A belated thank you from SCQ

Dance party in the SCQ Office; Ottawa, 2010

Dear readers,

You’re probably lost. Skeleton Crew Quarterly hasn’t published new material since the end of 2012, so whatever review or interview you’re looking for, I hope it’s old. On the off-chance you’re visiting this blog intentionally, as an occasional reader wondering what the hell happened here, you remembered SCQ on the right day. Below is the goodbye I’d written in January 2013; I opened it today expecting some half-coherent draft and was surprised to find it nearly complete. So, with over a year and a half behind us, here's SCQ’s lost goodbye:

****

01/10/13

The term “hiatus” is often met with sadness in the music world, not because it represents a permanent cessation of a band or label but because there’s no itinerary to comprehend just what lies ahead. Like a chalkboard wiped clean of plans, the hiatus leaves a momentary gap before we listeners fill it with other interests, other bands. And occasionally, we don’t notice the gap at all.

Skeleton Crew Quarterly turns five years old this month. Those who’ve tuned into this music-blog semi-regularly over the years know that I rarely pass up an opportunity to celebrate the passing seasons, and I had another Year-End Questionnaire arranged to commemorate this milestone. The questions were written and in two cases submitted – both recipients, pianist Nils Frahm and Anton Newcombe of Brian Jonestown Massacre, agreed to take part – but my heart just wasn’t in it. Back in the winter of 2007, the idea of asking a beloved musician their top records of the year seemed like a dream. I was personally invested in discovering and communicating those answers through a loudspeaker to anyone who cared. And over the years, I’ve met and traded emails with many listeners who were quite like me; readers who enjoy peering through the artist’s looking-glass and investigating music their idols like. Only I’m not really one of those people anymore.

I remain terribly obsessed with music. It’s one of my life’s few great loves. But gradually, thankfully, the pedestal I’ve offered songwriters for most of my life has diminished; they’re real people with real jobs and real worries and real minutia. Their opinions on music can be valuable and provocative, but it’s trivia all the same. And in the spirit of simplifying my life and focusing my creative impulses on what matters most, I’ve decided to leave the trivia to others.

A random glimpse over the 1,000 reviews I’ve written showcases an overabundance of trivia – plenty of details I barely remember learning so long ago. But they also chronicle five years of living, which is something a sentimentalist like me cannot ignore. As I read over these reviews, it isn’t commentary on the music that resonates so much as the memories invoked from the time period in which they were written. Whether I was finding my voice with records culled from my own collection during my year in that summer-y High Park apartment, or clicking “publish” with the hope that proofreading wasn’t necessary during one of my Greek-town all-nighters. Records I broke into over subway rides, between classes at my teaching job in Taipei, on late-night Ottawa walks to pick up my girlfriend, at the Starbucks in St Catharines before our internet was connected, and so forth. In the end, how music scores our lives is what Skeleton Crew Quarterly has always been about for me.

Some reviews I can vividly remember – where I was sitting, the view over my laptop as I stared off in concentration. Other reviews, I haven’t the foggiest. Sometimes I’d sneak little secrets into my reviews, to see if friends or family were really reading. (Fun fact: I announced my return from Taiwan a week before I surprised everyone with my appearance in Canada.) And there are many great stories that have gone on behind the scenes about attaining promo copies, missed opportunities and weird semi-friendships that developed with artists, but they’re really only great to me.

****

That’s it, that’s where I stopped. I’m glad I was proactive enough to notify those who knew me best and tell them, among other things, that they can stop wasting postage on SCQ. I'm also happy I had a chance to tell my conspirator Yusuf before he left this world. There was a list of people I wanted to thank but the task to compile it would be difficult and pointless now. So instead I thank my publicity comrades and label insiders who were always stoked to send me CDs and tickets. I thank the songwriters and band members I got to know for all of their kindnesses and great music. And I thank the readers who made this whole enterprise a glorious bit of fun. In many ways, SCQ was its own little hiatus.

We had some amazing listens,

Love SCQ

2007 - 2012

Toronto, Ottawa

SCQ's Top Twenty Albums Of 2012

Nobody has ever accused Skeleton Crew Quarterly’s Top 20 Albums list of being a deduction in populist opinion. But as five years of scouring the ever-changing landscape of indie music’s expanses can attest to, these year-end proceedings have certainly distanced themselves from the top-tier names one might expect. That is, if anyone has any idea of what to expect anymore. How does one measure fame when buzz-bands fall in and out of favour so rapidly? How does one express loyalty when we’re constantly on the fringe of something new, something else? Five years ago I worried about sharing too many favourite album picks with the likes of Pitchfork; now that’s just a funny memory.

