I don't know what the best albums of 2008 are - that's hard to say without hearing everything. However, here are some great albums I think got a bit overlooked this year.
Punk(ish) and Metal(ish) Albums
Gaslight Anthem – The 59- Sound
Bruce Springsteen and punk make for a remarkably potent mix – one of my favorites all year.
Dance Gavin Dance – Downtown Battle Mountain
This is a ridiculous screamo album – but it’s also pretty irresistible.
Dillinger Four – CIVIL WAR
It only took seven years for a follow up but this album was totally worth the wait.
The Loved Ones – Build and Burn
An honest blue-collar punk album that just delivers.
Baroness – Red Album
It was a strong year in metal and I think this release is a contender.
Zozobra – Bird of Prey
Relentless and punishing, Zozobra steps up its efforts in a big way.
Krallice – Krallice
Something this intense shouldn’t be so constantly listenable.
Veil of Maya – The Common Man’s Collapse
One of my favorite bands last year continues its excellent streak.
Misery Signals – Controller
Ditto for this great band and release.
Rock(ish) Albums
1990s – Cold and Kind
Listen to “The Wool and the Lamb” and tell me that this isn’t a great record.
The Acorn – Glory Hope Mountain
This Ottawa band didn’t get any love, but they deserve it – this is an album album
American Princes – Other People
A solid and toe-tapping record from a consistently good American band
Born Ruffians – Red, Yellow and Blue
The Ruffian’s sound is jagged, but spiked with great melodies.
The Bound Stems – The Family Afloat
Everything is falling apart, but sounds so together on this album.
The Cansecos – Juices!
The Cansecos have a knack for delicious keyboard-flavored soul.
Dennis Wilson – Pacific Ocean Blue
Dennis proves that there was another talented Wilson in the Beach Boys.
The Depreciation Guild – In Her Gentle Jaws
Chiptune meets Slowdive in a gloriously great mashup.
The Dodos – The Visitor
This album just oozes the warmth and wandering of summer.
Evangelicals – The Evening Descends
A bent testament to widescreen cinema and horror-movie storytelling.
Foals – Antidotes
Battles meets British Rock in a furious blaze of songs.
French Kicks – Swimming
They dirty up their minimalist rock with epic results.
Headlights – Some Racing, Some Stopping
Every song on this compact pop album is superb.
The Helio Sequence – Keep your Eyes Ahead
Despite some stumbles this record is full of mind-blowing moments.
Hilotrons – Happymatic
Wobbly-legged melodies with a bright falsetto for a singer.
Mae Shi – Hillyh
They lost their lead singer and they persevered – good thing too.
Okkervil River – The Stand Ins
The last song on this album gives me goosebumps every time.
Passion Pit – Chunk of Change EP
This was the singer’s engagement gift to his wife – great gift!
Sun Kill Moon – April
Who needs the Red House Painters? Long live Sun Kil Moon
Two Hours Traffic – Little Jabs
The light on east coast can-rock hasn’t gone out yet.
The War on Drugs – Wagonwheel Blues
Music that sounds better in feedback – great album.
Wilderness – (K)now(W)here
They are consistently awesome in what they do.
Wye Oak – If Children
Both beautiful and anarchic, this is a great almost post-rock record.
Electronic-ish Albums
Autechre – Quaristice
Autectrhe always find a way to challenge and delight.
Azeda Booth – In Flesh Tomes
I would say that this was the best release from Calgary this year.
Belong – Colourless Record
Brief, elegiac and haunting drone(ish) record.
Clark – Turning Dragon
A chaotic, complex listen – just trying sourcing the samples
HEALTH/DISCO
A new movement in aggressive electro was born here.
Holy Fuck – LP
I saw them live this year – they can turn any source into something to dance to.
Kleerup – s/t
Not a lot of people can do heartsick with electronics – at least not this well.
Lykke Li – Youth Novels
Lykke Li is one of the reasons the Kleerup release is so good.
Mahjongg – Kontpab
Not quite rock, not quite electronic. All awesome.
Sian Alice Group – 59:59
Ditto.
Rap(ish) Albums
Black Spade – To Serve with Love
Such an effortlessly solid album – I highly recommend
D-Sisive – The Book
His story is heartbreaking, his return is incredible.
