Omon Ra has a firm grasp on the possibilities of space, both within the music they create and the vast solar system spread out above us. Their unique take on what could be described as blues-tinged folk hybrid—with a healthy dose of experimental bravery to boot—takes equal pleasure in letting spaces within the music breathe, […]
Andrew Robinson
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Hellacaust
This offering from the princes of Halifax’s metal scene may have come out on an indie label, but it’s major in every other way. From the pummeling opening of “Whore” through to the guitar heroics that close out “What We Say is Real,” Hellacaust sound like a four-man hell demon. The production on Disgust is […]
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The First Aid Kit w/Rich Aucoin and The Stance
Coming from a sunny city like Los Angeles, you’d figure Darryl Smith would bemoan dealing with the Canadian winter he faces in Halifax. Don’t be fooled—the singer/guitarist/bassist for The First Aid Kit says he’d much rather be here in Halifax than in his self-described “paralyzing and strange” hometown. “I don’t like the winter, but LA […]
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Ruby Jean’s house of rock
A night out dancing in Halifax used to be fairly generic. You could shake your rump along with loads of other loose-boozers at dollar-drink venues to the expected top-40 tunes rocked by unimaginative DJs. Then there’d be those cover bands knocking out covers of “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Sweet Caroline.” This is all fine, but […]
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Treasure island
Growing up in a small town can make connecting with music all the more special. While brothers Ryan and Aaron Crane didn’t come of age in a small town per se (Charlottetown’s population tops 32,000), you’d be hard pressed to find a more endearing introduction to indie-rock on the island. “It’s a typical big brother […]
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North stars
In the post-Sloan Halifax of the late ’90s and early part of the present decade, it was a little tricky for some to pinpoint a band that defined the music scene. Old vanguards were moving to Toronto, while other acts like The Super Friendz, Plumtree and Thrush Hermit were disbanding. The days when music media […]
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The Maynards
The MaynardsDate and Destroy(indie)Unlike the one-way street they’re named after, The Maynards fly in all sorts of directions. For a band known for playing brash, fun-loving rock ’n‘ roll, they choose to introduce their third full-length album with the surprisingly moody “Spinny.” It’s a flavour that comes again two songs later in the tough Sleater-Kinneyish—and […]
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Old school, new tricks
Ricardo Lopez seems to like technology. You’d at least think so checking out his first album under the alias Oldfolks Home. Knowing he’s the sole performer, composer and recording engineer on Oldfolks Home’s We Are the Feeding Line, you’ve got to marvel at his craft. Full of skittering beats and strange sounds burbling beneath his […]
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Shout it loud
Driving through New Glasgow on the Trans-Canada Highway, you don’t see much evidence of a booming music town. It’s certainly pretty looking, what with that river and plentiful greenery surrounding it. Don’t be fooled, though: New Glasgow rocks. There’s the wildly successful New Glasgow Music Jubilee happening every summer along with a plethora of venues […]
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Bringing down the house
Attics are often one of the most neglected places in a house. At best, they become storage spaces for belongings a person can live without but aren’t ready to part with. Otherwise they just become empty crawl spaces. The attic of 6015 Willow Street has had a pretty intriguing existence up until now. There’s a […]
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FemBots
[image-4]Published October 09, 2008.FemBotsCalling Out(weekwerk)FemBots’ fourth album has some hard-to-place sounds lurking within its densely textured arrangements. This strange quality becomes more understandable once you learn Calling Out was originally planned to be recorded using strictly homemade instruments. Bedtracks from those aborted sessions became the basis for what sounds like a not-so-run-of-the-mill rock album. It’s […]
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MacGregor goes down
Andrew MacGregor’s been loving the last year he’s spent in Truemanville, a small community in Cumberland county that’s a short drive from the New Brunswick border. Chances are he’s the only experimental guitar slinger living there—let alone one to have recorded with a member of Sonic Youth and release a boatload of CD-Rs, LPs, CDs […]