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There was a point years ago when it seemed as though the Wu-Tang legacy was dying out. Many of the artists had released more solo records, but nothing that had anyone talking. Then 8 Diagrams was released in 2007.

The album was not without its flaws. In fact, it had many. But with RZA’s genius on "The Heart Gently Weeps" and others, it was clear that the Clan still had something in the tank.

Yet it seems that recently the Wu has been in the headlines for beef more than music. GZA’s absurd G-Unit attacks overshadowed an otherwise decent album. Then things came to a head with Raekwon and Joe Budden during the Rock the Bells tour.

Joe commenting (in a response to a Best Rapper Alive poll by Vibe) that in a pure battle, he could defeat Method Man, somehow led to a full-on feud with Wu members. This brought up questions of relevancy in Wu-Tang’s side. Though a legend, at what point does one need to stop using the past as a crutch? Inspectah Deck tried to resurrect an otherwise dead career, to no avail. It ultimately led to one of Raekwon’s boys punching Budden in the eye backstage.

Despite recent critically acclaimed releases (Blackout! 2, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2), the Wu-Tang brand is no longer what it once was. After a certain point a group can no longer rely on decade-old accolades. The new Wu-Massacre album lacks the once guaranteed cohesiveness as well as artistic progression.

Their solo releases have shown that they can sill bring it, but they are nowhere near the skills that catapulted them to legendary status.

Bitchin’ Kitchen Food Network Launch Party 

KOKO | Opus Hotel 

March 23, 2010

Nadia G and the Bitchin' Kitchen crew rocked KOKO, Italian-style, with music spun by DJ FRIGID and classic canzoni performed by Marco Calliari.

For more photos of the event, click here.

Bitchin' Kitchen airs on Food Network Canada April 1st @ 11pm EST. Watch it!

First off, a word of warning: Until The Light Takes Us focuses on the Norwegian black metal scene that developed during the early '90s, and doesn’t really provide a concise history of the genre. This is not Black Metal 101, seeing as there is almost no coverage of black metal prior to or outside of that movement. If you’re peripherally familiar with the music and subculture, however, this film will flesh out the facts with some interesting personal perspectives which novices and diehard fans alike will very much enjoy.

There is no narration in the film, so no overarching discussion linking together the various interviews and exchanges; it is shaped only by its editing, which is fittingly spare. The film centers around duelling interviews with everyone’s favorite brilliant murderous fascist, Varg Vikernes (Burzum, Mayhem), and the reactionary, apolitical Fenriz (Darkthrone), with additional input from other players in the scene. Through those two main perspectives, the birth of the Norwegian black metal scene, its sudden exposure in the media, and subsequent popularization is explored, but a multiplicity of subjective experiences ultimately do not add up to an objective truth.

Case in point, the film’s discussion of Euronymous’ murder. By allowing the story to be told by Vikernes almost exclusively, the film is slaved to the perspective of the murderer, and it was here that the would have benefitted from more contribution from other sources, since Vikernes’ version (“Euronymous was telling everyone he was gonna kidnap and kill me, so I went to his place and ended up killing him since I thought he was gonna kill me first”) leaves a little to be desired. So why did he kill him? I doubt we’ll ever really know, though there are many reasons that have been commonly bandied about, the most amusing being that Euronymous, as a committed Satanist, and Vikernes, a proponent of Paganism and traditional Norse mythology, fought to the death over ideology, and another (the most plausible) being that Vikernes killed Euronymous for financial/contractual reasons, much in the same way that the East Coast/West Coast rap rivalry in America took so many lives.

That said, the “hands off” perspective taken by the film is a strength overall, particularly in its almost peripheral coverage of the racist undercurrents of black metal and its proponents. I say this not because the xenophobic philosophies of the scene aren’t troubling, but because no matter how problematic, they cannot be removed from the genre, and as such, to properly investigate them would require an entirely different film. This is not a film about the overt violence, inherent racism and rebellion against Judeo-Christian values endemic to the genre. At its heart, it is about a group of kids who decided to create a style of music that tapped into the deep, dark underbelly of their local culture, the factions within the group that decided to exercise the antisocial messages of that music on the culture itself, and finally what happened when the proverbial shit hit the fan and thrust this small movement into the mainstream consciousness.

