Yesterday was a difficult day, although there was redemption to be found at the end of it all. After five hours on a stinky Greyhound bus - not a good place to be if you're already in low spirits, I might add - I made my way to the Sigur Ros show last night with Manon and Martine. The show, with the Amina String Quartet as opening band, was intense in more ways than one. Unfortunately, the theatre was a heat-trap void of any air circulation, which is a shame because it eventually became a distraction. The guy next to me was dripping all over the place, and Manon was constantly fanning herself and the area around us for a semblance of fresh air. Meanwhile, things continued to blow up on stage in a fireworks of background imagery, ambient lighting tricks and Sigur Ros' vocals and music in a constant weave of complicated and beautiful crescendos. Soon though, the music was at my back and I was walking towards a pizza parlour before hailing a cab home to bed. I'm glad I saw the show upon my return to Ottawa - I needed something to keep me from sinking further into the depths of I-can't-even-describe-it mood I've been in.

So in lieu of the recent pity party I've been throwing for me and the unfortunate readers of this blog, let's keep it to music and reviews for now, shall we? While in Toronto I discovered a wonderfully pleasant album called Riot In An Empty Street by Norwegian band The Kings of Convenience. The surprising melodies and bittersweet, quirky lyrics create a nicely melded record to be savoured in its entirety - although I've had the chance to do this only once myself. Still, it's my best recommendation for your next CD purchase.