I can’t condemn the accelerated accessibility of new music nowadays, especially since many of the artists who appear on this year’s list were introduced via that perpetual online frenzy. Still the virtue of loyalty plays just as significant a role in this year’s decisions – not intentionally, just as matters of talent insisted. Included are bands I’d pretty much closed chapters on, albums I'd never planned on listening to and, in one instance, a recreation of music that was written nearly 300 years ago! Unlike some of my colleagues’ exclamations, I don’t personally think 2012 was an exceptional year in music. But it was a great year, like the rest.

With the utmost pleasure, I present Skeleton Crew Quarterly’s Top Twenty Albums of 2012. Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

~ SCQ

FALL ALBUMS 2012!!

As the Niagara region nears its foliage-colored peak, let SCQ introduce a few newer records for walks beneath the yellows, oranges and reds. All the best for these days of dying sunlight!

~ Love SCQ

SUMMER ALBUMS 2012

August, while still very much a summer month, is when I habitually begin collecting records that'll keep me company during autumn. Like some process of reverse hibernation, I store up all of these anticipated release dates for that day the humidity falls, a cool breeze begins rising and I can step outside revitalized. 

What I’m trying to say is that August is a stupid time to unveil Skeleton Crew Quarterly’s Summer Records feature; the anticipation is long gone and the season’s hottest days are already waning. Had I not spent the past two months living out of suitcases and being separated from my laptop, my music or both, SCQ’s Summer Records 2012 would’ve posted sometime in June. Still, by no means should these three titles be restrained by dwindling temperatures when each stunner will be blasting from Skeleton Crew Quarterly’s new office well into the colder months.

Have a listen, breathe in these summer days and welcome the change in the air.

~ Love SCQ

The Long Transition

After spending half of June on the road, I've now survived July in suitcases and on loaned mattresses. The long goodbye from Ottawa has an end in sight but it's always just over the horizon. There have been a lot of "but"'s lately. Skeleton Crew Quarterly moves to its new headquarters today but won't have internet for another ten odd days. That's the most recent example.


Still, this lengthy transition of moving cities is coming to a close and I appreciate those of you who have been checking in on the homepage to see what's new. There will be loads of record reviews and emails to catch up on once this unstable summer has ironed out.


Hope you're all well,


~ Love SCQ

SCQ's Autumn Records 2011

Maybe it’s because I spend the latter half of summer anticipating fall, but finding autumn records is never a chore. Not only are there ample amounts of releases that match this season’s sense of seclusion, but each year a few bona fide examples come along that effortlessly await October days like today.

Still, winter waits for no one. Get out into your city or town's beautiful spots and soak up the foliage while you can. These top choices won't let you down.

Love SCQ

A Pause In September

This month has quickly become the inactive abyss of Skeleton Crew Quarterly’s usually dependable pace of album reviews. I saw it coming and should’ve written an anticipatory post months ago but now’s as good a time as any. Besides some other pursuits I mentioned recently, 2011 has seen Skeleton Crew Quarterly step back from its industrious work ethic on account of wedding plans. That’s right: in a matter of days, SCQ is getting married!

From the planning stage to these final days of last-minute arrangements, I’ve found it increasingly tough to squeeze in enough time to hear what’s new in music, let alone write about it. And as any reader can assume, September’s content has felt the greatest hit: not one review for the entire month. Despite the fever pitch of late, I’ve maintained an ear to the ground and a list of records to write about once early October sees my return. It’ll be a month of catching up, both here and on other music websites I’ve been neglecting to contribute to.

Can’t wait to get back into all of the exciting releases this autumn season has to offer.

Love SCQ

SCQ's SUMMER ALBUMS 2011

Summer operates like a volatile seesaw for me; from May through June, I’m excited about all of the season’s benefits – namely warm sun, longer evenings and the heightened chance of a good thunderstorm – but by July’s humid peak and early August, I’m already eager for auburn shades in the trees. So it’s sort of fitting that SCQ’s Summer Albums of 2011 feature arrives on the cusp of an impasse since each of these records feel tied to the warm weather only through circumstance. Best heard in the evening while watching a bottle sweat in your hands. Enjoy these titles and thanks for reading.

Love SCQ

With 2011 Half Finished...

