The Alphabet Review has been created by Alexander Bromley Clark Dawkins to record, judge, recommend and comment upon Arts and Culture events both within and without Vancouver, the most liveable city in the world. An emphasis will be placed upon culinary adventures, live music, Northwest Coast Native art, single malt scotch and local Arts events.
If you are anything like me, you enjoy ending your day with a $1.50 glass of Bud Light, a crazy pull-tab sesh, and a round or two of Big Buck Hunter Pro. All of this can be yours by patronizing Bellingham's glorious Waterfront Tavern at 521 West Holly Street. Located just outside of downtown, on a dark road near the water, beside the city's crisis homeless shelter, where many of your fears and nightmares reside, the Waterfront Tavern has been a popular spot for decades because of the cheap drinks and seedy hospitality. Having served such prominent social figures as Ted Bundy and the Hillside Strangler, the Waterfront possesses a disturbing je ne sais quoi that attracts locals and visitors alike.
I actually do enjoy beginning or ending the night at the Waterfront because it is a no-nonsense watering hole that serves its drinks just-chilled and its grub greasy. Do not, however, spend an extended period of time here or you will likely end up depressed, or maybe dead. Seriously though...I do try to drink at the Waterfront every time I visit Bellingham. As a Vancouverite, I appreciate any establishment that allows - nay, encourages - its customers to drink without ordering food. There are bylaws in British Columbia that tie alcohol sales to food orders, thus restricting the amount of alcohol businesses can serve. Canada lacks taverns, and I find the expectations of food orders very annoying in this country.
If you are wanting to order food at the Waterfront, or if someone (literally) holds a gun to your head and makes you select an item off the menu to consume, just avoid all seafood. While this is likely a no-brainer for most, one really shouldn't taunt the Salmonella gods by taking a flier on the fried oysters. You are pretty safe with the burgers and fries, but why would you ever subject yourself to this mediocrity when considering the plethora of solid restaurants in the city? It is worth noting that the Waterfront is close to Chuckanut Brewery, which serves decent pub food and is also the city's best microbrewery. I love the 'Welcome Bikers' banner in the photo. Classic.
I am going to make a bold claim: cinnamon buns are the best pastry to consume with coffee. Yes, I believe that they are better than doughnuts (because of their absorbency resistance), cookies (due their structural elegance and complexity) and cherry pie (despite what Dale Cooper thinks). The sweetness of cinnamon buns counteracts the bitterness of coffee, and the earthy characteristics of the cinnamon reflect the fuscous flavour of the beans that must be roasted and ground to create a cup of joe. I have waffled on this issue for many years, but having completed hundreds of tests - utilizing baked goods from around the world - I can scientifically state that God wanted humans to eat cinnamon buns with their daily grind.
Fortunately, I have some excellent cinnamon bun providers in my vicinity. The interesting thing about this fact is that all of these providers offer unique and distinctive products:
Solly's
A Jewish bakery with locations in Kits, Cambie Village, and Main Street, Solly's offers more bagels, knish, and rugoleh than you can shake a shtekn at. I really dislike the management and service at all three locations, but I keep going back because I love their...you guessed it...cinnamon buns. With their concentrical construction and caramelized tops, these tight buns are packed with cinnamon. Their lack of icing and their thin layers also trick you into thinking that they are *slightly* better for you than a Cinnabon, but I doubt it.
Grounds for Coffee
I have been going here for years because a) I am a professional student and b) this cafe is right beside the 99 B-Line stop where I catch the bus up to UBC. They have been making moist (ya ya...we all hate this word, but it is really appropriate here), sloppy cinnamon buns for more than a decade, but they actually expanded their business about five years ago in order to ramp up production. They now deliver their archetypal, icing-laden, puffy delights all over town. They are good, don't get me wrong, but they lack defining features.
Calhoun's
I hate Calhoun's. It's always packed with loitering UBC students, the food is average, and the uber high ceilings obliterate any hope of having a meaningful conversation or comfortable coffee break. Having said this, they regularly serve these dense, quick-bread-esque cinnamon buns that remind me of highschool Home Ec (because this is the one recipe that I remember actually working out for me). Similar to a scone in consistency, this type of cinnamon bun can be surprisingly satisfying when cut in half and embellished with butter.
