Nine songs I loved in '09

2009 was a pretty sweet year for music. As usual, there was lots I didn't get to — the Spin and Pitchfork 'Best of' lists always make me feel like an inadequate music consumer — but the fact that three of my fave artists (Wilco, Tegan and Sara, Joel Plaskett) released new records in '09 made my ears very happy. Here are nine songs from last year that I listened to like craaazy. (p.s. I'd love to hear the tracks you loved from last year, too!)

9. Timber Timbre, "Lay Down in the Tall Grass"

I bought this album on a whim in the summer, and while it took me some time to get into it, its quirkiness and calmness grew on me. This song in particular demonstrates Taylor Kirk's standout vocals and instrumentation.

8. Jay Z with Alicia Keys, "Empire State of Mind"

From Jay Z's wordplay to A. Keys' uber-danceable chorus, this song is all about the catchiness. Plus, it's a full-on love letter to the city I would love to live in. Kickass video, too.

7. M. Ward featuring Zooey Deschanel, "Never Had Nobody Like You"

I love She & Him, so it's no surprise that this track from M. Ward's solo album featuring Zooey D. sounds great to me. It's a brief, low-key little ditty with a super-chill vibe.

6. A.C. Newman, "All of my Days and All of my Days Off"

The sound of New Pornographers frontman A.C. Newman's voice always makes me happy, and this solo record is no exception. This song has a nice slow build and I especially like the repeating line about "an idea whose time had come."

5. Phoenix, "Lasso"

I loved this Phoenix record in its entirety, but this song's simple driving chord changes and the sweet guitar solo near the end stuck with me. Also love this line: "Forever is a long, long time when you lost your way."

4. Wilco with Feist, "You and I"

I admit, I was a bit underwhelmed by this song after the first listen. But its subtlety and simpleness grew on me. And really, does it get any better than Tweedy and Feist for a girl/guy duet? I think not.

3. Regina Spektor, "The Calculation"

Far was my first introduction to Regina Spektor and clearly I've been missing out. I listened the hell out of this record, especially this opening track, which has one of the catchiest and prettiest choruses I've heard in a long while.

2. Joel Plaskett, "Sailors Eyes"

I love Joel Plaskett and the triple-disc album he released in '09 (appropriately titled Three) did not let me down. I had a hard time picking my favourite track, but this is probably it. Power pop/folk at its finest with a signature Joel sound.

1. Tegan and Sara, "The Ocean"

This is by far my favourite track from Sainthood, another great record from my go-to girl-pop band, Tegan and Sara. It's urgent, raw, emotional and lyrically brilliant. And since I've praised the virtues of a good chorus throughout this entire list, "The Ocean" has one that grabs you and doesn't let go.

What I Ate in NYC - Part 1

It's no secret that I love New York and the idea of living there, but it wasn't until my trip to the city a couple of weeks ago that I really got to experience it in its full (a.k.a delicious) glory. My first time in NYC was a family affair that was more about navigating the city than stopping to fully savour it. My second trip was work-related, which meant I mostly ate catered meeting meals and had little time for culinary exploration.

But this time around, I was prepared. I spent an embarrassing number of hours researching restaurants online (mostly here) and asked for a few recommendations. Although I didn't have much else solidly planned for the three-day trip with my boyfriend, James, an NYC virgin looking forward to the jazz scene, I found myself with a long list of budget-friendly restaurants divided by area and meal type.

While there were two instances where I couldn't rely on the list — which, like my trusty map, surely screamed tourist — it served me well. And there was still room for spontaneity, a must for travels of any sort.

Here's a short food diary of Day Two — Day One and Three to come!

Day Two

Slept in and woke up ravenous (it's like my body knew I had to eat as much delicious food as possible). Walked to the West Village and found Hummus Place, which I was expecting to be more lunch-y, but to our pleasant surprise, just started serving Sunday brunch.

Poached eggs on English muffins with roasted eggplant, drizzled with tahini and a pesto-ish sauce. Also came with a thick yogurt dip, mushrooms and salad.