Normally my reaction to a Canada Post strike would be one of serious inconvenience, given how Skeleton Crew Quarterly receives a few shipments of physical product to review each week. However, regular readers may be unsurprised to read that SCQ is somewhat relieved by that brief nation-wide strike, as it has afforded this website a chance to catch up on what has been a slow year productivity-wise. A few reasons can readily explain SCQ’s reduction of content (by nearly 50% in 2011 so far), including regular contributions to another music criticism site, increased work hours and a renewed focus on creative writing. Collectively, these worthy distractions steal hours from days traditionally held for SCQ-writing and yes that sits uncomfortably with me.

Since a weekly percentage of my writing has been featured on other platforms, I thought this occasion might warrant a peak at some of those reviews. The vast majority of my contributions at Coke Machine Glow have been track-reviews, which Skeleton Crew Quarterly doesn’t really indulge in, but below I’ve included two album reviews written recently.

As far as the creative writing is concerned, I’ve become entrenched in my first poetry collection in nearly two years. When writing about music has dominated your free time for nearly three years, it’s difficult to ignore a fruitful, prolific period of honest writing that stands on its own - independent of bands, labels, the blogosphere, whatever. I’m aware of the risk; that by dedicating more time to those creative pursuits than I am to SCQ, I’m choosing a non-existent readership over a somewhat established one. Obviously it’s difficult to make peace with that.

Despite multiple, ongoing changes that 2011 has set down, Skeleton Crew Quarterly will continue to separate the best recordings it comes across and review them thoroughly. We're still accepting and listening to promos for as many hours as possible each day. Hopefully, as commitments settle into patterns, SCQ will be able to take up some of the opportunities offered (interviews, press passes, expansive features and lord knows what else). But for now, I wanted to let everyone know the scoop and affirm that all is well here. Just a bit quieter than usual.

Thanks as always for reading,

Love SCQ.

Spring Albums 2011

Greetings SCQ Readers,

Us northerly folk have survived another long winter and it appears – knock on wood – that spring is finally upon us! That means storing away those blizzard-approved indoor records and taking some fresh tunes out into the rain-soaked streets. Of course, I write this from my cocoon of an apartment, where I haven’t stepped outside today for fear of worsening my recent fever. Still, the glass of my balcony door hasn’t felt this warm since last fall so we’re definitely heading toward milder days. These SCQ choices should provide some headphone-love for country, ambient and synth-pop fans alike.

Thanks, as always, for reading,

Love SCQ

SCQ's Winter Albums 2011

On Wednesday of last week, as a mammoth snowstorm threatened to affect over one-hundred-million lives from Texas up through Montreal, I left the vacant shoppe early and made my trek home through knee-high drifts. Somehow, the impetus to brainstorm SCQ’s first Quarterly feature of 2011 hadn’t occurred to me until that walk, so forgive the belated nature of these reviews.

Unlike previous years where SCQ’s Winter Albums either presaged or basked in Canada’s coldest season, these mid-February choices catch me already wishing for spring. As such, let’s hope these records soundtrack the final weeks before an unexpected thaw takes these snow-mounds down the gutter for another eight months.

A side-note for those who’ve read this far: Skeleton Crew Quarterly was recently nominated for Best Canadian Music Website on CBC Radio 3. I have my suspicion as to who initially nominated me but I’m really grateful to everyone who has linked me to Facebook, Tweeted my URL at large, and/or contacted me with an exclamation mark or two. It’s an honour to be listed among such fine websites/blogs and I know it’s because of you – those who bother reading bottom paragraphs of Quarterly features – that I tip my hat to the most.

Stay warm out there,

Love, SCQ

This Ends SCQ's Regularly Scheduled Programming...?

The close of November historically signifies a pause of new review content on Skeleton Crew Quarterly until January kick-stars another year. However, 2010 hasn’t behaved like other years SCQ has operated during and, as such, December’s layout remains pretty shaky in that a new review or two may sneak into year-end proceedings. Quality releases have streamed into these final days of deliberation and there remain quite a few decisions to make.

None of them should impact the awesome Year-In-Review series Skeleton Crew Quarterly has lined up, starting Friday December 10th with the annual crackdown on the best and worst cover-art and rounding out Tuesday, December 21st with SCQ’s Top Thirty Albums of 2010. Between those bookends will be a weeklong interview series featuring upwards of thirty bands and artists who’ve made 2010 such a memorable year in music. A who’s who list of participants would only ruin the fun (for us, I mean) but the super-curious can pinpoint a bunch by simply breezing through many of SCQ’s higher-ranked 2010 album reviews.

…Oh, right, I almost forgot to mention the Top Fifty Songs of 2010. A bare-boned list of great songs ordered as SCQ saw fit, or a minute-long distraction from your online reading.

