Belle and Sebastian Write About Love is the Scottish group’s eighth album in 15 years, and their age is starting to show. Unfortunately, while their signature sound remains intact, the overall message of the album isn’t as obvious as previous releases. Frontman Stuart Murdoch doesn’t wear his heart on his[Read More…]

bighassle.com It turns out that great albums can happen while you’re busy making other plans. Halifax’s Wintersleep wrote the bulk of their latest album, New Inheritors, while on tour. In addition to getting ready for their show each night, the band spent part of their soundcheck ironing out new songs.[Read More…]

The music of Angus and Julia Stone has a strange effect on some people. After listening to them, many begin to think of the Sydney-based brother-sister duo as “their” band. When their music was playing at a recent party, I mentioned to the guy manning the iPod how much I[Read More…]

Michael Franti & Spearhead is best known for its frontman’s vocal politics. On The Sound of Sunshine —Spearhead’s seventh studio album—Franti continues to preach, spreading a message of positive change through his music. Issues of world peace and social justice aren’t as prominent on this album as on previous ones,[Read More…]

Sufjan Stevens is a master designer of atmospheres. You would want to be a Jim Carrey-type character in a world of his design, and at the end of the movie you would ultimately choose not to escape through the hidden door. At will, and in bizarre, repeating cycles, he lulls[Read More…]

bcscene.ca It’s challenging to listen to Dan Mangan’s song “Robots” without singing along with the refrain: “Robots need love, too / They want to be loved by you.” Those words may or may not be true, but you believe them when you hear them. Perhaps Mangan, the 27-year-old singer-songwriter from[Read More…]

Broughtupsy is the fresh debut album from reggae/dancehall duo Bonjay—and fresh is exactly what it is. Fronted by singer Alanna Stuart and produced by beats/effects master Ian “Pho” Swain, Bonjay brings an invigorating mix of dancehall rhythms and crisp hooks to the floor, displaying ample evidence that these two have[Read More…]

The Postelles are an English accent and a few cheeky lyrics away from being a full-fledged Arctic Monkeys knockoff, but unfortunately their debut lacks the complexity of a Monkeys tune. Instead, it’s pretty straight pop. The instrumentation is minimalist at best (though not at it’s best when it’s minimal), with[Read More…]

“Ice Cube is the West Coast” is the mission statement for his new album. But after 16 tracks loaded with self-indulgence, Cube and his small posse of gangster no-names, has-beens, and never-weres can’t give a decent reason for why he deserves the title of “Best in the West.” The album[Read More…]

Bedouin Soundclash, known for their unique brand of reggae-tinged rock/soul music, return with their latest effort, Light the Horizon. Understated as always, the band’s new release has a lot of what you’ve come to expect from them; lead singer Jay Malinowski’s distinctive vocals, sweet melodies, a laid-back vibe, and thought-provoking[Read More…]