Arts & Entertainment “The Day I Tried to Live” by Soundgarden By Pat Mackenzie song of the week ie have another round of applause for our now always-returning special guest star: Hypocrisy. Hypocrisy has always been a recurring feature of political life, but now it’s just getting downright annoying. Another politician who assumed the mantle of righteousness has bitten the dust. New York governor Eliot Spitzer, with his previous claims to moral superiority in his campaign against corruption, is now just another lying politician. But it is not his desire for $4,300/hour prostitutes that is so galling. Drugs, alcohol, sex, religion, we all have our vices that can be forgiven. No, it is the fact that he duped the public (as well as himself; never underestimate the power of self-deception) into buying into an image of virtuosity that in the end was a sham. So, in dedication to those that have fallen from grace I give you this week’s installment. Mostly known for being a riff- heavy hard rock band, perhaps one of the best, Soundgarden were no strangers to social commentary. In keeping with ex- governor Spitzer’s failure as a politician, “The Day I tried to Live,” found on 1994’s brilliant Superunknown, seems to be primarily about hypocrisy. When Chris Cornell howls, “The day I tried to live/I stole a thousand beggars’ change/ And gave it to the rich,” he seems to be including the listener in some moment of self-discovery better left unexamined. Continuing on, the song becomes a bleak commentary on the contradictory nature of human beings: “Words you say never seem/to live up to the ones/Inside your head/The lives we make/ Never seem to get us anywhere/But dead.” Leaving its final devastating summation of the human condition to the end, Cornell sings, “And I learned I was a liar/Just like you.” Discounting Chris Cornell’s bleak assessment of humanity, “The Day I Tried to Live” is a searing example of a hard rock band at the height of their creative powers. Comparatively slower than other Soundgarden songs, “The Day I Tried to Live” is moved along by ‘ bass and drums and Cornell’s voice until the layered sweep of guitars announce a chorus full of derision. Is everyone being implicated in all this dishonesty? Or are Cornell’s words being directed towards a specific person? Of course we can’t know. But what is clear is the antipathy with which the song is expressed. In being presented with the worst traits of humanity it is as if we are all guilty by association. TAKE FOUR CADENCE WEAPON AFTERPARTY BABIES Rollie Pemberton’s follow-up to 2005’s left-field hip-hop gem (and inaugural Polaris Prize nominee) Breaking Kayfabe was high on my list of anticipated records for 2008. His cleverly titled sophomore effort continues the tradition of pop-culture laden introspection spat quickly and lackadaisically over intricate 8-bit beats. This time out, Rollie’s beats are denser and tend to eschew the clichéd hooks and bangers of mainstream hip-hop. Canadian rappers have the cards stacked against them as is, and Pemberton deserves some props for having the balls to veer into more experimental territory. Fortunately, the choice pays off, and Pemberton succeeds in raising the bar for hip-hop. Anyway, Canucks fans should appreciate this record, as “In Search of the Youth Crew,” a song that references everything from Heroes to Bruce Willis also finds time to give Sami Salo’s slapshot a shout-out. - Luke Simcoe 14 RAGE IN THE BARS. HOT CHIP MADE IN THE DARK Hot Chip couldn’t have released Made in the Dark at a better time. The quintet’s electro-pop pastiche is the perfect soundtrack for that liminal period between winter and spring. Like a new blade of grass pushing up through the thawing soil, singer Joe Goddard’s melancholic voice pushes through a series of bubbly, genre-bending love songs. Every track is a sonic collage of romantic brit-pop, Nintendo soundtracks, 80s moog synths, white boy soul, and new millennium studio noodling. Such a record should be a perfect fit in our increasingly ADD- addled lives, but ironically, the gluttony of influences makes it difficult to listen to the record from front to back in a single sitting. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does make the record a bit intense. - Luke Simcoe oy HARMONIX ROCK BAND Developed by Harmonix Music Systems, Rock Band had a delayed release in Canada but has been out in the United States for months. Running at about $200, the Rock Band Video Game is well worth the price tag. You get a bass guitar, drum set, and a microphone, and up to four players can play hundreds of famous songs. It is also compatible with the guitars from Guitar Hero, so it truly is like playing in a real, live rock band. It is available for PS3, PS2, Wii, and Xbox 360, and is a great social activity. The gameplay is very similar to Guitar Hero, with the player having to play the notes as they appear on the bar in front of you. The drum set and singing components of the game are particularly fun, as you have to really keep pace with the drums and adjust your pitch into the microphone. - Garth McLennan ENUSEAL | CRYSTAL CASTLES S/T This Toronto twosome lit the blogosphere on fire well before they had anything close to a proper album. Being the hipster douchebag that I am, I’ve done everything in my power to like this band. The best I could muster is a mild affection for the schizophrenic arcade rave of “Alice Practice” and “xxxczx me,” both of which have singer Alice Glass invoking a tweenage Courtney Love and screaming unintelligible lyrics through an effects pedal. There’s no doubt that Crystal Castles are on to something with their minimalist, treble-dominated beats and brutally processed vocals, but as of now, I still can’t tell exactly what that something is. Who knows, maybe Ill change my tune in a bit; some of my favourite records have initially been met by a lukewarm (no pun intended...) response. - Luke “Warm” Simcoe