ELECTION TIME!

Woohoo, Canadian election time! I can't wait, I'm like a kid on Christmas. I'm pretty sure I know hwat I'll get this year: a Conservative minority, which is something a kin to socks and underwear.

In Quebec, I'm quite happy the campaigns are as typically Quebecois as they've ever been. As NOW Toronto's Joseph Wilson commented this week, the Bloc's theme song this year is "far more passionate than anything created for the Protestant sensibilities in Ontario." Quite right, he is. English Canadians don't like to sing cheezy songs. In fact, they don't like to sing at all. Les Quebecois, on the other hand, don't stop singing, so when an election campaign comes along it's not unusual for a million songs like this to pop up:

CHANSON "HEURESEMENT"



It's based on the Bloc campaign slogan, which translates to something like "Fortunately, the Bloc is here." That's exactly my problem. "Here" means Quebec, which doesn't mean the rest of Canada, which doesn't mean federal, which means FUCK OFF! Run provincially and stop hijacking the country with your stupid songs.

What a dangerous party. They have no interest in maintaining Canadian culture so why should we even think of them in a positive fashion? As the music indicates, the Bloc are a seperatist party, through and through.

JE ME SOUVIENS

Another hilarious election tune, this one about the sponsorship scandal

COMPTEZ SUR LE BLOC

I'm totally baffled by this Bollywood themed jam that has no lyrics other than the title. The nordic fiddle playing and Indian guitar riffage work nicely together. Don't expect an independent Quebec to be so multi-cultural.

An independent Quebec might sound more like this:

LUNDI MATIN

This song I find interesting, and a good strategy in all fairness. Traditional Quebecois songs are loads of fun and can be quite complex. It's common for these songs to add and then repeat verses as the song moves along, so you get this tune that's like a continually lengthening ladder. This ad is the culmination of a series of ads in which the Bloc gave you a different decision to vote for them for each day of the week.

I suggest you browse the Bloc's media site to hear their clever radio ads, in which Gilles Duceppe calls Quebeckers and asks for their vote.


Gilles is known for his multi-disciplined vision for governing. Here he learns Zen from the master himself. He also dabbled in the '60s with communism and joined a hard core Marxist commune.

In other election music news:

Martin pledges to mend Canada-U2 relations.

Maggie McDonald as NOW Toronto's NDP poster person in their polemic against the Green Party.

Libs seek bedmates in record companies.

ESB 1/20/06

SIKTRANSIT - CowbellCowbellCowbell
TELEFAUNA - Phantom Limb
TELEFAUNA - Turbulence
TELEFAUNA - The Latest Information
CRYSTAL CASTLES - Love and Caring
STEREO TOTAL - Bad News From the Stars
PRINZHORN DANCE SCHOOL - Monsters
MUDHONEY - Where is the Future
THE OLD SOUL - Fuck It!
MELT BANANA - Introduction for Charlie
MEAT BEAT MANIFESTO - Wild (Remix)
BEEFDONUT - Track 3
BEEFDONUT - Track 4
CHROMATICS - Witness