Album Reviews: Dishpit, Lake Street Dive, Really From

 Dishpit — Dipshit (Montreal) For a raw and often kinetic punk rock sound, Dishpit delivers some serious goods with the attitude to push it over the top. With something for fans of Gurr and Dream Wife alike "Plaza People" takes at least five of these hard left turns, whether rhythmic

Album Reviews: Chicks, Protomartyr, Illuminati Hotties

 The Chicks — Gaslighter (Dallas, TX) Simply speaking up and being honest about their politics rattled things for the Chicks (fka The Dixie Chicks) over a decade ago, but they're back to try and run with that spirit in their music. With an alt-pop sound that lets their country roots

Album reviews — Hazel English, Jack Pine and the Fire and more

 Hazel English  - Wake UP!  (Sydney Australia) Retro yet somehow of a totally different planet, Hazel English's music melds so many worlds into its desert pop sound. Crisp and full of wonder, this record is one to really get your mind racing. This is instantly palpable in the hazy synths of

Album Reviews: BTS, Jenny Lewis and more

 Broken Social Scene - Let's Try The After (Vol. 2) (Toronto) Given all the music they make in their own time, it's a wonder how Broken Social Scene seem to always evolve while sounding exactly how you remember. In this latest album they dive further into their strange ethers but

Album Reviews: November 19, 2018

 St. Vincent - MassEducation (Austin, TX) So many artists will put out acoustic collections or sparing bonus versions of their tracks, but so often these tracks can subtract too much. Rather than aesthetically strip her music down, St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) has used an acoustic instrument set to make

Album Reviews: October 8, 2018

 Christine and the Queens - Chris (France) There's something truly invigorating to hear music like Christine and the Queens, that can be fun and art-pop at the same time. While her latest record (which you can hear in French or English in its entirety) leans into vintage pop & funk

Album Reviews: August 27, 2018

 Interpol - Marauder (New York City) Over the years, Interpol has become such a distinct body as a New York band that they could have easily become a legacy act without anyone getting too upset. However for their latest album, the sleekly-dressed band decidedly balances out a sharp new pop

Album Reviews: July 23, 2018

 The Ophelias - Almost (Cincinnati, Ohio) There's so much samey indie-pop that it's truly intriguing to hear a band using the genre's conventions to try something new. For their newest release, The Ophelias bend the rules of arrangement and typical writing to make an album that lulls you in before

Album Reviews: February 15, 2017

 Owen Maxwell takes a look at new releases from Mother Mother, Sinkane, Vermont, Bikini Deathray and March Break Club. Mother Mother – No Culture (Vancouver) Vancouver’s most dangerous art-rockers hit back with the surprising No Culture. Right of the bat this record establishes its voice firmly in a heavy but

Destruction Luster – Dragoneer – Album Review

 8bit music isn’t just exclusive to video games anymore. One of the few musicians keeping 8bit music (also known as chiptune) alive in the capital keeps the amazing retro hits coming. On Dragoneer by Destruction Luster (one of many projects by local chiptune super-composer TheUntimelyWound) he manages to make an

Kristine St-Pierre releases bilingual album Call Me Crazy

 Ottawa singer-songwriter Kristine St-Pierre has released Call Me Crazy, her first full-length bilingual album. A little more than two years since the release of her first bilingual EP Stand Still for A While, Kristine launches a second album that shows off her maturity and sensitivity, all the while keeping with

Sarah Slean: Navigating the Mystery on Land & Sea

 Fifteen years on and Sarah Slean's list of accomplishments is as varied as it is impressive. Slean is something of a modern-day Renaissance Woman. During her career, she's released an exhaustive amount of work: her own albums, collaborations with other musicians, painting exhibitions, two volumes of poetry, acting roles in

Lindi Ortega – Shootin’ Straight from the Heart

 Lindi Ortega loves telling stories. That love comes out in the form of haunting, warm and honest music. Ortega's voice is beautifully evocative, charming and rich… filled with a sweet sense of longing and regret, floating over and caressing each word as she lays her heart bare. She thanks the

Paul Brandt – Getting back to his gospel roots

 Paul Brandt's newest record Just As I Am, released in October, is an interesting departure for this Canadian country star and multi-music-award winner. Just As I Am is a reference to Brandt's gospel roots, and the record is a collection of traditional favorites. If you're not interested in an album with overt Christian

Mother Mother: Back to Basics on The Sticks

 At the peak of digital possibility, for every one artist capitalizing on the technology age, two are cursing its contribution to the demise of good music. For every Rebecca Black, there is a Neil Young – an established artist there to remind us that it didn’t used to be all

David Usher – Ushering in the End of the World

 Songs From the Last Day on Earth is David Usher's eighth solo release since the heady days of Canadian super-group Moist, and seemingly the most sober in terms of subject matter and content. Usher has said that Songs From the Last Day on Earth is a “theme” record in terms of all

Inlet Sound: The New Romantics on the Block

 When young indie crew Inlet Sound ventured to record in the cabins and churches of the Canadian Shield last spring, their escapist recording experience mimicked those of many veteran rockers before them who stole away from the pop of camera bulbs and city noise to achieve musical serenity. Only, Inlet

Red Potion – The New English Words Record

 With the new release Red Potion, English Words become slicker elixir-mixers. (Try saying that 10 times in a row with an alcohol-thickened tongue.) For whatever reasons, Canada’s East coast seems to continually nurture and produce some of the coolest Canadian bands around, whether Thrush Hermit, Eric’s Trip, Rose Cousins, Rich

“Hillbilly Pop” from The Strumbellas

 Hear ye! The Strumbellas are coming to Ottawa! Holy macaroni, I love this band! You  may not have heard of them yet, but believe me when I tell you, you will! Quirky and adrenaline-fueled, The Strumbellas' debut release My Father and the Hunter is a wonderfully full listening experience. Packed with

Holly McNarland: Juggling Lives On Her Own Terms

 When Holly McNarland’s smash single “Numb” went viral as she approached her mid-twenties, she was a bright young rocker, a rookie to the record label and a hopeful firecracker quickly winning her way on to MuchMusic countdowns and Women & Songs compilations. Like any fresh face, she was ready to