UPDATE 12/10/10: Due to a heavy work-load and the realization that I don't drink nearly as much as I used to, Friday's Cover-art feature has been cancelled. Truthfully, last year's edition often confused Google searches and interrupted people's searches for real album reviews so I don't think many will be heartbroken over this. The majority of these year-end proceedings should still unfold as planned:

Monday, December 13th - Friday, 17th - Year-In-Review Interview Series
Monday, December 20th – Top Fifty Songs Of 2010
Tuesday, December 21st – - Top Thirty Albums Of 2010

Any promos received and not yet reviewed will be tended to as soon as 2011 rises. I haven't forgotten about anyone and will continue to send links for reviews as they are posted. We soldiers.

Thanks to everyone for reading and be sure to check in for all of this good stuff on the horizon!

Love, SCQ

Autumn Records 2010

First off, Monuments (a duo known as the preeminent Shane Murphy and myself) have reconvened after last winter’s Valentines mix with a seasonal mix called Autumn Sweaters (download it here). Fall was destined for lonely harmonicas to follow your footsteps, for acoustic strings to scrape like curled leaves on the sidewalk, and for this mix to play as your companion. With each step and song, we embrace its gentle breezes and vibrant colours as witnesses to a great collapse. This is a procession of death, y’all, get on-board.

It was during our preliminary planning for this autumn mix that we confronted the whole mentality behind reducing a piece of pop-art to a particular season. Unlike summer and winter records which easily compliment or oppose their season’s mood on instinct, fall albums tend to rely on subjectivity. The harder I looked for an autumn album I hadn’t discovered between the months of September and November, the more beleaguered my theories became. Are there real autumn albums or just perceived ones gained through seasonal osmosis?

Let this fall’s Quarterly feature act as the latest exhibit to either prove the concrete existence of autumn records or discard the idea as subjective nonsense. I hope this season captures you at your best.

Love, SCQ

May Update

Two nights ago, Caribou and Toro Y Moi played a fantastic show at The Babylon here in Ottawa. I hadn’t seen Dan Snaith and Co. play in almost five years so it was great to hear their refined takes on old classics as well as the newer, dance-infused material. Speaking of new material, we also picked up Tour CD 2010 (pictured above) which is loaded with an additional sixty-nine minutes of music that didn’t make the album! Disclaimer: the first track is nearly fifty minutes on its own, and a mindbender at that. In honour of that concert (and, in part, because I have my No Ripcord review of Toro Y Moi just sitting around…), SCQ has featured reviews of both acts’ latest records today.

Also of note:

Hot on the heels of Embers From the Underground, SCQ will be unveiling another equally-sporadic feature aimed at spotlighting excellent, unsung record labels. Each profile will introduce the label in focus while reviewing a varied selection of their releases. Hopefully the first edition, which features a cool, DIY imprint from Montreal, will post by the end of this month.

Thanks for reading!

Love SCQ.

To All Young Lovers... WITH LOVE

On the cusp of Valentine's Day, Zangief (the impenetrable Shane Murphy) and I thought it appropriate to assemble a collection of love songs - a few classics, a lot of personal faves - which deserve as much celebrating as, I don't know, Sade...? As we've yet to choose our DJ identities and show title, this mix is but a prologue to our actual podcasts (which will arrive in due time and, yes, feature some much-maligned banter). Featuring great tunes "expertly sequenced from the past half-century" (USA Today) and "an explosive ending you won't soon forget" (Entertainment Weekly), With Love is a soundtrack lusting for your listening pleasure this Valentine's Day.


Just think of us as the all-loving owl and you as the black sheep being herded upon the Love Bus... Click here to download and Happy Valentine's Day!!

January Update

Dear SCQ Faithful,

This here’s a shot from the window of SCQ’s new headquarters – the SCQ Temple - in bright and snowy Ottawa. Once I get the office completely set up, I’ll post pictures so you can see where all the MAGIC happens...

A few things I’d like to kick-start the New Year with:

1.) My intermittently-namedropped friend Zangief (aka the illustrious Shane Murphy) and I are planning a yet-to-be-titled radio-show podcast for February. We’ll supply details concerning the when and how as they become clearer but our premier show should surface shortly before Valentines Day. Prepare thyself for the occasional fumble of words, some great music and dead air.

2.) I’ve set in motion a monthly interview segment that should start in February. It also lacks a title. The general goal of this feature is to highlight excellent independent musicians and discuss their recent/upcoming endeavors. My first guest is secured so expect that to happen over the next few weeks.

