FFS FFS Domino Records Question: Could this album be a “Them Crooked Vultures” type collaborative moment that catches lightning in a bottle? FFS is an interesting rock supergroup formed by Scottish rock group Franz Ferdinand and [...]
Muse Drones Warner Brothers Records/Helium-3 Fans of The Resistance, rejoice. For it is the same gritty, full sound of that album that one can expect from Drones. Even the theme of war is similar. If Muse’s goal was to return to their [...]
Barenaked Ladies Silverball Warner Music Canada The Scarborough, Ontario pop veterans dig deep from the well again! Watching the Barenaked Ladies spitting out albums consistently since 1992 (but no Junos since 2009) is like watching 19 kids and [...]
A$Ap Rocky At.Long.Last.A$AP RCA Records This was a powerhouse album to make. A$AP Rocky has long been one of my favourite rappers, and this album did nothing but further cement my beliefs. Filled to the brim with strong collaborations on all [...]
Fatboy Slim The Fatboy Slim Collection Sony Music Canada Norman Cook, ex-bassist from the Housemartins has come a long way since adopting the Fatboy Slim moniker in 1996. His early hits, “The Rockerfeller Skank” and “Praise You” are not included [...]
The Acorn Vieux Loup Paper Bag Records An Ottawa boy who cried old wolf… Rolf Klausener’s indie folk band The Acorn is back with their first release since 2010, Vieux Loup(translated as “Old Wolf” for those of you who [...]
The Pack A.D. Meta Animal Nettwerk Well, the Pack is back. This time Vancouver’s rock duo, The Pack A.D., have released a four track EP, which follows closely on the heels of last year’s Do Not Engage. The album contains a re-release [...]
VNV Nation Resonance Anachron Sounds If you’ve partied in a goth club from Atlanta to Warsaw, you’ve likely heard VNV Nation’s futurepop anthems enough to absorb the lyrics by osmosis. Ronan and Mark’s music has a ubiquitous, international [...]
Banditos Banditos Bloodshot Records Banditos’ first ride is a good one! Much heaping of praise is deserved for this 12-track album, as the raw wall of sound is centre stage for this high-flying, blues rockin’ Birmingham, Alabama [...]
Warm Soda Symbolic Dream Castle Face Records Warm Soda frontman Matthew Melton crafts tidy songs about summer. Actual lyrics be damned – the words themselves deemed irrelevant by the vibes, man. Warm Soda spins quick and catchy ditties meant to [...]
Patrick Watson Love Songs For Robots Domino Records I was first introduced to Patrick Watson in 2012, at Austin City Limits (ACL). I had never heard of him before seeing him on the lineup that year; he was seemingly as unknown as one can be, [...]
Mumford & Sons Wilder Mind Island Records Lovers of banjos and chewing tobacco beware; the latest release from Mumford & Sons may make you uncomfortable, but not regretful. Perhaps it is important to start the review by mentioning that [...]
Frank Black and the Catholics The Complete Recordings Cooking Vinyl Frank Black has announced a compilation album will be released for Frank Black and the Catholics. The band is considered to be an underappreciated gem in rock and roll and is [...]
Braids Deep in the Iris Arbutus Records Let down your electronic braids! Originally from Alberta, the now Montreal-based trio of Raphaelle Standell, Austin Tufts and Taylor Smith continue to move the Braids brand forward with their third [...]
Blur Magic Whip Warner Music Canada Twelve years after their last album and recorded in Kowloon, Hong Kong (which might explain the album cover), Blur is back with an album that well…..is basically a Blur record. The old Blur. No monster hit [...]
Great Lake Swimmers A Forest Of Arms Nettwerk / Weewerk A Forest of Arms is a collection of profound and musically dynamic tracks that runs deeper than meets the ear. The stunning acoustics on this 6th studio album by Toronto folk rock darlings [...]
The Charlatans UK Modern Nature BMG/Chrysalis Modern Nature has been making waves. It is The Charlatans UK’s first release since the death of drummer and long-time member Jon Brookes, who died of brain cancer in August 2013 at the age of [...]
Kathryn Calder Kathryn Calder File Under: Music Kathryn Calder is the space between sentences, the calm before the storm, the tether that grounds the otherworldly personalities of her band The New Pornographers. Originally brought on to perform [...]
C & C Surf Factory Garage City Six Sooter Records C & C Surf Factory is a band with a great blend of garage-based rockabilly and surf guitar jams, brought to you by Toronto axe masters Colin Cripps and “Champagne” James Robertson. Their [...]
Limblifter Pacific Milk We Are Busy Bodies Limblifter is back and rousing nostalgia for old fans of the Vancouver indie rock band. Having first heard the heavy guitar songs “Screwed it Up” and “Tinfoil” off their [...]
Doldrums The Air Conditioned Nightmare SubPop The test of a great album isn’t necessarily that it blows you away at first listen. The true mark of a timeless record is that it grows on you steadily and gets better the more you play it, a very [...]
Loopity Goofs Secret Gems Hidden Weapons Black Crack Records The long awaited, debut full-length album from Toronto’s Loopity Goofs is LOADED with killer beats, sample and grooves. Gord Shields and Scott Atherton are the brains behind [...]
Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell Asthmatic Kitty The entrancing sound of Sufjan Stevens’ unmistakable music is beautiful. The unpredictable yet cohesive sonic journey through his new album Carrie & Lowell will undoubtedly hold your [...]
Ron Sexsmith Carousel One Warner Music Canada/Compass Records Ron Sexsmith is a great songwriter and his newest album Carousel One is full of lyrical highlights. The album, which was produced by Jim Scott (Wilco, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo [...]