Del the Funky Homosapien – Eleventh Hour
Del does his thing and it’s crazy, but a fun listen.
eMC – The Show
This supergroup delivers one of the best rap releases of the year.
Invincible – Shapeshifters
Great female emcee with a decidedly political bent.
Jake One – White Van Music
This is an awesome mixtape with a great variety of guests.
Jean Grae – Jeanius
Some of the best wordplay I’ve heard all year.
Madlib – King of the Wigflip
Madlib has a way of creating the most oddly memorable beats.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Everybody is not an Expert: Leave PR to the Pros
As communications enters a variety of new mediums enabled by technology, we must continue to assert our expertise and ensure that what is communicated through these channels is managed, planned and developed by PR pros. Although traditional forms of communications continue to decline, there are plenty of opportunities rising up through the Internet’s ability to connect people quickly. Whether that’s simply making sure your organization is found online (Search Engine Optimization) or diving into the world of real-time communications (Twitter), it’s got to be managed by the specialists.
Particularly when it comes to communications mediums that are enabled by the newest of technology, there’s an ongoing debate about whose responsibility it is to dictate how to work within those mediums. Social technology with its empowering aspect brings a certain pressure on communications experts – that because as Shel Holtz points out – the argument is that social media is so widespread that it becomes the work of everyone. Similarly, communications via technology tools such as Content Management Systems, or other technology-enabled tools like Video Feeds or Podcasts come with a certain pressure from the technology experts who control them, whether that’s your internal Information Technology Specialist or an outside contractor.
Fundamentally though, what gets communicated should remain under the direct control of the PR pro; because while the technology behind the mediums might change, from newspaper to real-time chat, the strategy and the execution of communications stays the same. You might be talking through a different channel, but how you talk and persuade is static.
Why isn’t everyone an expert?
While everybody can use social media, that doesn’t mean everybody is an expert. Holtz points out that everybody can make eggs, but that doesn’t qualify them to be a chef at a high end restaurant. Additionally, letting technicians control the messaging is like letting your printer control the content of your print publications – as Holtz notes, the technician’s job is to make sure it looks the way it’s supposed to, and the PR pros job is to determine the content.
In a recent post by Kristy Scott at adliterate, she furthers the idea by arguing that just because everyone has feedback, doesn’t mean it’s valuable. Ideas can’t come from anywhere, and they shouldn’t. For the sake of focused and coherent communications, it’s best if the messages come from the people whose job is to craft them every day.
From my own personal experience working with a large marketing group and a larger group of technology experts above them, the most effective campaigns were the ones where public relations and marketing used the source information they received from the technology professionals and crafted it the best way they could to elicit the desired response from the key audience.
When this hand-off wasn’t so clean and feedback continued to be received from all parties, the results were often muddled, compromise-ridden messes – neither effective in communicating the right technical details nor emotionally resonant enough to reach people effectively. Sometimes a good communications idea can come out of a non-traditional source, but I would agree with Scott that the majority of time, the best communications are those crafted by the people whose career depends on them.
The key is to understand that a PR pro’s job is not limited to a few simple activities. To say that specializing in social media or any other technology-enabled forum (SEO or Online Community Management) is the role of people outside of PR is looking at things with too narrow a focus; in my opinion, PR as a skill set is not a concrete checklist, but a larger set of meta-skills. Whether it’s social media, investor relations, community management or technology PR - these are areas where PR pros can and should be responsible.
The true responsibilities of a good communicator are wide-spanning; that means we as communications experts need to learn and become experienced with these tools so that they become a part of our broad range of communications skills. When and if new mediums open up where communications can be established, it is the responsibility of the PR pro to manage and (directly or indirectly as often is the case in social media) guide them – because public relations is about managing relationships no matter where or how they take place.
Particularly when it comes to communications mediums that are enabled by the newest of technology, there’s an ongoing debate about whose responsibility it is to dictate how to work within those mediums. Social technology with its empowering aspect brings a certain pressure on communications experts – that because as Shel Holtz points out – the argument is that social media is so widespread that it becomes the work of everyone. Similarly, communications via technology tools such as Content Management Systems, or other technology-enabled tools like Video Feeds or Podcasts come with a certain pressure from the technology experts who control them, whether that’s your internal Information Technology Specialist or an outside contractor.