Urban Fare
Although they are not available all of the time, Urban Fare's raspberry and blackberry cinnamon buns are refreshingly fruity. I am pretty conservative when it comes to the pastry standards - such as croissants, cinnamon buns, and scones - but I was pleasantly surprised by the addition of these juicy drupelets. The dough is often light as well, and they never go crazy with the icing.
I recently ranked Efterklang's Magic Chairs as one of my favourite albums of 2010. However, it wasn't their music that first attracted me, it was the appearance of this Danish 8-piece in French filmmaker Vincent Moon's An Island. A nomadic, solitary director obsessed with fusing music and documentary film, Moon (alias for the much more French sounding Mathieu Saura) decided to make a movie in August of 2010 based entirely upon Magic Chairs. The film runs for the exact length of the album, and - like a good nerd should - I wanted to familiarize myself with the music before watching the movie.
I loved the album right away, and noticed that there was some element within Magic Chairs that reminded me of another group. I dug through my iTunes and CD collection to finally discover that this group reminded me of another Scandinavian indie ensemble, The Concretes. I have come to the conclusion that there is definitely a Scandinavian indie rock sound. Like The Concretes, PB&J, and Bodebrixen, Efterklang (which, btw, is Danish for "Remembrance") follows the tenets of twee but is substantiated by catchy, acute percussion. This genre, as a whole, can be identified through the use of oddly-constructed English lyrics, multi-instrumentalism, and innocent melodies that are as charming as Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina. The disturbingly blond pride and joy of Sweden, The Concretes, will be at Vancouver's Biltmore Cabaret on March 1st. I always think of The Concretes as a Nordic Belle and Sebastian. Tickets are only $15...kykkeliky!
Efterklang has come through Vancouver twice now, that I know of, so be sure to catch them next time they are here. The following clip from Moon's film will whet your appetite, like sampling some smørdejgssnitter before the skinkefars:
I recently dined Mandala Iki Asian Bistro, at 2394 West 4th Avenue, with co-workers and was totally disturbed by the dishes served and the inattentive service. Mandala is popular because it serves brown rice sushi (which I find disturbing in and of itself!), but it also serves a slew of fusion disasters and pan-Asian classics such as sate and chow mein. To give Mandala a break, it does not market itself as a fusion restaurant. Having said this, I cannot think of anything that this establishment is doing well. Our large group of ten ordered everything from pad thai to fried rice, and every single person stated that their meal was bland and sloppily prepared. I was the poor soul who ordered the ketchup-laden, octopus-packed pad thai. This single dish has turned me off Thai food for the time being, and I freakin' love Thai food. The fried rice wasn't fried, and the Chinese dishes were wet with cornstarch slurry.
Mandala is trying to offer a menu similar to those found at the Red Door and the Flying Tiger (which is actually just a few blocks west). These two restaurants serve pan-Asian fare as well, in addition to the occasional "fusion dish", but the chefs at these two restaurants clearly know how cook within each culinary tradition.
I found the above picture on the web and thought it visually demonstrated how bad fusion can get: motoyaki escargot!
In February of 2011, Canada Post will be releasing three stamps using works by acclaimed First Nations artist, Daphne Odjig. This Art Canada stamp issuing includes three paintings representative of her powerful style: Pow-wow Dancer (1978, acrylic on canvas), Spiritual Renewal (1984, acrylic on canvas) and Pow-wow (1969, acrylic on board).
A Canadian artist of Aboriginal ancestry, Daphne Odjig was born September 11, 1919, and raised on the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve on Manitoulin Island (Lake Huron), Ontario. Her father, Dominic Odjig, and her grandfather, Chief Jonas Odjig, were Potawatomi, descended from the great Chief Black Partridge. Her mother, Joyce Peachy, was an English war bride. Her family migrated north and settled in Wikwemikong after the War of 1812. Odjig moved to her current home of Anglemont, British Columbia in 1976. It was at this time that she really hit her stride as a painter. She went on to receive an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Laurentian University in 1982, an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Toronto in 1985, and an Honorary Doctorate of Education from Nipissing University in 1997. In 2007, Odjig received the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts.
According to Canada Post, the decision to create three stamps for this edition of the series was made for both aesthetic and practical reasons. In addition to providing collectors with three unique examples of Native Canadian art on stamps, the U.S. and International stamps fulfilled necessary operational requirements.
