Critics’ Picks of the Year

Rich Aucoin, We’re All Dying to Live (Sonic) The master of ceremonies for Halifax’s best confetti-filled dance parties finally reveals the soul behind his show—and it’s every bit as magnificent as we could have hoped. Austra, Feel it Break (Paper Bag) Like fire and ice, Feel it Break‘s tightly wound electro shouldn’t mix nearly so […]

13 & God, Own Your Ghost (Anticon/Alien Transistor) Underground hip-hop got a dose of self-reflection when 13 & God returned this year. The collective of Dose One, Jel and Notwist demonstrated a versatility that even seasoned jazz aficionados would shake their heads in disbelief at. Handsome Furs, Sound Kapital (Sub Pop) With ’80s new wave, […]

Algoma (Invisible) By Dani Couture This debut novel is best devoured next to a woodstove in a snowstorm, as it conjures chilly, lovely images of loss, wilderness, weather and a chain of siblings christened after a fleet of ships. And Also Sharks (Cormorant Books) By Jessica Westhead The Antagonist (House of Anansi) By Lynn Coady […]

Carsten Knox Coast writer since 2003 Bobby Fischer Against the World (Mongrel) Directed by Liz Garbus Once upon a time, chess champions were famous. This doc follows the chaotic life of the biggest ever, and how pressure to compete drove him off the rails. Bruce Springsteen, The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge […]

Julianna Barwick, The Magic Place (Asthmatic Kitty) A world unto itself, The Magic Place is the year’s most evocative and outright gorgeous album. Built almost entirely from Barwick’s hushed vocals, her wordless sound sculptures are entirely transcendent. Destroyer, Kaputt (Merge) Fifteen years on, one of Canada’s greatest current songwriters is still surprising his audience. Delivering […]

A Description of the Blazing World (Freehand) By Michael Murphy Easy to Like (House of Anansi) By Edward Riche The Great Leader (House of Anansi) By Jim Harrison Great Village (Cormorant) By Mary Rose Donnelly Irma Voth (Knopf Canada) By Miriam Toews The Magician King (Viking) By Lev Grossman The second in a trilogy of […]

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Bobby Fischer Against the World (Mongrel) Directed by Liz Garbus Once upon a time, chess champions were famous. This doc follows the chaotic life of the biggest ever, and how pressure to compete drove him off the rails. Bruce Springsteen, The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town (Sony Music) Directed by […]

Matthew Ritchie Coast writer since 2010 Bombay Bicycle Club, A Different Kind of Fix (Island) British 20-something shoegazers make ambient dance album with rock instrumentation. This is probably the best album you haven’t heard of. Expect big things from this young band. Friendly Fires, Pala (XL) Friendly Fires are kind of like LCD Soundsystem, except […]

Around a Small Mountain (Cinema Guild) Directed by Jacques Rivette Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (Argot) Directed by Jessica Orek Bill Cunningham: New York (Zeitgeist) Directed by Richard Press New York Times street-style photographer is a captivating character: accepting no pay for his work snapping stills of Manhattan’s chic and elite, living minimally and alone—not even […]

Childish Gambino, Camp (Glassnote) Hands down this is one of the best debut albums in hip-hop, period. Honest and unpretentious, Camp simply hones the raw intensity of Gambino’s EP without losing a thing. Childish Gambino, EP (Independent) Five free ferocious tracks from an Emmy-winner was all it took to put the hip-hop scene on notice, […]