Fundamentally though, what gets communicated should remain under the direct control of the PR pro; because while the technology behind the mediums might change, from newspaper to real-time chat, the strategy and the execution of communications stays the same. You might be talking through a different channel, but how you talk and persuade is static.
Why isn’t everyone an expert?
While everybody can use social media, that doesn’t mean everybody is an expert. Holtz points out that everybody can make eggs, but that doesn’t qualify them to be a chef at a high end restaurant. Additionally, letting technicians control the messaging is like letting your printer control the content of your print publications – as Holtz notes, the technician’s job is to make sure it looks the way it’s supposed to, and the PR pros job is to determine the content.
In a recent post by Kristy Scott at adliterate, she furthers the idea by arguing that just because everyone has feedback, doesn’t mean it’s valuable. Ideas can’t come from anywhere, and they shouldn’t. For the sake of focused and coherent communications, it’s best if the messages come from the people whose job is to craft them every day.
From my own personal experience working with a large marketing group and a larger group of technology experts above them, the most effective campaigns were the ones where public relations and marketing used the source information they received from the technology professionals and crafted it the best way they could to elicit the desired response from the key audience.
When this hand-off wasn’t so clean and feedback continued to be received from all parties, the results were often muddled, compromise-ridden messes – neither effective in communicating the right technical details nor emotionally resonant enough to reach people effectively. Sometimes a good communications idea can come out of a non-traditional source, but I would agree with Scott that the majority of time, the best communications are those crafted by the people whose career depends on them.
The key is to understand that a PR pro’s job is not limited to a few simple activities. To say that specializing in social media or any other technology-enabled forum (SEO or Online Community Management) is the role of people outside of PR is looking at things with too narrow a focus; in my opinion, PR as a skill set is not a concrete checklist, but a larger set of meta-skills. Whether it’s social media, investor relations, community management or technology PR - these are areas where PR pros can and should be responsible.
The true responsibilities of a good communicator are wide-spanning; that means we as communications experts need to learn and become experienced with these tools so that they become a part of our broad range of communications skills. When and if new mediums open up where communications can be established, it is the responsibility of the PR pro to manage and (directly or indirectly as often is the case in social media) guide them – because public relations is about managing relationships no matter where or how they take place.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
3 Reasons Why Far Cry 2 Sucks - The Trouble with Realism
So, it’s no surprise that the game didn’t sell the way Ubisoft projected – and despite a positive outlook from the company – I don’t think it will end up being a major success.
Despite spectacular environments, excellent persistent graphics (almost no loading) and a game that paints a realistic portrait of war-torn
The trouble with realism in games is simple: games are not real. They might be built on physics systems that operate like the real world, they might include real weapons, real environments and advanced AI – but in the end, they are not real – they are games.
So why doesn’t realism work? I’ve got three reasons:
Immersive versus Enjoyable
While many games strive for immersion, whether through environments (GTA 4) or narrative (Portal), the ultimate question that decides if players come back to a game constantly happens to be: is it enjoyable?
The immersion tactics of GTA 4 serve the gameplay – they are not the sole focus of it. All the sights and sounds of
Same goes for Portal with its strong sense of narrative that draws you in through a subtlety delivered story. The game makes you feel like you are part of the environment, but ultimately, its window-dressing to the gameplay mechanics.
Certainly, these games are successful at using immersion to portray reality – but the key is that the reality is the game’s own. It’s not real-world logic that the games are holding players to, but the internal logic of the game itself. The “reality” of the game works in harmony to how the game is played, further enhancing a player’s experience.
Far Cry 2 stumbles because the game’s dedication to creating a “real” environment goes against the internal logic of the game. To name a few, here are some of the “realistic” things the game does to create immersion:
- Weapons can jam and break over time
- Warring militias will attack you frequently
- Outposts that you’ve cleared will have people in them again
- Traveling to different places can take a long time
All of these things adhere to the logic of the real world. If you were to attack an outpost, it’s likely that if you came back later there could be people in it – and they wouldn’t be friendly. Same goes for weapons – they can break and jam.
