Reviews

In Ajijic, Mexico, I’m usually kept awake by aerial firing, mariachi bands, dogs and a surprising abundance of roosters that I’ve never come across in person. Until last week I tried to extinguish the aural smog with two Dramamine and a YouTube collection of “soft white noise” that accompanied a totally unironic slideshow of beaches/footprints. […]

If you’d heard Fred Eaglesmith’s tormented musings 20 years ago, you might be concerned that he’d do himself or somebody harm. Well, he’s still at it, sounding just as wounded and occasionally hostile, releasing nearly an album a year—a brisk touring itinerary is needed to satisfy the Fred-heads. Eaglesmith is resourceful when it comes to […]

This musician’s musician finds the ideal setup for a solo recording with a 50-year-old microphone. With no overdubs and four prized guitars including a 12-string and National steel, Dawson’s virtuosity and imagination are front and centre, reminiscent of albums in the 1970s by John Fahey and Leo Kottke. He has fun with titles like “Flophouse […]

The band born from appreciation for Willie P. Bennett 18 years ago not only endures but may be just hitting its stride. Colin Linden, Stephen Fearing and Tom Wilson each has his strengths. Now, when it comes to playing, composing and singing, they become a unit more clearly than ever on this mostly acoustic set. […]

The first release from Heavy Fog, a new avant-classical imprint from stalwart Halifax outsider label Divorce Records, is spellbinding. It offers over an hour of shifting, tangled melodies from some of Toronto’s finest players. With introspective strings, blooming autoharp and ebbing cymbals, Bespoken moves the mind of the listener to a position of lightness. Which […]

This album has already been noticed by more people than The Devil Makes Three’s decade of earlier releases. Originally from Vermont, based in California, the trio’s new label hooked them up with Nashville producer Buddy Miller. Sure enough, Miller’s earthy guitar boosts “Hand Back Down” into as rambunctious a critique of religion as you’re likely […]

With that tone of lament that turns up these days in male groups from Kings of Leon to Mumford and Sons, this quintet from Fredericton could blend in with some very popular acts. The album and song titles are six different women’s names, like a triage tent in the love wars. Loads of hooks help […]

Some artists affirm life just by being as eccentric and prolific as ever. Though Howie Gelb has been more celebrated for past exploits with Giant Sand, his solo career is attracting admirers. Scottish singer KT Tunstall, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and violinist Andrew Bird all contribute. An oddly tuned, meandering piano, ghostly backing vocals and Gelb’s […]

Nancy Urich and Seth Smith return two years after Deformer sounding fuller again, sending waves of their special brand of thoughtul fuzz-pop across the city (and the country: Fade Out has been number one on the Earshot charts). Trading vocals and guitar lines, Fade Out takes a walk around life, touching subjects like economics (“Dirtbag”), […]

“It glides through the pearly sky,” Ian Kehoe cheerfully sings on Marine Dreams’ sophomore effort Corner of the Eye. The journeyed songwriter descends on new territory with 10 new minimally constructed folk-pop songs that are both thoughtful and poetic. The three-part vocal harmonies and shimmering 12-string acoustic guitar mark a slight departure from Marine Dreams’ […]

Souleyman is one of the luminaries of Dabke, a style of Syrian folk dance music that has made its way to North American ethnographic fetishists and the crate-digging/blog-sniffing wing-tipped-Oxford-snobs via awesometapes.com and world music label Sublime Frequencies. Dabke is music for gatherings, and Souleyman’s ultra-minimalist, synth-driven take on it is no exception—this is music for […]

It’s NYE 2013. You will find me misting the room with Beyoncé Midnight Heat eau de parfum, drinking a mini-bottle of champagne, grabbing a vegan cupcake and turning up the audio/visual experience that is Beyoncé. Alternating between sexually charged, heartfelt and bombastic, the surprise album that whipped the internet into a tizzy doesn’t crumble under […]