As the most recent addition to the newly-established 'Armoury District' in Kits, Cafe Bica is a welcome addition to this emerging neighbourhood that is growing between Fir and Burrard, bordered by 4th Avenue. There are several business and land owners in this area, including the proprietors of East India Carpets, who are making a huge effort to transform this sleepy section of Vancouver into a hub for interior design and architectural services. Have you ever wondered what enables those architects and contractors to work on projects for 16 hours a day? Coffee! This is where Bica comes in.
About two years ago, a small cafe at 1st and Fir opened called the More Please Cafe. I knew the owner, and I blogged about it, but it only stayed open for 16 months due to poor walk-in traffic and an unfortunate tenancy battle. I live and work in this area, and I absolutely detest having to rely upon the local Starbucks for my daily caffeine fix. You can imagine how happy I was to hear that a new cafe would be opening up in tha hood by 2011.
Offering sandwiches, a wide variety of beverages, and freedom from those pesky corporate coffee chains, Cafe Bica is sleek and simple. Next time you head down to Granville Island, take some time to wander around this new and trendy neighbourhood. Two of my favourite stores are in this area already: Lattimer Gallery and Les Amis du Fromage. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better!
Man, this year was so much better than last year for music. Please find my Top 10 Albums for 2010 below. Lists like this are always subjective, so I suppose a brief explanation of my opinions is needed:
- I have fairly eclectic tastes
- I appreciate complex song structures, yet am not usually a fan of groups that are dedicated to producing abstraction and experimental "noise" (wow, this makes me sound old)
- I highly value technical skill, and the unique (sorry DJs)
- I am biased towards rock, folk, rap, and melody. I am biased against DJs, country, R&B, and choral works.
I am always interested in learning about new bands, as long as they are good, so please post any outstanding albums from 2010 in my comment area. Here are my Top 10 in no particular order...
1) Local Natives - Gorilla Manor:
I am a fairly judgmental person. This is a character flaw of mine. When I first YouTubed this five-piece, I was visually bombarded by staches, keffiyehs, and hipster hairdos. I automatically lumped Local Natives with the Strokes, Hockey, and Vampire Weekend; that is, until I heard Gorilla Manor several times through and saw this band live at Vancouver's Venue Nightclub. Local Natives are part of a Neo-Folk movement (along with bands such as the Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear) that is taking over in the Northwest. These groups create vocal-heavy, melodic, catchy compositions that hearken back to the musical formulas popularized by Buffalo Springfield, The Band, and Love. Gorilla Manor was self-funded and tweaked for over a year before its release. And it sounds even better live!
2) Efterklang - Magic Chairs:
A great deal of the standout music I come across is discovered through browsing the local concert listings regularly and visiting the Zulu Records website once a month. Employing the former information retrieval method, I came across Efterklang (Danish for "Remembrance") only a few months ago. I planned to go to the show here in Vancouver, knowing absolutely nothing about this whimsical Danish quartet, but a university assignment was due the following morning so I never made it. Frustrated and curious, I downloaded both Magic Chairs and Parades. I have recently discovered that there is definitely a Scandinavian indie rock sound. Like The Concretes, PB&J, and Bodebrixen, Efterklang follows the tenets of twee but is substantiated by catchy, acute percussion.
3) Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago:
I have a friend who told me to go see Shearwater this past April at the Biltmore Cabaret. I didn't know Shearwater at this time and was a bit turned off by the nautical-themed concert posters I had seen around town. I skipped the show in favour of an evening involving laundry and a new Family Guy episode, but I did feel guilty enough to download Rook and purchase The Golden Archipelago on iTunes that night. Both albums are excellent. A quiet departure from Jonathan Meiburg's Okkervil River sound, Shearwater creates songs based on the delicacy of birds and the melancholy of the sea. Of course, Meiburg sings about things other than ornithology and oceanography, but these subjects provide a mystery and poignancy around which most of Shearwater's songs are composed. Like Joanna Newsom, Shearwater has a literary, troubadour-like quality that provides every song with an engaging intimacy.
4) Arcade Fire - The Suburbs:
I don't need to write much about this group, OR this album, because it seems to be on every single Top 10 List of 2010. Arcade Fire does have its weaknesses - see: Regine's vocals, conservative song structures, repetitive choruses - but their eclectic musicianship, unrelenting energy, and well-documented authenticity continues to produce albums that are diverse and intelligent. I am always sceptical of albums that are lauded due to hype or to a group's reputation, but The Suburbs really is Arcade Fire's most thoughtful and complex album yet.
