Give the People What They Want, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings’ fifth studio album—and first release in almost three years—harks back to their critically acclaimed 2007 album, 100 Days, 100 Nights. Thematically, this album is similar to their previous efforts of love and heartbreak, happiness and personal crises; however, it[Read More…]
Music
Karneef – Love Between Us
What place does retro pop have in the contemporary indie and electronic soundscapes of Montreal? Local musician Karneef doesn’t seem to care, and his debut LP Love Between Us presents his fastidious funk vision, with all its offbeat lyrics and diverse instruments, largely arranged and played by Karneef alone. Karneef[Read More…]
Where have all the role models gone?
In our sex-saturated society it’s easy to wonder where all the positive female role models in pop music have gone; tweens and young women are bombarded with images of barely-clothed women writhing around on the floor, or, oddly, humping foam fingers. Sometimes, even the few female artists who donít have[Read More…]
Lady Gaga – ARTPOP
Although ‘dull’ isn’t a word you would usually associate with the avant-garde, publicity stunt-loving ‘Queen of Monsters,’ the first time I listened to Lady Gaga’s new album, I skipped pretty much every song. The only one I managed to listen to all the way through was piano ballad “Dope,” which[Read More…]
Sebastien Grainger – Yours to Discover
In this LP, Canadian Death From Above 1979 singer/vocalist Sebastien Grainger deftly embraces the breezy Los Angeles style into his past punk persona. After signing with Saddle Creek Records in 2008, he is now releasing his second solo album Yours to Discover. The album flows from one electronic synth ballad[Read More…]
Stones Throw: skipping through hip-hop history
Chronicling almost 20 years of eclectic activity, Jeff Broadway’s Kickstarter-funded film ushers viewers into the vinyl-lined living rooms of the founders of L.A.’s Stones Throw record label, crafting a social history of underground hip-hop against a backdrop of crate digging, studio sessions, and release parties. Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton[Read More…]
Cowboy Junkies – The Kennedy Suite
The Kennedy Suite, an All-Canadian collaborative album written by Scott Garbe and produced and arranged by the Cowboy Junkies (Margo Timmins, Michael Timmins, Peter Timmins, and Alan Anton), as well as Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson of Skydiggers, is an ambitious song cycle centred around the assassination of former U.S.[Read More…]
Lucius – Wildewoman
Rolling Stone nailed it when they referred to Lucius as “the best band you may not have heard yet.” Led by Brooklyn-based vocalists Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, the indie-pop act emerged on the scene in 2012 and has been on the fast track to fame ever since. Wildewoman is[Read More…]
M.I.A. – Matangi
As an M.I.A. fan, it feels like I’ve been waiting eons to hear a satisfying amount of new material from the London rapper and singer. Fortunately, Matangi doesn’t disappoint. This album has been a long time in the making, and is quite a departure from her last noise-heavy release, 2010’s[Read More…]
Sky Ferreira – Night Time, My Time
With so much recent attention on Sky Ferreira’s private life—most notably her September arrest for ecstasy possession—it’s a relief to finally hear some of her music. Thankfully, her first full-length release, Night Time, My Time is exciting and moody, featuring a wide array of potential singles. Although first single “You’re[Read More…]
