Phonogram: Rue BrittaniaKieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie(Image Comics)Phonogram is a comic borne from the authors’ nostalgia for the Britpop phenomenon of the ’90s, and an interest in magic and fantasy. This could be trite, but it’s not. Aging British scenesters have magic powers gained from tapping in to the energy of music; 10 years on, […]
Laura Kenins
Posted inArts + Music
Blackouts
BlackoutsCraig BoykoMcClelland and StewartAt 28, Craig Boyko’s stories have been nominated for the Journey Prize several times and published, it seems, in every Canadian literary magazine. Blackouts, his first book, is a collection of short fiction. It travels from Stalinist Russia to WWII-era London to banal, contemporary Canadian suburbs. Boyko is a skilled, articulate writer, […]
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Be Good
Be Good Stacey May Fowles (Tightrope Books)Sometimes fear of becoming a Montreal hipster novelist is the quickest way to stop daydreams of moving, after another fruitless Halifax day. For those of us who never drank at Montreal’s dive bars while attending McGill, those books can be like banging your head against a screenprinted gig-poster-adorned wall. […]
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Elfin Saddle
Elfin SaddleGigantic Mother/ Wounded Child(Kill Devil Hills) Elfin Saddle’s Sappyfest set stopped the crowd in action and drew wide-eyed listeners to sit on the ground in front of the stage intently. A Montreal-based two-piece who freely rotate instruments, they relate stories and myths in both English and Japanese. The contrast between Jordan Mackenzie’s soulful, old-man-style […]
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Hilotrons
HilotronsHappymatic (KELP RECORDS) Ottawa’s Hilotrons seem to aspire to an infectiously danceable blend of new wave and electronic music. Peppy and upbeat, Happymatic brings to mind bits of ’80s hits, Britpop and video games, but feels just not quite as happy as promised. They’ve got their synthesizers together and electronic beats and handclaps often meld […]
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The Damnsels
The DamnselsMy Gender Role (indie) Moncton’s The Damnsels’ latest EP-release show coincided with their breakup show, which is a shame because in the unnecessarily male-dominated climate of the maritimes’ alternative music scene, we need more bands like this. A pop-punk trio made up of two girls and a guy, The Damnsels seem not to take […]
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The Creeps
The CreepsLakeside Cabin(BLACK PINT)The Creeps follow Danzig or The Misfits in the traditions of dark punk rock, but work present-day crimes into a record that’s eerily catchy. This is the Ottawa band’s third full-length release, following 2005’s Back to the Bin, and it takes a darker turn than their earlier records. Playing music about lurking […]
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Art Bikers rouse inner rebel
“Most people just don’t expect to see five people on bikes hauling big brightly coloured trailers around on the road,” says Jesse Harrod, coordinator for the Art Bikers. If you’ve been watching the Halifax streets over the past two summers, you may well be one of those people. Now in their second year of operation, […]
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Backyard wildcrafting
Ever considered the hidden potential of your backyard shed? The Anchor Social Centre (formerly known as Anchor Archive Zine Library) has. This is the third summer the DIY arts centre has been running their Shed Residency program, housing artists from locations such as Montreal, Boston and Vancouver. Not the traditional artist residency, it’s an ideal […]
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Entire Cities
[image-4]Published June 19, 2008.Entire CitiesDeep River(indie) Entire Cities hates the term alt-country and rightly so: While Deep River has a certain country-jamboree sensibility, it bears no resemblance to aging cowboys who want to be rock stars. The Toronto ensemble shifts between a panoply of instruments on their first full-length, creating an atmosphere that’s fun but […]
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Culture Reject
[image-4]Published June 12, 2008.Culture RejectCulture Reject (White Whale Records)Culture Reject is the solo project of Toronto musician Michael O’Connell, formerly of Guelph band Black Cabbage. Culture Reject comes from a realm of quiet, quirky indie-pop and brings in a host of impressive assistance, including Jim Guthrie as a backup instrumentalist and Andy Magoffin, producer for […]
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Work in progress
Long a local favourite, Toronto-based artist Kelly Mark is given a retrospective of 12 years of work in Stupid Heaven. Mark, who studied at NSCAD, had her first curated exhibit at MSVU Gallery in 1995, and she has since had her work widely exhibited nationally and internationally, as well as in many local exhibits. Mark’s […]
