Welcome back to another fun-filled semester at UTM. And what better way to welcome us back than with a brand new segment of Whats the Dil-Eo? Allow me to keep you all updated on whats going on in the world of Arts and Entertainment.
First and most importantly, I would like to point out what a terrible break it was for concertgoers. It is understood that most bands dont want to tour during the holidays because of other obligations and whatnot, but one would expect to see at least a few bigger name Toronto bands playing the club circuit.
Jason Collett continued his winter tour at the Dakota where he played his usual mixture of folk-rock. A few guests stopped by, but nothing overly exciting. In terms of hip-hop, shows were sparse. Perhaps the bitter Toronto winters frighten the boyz from the South, or maybe, and more likely, they were denied entry to our fair land, thus joining the prestigious list of banned American acts — Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, DMX, and 50 Cent to name a few. On the positive side, revered DJ Skratch Bastid made it out to the Drake a few days before Christmas and performed a memorable set as usual.
Prince is back, and with three albums to boot. In an exclusive interview with the Los Angeles Times, the leader of the New Power Generation described his most recent foray into music: two solo albums tentatively titled Lotus Flower and MPLSOUND and Elixir, a Bria Valente album he guested on. The tracks are described as more guitar oriented and reminiscent of When Doves Cry, except with a cameo from Q-Tip. More interesting is that he is doing all of this without the help of a record label, and is courting a major retailer (my guess: Best Buy; think Chinese Democracy) for the physical distribution of the albums. Apparently Prince has realized that he can make money off his name.
Pitchfork released its list of the best albums and tracks of 2008 — one of the most viewed music lists in existence. Not surprisingly, Fleet Foxes were deemed to have the best album (or should I say LP/EP combination) with their Sun Giant EP and self-titled debut. Surprisingly, Nick Caves newest album Dig Lazarus Dig came in low at #32, while Vampire Weekend and Hercules and Love Affair both overshot with positions in the top 10.
In other news, Katy Perry just split up with her boyfriend. We all have an equal chance now.
Be sure to check in next week as we have a very special issue featuring our best-of-2008 list in conjunction with CFRE Radio.
photo/sixwordstochangetheworld.com
