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▓█▓▓█ Artist.....[ The Awkward Stage ▀████▄█▓
██▓▀ Album......[ Heaven Is For Easy Girls ▀▓██
▄ █▓█ █ Label......[ Mint Records █ █▓█ ▄
█▒█▓█▄▀ Catalog #..[ MRD-096 ▀▄█▓█▒█
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▓█▀ ▀▀█▓█▒ Source.....[ CD ▒█▓█▀▀ ▀█▓
▓█▄ ▀▄ ██▓ Genre......[ Indie ▓██ ▄▀ ▄█▓
▓▓█▓▀ ██ Language...[ English ██ ▀▓█▓▓
▀ ▄████ Rip Date...[ 2006-10-04 ████▄ ▀
▄ ▀ ▓█▓ Store Date.[ 2006-10-10 ▓█▓ ▀ ▄
█▀▀ ▄▓█▀ Rip Tool...[ EAC ▀█▓▄ ▀▀█
▓█▄████▀ Encoder....[ LAME 3.90.3 --alt-preset standard ▀████▄█▓
▀█▓▀ Quality....[ 204 kbps AVG VBR 44.1/Joint Stereo ▀▓█▀
▄ █▓█▄▓█▓ Url........[ http://www.mintrecs.com ▓█▓▄█▓█ ▄
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█▓ 01 The Morons Are Winning 3:06 ▓█
█▓ 02 So Stupid, So Smart 3:50 ▓█
█▓ 03 Heaven Is For Easy Girls 2:55 ▓█
█▓ 04 Sad Girl Radio 3:55 ▓█
█▓ 05 I Drive 3:15 ▓█
█▓ 06 We're Going For A Ride 2:31 ▓█
█▓ 07 T-Rexia Nervosa 2:59 ▓█
█▓ 08 I Love You, Hipster Darling 4:45 ▓█
█▓ 09 1000 Teenage Hearts 3:48 ▓█
█▓ 10 The Room Tone 2:36 ▓█
█▓ 11 The Circus Ends In Tears (Pachrymosa) 3:46 ▓█
█▓ 12 West Van Girl 3:15 ▓█
█▓ ----- ▓█
█▓ 40:41 ▓█
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▓█▓█ ▀ ▓█▄▀ ▓█▀ ▓█ ▓█▀█ ▓█ █ ▓█ ▓█▀ -▀▀▀█ ▀ █▓█▓
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█░█ "Forget your age, forget you're clever; The █░█
█░█ Awkward Stage, it lasts forever" A mantra that █░█
█░█ serves to remind us that we never truly shed our █░█
█░█ painfully insecure and ignominiously crushed █░█
█░█ youth. It is with us always. That boy who had his █░█
█░█ head dunked in the high school toilet stares back █░█
█░█ at you as you adjust your tie in the mirror █░█
█░█ before you head off to work. More than a tinge of █░█
█░█ that old body image issue is surfacing right now █░█
█░█ in the fitting rooms of every women's clothing █░█
█░█ store. █░█
█░█ █░█
█░█ The Awkward Stage serves as a musical backdrop █░█
█░█ for those universal feelings of shame, █░█
█░█ inadequacy, anger, failure and loneliness. A █░█
█░█ revenge of sorts in the form of the most █░█
█░█ intelligent and brilliantly crafted pop songs to █░█
█░█ come along in quite some time. █░█
█░█ █░█
█░█ In a musical climate that has never been more █░█
█░█ artificial, commercialized, and commoditized, █░█
█░█ what with television commercials replacing record █░█
█░█ stores, radios, and live venues as the new medium █░█
█░█ by which new artists get discovered along with █░█
█░█ the whole American Idol phenomenon wherein we █░█
█░█ are shown the card trick, taught how it is done, █░█
█░█ shown how empty and vacuous the industry has █░█
█░█ become, and yet we still line up for more. The █░█
█░█ pendulum is long overdue its inevitable swing █░█
█░█ back in the direction of substance, meaning, and █░█
█░█ intelligence. █░█
█░█ █░█
█░█ For those of us feeling the cultural atrophy, and █░█
█░█ yet who enjoy good pop culture, The Awkward Stage █░█
█░█ is at the forefront of that return to quality █░█
█░█ and, quite simply, pop artistry. Born in █░█
█░█ Winnipeg, Manitoba and raised in Vancouver, BC, █░█
█░█ Shane Abram Nelken, leader and songwriter for The █░█
█░█ Awkward Stage, has long been considered one of █░█
█░█ Vancouver's best kept secrets. Where some play █░█
█░█ hard to get, he has taken it a step further and █░█
█░█ played "hard to find." Much like TV "Fall Guy" █░█
█░█ Lee Majors, he's the unknown stuntman who made █░█
█░█ Vancouver's indie scene sound so fine. Shane's █░█
█░█ ability to seamlessly shift among a wide variety █░█
█░█ of musical styles (and instruments) has made him █░█
█░█ a much sought after "hired ringer" by many of █░█
█░█ Vancouver's elite acts: A.C. Newman (of The New █░█
█░█ Pornographers), Sparrow, Vancouver Nights, The █░█
█░█ Ronnie Hayward Trio, The Come Ons, The Buzzards, █░█
█░█ The Blue Lodge Quartet, to name but a few. He is █░█
█░█ finally stepping out from big brother's shadow █░█
█░█ with his own band, The Awkward Stage, and the █░█
█░█ debut album on Mint Records, Heaven Is For Easy █░█
█░█ Girls, co-produced and engineered by The New █░█
█░█ Pornographers' drummer Kurt Dahle, and possessing █░█
█░█ that distinctive intangible musical essence - █░█
█░█ some say "The Vancouver Sound" - initially █░█
█░█ spearheaded and made famous by those notorious █░█
█░█ New Pornographers. █░█
█░█ █░█
█░█ Shane has also lent his talents to many films and █░█
█░█ videos as well. As both an actor (The New █░█
█░█ Pornographers' Blaine Thurier's Male Fantasy, The █░█
█░█ New Pornographers' "Use It" video) as well as a █░█
█░█ film scorer/original song contributor (The █░█
█░█ Corporation, Mile Zero, Bingo Ladies, Flesh), he █░█
█░█ is a true talent and one worth keeping an eye and █░█
█░█ ear out for. He cautions us with a rallying cry: █░█
█░█ "There is a war on and all of the morons are █░█
█░█ winning." █░█
█░█ █░█
█░█ Shane Nelken currently lives and works as a █░█
█░█ cremationist in Vancouver. █░█
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▄▀▀██ 1way AMOK BCC BUTT CMS EGO ██▀▀▄
▀▓█ ESC FNT FTD gF HiT2000 iTS █▓▀
▄▄ ▀▓█ JUST MTD NuHS pyt rH RNS SDR █▓▀ ▄▄
▓▓█████▓▄ SER soup SSR twee UKi WUS ▄▓█████▓▓
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▄ ░▒▓█████████▓▒░ ASCii By AyL!cRO 2oo5 ░▒▓█████████▓▒░ ▄
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