Is it just me or has this city gotten increasingly louder? And I’m not talking feedback and screeching vocals. No, this noise is of the obnoxious, unharmonious kind, the sounds of scraping metal, hammering and high-pitched buzzing, i.e. the cacophony of construction. As of late, it seems like my days have been framed by unpleasant audio feeds of this nature. Wake-up call: whir of electric saws from neighbours renovating downstairs. Bike-ride to work: jackhammer attacks on the Berri hill. Boulevard René-Lévesque: armies of life-size Tonka trucks yelling back and forth as I make my way into the office.

I simultaneously cower and feel murderous when assaulted by this type of soundtrack. I know construction is supposed to be a sign of progress and all but what about progressing with some racket–free machinery? Pillows have worked as gunshot-silencers for years so I don’t know why we can’t come up with a decent muffler for construction gear, that's all I'm sayin'.

Anyways, here’s hoping that Montreal’s building battalions will give it a rest this weekend because I’d prefer to save my ears for some voluntary noise exposure. Like Il Motore’s anniversary party tonight with The Outfit, DJs Lynne T and Grand Mal, as mentioned in Hour’s Hit List this week. I can’t believe it’s already been a year since we cut the inaugural ribbon with that excess of booze and subsequent stumbling. Cheers to a year of amazing shows and friendly bar service Il Motore! 

Or if you love the sound of tape running through a projector as much as I do, there's the One Take Super 8 event at La Brique on Saturday which promises to be pretty rad. Gorgeous poster by local artist/musician Marie Douce. 

Come on feel it, it's the weekend!