Friday, November 26, 2010

Another One Crossed Off!

Last week I managed to cross off another experience on my Canadian to-do list - I finally had poutine! We went to Belgian Fries after yoga, where apparently they serve the best poutine in BC. Now, I'm no expert on poutine, but it seemed pretty good to me - but then how could it possibly be bad - and Eva, the poutine expert seemed to approve!

The evidence

In case you don't know, poutine originated in Quebec, and basically consists of fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. Hideously bad for you, but ridiculously tasty!
Eva managed to finish hers, but I didn't quite get that far, I'm afraid - I just wasn't hungry enough. Maybe next time, and believe me, there will be a next time - it was delicious!

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Artist of the Week - Stornoway

I've been saving this one up, but I can't keep it in any more!

Artist of the Week - Stornoway






Stornoway are a band from Oxford - my home town - and I absolutely adore their music! I first came across them in 2008 when the one of the young enterprise groups at my school made a CD of local unsigned bands. The band started with two university friends, then grew so now it includes two pairs of brothers - Brian and (occasionally) Adam Briggs, Ollie and Rob Steadman, Jonathan Ouin and sometimes Rahul Satija.  They have an earthy, acoustic sound, sometimes described as folky (although I don't think that is very accurate).  One of the things that makes them stand out is Brian Brigg's gorgeous lyrics, as well as his (and the other members of the band's) vocals. They have been around for a few years, and finally signed to famous indie label 4AD and released an album, Beachcomber's Windowsill earlier this year. They are about to embark on a north american tour, and will be in Vancouver in a couple of weeks. The fact that I am desperate to see them then, even though I have already seen them play 4 times probably tells you just how much I love them :). Oh, and another reason that they are right up my street - the lead singer has a PhD in ducks!

So, on to the music! Considering that I like every single one of their songs, this could be long!

On The Rocks
Definitely one of my absolute favourites. About the links between Oxford and London.

Coldharbour Road
Kind of moody, gorgeous instrumentation and vocals, beautiful lyrics.

Zorbing
This was a pretty popular single back home earlier this year. Brian's voice is stunning!

Battery Human
Charming, and thought-provoking!

I Saw You Blink
Cheerful and upbeat. If you listen to it through headphones, you can hear the morse code for the title being scraped out on a guiro at about 1:43!

Unfaithful
I was very surprised when this wasn't on Beachcombers Windowsill - it's brilliant! Lyrics are spot on!

Fuel Up
Pretty sure anyone can relate to this song.


Long Distance Lullaby
So. Adorable.

Watching Birds
Something a little different

Friday, November 19, 2010

Artist of the Week - Dan Mangan

What a nightmarish few days I've had! I am so happy that they are over, and I will hopefully be seeing Harry Potter this weekend! I actually have a Canadian artist of the week this week - so far they have all been British.

Artist of the Week - Dan Mangan


Dan Mangan is a singer-songwriter from Vancouver.  I first came across him when he played at the welcome ceremony for international students at the start of my first year of university - I think they picked him because he has a degree from the forestry department of UBC (and because he is awesome).  He is known for his melancholy lyrics and gravelly voice and he has released two albums, Postcards and Daydreaming and Nice, Nice, Very Nice. His most well known song is probably Robots - he always makes the crowd sing along to it at gigs! My friend went to see him at The Vogue last week and I am incredibly jealous!

I'm afraid I don't have his first album, so here are some of my favourite songs from Nice, Nice, Very Nice and his single Roboteering

Road Regrets
Life on the road


Sold


Basket


Tragic Turn of Events / Move Pen Move
This really is tragic. Heart-rendingly so.


Pine For Cedars
Lots of hidden Vancouver references in here


Tina's Glorious Comeback






Et Les Mots Croisés

Ok, I'll admit it, the main reason I love this song is that he says "allons y" at the beginning (I am a massive Doctor Who geek)




and of course,
Robots



Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Artist of the Week - Karine Polwart


I chose my artist of the week because of her song Medusa, a poignant song about remembrance, which is fitting for today. Today I am going to a remembrance service, because I think it is important to remember and show respect for those people who put their lives on the line to defend us. We all know someone who is or was in the military, and it is important to show them our support - I wear my poppy with pride :)

Artist of the Week - Karine Polwart


Photograph by David Angel


Karine Polwart is a scottish singer-songwriter. I first came across her at Wood festival, which is incidentally run by my old Latin teacher's children, along with Truck festival - she was actually staying in my old teacher's house, apparently she is very nice! She has a somewhat folky sound, and has taken part in many collaborations with other folk artists as well as releasing four solo albums and five singles to date. I love her voice, and her accent really suits the sort of music she makes. I'm not feeling particularly eloquent today, so I think I'll let her music do the talking!


Medusa
Poignant and thought-provoking


Maid of the Loch
I find this song incredibly catchy and sing-along-able



Sorry
Quite a dark one, a lot of her songs are



Rivers Run
A nice one. I really like the guitar on this one




Dowie Dens of Yarrow
A traditional scottish song. I've also heard a Canadian version, so I guess it made it's way over here too.





Find more artists like Karine Polwart at Myspace Music



Sorrowlessfield
About the one farm in the borders to have all it's men return safely after a particular battle in the 1500s, called Sorrowlessfield ever since


Beo
Lovely and soothing. You get some nice anecdotes at the beginning of this clip as a bonus.




