Doug Taylor

Here comes a collective from Saskatchewan with bookish name and cogent lyrics. Three of the eight breathe new life into such tools of quirk as Casio keys, Bontempi organ and glockenspiel. A clever song title like “Insider Trading (on Outsider Art)” gets justified by a lyric like “We are desperate as fashion.” “Haunt This House” […]

Like a storyteller before the age of print, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings preserve true soul music through decades of dilution and gimmickry. Though James Brown and the Stax sound are still heard on recordings, this is the crew that keeps it new. Jones’ career rebirth in her 50s may not have occurred without the […]

A South Shore songbird who’s played many a Halifax show, Laura Merrimen offers a debut album full of her own songs, with solid support in producer Brad Conrad and a band that includes screechy guitar from Don Hache. At times the breathlessness of Kathleen Edwards and drawl of Lucinda Williams is evident in her voice. […]

When experimenting with sound, often the question is how musical the result should be. London-based Kieran Hebden, who moonlights as a club DJ, bounces between beautiful electronic randomness and direct to disco on his latest. It is puzzling for those who fancy his mutant side when he’ll plop a lengthy groove like “Love Cry” under […]

Stepping out from Hot Toddy, Swift handpicked some of the most respected players in the region: Geoff Arsenault, Brian Bourne and JP Cormier, to name a few. You get some flourishes along with a more layered sound. As a singer, Swift likes to hold a note, even on the rockers. “Home” depicts the feeling of […]

Born as a summer replacement for Air Farce on CBC Radio in the 1980s, The Frantics rode geeky and creepy male antics to big laughs, blazing a trail for The Vestibules and even The Arrogant Worms. Recently reunited and unabashed by age, the four fellows are flush with material to wrinkle noses and scare secretaries. […]

Backbone of the Eastern Europe-via-NYC mania that is Gogol Bordello, Tommy T is a native of Ethiopia. It’s his bass that gives the Gogols their go-go. Here he taps history for exotic echoes. Prester John was a Christian king in the Middle Ages whose own explorations inspire the album. “East-West Express” sets wild Nigerian horns […]

On leaving BC to return to its Ontario roots, Ox releases this assortment of tunes and guitar squiggles. The band is playful, hoping to engross you in its experiments, varying distortion as if musing about Les Paul in his basement 60 years ago. This may appeal to gearheads and Deadheads, but the songs seem half-written. […]