ON FAUX-POVERTY AS WRETCHED FAKE HIPNESS, FOR VICE
Pretending to be oppressed in pursuit of cultural currency is a vile guise. Related: I wrote this for Vice.
ON PUNK AND CHRISTIANITY, FOR THE ATLANTIC
I spent most of 2012 going to church and listening to Leftöver Crack as research for this piece, which began as my Master’s thesis, on the intersectionality of punk and Christianity. Here it is, revisited and somewhat abridged, for The Atlantic.
ON OPERA AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP, FOR THE GLOBE AND MAIL
Today at the Globe, I’ve got a story about Toronto’s Metro Youth Opera and its ambitious founder, Kate Applin.
ESBEN + THE WITCH REVIEW IN NEW BITCH MAGAZINE
For the most recent Bitch magazine, I reviewed the new Esben and the Witch album. This is not available online, but here is a small Instagram photo to whet your appetite for print.
ON SEXISM/ADVERTISING/WHY FOR MARKETING MAGAZINE
For Marketing magazine, I wrote about those vile/mysterious Ford India ads.
BOYS: THE TROUBLE WITH FEMALE CELEBRITY PROFILES AND THE MEN WHO WRITE THEM
For The Walrus, I wrote about men who write about women, and how they sometimes do that poorly.
An anonymous commenter called me “catty,” but Neko Case liked it, as did the Atlantic which featured my piece in its weekly round-up of good culture writing. (Thanks also to Hazlitt, Brain Pickings, New York magazine et al for their mentions.)
SHORT PIECE IN RECENT BROKEN PENCIL
Wrote a short thing about The Listserve for Broken Pencil. The piece is not online, but Ashleigh Gaul’s excellent cover story, “Reading Between the Bars,” is. Read that instead.
On Girls, for The Globe and Mail
For The Globe and Mail, I wrote about the forthcoming Girls soundtrack.
(I will try to stop writing about this show.)
Maisonneuve’s most-read stories of 2012
A piece I wrote for Maisonneuve made their list of most-read stories from 2012.
JAMS OF THE YEAR 2012
A tremendously subjective list containing the 50 songs I liked best in 2012.
Please enjoy listening via the Rdio playlist that I painstakingly compiled.
1 Cat Power ft. Iggy Pop — “Nothin’ But Time”
2 IO Echo — “When the Lillies Die”
4 The Babies — ”Mess Me Around”
7 Ty Segall Band — “Tell Me What’s Inside Your Heart”
8 Parquet Courts — “Borrowed Time”
10 Woods — “Size Meets the Sound”
11 Lana Del Rey — “Born to Die”
12 Norvaiza — “Cremation Ground”
14 Cool Serbia — “Kill Someone”
15 Beach House — “Troublemaker”
16 La Sera — “Love That’s Gone”
17 Twin Shadow — “Five Seconds”
21 The Echo Friendly — ”There’s Part of Me Nobody Sees But You”
24 Icona Pop ft. Charli XCX — “I Love It”
25 Dum Dum Girls — “Lord Knows”
26 Titus Andronicus — “In A Big City”
27 Django Django — “Silver Rays”
28 Cold Specks — “Winter Solstice”
29 Desaparecidos — ” MariKKKopa”
30 The Fresh & Onlys — “Presence of Mind”
31 Moon King — “Sleeping in My Car”
32 Bleeding Rainbow—”Waking Dream”
33 The Black Belles — “What Can I Do?”
34 Rufus Wainwright — “Jericho”
35 Diamond Rugs — “Blue Mountains”
37 Divine Fits — “My Love is Real”
39 Hospitality — “The Right Profession”
41 Cloud Nothings — “Wasted Days”
43 Chairlift —”I Belong in Your Arms”
44 Chromatics — “Kill For Love”
45 Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti — “Only in My Dreams”
46 The Orwells — ”Mallrats (La La La)”
47 Tilly and the Wall — “Hey Rainbow”
50 Animal Collective — “Today’s Supernatural”
ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2012
1. Cat Power, Sun, Matador
2. Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel…, Epic
3. Lower Dens, Nootropics, Ribbon Music
4. Ty Segall Band, Slaughterhouse, In The Red
5. Woods, Bend Beyond, Woodsist
6. Parquet Courts, Light Up Gold, Dull Tools
7. The Babies, Our House on the Hill, Woodsist
8. Beach House, Bloom, Sub Pop
9. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Mature Themes, 4AD
10. Titus Andronicus, Local Business, XL
SHOWS OF THE YEAR 2012
Not listed in any hierarchy because come on let’s set some limits.
Jeff Mangum at BAM—January, Brooklyn In January I scheduled “Brooklyn time” in order to see Jeff Mangum twice. My heart remains a viscous gazpacho.
Fiona Apple at The Sound Academy—July, Toronto Horrendous chatty crowd (Toronto, you’re gross) unworthy of Fiona THE ROARING BEAST of our era’s songwriters. Still she was amazing and sang “Shadowboxer” (obviously) and then we all ate ice cream in a hot parking lot. It was glorious and then the kind of summertime sad that only the mad ones will ever understand.
Osheaga—August, Montreal Drove seven hours to watch thirty minutes of Black Lips and things were going great until I became drugged, threw up inside a row of garbage cans and then passed out in a stripper-friend’s apartment until the next morning. Montreal though yaaaay for brunch and antique quilts and drum circles and indie music! PPL YOUR PRECIOUS MTL MYTHS ARE NOT REAL.
Cool Serbia at the 171 Lombardy Eviction Party—October, Brooklyn Like I’m pretty sure Cool Serbia ruled but this was a night of clearest sky Greenpoint rooftops and red plastic cups of cheap, despicable vodka so who can ever really know. *
Animal Collective in Williamsburg (October) This should have/would have been spiritual convulsions and soul fireworks but Dave Portner got laryngitis so there was none of that. I think they could break up soon [pouting emoji].
*I looked into this v. thoroughly upon regaining my sobriety and yeah, they ruled.
Foxygen sound like morphine feels.
AN EVENING WITH VAGINA PANTHER, FOR VICE
For Vice, I interrogated a band called Vagina Panther because Vagina Panther??!
I want to climb inside the new Hooray For Earth and hibernate within its sleeping bag vibes.