We're All Leaving - Darwin Song Project
Part of the Darwin Song Project, when a group of folk artists got together in a house and wrote songs for the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth, and the 150th of the publication of On The Origin Of Species in 2009. I'll let her explain the significance of the song:




If you like Karine's music, there are some free tracks available at her website http://www.karinepolwart.com/

To Do List

*EDIT* Here we are, photographic evidence!
Timmy's before yoga = yes.

Even though I have been in Vancouver for a while, there are a bunch of "Canadian" things that I haven't done yet, so Eva of The Hungry Undergrad and I thought that it would be a good idea to make a list of the things I need to do before I leave. I'm going to post it in a new section, and cross them off as I do them - at the moment it is quite short, but I am going to add to it - if you have any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment. You will also find that most of them are food-related - this is how my life works!
I have already crossed one off since we thought of the idea last week - I have finally been to Tim Hortons! I hope to have pictoral evidence soon!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Artist of (last) Week - Elbow

I have had news that someone out there actually likes this feature! Hurrah! Sorry this is a bit late, this week has been an interesting one, and these things take time. Hopefully this can become a Thursday thing.

Artist of the Week - Elbow




Elbow are a five-piece band from Manchester who play some beautiful music. They consist of Guy Garvey, Mark Potter, Craig Potter, Pete Turner and Richard Jupp. They formed in 1997 and have always been a staple of the indie crowd, but became more popular with the masses (including me) after their album "The Seldom Seen Kid" won the Mercury Music Prize in 2008, and also after their song "One Day Like This" was widely featured on TV, including on the BBC coverage of the Beijing Olympics.  They have a rich, heavily instrumented sound, which compliments Guy Garvey's powerful, seemingly love-lorn voice and heartfelt, straight-talking lyrics.

Here are a selection of my favourite Elbow songs - it is so hard to choose just a few, so I have ended up with 10! My favourite album is of course The Seldom Seen Kid, the one I heard first, so most of these songs will be from that album.

One Day Like This
This, along with Grounds For Divorce is probably their most well known song, mainly because they are in so many trailers and adverts.

Grounds For Divorce


Powder Blue
I do love this song, but the saxophone bit at the end always reminds me of this

Bones Of You
This is definitely one of my absolute favourites. Plus the video is really cool!


Forget Myself
There is so much going on in this song, love it!

Some Riot
This one always sends shivers up my spine!

Not A Job
Some nice synth going on here

Mirrorball
I've mentioned this before - I absolutely adore it! I first heard it on "The Chain" on the Radcliffe and Maconie Show

I've Got Your Number
Intimate.


Weather To Fly
Lovely and chilled.

If you like the music of Elbow, or the type of music that I feature in Artist of the Week, I would recommend listening to Guy Garvey's radio show on BBC 6music.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Remember, Remember

Yesterday was Guy Fawkes' night, and a time when I really miss being at home. I miss bonfires and fireworks displays and bonfire night food and that particular feeling of coming inside after watching fireworks on a cold, frosty night and the smell of gunpowder in the air...


On bonfire night, I semi-re-enacted burning the Guy by starting a month of unlimited hot yoga at Bikram Yoga Commercial Drive. If you don't know what hot yoga is, it is when you do yoga in a room heated to 40C. It warms the muscles so you can stretch deeper than usual, and it can burn up to 1000 calories a pop. It is also very hard work! My first class was terrible, it inched by so slowly and I couldn't do half the postures because every time I stood up I almost fainted, but afterwards I felt amazing. I knew I wanted to go back and get better, so this evening I went again and it was so much better! It's amazing how much has changed after only one class - bring on the whole month!
I may not be posting as often this month, because I will be doing yoga as often as possible, and it can take over an hour to get there depending on the traffic. I will try to post when I can.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Comfort Food

There are some days when all you want to eat is greasy fake-chinese food. I'm talking gloopy sweet and sour with battered pork - calorie central! So, for when those days strike, here is a slightly less artery-clogging option!

Salt-and-Pepper Chicken with Egg-Fried Rice
Serves 1-2
For the chicken:
1 skinless boneless chicken breast
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper

For the Rice
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
vegetables of your choice, chopped finely
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups of cooked rice (I used brown)
1/2 cup frozen peas

oil for frying

First off, the chicken
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in a tupperware or large sandwich bag, put the flour, some salt, and lots and lots of pepper (I used about 20 turns of a pepper grinder). Seal it, then shake it about a bit
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cut the chicken into bitesized chunks, and put them in with the flour mixture
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then put the lid on and shake until all the pieces of chicken are covered with the flour mixture.
Then heat some oil in a pan and start to fry the chicken.

While the chicken is cooking, it is time to start the rice.

Mix together the oyster and soy sauces in advance
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Heat some oil in a wok or high-sided frying pan, then mince the garlic and cook for a minute or so.
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Then add your chopped vegetables. I used cabbage because it's what I had on hand, but carrots would also be good.
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Push the veggies to one side of the pan, then pour in the egg on the other.
Scramble the egg and break it up, then add in the rice and the oyster and soy sauce and stir fry.  When the rice is heated through, add the peas and stir fry some more until the peas are cooked.
Now you are ready to serve!
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A Good Day

I got up at about 7am this morning to close my window, and I saw this:
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Now the photo just doesn't do it justice - the sky was stunning. A perfect way to start a day.