Spinning Wax, June 2009

Spinning Wax is a new, hopefully regular feature here where I’ll post videos and links to music I’m enjoying right now. (I should note that this was inspired by Matthew’s Musical Box posts.)

You know, I thought I was done with Emily Haines and her shtick of “I’m a ROCK STAR, you silly 9-to-5 schlub!”. While I’ve really liked Metric ever since I saw them open for Broken Social Scene in 2003, it’s hard not to get annoyed by famous artists who lecture you about the ills of mainstream life. Trouble is, Metric are as energetic and infectious as ever. “Help I’m Alive” is the first track off Fantasies and, besides being much better than the first single “Gimme Sympathy”, it’s catchy as… well, something really really catchy.

Keeping with the Canadian music, Gentlemeg Reg are a ‘fey pop’ duo out of Toronto. The sound is recognisably Arts&Crafts and the track, “To Some it Comes Easy”, has that breezy, ragged vibe that not only makes it perfect for drunken summer evenings – it may just be my song of the season. (h/t to my pal Roxanne for this one)

The following video, simply called “Alice”, is a remix that uses clips and sounds from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland . It’s by a YouTube user called ‘Fagottron’. Um, yeah.[Update: it's actually by Australian electronica artist Pogo - see comments]  But trust me: you’ll be addicted to it. It’s like aural-visual crack. Less addictive, but equally fun is the same user’s take on Harry Potter.

And finally, the one song that cannot fail to make me happy when I listen to it. By renowned Punjabi singer Malkit Singh, it’s a reworking of old Punjabi folk song “Jind Mahi” that exhorts listeners to ‘hold on to their culture’ and, by extension, themselves. (Yeah yeah, I know.) If you’re not used to this sorta’ thing, it might sound ridiculous and weird and impossibly cheesy – but it’s not half as weird the fact that this YouTube user chose to pair it with pictures of phat cars. (Fun fact: the back-and-forth of culture between Vancouver and Punjab has resulted in souped-up cars with bhangrha booming out of them being a common sight in both areas. See – being an annoying, macho asshole isn’t just limited to one culture). Nonetheless: enjoy!

Have suggestions for ‘Spinning Wax’? Leave a comment or send me an email. You’ll find the address on my about page.