The problem is, these mechanics don’t jive with the logic of the gameplay. Consider the premise of Far Cry 2 – you are a solider whose mission is to kill the Jackal. To accomplish your mission you must:
- Kills hundreds of men who stand in your way over various missions
- Trek endless miles either in a jeep, boat or by foot across the African Savannah
- Negotiate between two dangerous militias
- Find a way to constantly battle malaria during the whole affair
No matter what kind of elements that are added to make it realistic, such as giving the player malaria attacks, the fact is – the goal of the game could not be realistically achieved by one person in real life.
That said, these real-world elements make playing Far Cry 2 often excruciatingly frustrating. The game wants you to kill dozens of men to complete a mission (unrealistic), but then it hinders you by making your weapon jam (reality), and making you travel a long distance (reality) through countless hostile, respawning outposts (reality).
Games as escape from reality
So what could Far Cry 2 have done differently? That’s simple, remove weapons jamming and make it easier to teleport to the start of mission objectives. Is this realistic in the real world? No, it isn’t. But at the same time, it’s not unrealistic to the logic of Far Cry 2, which asks you to complete missions using a lot of weapons and traveling to lots of different locations.
The key is that games are an escape from reality – so while they might reflect elements of reality – they should not operate exactly like reality. The point of the game is to challenge and empower a player to do something they couldn’t do in real life. The trouble with Far Cry 2 is that it attempts to give you “real-life” challenges in a game that couldn’t possibly be replicated in real life. The result is that the realistic elements frustrate and limit a players’ enjoyment of the main mechanic of the game – planning and completing objectives using a variety of weapons, tactics and vehicles.
The sore thumb theory
As some reviews attest, another problem with trying to make a game reflect the real world is that when the game to do this with some component, it sticks out like a sore thumb.
With Far Cry 2, all of these pieces attempt to create a vivid picture of a real war-torn African landscape – except the day and night cycle happens faster than in real life, enemies don’t act like humans and sometimes when they are shooting at you, they are not even facing you.
The trouble with realism is that it demands complete loyalty. You can’t make some elements realistic and then shirk other things because they just stand out even more, doubly reversing the immersion you’ve attempted to create. Sure, my weapon jams just like a real gun, but why do the guards not see me when I’m standing right next to them? Why does it take five shots to knock down an enemy? The problem is, you can’t go for reality half-way because every element that’s not realistic takes game players out of the game, and gets them asking these types of questions.
The trouble with realism is that it’s not always fun – especially when it doesn’t serve the gameplay. Just look at the equally mixed-reviews of Mirror’s Edge, which attempts to portray parkour in a realistic way, but then makes design decisions that conflict with the internal logic of the gameplay.
With Far Cry 2, it suffers from the same problem – the balance between creating an immersible reality and delivering an enjoyable game experience is offset for the former.
So when you ask, is this game realistic: you can say “mostly, yes” but when you ask is this game fun:
I have to say “mostly, no.”
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Calgary Flea Markets
The Rule of Flea Markets
If there's one rule I go by in judging a flea/farmer's market value, it's how many uni-brow-sporting Ukrainians can be found there. The general guideline is, the more Ukrainians the better the flea market. The logic for this is simple: the spirit of the flea market is the antithesis of formality. A flea market is like a big family gathering, where everybody brings something to the table - it's this simple spirit of the community that makes them unique to a grocery store or mall.
Calgary Flea Markets
Crossroads Market
Crossroads market started in NE Calgary, but it has truly found its home at the crux of Inglewood and Ogden. Based on my rule, this is the quintessential Calgary flea market - it's filled with Ukrainians who sell a variety of products including cheese, farm eggs, cabbage rolls, ham hocks and honey - not to mention, the retail section where you can purchase handmade clothes, wax candles, salvaged antiques, ancient electronics and giant plaster wizards. To be honest, Crossroads is a total mess - but that's what makes it enthralling - the place is totally human and it hums with the creative energy of people coming together to share their work and interests. The farmer's market is the best Calgary has to offer, the restaurants inside are totally family-run and the retail section is an attic-digger's dream of new and used items.
Calgary Flea Market
The first thing you'll notice about the Calgary Flea Market (located on Currie Barracks in SW Calgary), is a distinct lack of Ukrainians - never a good sign. My experience with the Calgary Flea Market is this: it feels like a flea market for people who don't like flea markets. It's way too clean, well-lit and while the stores do offer handmade crafts or food, it's not in any way similar to the kinds of things you'll find at Crossroads. The vendors do offer some great products, but they are of the commercial variety, and honestly, fairly expensive. At the Calgary Flea Market you can get gourmet chicken sausage from a company that has it's own website. Same goes for any of the retail products - everything is of the high-end variety - and considering the clientele are coming from Lakeview and Mount Royal - that's fine. Just don't expect the same kind of family-knit ambiance that glows in Crossroads.
