl half-time show as I write this. I wonder how many kids watching think it's pretty damn cool that he's covering Guns N' Roses.
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Pieces vs. Zombie

The latest single from Sum 41 is "Pieces" and it's currently receiving plenty of airplay on your local new rock station.  The next time you hear it, think about The Cranberries' "Zombie".  The music is eerily similar. Did you know The Cranberries released a greatest hits album a couple of
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Cool Nina Gordon MP3s

On Nina Gordon's official site she's sharing a few very cool covers as MP3s.  You'll find them all here, but below are direct download links to my personal favourites. Straight Outta Compton - A classic from NWA. 18 And Life - A guilty pleasure from my early high school years
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Sloan's Greatest Hits?

Sloan has announced they're in the studio recording tracks for their greatest hits compilation.  What songs will be represented on this retrospective album is not yet known, so I'm going to take a wild stab at it and see how I fare. If I chose the songs for Sloan's Greatest
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Canada for Asia

Canada for Asia is a three-hour live concert in aid of tsunami victims taking place tonight in Toronto.  You'll find it on CBC and various other networks at 19:00 EST but you can also find it on the radio on streamed over the net at CBC.ca. It's a
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Not So Bright vs. Luka

I totally dig the first two singles from The Marble Index' debut album.  They have a great sound my ears love.  I'm still surprised they're from Hamilton. "Not So Bright" is their awesome second single and I've been listening to it quite a bit lately.  Every time I hear it,
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2004 Tunage

With the Bills playoff hopes down the drain and with a few minutes before TSN's coverage of Team Canada's semifinal game against the Czech Republic at the 2005 IIHF World Junior Championship, I've started spinning tunes. Looking back at music in the year 2004, there are quite a few bright
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As Good As Ever

In the late 80s I was watching Rap City on MuchMusic when I first saw the video for Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos".  My ears instantly liked what they were hearing and my mind was immediately stimulated by the weight of Chuck D's words.  Here was
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John Lennon

It was twenty-four years ago today that John Lennon was shot four times in the back by Mark Chapman. I was quite young at the time, but I remember a brief discussion in grade one that one of the Beatles had died.  I knew the Beatles were famous and that
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Lady

This note ain't for you, it's for the Gap.  A month ago, our televisions were inundated with Gap commercials featuring Sarah Jessica Parker bopping to Lenny Kravitz' "Lady".  "Lady" is a new tune of his from his new album "Baptism".  This advertisement was the first time we all heard this
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An Awful, Awful Song

CFNY Edge 102 has been playing "Me Against The World" from Simple Plan on fairly heavy rotation.  This tune has even been on their Thursday 30 chart for the past couple of weeks. It's horrible.  It's the whiney, poppy, pathetic sound I can't stand.  Sure, they're from Montreal and they
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The Christmas Mix

Prior to the start of the Santa Claus Parade on Sunday, a plane circled above carrying an advertisement for EZ Rock 97.3.  It proclaimed that this horrible station was already playing all Christmas carols, all the time until Christmas Day.  This rendered my earlier post about stations that pull
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Big Fish & Yes

I mentioned I was rummaging through My brother's CD collection the other day.  I "borrowed" several of his albums, including his copy of the Almost Famous soundtrack which I listened to last night.  One of the tracks on this compilation is Yes' "Your Move/I've Seen All Good People".  I've
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500 Greatest Songs of All Time

Rolling Stone Magazine has come out with their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.  Here's their top ten: Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling StoneRolling Stones - SatisfactionJohn Lennon - ImagineMarvin Gaye - What's Going OnAretha Franklin - RespectThe Beach Boys - Good VibrationsChuck Berry - Johnny
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An Awful, Awful Song

While channel surfing on the car radio this morning, I momentarily paused on Mix99.9 during "1985" from a band called Bowling For Soup.  "1985" might just be the worst song I've ever heard.  It was truly, truly awful. "1985" is the kind of soul-less, bubble-gum schlock I can't stand.
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Hayden's Obscurity

Back in the mid-90s, I picked up Everything I Long For, the first official LP from a Toronto artist named Hayden.  Revisiting this disc recently has reminded me of how awesome it is.  Every track is great, particularly the lead tune "Bad As They Seem". I've always felt as if
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