Sean Flinn

VariousJamaica to Toronto: Soul Funk and Reggae 1967 to 1974Offerings such as Jamaica to Toronto: Soul Funk and Reggae 1967 to 1974 provide evidence of some of the good that’s come Canada’s way from the island of Jamaica. It ain’t just guns and gangsters, despite what news media repeats over and over. A wave of […]

Peter ElkasWall of Fire(Maple)This is your garden-variety blue-eyed soul-rock that doesn’t manage to set itself apart from predecessors such as Ron Sexsmith, who has a uniquely tender voice and deep sense for the world to match. On Wall of Fire Elkas steps forward with no standout quality. From the opener “Fall Apart Again” through the […]

EelsBlinking Lights and Other Revelations (Vagrant/Universal)Kids of all ages: this pure listening pleasure is brought to you by the letter E. That’s E for Everett, as in Mark Oliver Everett. He produces some of the leading indie-pop today. If you think, “oh Eels, right, aren’t they the band that sounds exactly like Beck?” you have […]

Pernice BrothersLive a Little(Ashmont Records)With each record, the arrangements, playing and Joe Pernice’s voice (singing and writing) have filled out, making Pernice Brothers such an engaging band. With Live a Little, Pernice shows once again the lasting power of pop to tell stories and share life lessons. “Automaton” starts the record with a contemplation of […]

Architecture in HelsinkiPlaces like ThisPolyvinyl RecordsArchitecture in Helsinki releases its fourth album drawing from late-’70s new wave, early to mid-’80s romanticism and a smidge of early-’90s ensembles. They are indeed equal parts B-52s, Talking Heads and The Cure, passing fancies such as Thomson Twins and Poi Dog Pondering and even, occasionally and arguably, Montreal’s own […]

Eels with StringsLive at Town Hall(Vagrant)MTV Unplugged established a useful test to see what pop-rock songwriters could translate to a stripped- down environment. These records often involved other stringed instruments, mainly the cello, or whole sections to augment the six-string acoustic guitars. Today, Eels would surely pass the test. The band, fronted by E (Mark […]

El Perro Del MarEl Perro Del Mar(Control Group)El Perro del Mar has a song called “Coming Down the Hill,” calling up Kate Bush’s classic song, “Running Up that Hill.” In fact, the Bush influence seeps into this entire album. Swede Sarah Assbring (the one-woman-show that is El Perro Del Mar) favours Bush-isms, especially in the […]

Shotgun JimmieThe OnlysDelorean RecordingsIt’s hard to keep it simple—to take away excess, the extraneous material, until only the strongest stuff remains. Clearly Jim Kilpatrick stuck to the rule. The simplicity evident here makes for smart and sophisticated songs. Though under 40 minutes, you will not reach an end to the discoveries with repeated listens.Sean Flinncategories: […]

Immaculate MachineOnes and ZeroesMintSomething’s brewing over there on the left coast. So many bands hailing from the Pacific come off sounding urgent, frenetic. (You can probably blame the New Pornographers’ Mass Romantic for getting it started.) The Van City trio Immaculate Machine — Brooke Gallupe (guitar), Kathryn Calder (keyboards) and Luke Kozlowski (drums) — have […]

The Black AngelsPassover(Light in the Attic)The psychedelic pop revival of the last several years has offered up some great music. Much like the original 1960s genre, the tunes today divide up into two camps: the dark and the light. By virtue of the name alone, The Black Angels belong in the former category. Passover is […]

Nathan WileyThe City Destroyed Me(Sonic records)The third album from the mop-haired music man from PEI could very well have been subtitled The Trials of a Young Man Who Lost His Way. Temptation, indulgence, elation, euphoria, clarity, crash, despair, escape (though with permanent scars) and redemption: it’s all here. Visually, the cover art shows a drooping […]

DJ Cheb I SabbahLa Kahena(Six Degrees)La Kahena is San Francisco-based, Algerian-born DJ Cheb I Sabbah’s latest musical journey, which took place through sessions in San Francisco, New York, New Delhi and Marrakesh. While his best known records, like Sri Durga, reflect immersion in traditional Indian music, this new album delves into North African music–Moroccan, Yemeni […]