Breaking Down Bergman // Introduction

It's rare that I'll post something non-music related on here, but today I'm going to make an exception.

Last November I launched a YouTube series with my friend Sonia Strimban where we pledged to watch all of Swedish director Ingmar Bergman's films from first to last, and analyze each. We've been doing that ever since, quite consistently, for our series called Breaking Down Bergman.

This week our first video crossed the 1,000-view mark, which for most things might not be so impressive, but for a director who has gone relatively unknown by the masses, it's not a bad feat. I'm pretty proud of it, and despite all of the difficulties I'm proud with what we've come out with so far.

If you want to join us in our journey of watching all of Bergman's films -- including the most famous, the Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries and Persona -- here's the first video. We'd love to have you along for the ride...

Random Chris Brown music review

I posted this image on my Facebook yesterday after a friend picked up on it. The review of Chris Brown's new album comes from Cityview, a weekly based in Des Moines, Iowa.

On one level, it's worth a laugh. On another, it's a sign of protest. Then on another, it makes me wonder if Chris Brown will ever overcome his reputation at this point -- one that has not only been tarnished by his past actions, but also by his refusal to honest own up to them.

Song of the Day // Jessie Ware - Wildest Moments

I figured that this song would explode in the social media world, so I didn't jump to make it a SOTD last month -- but what the heck happened? More people need to be talking about Jessie Ware, the UK vocalist who is steadi...ly building a solo career after nabbing some attention when she stepped in to provide vocals for SBTRKT's song Nervous.

Wildest Moments is one of those songs that strikes an inexplicable level of truth that, even if it doesn't speak directly to your experiences, has a universal truth. Ware's debut album, Devotion, drops in the UK next month, and perhaps that's when she'll convince the masses that she has the goods.

Song of the Day // Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Stronger

Admit it, with a name like "Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs" you're at least a bit curious about Brit electronic producer Orlando Higginbottom. The story behind it was his goal to simply come up with a stage name that transcended the trendy pseudonyms of most DJs.

He said he wanted: "Something that couldn't be cool, couldn't be put into some kind of scene that gets hip for six months and then falls out of fashion."

I posted the ultra-amazing Dream On last year, and while his debut album Trouble doesn't include that track, Stronger is its own original concoction that's a force to be reckoned with.

By the way, he's playing Toronto on Aug. 10 and the tickets are $15.

Club Song of the Day // Florence & The Machine - Spectrum (Say My Name) (Calvin Harris Extended Remix)

The downside of Song of the Day is that there are just too many songs and not enough days! This has been on my playlist for weeks, but I haven't shared it here yet.

I'm not a huge fan of Florence + the Machine's music, and I've certainly favoured remixes of their tracks over the originals. Spectrum is a perfect example: a relatively dull and pretentous original track (don't hit me!) that's amped up a new level of dramatics with the hands of Calvin Harris. Pure dance magic!

Song of the Day // Isaac Tichauer - Doing What I Got

The lover of 90's R&B in me -- namely Brandy -- really got me hooked on one of the latest Australian dance producers to sweep the global scene. Isaac Tichauer takes the music world by storm from his homebase in Sydney, and once he starts "sittin' on top of the world" in this track, you'll understand why this certainly won't be the last we hear from him.



Check out the free download of "Doing What I Got" on SoundCloud and his Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/IsaacTichauer

North By Northeast // The Wrap-up

Alright! I admit it! I failed you all!

It's true, I promised a more extensive outline of the North By Northeast music festival, but I just blew it. There were videos I took and they ended up on YouTube, but not on here. But, I will make it up to you by posting them now.

I also have additional footage I have yet to put online. It's coming, I promise. But, for now, enjoy these couple of videos because they're all fantastic performances.

Friends - Ideas on Ghosts
A song written about and dedicated to Samantha Urbani's deceased brother.



Oberhaufer - Haus
The indie darlings deliver one of many epic performances from the festival.



The Lumineers - Ain't Nobody's Problem But My Own
Perhaps the most infectious song I heard all festival. Dare to get that twang out of your head.