Hillhurst-Sunnyside Farmer's Market
While smaller in scale than the prominent flea markets in Calgary, the Hillhurts-Sunnyside Farmer's Market (located at the Hillhurst community center) is filled with a wonderful variety of homemade products or antique items. The offerings are more focused on crafts than food, but the vendors are no less enthusiastic to talk to people about their handicrafts. The only real drawback (other than smaller size and less
Ukrainians) is that it's not open for very long (Wednesday evenings when it's warm out). Still, it's a great community-inspired market to check out.
Other Calgary flea markets
There are a few other smaller community-focused flea markets that I haven't been to, so I can't pass judgement. But, here's a bit more about them:
McKenzie Towne Farmers' Market (Open Thursdays in Calgary's SE)
ThornCliffe Greenview Farmers' Flea Market (Open Saturdays along Centre Street N)
Sweetgrass Market (Open weekdays and weekends in the deep SW of Calgary)
Just remember, If you come across one of these markets and there seems to be a high number of people with eyebrows that touch, you know you've struck flea market gold.
If there's one rule I go by in judging a flea/farmer's market value, it's how many uni-brow-sporting Ukrainians can be found there. The general guideline is, the more Ukrainians the better the flea market. The logic for this is simple: the spirit of the flea market is the antithesis of formality. A flea market is like a big family gathering, where everybody brings something to the table - it's this simple spirit of the community that makes them unique to a grocery store or mall.
Calgary Flea Markets
Crossroads Market
Crossroads market started in NE Calgary, but it has truly found its home at the crux of Inglewood and Ogden. Based on my rule, this is the quintessential Calgary flea market - it's filled with Ukrainians who sell a variety of products including cheese, farm eggs, cabbage rolls, ham hocks and honey - not to mention, the retail section where you can purchase handmade clothes, wax candles, salvaged antiques, ancient electronics and giant plaster wizards. To be honest, Crossroads is a total mess - but that's what makes it enthralling - the place is totally human and it hums with the creative energy of people coming together to share their work and interests. The farmer's market is the best Calgary has to offer, the restaurants inside are totally family-run and the retail section is an attic-digger's dream of new and used items.
Calgary Flea Market
The first thing you'll notice about the Calgary Flea Market (located on Currie Barracks in SW Calgary), is a distinct lack of Ukrainians - never a good sign. My experience with the Calgary Flea Market is this: it feels like a flea market for people who don't like flea markets. It's way too clean, well-lit and while the stores do offer handmade crafts or food, it's not in any way similar to the kinds of things you'll find at Crossroads. The vendors do offer some great products, but they are of the commercial variety, and honestly, fairly expensive. At the Calgary Flea Market you can get gourmet chicken sausage from a company that has it's own website. Same goes for any of the retail products - everything is of the high-end variety - and considering the clientele are coming from Lakeview and Mount Royal - that's fine. Just don't expect the same kind of family-knit ambiance that glows in Crossroads.
Hillhurst-Sunnyside Farmer's Market
While smaller in scale than the prominent flea markets in Calgary, the Hillhurts-Sunnyside Farmer's Market (located at the Hillhurst community center) is filled with a wonderful variety of homemade products or antique items. The offerings are more focused on crafts than food, but the vendors are no less enthusiastic to talk to people about their handicrafts. The only real drawback (other than smaller size and less
Ukrainians) is that it's not open for very long (Wednesday evenings when it's warm out). Still, it's a great community-inspired market to check out.
Other Calgary flea markets
There are a few other smaller community-focused flea markets that I haven't been to, so I can't pass judgement. But, here's a bit more about them:
McKenzie Towne Farmers' Market (Open Thursdays in Calgary's SE)
ThornCliffe Greenview Farmers' Flea Market (Open Saturdays along Centre Street N)
Sweetgrass Market (Open weekdays and weekends in the deep SW of Calgary)
Just remember, If you come across one of these markets and there seems to be a high number of people with eyebrows that touch, you know you've struck flea market gold.
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