Everything below here was uploaded for the Fictions issue, uploaded by Capital in early February.

í¢â‚¬Å“Fictionsí¢â‚¬  is the word of the month here at Capital. A darling of a concept to the creative writer, fiction(s) is a dirty yet enticing word for journalists. Ask Pulitzer Prize winning Washington Post writer Janet Cooke about embellishing the truth to make the story sing. Everyone condemns it, but show me a writer who hasní¢â‚¬â„¢t thought of omitting certain facts or conveniently ignoring contrary opinions in order to build a story.

Theyí¢â‚¬â„¢re entering the first truly adult phase of their lives, that part where, sooner than they imagined it, thereí¢â‚¬â„¢s another generation behind them, ready to hog the spotlight. What to do? Resent these gate-crashing barbarians because they personify the ravages of time, or tap into their energy and help them to find their way?

Greg Saunier doesní¢â‚¬â„¢t claim to be any sort of armchair Zen master, though his musical philosophy has a decidedly Eastern flavor. But when people listen to Deerhoofí¢â‚¬”the noisy art-rockers for whom Saunier plays drumsí¢â‚¬” the teachings of Carl Jung and Tibetan Buddhists doní¢â‚¬â„¢t immediately come to mind.

A very warm reception greeted Veda Hille and her Grand Ensemble of Pals at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. A fierce applause echoed around the interior and in-between the performers before she could even sit on her piano stool. Commissioned by the Push festival to present a new set of songs and deliver a reworked version of Field Study, this audience knew that on a very foggy night in January, something special was about to be shared. Veda Hille was home.

Deep in the back room of a small bar in Toronto, The Cliks performed for their die-hard fans. Part of the emerging í¢â‚¬Ëœqueer rockí¢â‚¬â„¢ genre, those in the group identify as gay and write sexual/romantic/heart-break songs about women. Legend has it that their front man, Lucas Silveira, has already received a double mastectomy and is awaiting a complete female-to-male sex change operation.

Apples in Stereo

New Magnetic Wonder

Yep Rock

After releasing the stripped down, distortion heavy Velocity of Sound in 2002, it seemed the Apples had completely abandoned their usual rich and textured production style í¢â‚¬“ essentially what made them stand out from most of their pop savvy contemporaries. But with New Magnetic Wonder, the layered dynamics and candy-coated sonics are back in full force. The album consists of 14 songs (with 12 additional segueing link-tracks) mostly all sung by lead Apple Robert Schneider, though former core-member and ex-wife Hilarie Sidney jumps aboard for a couple numbers (most memorably on one of the recordí¢â‚¬â„¢s best cuts, í¢â‚¬Å“Sunndal Songí¢â‚¬ ). And while the band doesní¢â‚¬â„¢t chart too much new territory, a few tracks like the Phoenix/í¢â‚¬â„¢70s pop-inspired í¢â‚¬Å“Same Old Dragí¢â‚¬  and the breezy, space pop of í¢â‚¬Å“7 Scarsí¢â‚¬  remind us of how tasty these Apples can be.

Sarah Slean with the Blue Spruce Quartet and John SouthworthSaturday, December 16, 2006Enwave Theatre, Harbourfront Centre

As she appeared on stage, Sarahí¢â‚¬â„¢s stunning and fiery red dress echoed the warmth of her personality. She opened with a pleasant cover of the Carsí¢â‚¬â„¢ song Drive, for which she sang solo while playing the piano. She laughed as she admitted to the audience that her mother didní¢â‚¬â„¢t want her to wear the dress, considering it was the one she wore on television for an awards show. She also shed her shoes and got into the showí¢â‚¬ ¦

Music journalism has always been a contentious form of art. I think it was Frank Zappa who said, "Most rock journalism is people who can't write, interviewingpeople who can't talk, for people who can't read." And judging by the deluge of music PR disguised as journalism and inarticulate musicians, the late ní¢â‚¬â„¢great Zappa might have a point. As for Zappaí¢â‚¬â„¢s last comment, we, at Capital have more faith in our readership. The Capital music section looks to covernot only important artists, events, movements, and culture of contemporary music but also the underrated, acts that fall through the cracks, and those on the verge of greatness and failure. We do this for the love of music. But even love has limits, so we need the help of others to make it work. Whether ití¢â‚¬â„¢s an album, concert review, editorial, or in-depth interview, Capital wants to hear your voice on what music means to you. So hit me with your story ideas, write me a review, or simply send along your thoughts on what you think of the section. Capital isn't only about spreading information, ití¢â‚¬â„¢s about making links, and what better way to do so than through music.

Is it the end of the year already? Man alive! It seems like we just launched Capital 2.0, and Ií¢â‚¬â„¢m writing about a year that went by too fast. So much has happened in music this year. Timbaland and the Neptunes continue to make banginí¢â‚¬â„¢ tracks for cash, but when it comes to fans buying their solo records, most should take a pass. This year, like the last 25, legends have died, yet Paris Hilton lives (she turns 26 in February). The world lost Desmond Dekker, Wilson Pickett, and Sid Barrett in 2006. There were a slew of reunions that are too many to mention (Roxy Music and The Buzzcocks, surely you have a bit of money left!).