This is a clever, restrained film, shot in a stark style fitting to its subject matter, that would likely also benefit from repeated viewings. It’s showing every night at 9:30 at Cinema du Parc until April 1st, so grab it before it’s gone… you won’t be sorry.

WE DID IT! Thank you to all who voted and said YES to support CJLO & campus media. A huge thank you to all the CJLO members who helped spread the word and made this possible!

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CJLO, Concordia University Radio is your voice on campus. Please support campus media by voting YES on April 6th, 7th & 8th.

Join our Facebook event here!

During this year's GSA elections CJLO is asking for the support of all grad students by voting yes to a 54-cent per-student, per-semester, fee levy (no more than $1.62 per year) to support college radio on campus. The fee levy is fully refundable.

Currently, CJLO is primarily funded by undergraduate students. As such, all undergrads enjoy full membership to CJLO at no cost. Graduate students are considered to be community members and have to pay a $15 membership fee to join. By voting yes to a graduate fee levy, CJLO will be not only be the voice of ALL Concordia students, but this modest contribution will also ensure that all graduate students can make use of the benefits and resources that CJLO has to offer at no cost. These include:

• Professional & free training & experience in:
    - Radio Broadcasting
    - Sound Engineering
    - News Writing & Production
    - Sales
    - Promotion & Marketing
    - Music Industry Relations

• On-Air time (between one and two hours) to produce and present a weekly radio program. We look specifically for shows and ideas that focus on the Concordia student body, current affairs, and the underground music scene, and are always looking for unique and diverse voices from around the world.

• Free advertising for Concordia University clubs & associations for:
    - Events
    - Recruitment
    - News

• In house production facilities and equipment resources for student projects.

• Event sponsorship, DJ services, assistance in event planning.

• Most importantly, a strong voice for all Concordia students, from Concordia students, and an alternative to the mainstream media in Montreal.

Here's what Grad Students have to say about CJLO:

“Besides being a graduate student in the department of Classics, Modern Languages, and Linguistics, I also host a weekly folk-rock show at CJLO.  Throughout the last year and a half, I have had various valuable opportunities at CJLO, including learning about the process of audio recording and production, interviewing musicians and filmmakers, as well as the opportunity to use CJLO as a promotional resource for activities put on by the Art of Living Club, of which I am also a member. Participating at the radio station has benefited me in expanding my range of skills, and expanding my network of like-minded students.”

-    Anna Chigogidze, Graduate Student, Department of Classics, Modern Languages, and Linguistics

“I am a graduate student in the department of psychology at Concordia University. As well, I have been a member of CJLO since 2002. Over the course of my studies at Concordia, I have been able to use the recording studio at CJLO to create audio clips that have been used as stimuli in my research projects. Renting a recording studio off campus can be costly, while the recording studio at CJLO is very convenient. The production crew at CJLO is extremely helpful; they assist in the setup of the studio and the recording process, all at no cost for members. This valuable on-campus resource saved my supervisor and I a lot of time and money. I strongly recommend that graduate students help support and take advantage of the professional facilities at CJLO.”

-    Nassim Tabri, Graduate Student, Department of Psychology

“To say that doing a graduate degree is “intense” is a bit of an understatement. Still, the definition does not really surprise anyone and certainly did not shock me -- I had anticipated intellectual and physical rigor before I entered the Master’s program in 2004. What I had not expected, however, was how solitary and isolating the experience could be.  I was fortunate to be part of CJLO Radio at the time.  Not only did the station provide great music as I typed papers into the wee hours of the morning, but volunteering at CJLO also gave me a necessary break from school work and helped balance my graduate experience.  I met a lot of cool people along the way, and I bonded over fellow grad students thanks to the station’s access to and promotion of indie music and local artists.”

-    Antonella Fratino, M.A. in English Literature (2004-2007).

Ballot Question

Do you agree to apply a fee levy of 54 cents per semester, applicable to GSA members, where the fee shall be used to ensure the growth and sustainability of CJLO, 1690 AM, Concordia University Radio? This fee shall ensure that all graduate students are eligible for full membership privileges including but not limited to broadcast training, on-air time, promotion support for student organized events, and production facilities and equipment resources for student projects. The fee would be effective starting with the fall semester of the 2010-2011 academic year and refundable in accordance with Concordia University tuition and refund policy.