3.) Lastly, Skeleton Crew Quarterly’s Top Fifty Albums of the 00s is essentially finished (although I’m still toying with the order a bit). I torpedoed through it over a harrowing two days but consider it an adequate compression of my music-mad decade.

There are other ideas kicking around (including slow preparations for a new Quarterly feature and another SKLTN MX Contest), but we’ll see how all of the above works out first. I hope everyone is well and curious about Halifax’s indie-scene, because that’s what these following reviews have in common.

Love SCQ.

So Long, Toronto

Things I'll miss: a few great friends, Soundscapes
Things I won't miss: the rest of it

Here we go with another year of budding possibilities and wayward hyperbole!!

This Ends SCQ's Regularly Scheduled Programming...

Several weeks have passed since my last administrative update, which should be indicative of one thing: crunch-time. Having crammed just about all of this year’s most important releases into the past eleven months, it’s time to finesse my verbal exclamations with SCQ’s Year-In-Review Series (brought to you by Shahram, the Prince of Relaxation).

Contents should break down as follows*:

Friday, December 4th: Cover-Art Highs and Lows
Monday, December 7th – Friday, December 11th: SCQ Artists Questionnaire
Monday, December 14th: Top 50 Songs of 2009
Tuesday, December 15th: Top 20 Albums of 2009 (*Subject to change, you know how it is...)

Any purchases I haven't written about or promos I’ve yet to receive will be held over and featured during the early days of 2010. Also, any promos not received by late December will likely be lost or returned, as SCQ Headquarters will be on the move. Email theskeletoncrewquarterly@gmail.com for the new mailing address.

Thanks for reading and be sure to stop by over the coming weeks… December should be a loaded month.

Love SCQ & Shahram.

Autumn 2009

As warm and lovely as September has treated most of us here in central Canada, the leaves are a’ falling and with those cooler gusts we instinctively, primordially reach inward again. To soundtrack this slow withdrawal from getaway weekends and outdoor-living, SCQ has handpicked some records to rediscover your reflection in. Following in the footsteps of this year’s Spring and Summer features, Fall 2009 contains a bevy of recent releases (as opposed to last year’s retread of older seasonal faves); the alt country storytelling of Richmond Fontaine, Royal City’s last low-key recordings, the latest left-field folk by Six Organs of Admittance, and some crisp as foliage beats by Luga. A few of these are No Ripcord reviews from the summer that I've held onto for the right moment. They'll sound better now, I promise...

Now that another Quarterly feature is through, I’m outta here for the weekend… catching a stranger’s wedding and catching up with some hometown friends. Be sure to follow my callous attempts at relevance on Twitter and sign on to follow this blog as another SKLTN Contest is in the works. The long-delayed SKLTN MIX Vol. 1 is complete and en-route to last contest’s winner; I’ll post some pictures of it once he’s seen it first.

Don’t be a stranger,

Love SCQ.

September Update

Dear Comrades and Skltnz,

Despite these late great summer days, the odd auburn hue or falling leaf assures us that Autumn is closing in and with it, the last release dates of ‘09 worth getting excited about. With half of September in the books and an upcoming October full of anticipated albums, I thought I should update you on a few SCQ events coming your way.

1.) First off, I’m excited to announce an upcoming feature on SCQ. As opposed to last year’s The Cool & Weird ‘year-in-news’ write-up, I’ve enlisted some gracious artists, bands and label-bosses to delve into their favourite records, songs and moments of 2009. While I’ll keep details of the guest-list a secret, you can certainly get a sneak-peak by backtracking some of SCQ’s higher ranked reviews. The feature, which should be rather sprawling, will be posted mid-November. Since I’m a huge fan of everyone who has so far signed on, this feature nearly surpasses the personal hype I’m putting on SCQ’s year-end lists.

2.) Speaking of which, year-end lists are being nourished and disciplined weekly. Sticking with tradition, December’s content will round out with SCQ’s Top Fifty Songs of 2009, followed a few days later by SCQ’s Top Twenty Albums of 2009. Both will be challenging to finalize but, with any luck, enjoyable to breeze through after a few eggnogs.

3.) Between those two focuses and the growing influx of promotional materials coming through SCQ (keep ‘em coming!), I’ve decided to push my Top Fifty Albums of the 00s into 2010, where it rightly belongs. It’ll be the most cumbersome, impossible feature to get right and I’d rather not rush it… especially when I’ll have nothing better to write about in January.

Enough rambling. Any questions, comments or likewise rants can be emailed to me at theskeletoncrewquarterly@gmail.com

Thanks for reading and keep posted; the next few months should be massive!

Love SCQ.