Queen Street West / Music & Book Shops

Queen Street West, being the creative community it is, obviously has its share of lovely little music shops. This would in fact be one of the better places to track down that older vinyl record you've been searching for or those newer vinyl and compact disc selections you couldn't find at HMV.

"Rotate This" is your vinyl-obsessive music retail shop, offering independent artists from a variety of differnt genres.

Some of their top sellers lately have been Ariel Pink, Flying Lotus, LCD Soundsystem, and Male Bonding, but they definitely have all your older favourites as well. It's a laid back and personal shopping experience, one and a half blocks west of Bathurst.

"Slinky Music" is everyone's favourite music store. They carry the finest MOOG equipment along with an amazing vinyl and compact disc selection.


Old Techno, Funk, Hip-Hop, Soul, and Disco records. Be sure not to miss the $1 clearance bins as well.

Crystal Castles, Flying Lotus, wait... Rusko and Kode 9. Haha, yea. Just from the albums they display on their store front, you know you've come to the right place to get your hands on your favourite dubstep releases as well.

"Cosmos West Records" is known to be one of the best spots for DJ's to find some of the rarest vinyl releases out there. Prices here are known to be a little high here, but there's a price you have to pay for quality, right? The likes of Madlib and MF Doom have been seen here, so it's definitely a shop you should check out.

"Neurotica" has been around these parts for a long time, and has gained a loyal following. It's your music consignment spot.

A fit staff to help you find your obscurest music desires. Definitely stop by for rare vinyl, tapes, videos, and compact discs.

But don't limit your record search to just music shops. There are a lot of vintage shops that sell random odds and ends like Amelia.

They often have a box of under-priced vinyl just waiting to be played again. I mean just look at Mr. Billy Joel sitting there.

Though a little aged, I'm sure there are many people out there who want you "Just The Way You Are." Haha. While you're there, don't forget to browse through some of the old books they have lying around as well.

Speaking of books, "Type Books" is one of Toronto's most interesting book stores, with a great selection of artsy books to serve the community around it well.

Definitely stop by if you're looking for something interesting to read. I'm sure the staff will be helpful to you.

Queen Street West really has stuff for any creatively driven person. A lot more Queen Street West coverage to come. Come by the blog whenever you have the chance.

NXNE 2010 / Wavves / The Raveonettes

NXNE, it's Toronto's biggest alternative music festival.

And this year, the free Yonge & Dundas Toronto Life Square concerts brought in some huge headliner acts.

I got the opportunity to see two of them while I stopped by.

This festival is the sister one of SXSW. It's Toronto's very own. And yes, that means a lot of things other than just music get showcased here.

Gaming, film, social media, etc. But mostly it's all about the music. Haha, that may or may not be a biased statement. But, it's also the truth. :p

In addition to all those things, NXNE can also be an opportunity to meet with band members who sometimes personally sit down to sell their own merch, vinyl, and compact disc releases.

So, I had the chance to see a bit of the Wavves show.

I really enjoyed it, but I still think they'd be more enjoyable in a smaller venue.

The Wavves had a decent crowd, but the band that really brought out a crowd...


...and the cameras...

The Raveonettes. They seriously put on such a fantastic live performance!

Pure static feedback engulfed the crowd as they came on stage.

And then, the show began.




I had to leave half way through their show, and it was more than a task. Probably, a lot of the people there showed up a little early for the Iggy Pop show. Nonetheless, such an amazing show and a lot of people looked like they were having such a good time.

So yeah, I missed Iggy and The Stooges. But it was still more than enjoyable.

And I think I figured out why Yonge was closed off. The amount of hipsters on fixies this concert attracted would have put Toronto drivers in serious danger. Bahahaha.

Cocteau Twins - "Victorialand" (1986)

Earlier today, I quickly stopped by a small little record shop in Port Credit named Ric's Recollections. I visited this local gem for the first time a few days ago, but didn't really do much browsing because I had no money on me. Today, I did a little more browsing and I found the Cocteau Twins' fourth album, Victorialand, for $12. I absolutely adore 80's dream pop, so I decided to buy it. I'll definitely be stopping by here again, since I have a few more purchases in mind. Funny thing is I have no turntable as of now, but I have decided to buy one when I get the chance, so I've officially begun my vinyl collection.

The owner is such a nice dude! He helped me find some stuff I was looking for, and when I went to pay and didn't have enough money to pay for the tax, he waved it off for me. He also gave me a plastic bag without charging, which is the typical protocol here in Ontario. That's what I absolutely LOVE about local little shops. They stay grounded, get to know their customers, and it becomes more than just about business. It becomes about a mutual love for something, in this case, music. I put a YouTube playlist together, so you can listen to the entire album, HERE.