Wolf Parade Thin Mind Royal Mountain Records/Sub Pop In a rock world where most of our bands are drifting to harder sounds yet combining other genre influences to create a different listening experiences, it seems that the indie genre is [...]
Graven Years Independent Some records are a perfect reflection of their times, and Years by Graven, also known as Matty McKechnie is one such collection. In this, his 11th release, he solidifies his reputation as one of the most direct and [...]
Beefheart Project Toronto I Heard These Tweety Things Independent This is a somewhat difficult album to review and assess as tribute albums are always tricky to examine. What is the purpose of the tribute, and how are the songs treated, [...]
Alice Boman Dream On [PIAS] Recordings “Sad songs say so much”, or so we’ve heard. Nowhere is that sentiment more present than with Dream On, the latest offering from the Swedish artist Alice Boman. After a steady stream of EPs and singles over [...]
Anti-Flag 20/20 Vision Spinefarm Time-honoured Pittsburgh political punks Anti-Flag have presented an eye-opener with their new record, 20/20 Vision. Their 12th studio album is of course as politically charged as one would expect after two [...]
Of Montreal UR FUN Polyvinyl Records My first introduction to Of Montreal was a mixed CD with “Don’t Ask Me to Explain” blaring through my crappy car speakers. My second introduction to the band was their catchy Outback Steakhouse commercial, [...]
Dr. John Babylon (Reissue) Get On Down Standing out as one of Dr. John’s most overtly political album, Babylon rings just as true as it did when it was first released in 1969, and it hasn’t lost any of its voodoo magic either. Originally cut in [...]
Brandon Wolfe Scott Burden On Your Shoulders Dine Alone Records Brandon Wolfe Scott is a familiar name to all those who have been following Kelowna, BC ‘bigwigs’ Yukon Blonde. While in the band it is Jeff Innes who handles most of the [...]
Terry Draper Sunset On Mars Terrytunes Former Klaatu member, Terry Draper has been very busy of late. Following 2019’s In My Garden, Draper has delivered his best solo album of his career. Sunset On Mars is a stunning album, full of strong [...]
Mark Morton Ether Rise Records/BMG Mark Morton is no stranger when it comes to epic releases with band Lamb of God. This comes as no exception with the release of Mark Morton’s solo EP creation Ether. Bringing in some of the biggest talents in [...]
Bombay Bicycle Club Everything Else Has Gone Wrong Arts & Crafts Bombay Bicycle Club have released their eagerly anticipated fifth album; Everything Else Has Gone Wrong. “Everything Else Has Gone Wrong”, also the title of the last track of [...]
Marcus King El Dorado Universal Music Producer Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys handles production on Eldorado, the new album by the guitar prodigy Marcus King. Auerbach also recently Yola’s album, and with all the praise and success it had, there [...]
Algiers There Is No Year Matador Records Imagine, if you will, a landscape that is simple but crushing in its portrayal of desolation – narrow alleyways, grimy streets, the clouds looming dark and heavy just overhead, all but completely blocking [...]
Death Party Playground Little Joy Independent “Sounds like” is probably the most common comment you’ll hear about music. Any music. Expect no exceptions with Kitchener Waterloo, Ontario quartet Death Party Playground and Little Joy, [...]
Nebular Wave Chicxulub Saw-Whet Records Hailing from Edmonton, Alberta, instrumental space rockers Nebular Wave have released their first LP Chicxulub. The album is described by them as the “refined result of late-night jams, early morning freak [...]
Georgia Seeking Thrills Domino After four long years, Georgia is back with their highly anticipated sophomore record, Seeking thrills. London native Georgia Barnes has put together what is almost sure-to-be one of the most downright fun albums [...]
Apocalyptica Cell-O Silver Lining Music Apocalyptica is back with their ninth studio album Cell-o, which is also their first fully instrumental album in 17 years. The Finnish cello quartet are perhaps best known for their deeply emotional [...]
Andy MacKay & Phil Manzanera Roxymphony Expression Records In 2019, Andy MacKay composed and released an album, 3Psalms, and performed the stunning work live, with part of the show a MacKay and Phil Manzanera collaboration titled Roxymphony. [...]
Frank Zappa The Hot Rats Sessions (Reissue) Universal Music With Hot Rats, originally released in the fall of 1969, Frank Zappa showcased his talent by blasting through with incredible jazz-fusion-based gems. Hot Rats is the most essential Zappa [...]
Øzwald Born In A State Allswell Records Albums released mid-December of any year are usually by big name artists, or are some form of a lavish rerelease serving as a ‘perfect gift’. Nothing wrong with those, it is just that practically all the [...]
Twin Tribes Ceremony Negative Gain/Young & Cold Records/Manic Depression Records I hate to admit it but I’m an old goth; not the goth part but the old part. Listening to Ceremony, the new album from Texas goth/dark wave duo Twin Tribes, [...]
Throbbing Gristle A Souvenir Of Camber Sands (Reissue) Mute In 2004, Throbbing Gristle reformed after calling it a day in 1981. The original lineup put aside their differences, and that year released a live album, A Souvenir Of Camber Sands is [...]
Throbbing Gristle Part Two: The Endless Not (Reissue) Mute In 2004, Throbbing Gristle reformed after calling it a day in 1981. The original lineup put aside their differences, and eventually in 2007 they recorded Part Two: The Endless Not which [...]
Beatastic Diffraction Shore Dive Records Beatastic describes themselves as a “shoegaze/indie/grunge/electronica/post punk band.” Based out of Brighton, the band is really a solo project by Nicolas Pierre Wardell. Diffraction is a new release [...]
