Dan ReederS/T(Oh Boy)Dan Reeder’s debut is a great find of lo-fi folk that can stand easily beside Ani DiFranco, Will Oldham and Greg Brown. This disc comes from Reeder’s cassette demos, which found their way into the hands of John Prine, who released them on his own Oh Boy label. Packed end to end with […]
Trevor MacLaren
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Rock City
Published September 04, 2003. Rock City S/T (Lucky Seven) Before Alex Chilton joined forces with Chris Bell for Big Star’s #1 Record, Bell and Big Star bandmate Jody Stephens were in Rock City. This CD displays the framework that Bell would bring to Big Star’s powerhouse sound. With the still ongoing debate over who was […]
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When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four ActsDirected by: Spike Lee(HBO Home Video)Spike Lee is primarily known for his groundbreaking work dealing with racial and social issues in the US. With a great deal of visionary films to his credit, his work as a documentary filmmaker is often overlooked. Like the haunting and disturbing […]
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Paul McCartney
Paul McCartneyChaos and Creation in the Backyard EMIChaos and Creation in the Backyard is the record that all Beatle and Macca fans knew, deep down, he had in him. Since the collapse of Wings there’ve only been a few singles worthwhile of mention and they didn’t start until “My Brave Face on Flowers in the […]
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Elliot Brood
Elliot BroodElliot Brood(Electro Photo)Elliot Brood is a great find that gets better with each listen. The EP has a solid foundation in old time country-blues, with a great contemporary style. Over six songs in just 17 minutes, Brood displays a genuine songwriting gift and a knack for mixing ’80s pop-punk with old time music. It […]
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Nicolai Dunger
Nicolai DungerHere’s My Song You Can Have It—I Don’t Want It Anymore/Yours 4-ever(Zoë/Rounder) Nicolai Dunger’s latest, Here’s My Song is a bit of a departure from soul/folk/jazz, more chamber-pop based. Produced by and featuring fans Jonathan Donahue, Grasshopper and Jeff Mercel of Mercury Rev, this album has several interesting genres overlapping throughout. The ghost of […]
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Martha Wainwright
Published December 08, 2005. Martha Wainwright Martha Wainwright (Zoe) The other Wainwright child?sister of Rufus, daughter of Loudon III and Kate “The McGarrigles” McGarrigle, if you’re counting?comes forth and gives a spiritually bare and brash folk record that recalls Joni Mitchell crossed with early Tom Waits. Definitely not cut from the cloth of Rufus’s baroque […]
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The Weekend
Published February 17, 2005. The Weekend Beatbox My Heartbeat (Outside) Cheesy synths, in-your-face crunching guitars and pop hooks aplenty from London, Ontario’s The Weekend. On the promise of their Teaser EP comes Beatbox My Heartbeat, a tribute to late ’70s/early ’80s power-pop that adds the current flavour of the month—pop punk—to the mix. The hard […]
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Me’Shell Ndegeocello
Published December 04, 2003. Me’Shell Ndegeocello Comfort Woman (Maverick) Simply fucking brilliant! Incorporating all the best aspects of R&B, soul and Prince’s contemporary funk with a kick in the ass from George Clinton and Funkadelic, the disc is a rousing surprise in the world of contemporary R&B. While the public gets flooded with industry-remodelled moneybags, […]
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The Sadies
The SadiesIn Concert Volume One(Outside)One of Canada’s greatest live bands finally commits its show to tape. Taken from over two nights at Lee’s Palace in Toronto, these two discs are smoking! Helping the band are a slew of guests including The Good Brothers, Blue Rodeo, Neko Case, The Band’s Garth Hudson, Jayhawks’ Gary Louris and […]
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The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky
The Films of Alejandro JodorowskyDirected by: Alejandro Jodorowsky(Starz/Anchor Bay)Alejandro Jodorowsky has fought Allen Klein and ABKCO Films for the release of his films for over 30 years. With their differences behind them, beautifully restored versions of Jodorowsky’s first feature, Fando y Lis and the lost short La Cravate can emerge. The crown jewels of the […]
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PJ Harvey
PJ HarveyUh Huh Her(Island)After Harvey’s most commercial sounding record Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea, she is back with a vengeance. Uh Huh Her is a yin and yang of the raw lo-fi aggression unleashed on Rid of Me, coupled with the subtle beauty of songs such as “Water” from Dry. This is […]
