Riviera View - Jim & Jules
12:51 - The Strokes
Cause = Time - Broken Social Scene
Elevator Love Letter - Stars
Blueside - Rooney
Happy Freaking New Year!
First of all, I just want to say thank you to everyone who encouraged me to call back the talent scout. I know it was never my plan to do anything but write about music, but I put on my big girl panties and went to the agency, and I’m officially a signed model! I ended up signing with someone younger, but I have a feeling she’s going to work her ass off for me. (Or at least that’s what she told me).
I’ve done a few gigs now, and even though it feels kind of alien to have my picture taken, it also feels really good. Like I matter. And the money… well, the money is better than I expected. I’ve been hitting more shows because I can actually afford to go to them now. And I can buy merch! I’m tired in class and I drink way too much coffee to get through my day, but you all keep telling me this is the time to do it, so I’m freaking doing it.
So get this, I heard a great song on the radio the other night, Riviera View by Jim & Jules. Remember them? Didn’t I tell you those guys were going to be huge? It was such a trip hearing his voice over the airwaves, and it brought me back to that night what feels like all those years ago. I wonder if he would remember me, if he saw me.
Their sound is kind of brash, and lead singer Grayson William’s Northern British accent (Leeds) is refreshing as he sings about lost loves and near misses with a distinctly modern point of view. It kind of reminds me of Kitchen Sink Realism through a new, modern lens. I cannot wait to see what this band does.
We’ve got a new one from The Strokes, who feel like the poster child for indie rock these days. 12:51 has a kind of retro feel with modern grunge guitar that makes for a really great musical contrast. What can I say? Everyone loves The Strokes.
I want to focus on some Canadian gems this time, because I think Canada is an important part of indie rock, and I don’t want to see us get left out!
First is supergroup Broken Social Scene with Cause=Time. Broken Social Scene is made up of a number of different indie groups all together, which is the coolest freaking thing I’ve ever heard of, and this song… It’s like the crash of a musical wave licking up the side of your face.
You come in, check my time
You've got fornication crimes
I've seen your hope on television
Where you've been, you were not were
They've got tricycles in skirts
This is a mouth that needs religion
Elevator Love Letter by Toronto/Montreal band Stars feels like an approximation of what Canadian indie rock is at its core. There’s a lo-fi guitar strum, some found sound, a trippy little bass beat, and then poignant lyrics sung by the soft voice of Amy Millan. The song itself is like the diary of a high-powered woman who looks like she has it all, but really she’s struggling. She’s failing.
I'm so hard for a rich girl
My heels are high, my eyes cast low
And I don't know how to love
I get too tired after midday, lately
I feel that, girl. I mean, not that I’m a rich girl (yet), but I know what it feels like to be tired before it’s appropriate to be tired. I’m learning to fake it if I want to make it, that even though I’m Yulia, the too-timid girl you all know, when I’m in front of the cameras, I have to be Chuck, and Chuck is a different kind of girl. She’s confident in herself and her body. She smiles because she feels amazing, not because she’s being paid to.
Chuck is the girl I want to be.
Modelling has admittedly been a bit hard on me and Lucy. I’m not around much for her anymore. I’m missing classes, and that’s putting a bit of a rift between us, but I know it’ll be okay. I’ll treat her to a night out on the town and we’ll hit a show, one that she wants to go to. We’ll always be best friends… right?
Sometimes I get worried we’re not heading in the same direction, and that one day, we might drift apart. The thing about me and Lucy, though, is that we get each other, like really get each other. I know what she’s thinking before she even thinks it, and vice versa. Surely we can push through growing up…
Lucy, if you’re reading this, you’re always my best friend. That will never change.
In other news, I’ve got a big gig opportunity coming up, so hopefully you’ll all see me on a billboard near you! No matter what, I’m going to keep going to shows and finding great music. I wouldn’t be me without you all. <3
P.S. Want to read them all? Sign Up to the mailing list and get a PDF of XOXO Chuck!
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