I just picked up a copy of Vampire Weekend’s debut album, and it’s ace! I heard of New York City’s latest indie rock band to take the media by storm a week or two ago, and downloaded their album a few days back. After a few listens I was seriously hooked by their unique, indie, afro-beat influenced tunes - and just had to get my hands on the CD (yes - if I like something I download, I buy it!). They’ve been compared to Paul Simon’s ‘Graceland’ - for their afro-beat style, as well as a few other groups I’ve heard of, but have never really listened to.
Vampire Weekend consists of Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio. They met while going to Columbia University - and seem to be genuine ‘Ivy Leaguers’. They definitely have style as well - they were featured in the recent GQ issue, and look very preppy in that shoot. They are self-proclaimed specialists in “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”, “Upper West Side Soweto”, “Campus”, and “Oxford Comma Riddim” - and one listen shows you just how musically talented they are (if you check the album insert, they all play multiple instruments).
It’s hard to choose favourites on this CD - almost every track is amazing. That being said, my current faves would have to be: Oxford Comma, Campus and M79. Listen to them below. For more info on Vampire Weekend, check out their official site. If you’d like to purchase a copy of their album (which I highly recommend you do), it should be available at all major retailers, both in store and online. Remember….make this weekend a Vampire Weekend!
Christmas is a time for family and friends, holly and ivy and plenty of cheer - and of course music! Whether it be in restaurants, stores, on the radio or even in peoples houses, the music leading up to the 25th takes on a Christmas cheer. I always enjoy listening to such “festive” music - not just the classics, but also new compositions. While it’s always nice to break out those Sinatra and Bublé albums (heck, I’m listening to one now), I really enjoy hearing more modern tunes from bands I listen to regularly - like The Killers or Keane (to name two I’ve recently been listening to).
Below I’m going to provide you with some listening goodness - a few Christmas themed songs I’d like to let you listen to. Hopefully you’ll enjoy them as much as I do. I’ve also included some background info on the bands/songs below, mostly courtesy of wikipedia.
The Killers - A Great Big Sled (feat. Toni Halliday)
“A Great Big Sled” is a song by Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers. It was recorded in mid-November 2006 with record producer Alan Moulder as a one-off track and the band’s Christmas 2006 single. Moulder’s wife Toni Halliday, the former lead vocalist of Curve, features on backing vocals.
The song was released December 5, 2006 (2006-12-05), as a download from the iTunes Store. All of the proceeds from this song went to AIDS charities as part of Bono’s RED campaign. A music video was released for the single, containing “candid” clips of the band members participating in various holiday celebration.
The Killers - Don’t Shoot Me Santa
“Don’t Shoot Me Santa” is a song by Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers. The song was released November 27, 2007 (2007-11-27), as a digital download. All of the proceeds from this song will go to AIDS charities as part of Bono’s RED campaign. It is The Killers’ second Christmas download single following 2006’s “A Great Big Sled”.
Bennie K - The Christmas (ザ★クリスマス)
BENNIE K is a J-Urban female duo that consists of rapper CICO and vocalist YUKI, both of whom love American hip-hop music. They met while YUKI was in Los Angeles undergoing voice training. They made their debut in January, 2001 with the single Melody, released on the For Life Music label. This track is off their fourth album, Japana-Rhythm.
Wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - filled with the best of everything!
As this year comes to a close, I can’t help but notice how fast it went by! It seems to me as if it were only a few months ago that I was writing a similar Christmas greeting - and yet it has been exactly 12 months! 2007 has been a great year! I’ve been in contact with many of you much less than I would have liked - life has been busy. I’ll try and provide you all with a quick re-cap of my year below:
In May I completed my 2nd year at Ryerson University in Toronto (I’m taking a Bachelor of Commerce, specializing in Information Technology). As soon as exams were done, I started a four month co-op term (kind of like an internship), working for CIBC (one of Canada’s top five banks) in their Telecom Services department. I was a part of their Real Time Communications project – which involved the migration of the Bank’s voice networks to a Voice-over -IP infrastructure.
