I can’t imagine how cool it must have been for Max to have one of his all-time greatest heroes appear on his record. To think that 10 years ago he was an unknown! For rap fans, uh, Tom Delonge is a punk god in the sense that Eminem claims to be a rap god
You know him as the lead singer/screamer/reader for everybody’s favourite Christian mystics turned punks, mewithoutYou. Here he lends a poem to “Push” that subtly references old Say Anything and mewithoutYou songs
Seriously, Larson (husband of fashion blogger A Beautiful Mess) is a silent cog without which the indie scene in the Southeastern US would probably seize up and shatter. His recent work with Sleeping At Last is to die for, too.
The only other session musician that I’d say overshadows him is the incomparable Chris “Hitchcock” Chorney, who you know as Kanye West’s cellist.
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Halfway to winter again? Really?!
St. Vincent
Rock Genius looks back on our favourite albums of the first half of 2014, including career-definers from Sun Kil Moon, Jack White, St. Vincent, and Against Me!.
Do you agree with our picks? Did we miss something reallyreallyreally good? Weigh in on the official forum thread!
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Busta’s tounge-twistedly alliterated wacky lyrical version of “wtf”.
“Fahrvergnügen” is a German word, which, broken down, literally translates to “drive-fun” or the joy you feel while driving. It was featured prominently in a 1980s Volkswagen ad campaign, probably where Busta encountered it.
Fun fact! When the initial ad campaign ran, many Americans thought it was “far Fig Newton.” Let’s nip that potential lyrics mishear in the bud!
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“Cool” is the first song from Tigers Jaw’s 2014 LP Charmer. The song’s production is stark and minimalist. The only instruments are acoustic guitar and voice.
However, this simplicity is deceiving: a closer listen reveals at least five independent harmonies, so tight that they can scarcely be distinguished from one another, creating a haunting, ethereal opener that disarms Charmer’s listeners from first go.
The song is featured as the b-side to the single, “Hum.”
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As of now, the nine Cree communities are largely dry; only one, Whapmagoostui, allows alcohol and bars, and its social problems are markedly more pronounced than in the others. However, proponents of legalizing alcohol point out that that community is a Cree/Inuit community with a different social dynamic. Some see the ban on alcohol as a paternalistic legacy of colonialism, and others think that keeping alcohol out does much to keep social problems out.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| – Banning alcohol is paternalistic, condescending, patronizing; adults should be able to drink in their own homes | – Alcohol increases the tendency to violence and belligerent attitudes |
| – If legalized, bars can be opened, and SAQ outlets, and that means revenue and jobs | – Statistically there is a high per-capita rate of alcoholism in Eeyou Istchee |
| – Alcohol is already available in the territory through bootleggers |
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For perspective, in the 1970s the Québec government struck up a $1.1bn deal with the newly-formed Grand Council of Crees, represented at the time by the late Billy Diamond, to build four huge dams on the La Grande River, near Chisasibi. This money payed for infrastructure like the region’s highway, airline, health board, and school board, but was not without environmental costs, like mercury poisoning and increased river flow (leading to the moving of the community inland to escape erosion).
Today (especially with the advent of climate change), Eeyou Istchee is an attractive prospect for development companies. The Cree nation and its communities must weigh a history of environmental colonialism against the desire for financial security. The major question today is whether or not uranium mines should be allowed in the territory. The Matoush project outside Mistissini was one such mine which was shut down before coming to fruition. The miners have set their sites once again on Chisasibi as a site of potential development.
| CONFLICTS | DOESN’T CONFLICT |
|---|---|
| – the environmental degradation is not in keeping with traditional Native ideas of stewardship, etc. | – Those beliefs are based on essentialist racial stereotypes so the question shouldn’t be framed that way. |
| – it puts financial gain in the short-term above long-term interests | – It doesn’t conflict as long as it’s responsible development. |
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The topics for the 2014 Public Speaking Contest, held in Wemindji, QC, in April, were largely related to social problems and solutions in the Cree nation, with a few more general questions thrown into the mix for balance.
Many of the issues in question are not mere rhetorical questions for students' benefit, but serious, hotly debated issues within the political climate of the Cree nation. For example, the legalization of alcohol is a hot-button topic. In that way the students got to really contribute to legitimate political discourse.
When topics refer to “the Cree nation,” they’re referring to Eeyou Istchee, a territory with nine communities in it on the Eastern side of the James Bay in Nord-du-Québec.
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