Dear readers of my blog!

Since I adore dystopian stories, I was glad when a friend of mine recommended the British science-fiction series ''Black Mirror'' to me. The series feature speculative fiction with sinister themes that examine modern society with regard to the unanticipated consequences of new technologies. The first two seasons fetauring three episodes each plus a special episode were distributed by Channel 4 and are available on DVD and Blu-ray. A third season featuring twelve episodes will be distributed by Netflix in the near future. I will seriously consider purchasing the DVD version of the first two seasons. I found this second episode of the first season on the video-sharing website Dailymotion thanks to a friend (and I don't own any rights, I'm just sharing a link that is available to anyone else). I simply wanted to share this stunning episode with you which stands out due to some fine acting, a surprising plot and atmospheric settings. Please note that the series are rated 15 (suitable only for 15 years and older for some strong language and short depictions of violence) in the United Kingdom. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.

Sincerely yours,

Sebastian Kluth

Dear readers of my blog,

Here are some pictures I took this morning around my workplace.

Since I love winter, here comes a nice song about it.

The fact that French-Canadian crossover band Les Trois Accords releases a new studio record has become a triennial event in Quebec. The quartet from Drummondville continues to have a large fan base thanks to its unique mixture of traditional rock music, tight punk rock, catchy pop music and a healthy dose of country music. The cherry on top of the cake is the humorous lyrics of the band with hilarious topics, original plays on words and weird figures of speech. Musically, the band sounds like a mixture of The Beatles, Johnny Cash and Weezer. Lyrically, it’s more a combination of diverse French-Canadian comedians like Louis-José Houde, Paul & Paul and Mike Ward.

The band’s sixth studio album is no exception. The album title is already a play on words and can be interpreted as a tribute to the French expression joie de vivre or as a nod to the gay pride movement. The cover artwork is exaggerated on purpose and features a dolphin and a unicorn dancing under a rainbow in a purple sky filled with numerous stars.

The title track and opener ‘’Joie d’être gai’’ is by far the best song on the new record in my book. It’s a joyous and uplifting tune with a catchy chorus and funny lyrics on one side. No matter how hard you try, you will end up singing along to the chorus despite its ridicolous lyrics and because of its pithy simplicity. On the other side, it’s also the heaviest tune on the album and features both alternative rock and grunge influences. It’s the kind of track that makes you want to sing and move along right from the start. The visual concept of the cover artwork comes back in ‘’Les dauphins et les licornes’’ which turns out to be the most surprising tune on the album. It’s a calm, introspective and sad track that meanders between depressive and hopeful tones and lyrics in a surprisingly mature way. Still, some of the lyrics manage to put a smile on your face. This song feels like a complex tragicomedy summarized in just five minutes and is probably the band’s most ambitious track so far.

The rest of the album can’t keep up with these two tracks. Still, there are a few recommendable tunes on the output. The entertaining ‘’Top bronzés’’ tells a humorous story in a truly funny way and can be cited as an album highlight. ‘’Saint-Bruno (Nuit de la poésie III)’’ is a follow-up of ‘’C’était magique’’ from the similarly sounding previous release J’aime ta grand-mère and ‘’Nuit de la poésie’’ from the diversified career highlight Dans mon corps. While the track is energizing and memorable and has a similar style to the two predecessors, the concept starts getting a little bit repetitive. It’s still a good song but I also hope it’s the last of the series.

The other tracks are of an average quality at best and offer charming but slightly dated pop punk with silly lyrics that might make you laugh at first contact but that soon turn out to be forgettable. There is no real stinker on the record but the fact that more than half of the tunes are somewhat exchangeable standard material really hurts on an extremely short release of just thirty-four minutes.

In the end, faithful fans of the band should purchase this output while occasional listeners can save almost twenty bucks by just downloading the tracks ‘’Joie d’être gai’’ and ‘’Les dauphins et les licornes’’. Another option would be to simply go see the band in concert for one hour and a half for almost the same price since the band will be touring the belle province early next year. The inevitable future live album or a greatest hits compilation at a certain point might be other options for patient customers and an alternative to this short good average product. In the end, Joie d’être gai is still an entertaining release but lacks consistency and turns out being the band’s weakest studio output so far. 

Final rating: 6,5/10

Les Trois Accords will be on tour at the following locations:

30/01/16 Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Cabaret-Théâtre du Vieux-St-Jean)

27/02/16 Saint-Eustache (Le Zénith)

04/03/16 Beloeil (Centre culturel)

12/03/16 Saint-Jérôme (Salle André-Prévost)

17/03/16 L'Assomption (Théâtre Hector-Charland)

19/03/16 Brossard (Le Club Dix30)

31/03/16 Sherbrooke (Théâtre Granada)

02/04/16 Sainte-Geneviève (Salle Pauline-Julien)

08/04/16 Saint-Prime (Vieux Couvent)

15/04/16 Chicoutimi (Cabaret La Saguenéenne)

06/05/16 Trois-Rivières (Théâtre du Cégep de Trois-Rivières)

20/05/16 Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts (Théâtre Le Patriote)

Dear readers of my blog!

It's time to honour one of my very favourite sportsmen: the Canadian ice hockey forward and captain of the Arizona Coyotes Shane Doan. He is a true leader on and off the ice and an inspiration both for his hometown community in Alberta, people from his early career stations in British Columbia and Manitoba and especially for sports fans of all kinds in Arizona. He has been a captain for more than twelve years now in Arizona which makes him the longest serving captain in the NHL. In addition to this, he was also a captain for Team Canada. Shane Doan is the last remaining player currently active in the NHL from the original Winnipeg Jets. 

Check out this short documentary about this inspiring personality:

Post scriptum:

Don't forget to read this article about his leadership as a captain and role model (2013): http://www.fiveforhowling.com/2013/12/5/5171976/shane-doan-a-true-captain-on-and-off-the-ice-phoenix-coyotes

Please read the following article about his loyalty to the Arizona Coyotes (2014): http://www.fiveforhowling.com/2014/9/3/6099669/shane-doan-the-one-constant-through-years-of-turmoil

Make sure to read this recent French-Canadian article about Shane Doan (2015): http://www.lapresse.ca/sports/hockey/201511/20/01-4922967-la-fidelite-de-shane-doan.php

Sources: Sportsnet, Five for Howling, LaPresse (all rights reserved)