Sean Flinn

The Just BarelysTop(Dead Bum)The Just Barelys instill beauty, intelligence, wit, melody and melancholia—and more—into just over 17 minutes of music. They’ll do wonders with a full length record. Top comes from Stephen Kelly and Eleanor King, two audio artists in complete harmony on every track. Playing, they have a light touch, though the production sounds […]

Forro in the DarkBonfires of São João(Nublu)This is a finely played, fun album. Bonfires of São João offers a dozen vocal and instrumental tracks mixing the always-inovative Brazilian take on pop, jazz, blues, folk and acoustic-dance. Jorge Continentino’s pifano (described on the band’s website as a “breathy flute”) and producer Mauro Rofosco’s zabumba (a “bass-y […]

Bell OrchestreRecording a Tape the Colour of the Light(Rough Trade)Instrumental music has never sounded fuller, more complete, in terms of conjuring a place and telling a story. The place: a big city in winter. A low-end hum remains constant, like the sound of traffic on snow-covered streets. The sound builds in a sonic platform for […]

The Black KeysMagic Potion(Nonesuch)The riffs are large and meaty. Singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach has that ’70s-era vocal sound down pat (think Lynyrd Skynyrd). If you have an older sibling who played the likes of The Band, a tune from Magic Potion (“Good-bye Babylon”) will bring you back to your young and impressionable days. Similarly, “Just a […]

The Go! TeamProof of YouthSecret CityIf there were 12 apostles of hustle to be named, you’d have to include The Go! Team at the table. No doubt they would bring Proof of Youth to share with the others. From the get-go, this album gets up and goes. A good thing for the first handful of […]

Neko CaseFox Confessor Brings the Flood(Mint)Just how Neko Case does it is anyone’s guess. She works with one of the most exciting bands to come along in awhile, The New Pornographers, and she keeps putting out these solid records of her own. The latest — the provocatively, if not obscurely, titled Fox Confessor Brings the […]

Two Hours TrafficIsolator(Fontana North)Multiple ECMA nominee Two Hours Traffic is well on its way to becoming a great band. On its latest release, an EP called Isolator, the quartet from Prince Edward Island offers six tracks of pure pop gold. Liam Corcoran has matured into a singer commanding attention. His tenor voice is just torn […]

Hot SpringsVolcanoAquariusGiselle Claudia Webber is one crazy lady. A witchy woman. Thankfully she’s putting her powers to good and not evil. This is ass-kicking rock that reminds of why you bought those Veruca Salt and Breeders albums in the ’90s, but it also tells you that it can get better, much better. Sean Flinncategories: Best […]

BlackaliciousThe Craft(Anti-)From beat and word one of this record, you know something special is going on. No time is wasted on an intro or skit. No, “World of Vibrations” steps out with a big kick drum and thick piano chords to propel Gift of Gab’s message that, yes, something special is happening here. The impact […]

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 […]