Shout Out LoudsHowl Howl Gaff Gaff(Capitol)With their album released by Capitol Records, Shout Out Louds has been put in the undesirable position of being delivered as the next, next big thing. The bet is that with North America crushing harder on The Arcade Fire than a 11- year-old girl on Corey Haim in 1988, the […]
Matt Charlton
Posted inArts + Music
Marah
Marah20,000 Streets Under the Sky (Yep Roc)English novelist Nick Hornby has touted Marah’s 20,000 Streets Under The Sky to be “One of 2004’s most-loved straight-ahead rock albums.” It will not be. Marah takes the hammiest elements of early Steve Earle and Springsteen to produce a straight-ahead rock sound that recalls such wonders of modern music […]
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Band of Horses
Band of HorsesEverything All the Time(Sub Pop)In 2004, Ben Bridwell and Mat Brooke rose from the ashes of chamber pop favourites Carissa’s Weird to create Band of Horses; indie scenesters haven’t caught their breath since. The group’s cathartic pop-rock sound blends yelping vocals with dynamic instrumentation to deliver songs of saints, sin and death. While […]
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Q and Not U
Q and Not UPower(Dischord)On Power, Q and not U sound like an art-punk band coming to terms with the realization that they like Prince more than Fugazi. While it would be easy to say the band is throwing their hats in the dance-punk arena just when it is paying off, Power is more than that. […]
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Cooper Temple Clause
Cooper Temple ClauseKick Up the Fire and Let the Flames Break Loose (RCA)This album is filled with great songs, the highlight of which is opener “The Same Mistakes,” which melds all of CTC’s peaks from See This Through & Leave into a smouldering and beautiful exhibit of prog rock. The problem is that the band […]
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Shotgun and Jaybird
Shotgun and JaybirdTrying to get Somewhere(Sappy)Shotgun and Jaybird have slowly been building their own mythology. Burrowed away in Sackville, NB they periodically emerge with increasingly brilliant indie-rock offerings. Trying to get Somewhere shows the band delivering their songs with a heartfelt and sloppy honesty. Finally, they seem ready to be your favourite band.Matt Charltoncategories: Canadian […]
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Stars
StarsSet Yourself on Fire(Arts and Crafts)After their album of sappy art school love songs, Heart, Stars has returned with Set Yourself on Fire. It’s apparent from the first listen that the disc is more mature, developed and pretentious (which, with The Dears’ Murray Lightburn involved, is a bit of a given). These characteristics suit the […]
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Britney Spears
Published December 04, 2003. Britney Spears In the Zone (Jive) This is f’in gawd awful. On In the Zone, Britney takes her widely publicized idea of embracing sensuality and dry humps it into incoherence. With her wispy voice muttering about masturbation, all-night parties and plain old fashion whoring she does everything but sample braying goats […]
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Arcade Fire
Arcade FireNeon Bible(Merge)Some times are so good that you have to wonder how you’re going to ever recapture them again. It’s the dark cloud that lies just beyond every silver lining. Any artistic achievement that breaks ground and wins acclaim—or hearts—will eventually have to be followed up. In pop culture there have been two prime […]
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Conversion
Jon Boudreau is usually a warm and outgoing guy. Every time I visit the CDPlus location he manages on Barrington we talk for a while about new albums we like and local bands we hate. That all changed a few weeks ago. As I brought box after brimming box into his store, containing all the […]
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The Grinch is back
February has come with its usual tidings. The ice on the sidewalks has settled into a seemingly permanent residence as wind cuts through the city with the bite of a sandstorm. Workplaces are full of idle complacency as the realities of seasonal affective disorder and the mid-year break of primetime TV takes hold. The festive […]
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Hylo country
It’s getting harder and harder to write a story on Canadian music without at least mentioning Paul Aucoin’s name. The Halifax-born producer/musician has left his stamp on a growing number of bands through his production work. He plays in The Old Soul, The Fembots and is a contributing member of Cuff The Duke. Now, with […]
