Intervention - Arcade Fire
1234 - Feist
505 - Arctic Monkeys
Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
I guess it’s time for me to come clean. Yes, the rumours are true. Today’s Tunes is officially getting a new host, because I’m moving on to work on my first feature film with my incredibly talented boyfriend Guy Strand. The film is Guy’s vision, but we’re working together to make something that I hope is really special.
It’s not something I ever saw myself doing, to be honest. I’ve always been all about the music, as you know, but film has also had a special place in my heart since I was a kid. I used to watch old black and white movies as a child over and over, like a comfort. My favourite was probably Charade with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. I still watch it to this day whenever I feel like I need a pick-me-up.
And of course, I’m so influenced by the French New Wave. Jean-Luc Godard and the style of Anna Karina especially have held a grip on me since I first discovered À bout de souffle, or Breathless as you American heathens call it. She just has such an effortless style, and I always want to cut bangs whenever I see her. (I know, I know, never cut bangs!) Listen, I’ll probably rock my side bangs until the day I die, so you don’t have to worry about me.
What a year in music we’ve had. My highlights so far are obviously Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible, Feist’s The Reminder, and Arctic Monkeys’ Favourite Worst Nightmare. But honestly, there’s so much to choose from this year, that instead of trying to get through all of it, I’m just going to stick to some core faves because truthfully, I should be working on a screenplay right about now.
Intervention was an interesting single choice for Arcade Fire, but I’m consistently glad to see them putting out music no one else would be. The heavy organ intro and that ding ding ding are what I wake up to most mornings, dramatically singing, working for the church while my family dies into my hairbrush.
Arcade Fire haven’t spared us the lyrical symbolism in this song, and it results in something almost classical in feel, while still fitting in at an underground bar or an afterparty in LA.
The bop of the year is undoubtedly going to be 1234 by Feist, and it’s been great seeing some Canadian talent on the world stage, and of course, that iPod Nano commercial. It’s a great showcase that simple can be amazing, and that a fun, upbeat song about love can bring people together.
I feel like a lot of us are in positions where our lives are changing fast, maybe faster than we want them to. I know I’ve been afraid a lot this year as my life has swung in directions I never thought it would go. And I don’t know what’s ahead. I’m trying something new and hoping it sticks, and I hope that’s more successful for me than repeating my same mistakes over and over again, as I am wont to do.
But, guys, the song that has gripped me the hardest this year has to be 505 by Arctic Monkeys. This song is simple at the heart of it, but it has this three-layered crescendo that is my favourite thing in music, so by the time that last, loudest chorus starts, you’re screaming along with the track. And let’s not discount these lyrics:
But I crumble completely when you cry
It seems like once again you've had to greet me with goodbye
I'm always just about to go and spoil the surprise
Take my hands off of your eyes too soon
The way I see it, this song is about a hotel room, maybe a hotel room where anything could exist, where a love could flourish that would be impossible anywhere else. In your mind, you’re always going back to this hotel room, wishing it were real, wishing you could return to that time, when things were simpler, or before you knew the truth.
I’m going back to 505.
Like always, I just want to thank all of you for being here through my journey. Saying goodbye to Today’s Tunes hurts my heart, but I really am looking forward to this next chapter. It’s been an honour interviewing such talented musicians for you on the show, and I can’t wait for you to see what’s next.
I’ll keep you posted on the movie details, too!
P.S. Please stop messaging me asking me for stuff from Guy. He has his own fanmail address you can send letters to.
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