When my term at CIBC came to a close, I took a quick breather – in Jamaica! After a week of fun and sun – I returned home and began my second co-op term, this time with ExxonMobil (the biggest of the six oil ’supermajors’ – and world’s largest company by revenue, to those Canadian folks that aren’t familiar, they own Esso/Imperial Oil), in their Voice Services - Controls department. As a member of Controls, I was part of an international team responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate controls of the company’s voice networks, assets and related management processes. I had an amazing time with Exxon, learning so much in the process!
Well, having finished my term with Exxon this past week, I now have a few weeks holiday, before going back to school in January. I hope you all had a great year as well!
Introduction
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend the Microsoft Unified Communications Technical Launch event in Toronto, and I’d like to share some of its highlights. Walking into this event, I had anticipated it to be primarily focused on the usual “benefits of VoiP” arguments, things like the potential cost savings, with an added twist of how this could all fit in with productivity software - after all, it was a Microsoft event. At the end of the day however, I walked out refreshed. What Microsoft, along with a bevy of hardware/software partners had showcased was extremely promising, and based on the live demonstrations - it worked.
Unified Communications?
What is Unified Communications (UC)? You’ve probably heard this word thrown around a lot lately, but what does it mean? Well, simply put, Unified Communications (UC) is the integration of the many disparate communications systems, media, applications and devices. In almost every office, a clear division can be observed and experienced, especially between what can be done on the phone, and what can be done on the computer. We’ve all experienced this division, and it’s definitely not a good thing. Having to dial into voice mail is always a pain (not just for users, but for the help desks as well - password resets are quite common). Not being able to see when someone else is on the phone is also an annoyance - in fact, there are so many issues - both large and small - which are a result of this division. As Gartner states, UC’s largest value is it’s ability to reduce “human latency” in business processes, and that’s definitely true. Continue reading »
For any of you who missed the Domenic Troiano Tribute concert which aired last week on CBC Radio 2 - FM 94.1 “Canada Live”, I’ve posted a recording below. Click on the play button to begin listening.
To those unfamiliar, this is a tribute to guitarist/composer/producer Domenic Troiano, who passed away in May 2005 at the age of 59. It was the 2nd annual tribute in his honour, taking place at the Palais Royale, featuring many performances from both family and friends.
I just picked up a copy of Vampire Weekend’s debut album, and it’s ace! I heard of New York City’s latest indie rock band to take the media by storm a week or two ago, and downloaded their album a few days back. After a few listens I was seriously hooked by their unique, indie, afro-beat influenced tunes - and just had to get my hands on the CD (yes - if I like something I download, I buy it!). They’ve been compared to Paul Simon’s ‘Graceland’ - for their afro-beat style, as well as a few other groups I’ve heard of, but have never really listened to. 
“A Great Big Sled” is a song by Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers. It was recorded in mid-November 2006 with record producer Alan Moulder as a one-off track and the band’s Christmas 2006 single. Moulder’s wife Toni Halliday, the former lead vocalist of Curve, features on backing vocals.
“Don’t Shoot Me Santa” is a song by Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers. The song was released November 27, 2007 (2007-11-27), as a digital download. All of the proceeds from this song will go to AIDS charities as part of Bono’s RED campaign. It is The Killers’ second Christmas download single following 2006’s “A Great Big Sled”.
BENNIE K is a J-Urban female duo that consists of rapper CICO and vocalist YUKI, both of whom love American hip-hop music. They met while YUKI was in Los Angeles undergoing voice training. They made their debut in January, 2001 with the single Melody, released on the For Life Music label. This track is off their fourth album, Japana-Rhythm.
To my family, friends and colleagues,
For any of you who missed the Domenic Troiano Tribute concert which aired last week on CBC Radio 2 - FM 94.1 “Canada Live”, I’ve posted a recording below. Click on the play button to begin listening.