After trekking through lower Manhattan and eating an afternoon snack of a sweet and salty brownie from Dean & Deluca (yum!), we headed back to the Village for night plans.

The pub we planned to hit was packed, so we wandered down some smaller streets and found Home, a pleasantly cozy restaurant that I sensed would have good food (it wasn't on my list so my research must have penetrated my brain).

Lemon sole with chard, yellow beans and kohlrabi slaw. James had blue corn crepes with roasted red peppers and mushrooms in a goat cheese sauce. Local beers quenched the thirst.

We then hit Blind Tiger Ale House — good beers, so-so service — and Smalls Jazz Club for a cozy late-night jam session.

Promise...

to post for real soon.

Food For Grazing

One of my favourite meals in the summer -- or any time of year, for that matter -- is a platter of thinly sliced raw fruit and veg, olives, dip and, most importantly, cheese. Crackers and (sometimes) a baguette are also involved.

When I write out the contents, I picture one of those pre-made platters you get at the grocery store. But my platters aren't like that. They have some class. And although it doesn't seem like they contain a lot of food, the grazing is always enough to fill me up without feeling uncomfortably full.

Leslieville Cheese Shop recently opened a second location just a few blocks away from me on Queen West and its presence has me thinking I will be making a LOT of platters this summer. Along with cheeses, the store has breads from the Leaside-based bakery Epi (the rosemary olive oil bread is amazing), homemade dips like smoked mozzarella and sundried tomato tapenade, crackers, jams and other such snacky things. (Oh yes, they also carry Niscoise olives, which can be tricky to find!)

On a recent visit, I picked up the blue cheese/artichoke/walnut dip, which was a bit strong for my tastes, and a hunk of Beemster Gras from Holland (pictured above on the left). I first tried Beemster at the original Leslieville Cheese Shop in one of their delish grilled cheese sandwiches. The Beemster Gras is a seasonal cheese only available at the beginning of summer (made from early spring cow's milk) and it's a lovely, mild and sweet cheese that's creamy but not too soft and mellow without being boring. Definitely one of my new faves. Along with cheese, some of my platter staples are radishes, apples and pickles.

Add some wine and you're in biz.

p.s. If you're a cheese lover like me, check out this blog. It'll get your dairy cravings going for sure.

Luminato-ing

Luminato is a pretty crazy hyped event in Toronto. It's cool to see an arts festival that gets so much money and media attention, but, I admit, I'm always a little skeptical of such hype (Nuit Blanche comes to mind).

In this case, however, my skepticism was quashed, at least when it came to the two events I witnessed.

Tales of the Uncanny, a German horror movie from 1919, screened for the first time in Canada at Luminato. The film -- as full of comic gesture as creepiness -- was set to instrumentals by electronica artist Robert Lippok, Owen Pallett, and Do Make Say Think. It rained to various degrees during the show, but I think it actually added to the atmosphere (unlike the glaring TV screens of Yonge-Dundas square...meh). At times I forgot the music was there, but then it would jolt me back to awareness as scenes grew more suspenseful, like during climax of Poe's The Black Cat (cat in wall -- gah!!). I love the idea of art forms converging like this. It's not to say they can't be appreciated separately, but they can be even more engaging when melded together thoughtfully.

Another Luminato premiere was the RedBall Project by Kurt Perschke. If I had to describe the way I saw it in one word it would be squelched (a word I love, by the way). It was lodged between two buildings on Queen Street and what struck me most about it was the way it was squelched into a normal setting, throwing off balance but also imparting a strange sense of calm.

Why I Love Getting Mail

My tastes veer to modern when it comes to a lot of things, but when I got this lovely card from my grandmother a few weeks ago, I was taken by the spring-y blue, old-fashioned pattern. It looks like a tea towel in print! 

Power Ball

I went to Power Ball, the artsy fundraising bash for The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, last Thursday. 

Check out the fabulous photos (by Nikki Leigh McKean) and my write-up on the event here.