1. Songs that will sadly not be making our top 100 for the year
...but that we love nonetheless:
Washed Out - New Theory
Small Black - The Kings of Animals
Tada Tátà - Hit the Wall
Real Estate - Black Lake
2. Another thing that begs to be mentioned. Okay so maybe I'm begging for it to be mentioned. I keep seeing The Rural Alberta Advantage's "Hometowns" on so many best-of-the-year lists. But the album was released in 2008 - and was re-released by Saddle Creek in 2009. I'm not really keen on the idea of counting re-released albums and we had the album - or a song from it - on our top last year. The annoying thing is, if I wasn't so anal about release dates I would have my quandary about what to place as my number one solved. I'm pretty sure the top spot would have gone to "Frank, AB". If only for those last 20 seconds of the song. Or just for those lyrics. Seriously that song makes my hair stand on end every time.
You need the backstory first: (Wikipedia) "Frank, Alberta is a coal mining town in the Crowsnest Pass, Alberta. On April 29, 1903, at 4:10 a.m., 90 million tonnes (30 million cubic metres) of limestone crashed from the east face of Turtle Mountain and covered approximately three square kilometres of the valley floor. The slab of rock that broke free was approximately 650 m high, 900 m wide and 150 m thick. The slide dammed the Crowsnest River and formed a small lake, covered 2km of the Canadian Pacific Railway, destroyed most of the coal mine's surface infrastructure, and buried seven houses on the outskirts of the sleeping town of Frank, as well as several rural buildings. Frank was home to approximately 600 people in 1903; it is estimated that 90 of the roughly 100 individuals in the path of the slide were killed. Only fourteen bodies were recovered from the debris at the time of the slide."
Real Estate - Black Lake
2. Another thing that begs to be mentioned. Okay so maybe I'm begging for it to be mentioned. I keep seeing The Rural Alberta Advantage's "Hometowns" on so many best-of-the-year lists. But the album was released in 2008 - and was re-released by Saddle Creek in 2009. I'm not really keen on the idea of counting re-released albums and we had the album - or a song from it - on our top last year. The annoying thing is, if I wasn't so anal about release dates I would have my quandary about what to place as my number one solved. I'm pretty sure the top spot would have gone to "Frank, AB". If only for those last 20 seconds of the song. Or just for those lyrics. Seriously that song makes my hair stand on end every time.
You need the backstory first: (Wikipedia) "Frank, Alberta is a coal mining town in the Crowsnest Pass, Alberta. On April 29, 1903, at 4:10 a.m., 90 million tonnes (30 million cubic metres) of limestone crashed from the east face of Turtle Mountain and covered approximately three square kilometres of the valley floor. The slab of rock that broke free was approximately 650 m high, 900 m wide and 150 m thick. The slide dammed the Crowsnest River and formed a small lake, covered 2km of the Canadian Pacific Railway, destroyed most of the coal mine's surface infrastructure, and buried seven houses on the outskirts of the sleeping town of Frank, as well as several rural buildings. Frank was home to approximately 600 people in 1903; it is estimated that 90 of the roughly 100 individuals in the path of the slide were killed. Only fourteen bodies were recovered from the debris at the time of the slide."
And now lyrics:
My love, I will hold on to your touch until there's nothing left of us
save you from this life
And the cold depths of the rocky clutch won't take away our love
save you from this life
...
And under the rubble of the mountain that tumbled
I'll hold you forever
I'll hold you forever
They'll build up another on the bodies of our brothers
I'll love you forever
My love, I will hold on to your touch until there's nothing left of us
save you from this life
And the cold depths of the rocky clutch won't take away our love
save you from this life
...
And under the rubble of the mountain that tumbled
I'll hold you forever
I'll hold you forever
They'll build up another on the bodies of our brothers
I'll love you forever
And if the end doesn't touch you you're dead inside.
3. This post might have evolved into a love letter to The Rural Alberta Advantage, but initially it was meant to be used as an excuse to post some of Chelsea Greene Lewyta's exquisite illustrations. So here they are:
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