5) Beach House - Teen Dream:
I did not like this album the first time I heard it. Victoria Legrand's deep androgynous voice and the keyboard-heavy backing of each track create a psychedelic Dream Pop sound that can be aurally curious and initially off-putting. However, a few more listens and the viewing of some live performances online helped me to understand where the band was coming from. They are indeed an anachronistic band, but Beach House creates excellent, reverb-laden pop that is fuelled by melody and playful tambourine accents. While their debut was good, Teen Dream is a classic. I even bought the CD...who buys CDs anymore?! I should also note that I was totally obsessed with '10 Mile Stereo' for two weeks or so (see video below).
6) Interpol - Interpol:
Paul Banks' deliberate and troubled vocals have coated Interpol's catchiest hits (such as 'Obstacle 1' and 'Slow Hands') with a dusting of pessimism and cynicism. Sometimes this worked (see: Turn on the Bright Lights), and sometimes this resulted in songs peppered with inauthenticity and clashing aesthetic systems (see: Antics). Interpol has often tried to fight their dark edge, especially with Antics, but they simply embraced it with this most recent release. They seemed to publicly (and perhaps subconsciously) acknowledge this fact by choosing not to title their most recent work. The guitars and keyboards reflect Banks' style on this album, and while this does make for an oft-dispiriting outing, one can clearly identify that the band is finally clicking on all levels: musically, intellectually, and emotionally.
7) Stars - The Five Ghosts:
I was a bit meh about Stars prior to this album. The harmonies between Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan (who I still believe to be Emily Haines' vocal doppelganger) have always been pitch-perfect and incisive, but many songs from Heart and Set Yourself on Fire seemed either musically undeveloped or sappy in subect matter. It seems as if Stars has always tried to avoid shooting into the "rock" category, and I think this has hindered their development as a band. Five Ghosts, however, is great because songs such as 'We Don't Want Your Body' and 'Fixed' are danceable and up-tempo while songs such as 'Winter Bones' and 'Dead Hearts' highlight the emotional, narrative style that Torquil/ Millan are known (and loved) for.
8) Sleigh Bells - Treats:
I have selected this album for the same reason I selected Matt & Kim's Grand last year. That is, even though the band may be a one-trick musical pony, their sound is so distinct and kickass that people should tune in and put out. Comprised of Poison the Well's hardcore lead guitarist Derek Miller and the little known Alexis Krauss, this duo produces dirty Noise Pop that is ideal for losing your hearing and/or working out. I have a nostalgic connection to this album as well, as I used it to train for a marathon in the mountains of Bozeman this past summer. While I doubt that Miller and Krauss will release more than two or three albums, I know that 'A/B Machines' and 'Crown on the Ground' will be on my Shuffle for years to come.
9) Jonsi - Go:
I really hate when musicians break away from the pack to persue solo careers (see: Chuck Ragan, Julian Casablancas, Sting, etc). Solo projects are such a cliche: they represent difficulties within the band, they very rarely work out, and they often affect the reputation of the deserter in a negative way. I resisted listening to Go until this, the very end of the year. I also refused to see Jonsi when he came to Vancouver this year. My connection to the music of Sigur Ros is so strong and valuble to me (for both aesthetic and personal reasons) that I did not want a sad solo album to tarnish my extremely high opinion of the band in ANY way. Having said this, I trust no one's taste in music more than my sister's, and she assured me - on many ocassions - that Jonsi did justice to both his band and his career with Go. This album is definitely frothy when compared to the weighty compositions of Sigur Ros, but it combines Jonsi's sprightly personality with the band's complexity to create songs that are both touching and accessible.
10) Hans Zimmer - Inception:
When one watches Inception, or hears elements of Zimmer's potent compositions during trailers for the film, it is difficult to appreciate the depth and existential qualities of the score. Throughout the film, clips of each of the eleven tracks are played, but it is impossible to isolate and analyse these pieces in their entirety. Unlike many orchestral soundtracks, Inception can stand alone as a concept album. Zimmer's addition of electric guitar to several of the tracks, and the ebbing-and-flowing crescendos in many of the pieces, reflect both the tension within the film's plot and modern anxieties linked to corporate control and anonymity. Whenever I listen to this album, it generates visions of both tsunamis and legendary romances...powerful forces that change lives forever.
Keywords: "Best Albums 2010", "Alex Dawkins", "Vancouver concerts"
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