Reviews

The lighter side of British New Wave lived in the Soft Boys, led by Hitchcock, whose oddness then charmed college rock fans Stateside in the 1980s with the Egyptians. Just turned 60, he still has a lot to say. Being a Brit shines through in production and lyrics. While cellos roil on “Be Still,” he […]

Animalia is the moniker of Jill Krasnicki, a Toronto-based artist (by way of Tasmania) who made some noise last year with her debut EP, To the Waking, the Shaking & the Volatile. Her latest release, A Wave to Wash the World Away, reveals an impressive knack for crafting urgent folk songs complimented by flourishes of […]

Make no mistake; a new album from Justin Timberlake will always be a landmark event. But after a seven-year wait, I’m disappointed to say The 20/20 Experience is a mostly hit-or-miss affair. Obviously, there won’t be many better songs in 2013 than blissful lead single “Suit & Tie,” and other tracks such as the disorienting […]

AMOK is the debut album by Atoms for Peace, a supergroup fronted by Thom Yorke, featuring producer Nigel Godrich, rap-rock pioneer Flea and others. The album’s sound will be familiar for anyone who’s followed Yorke’s career since Hail to the Thief, as it deals mostly in squiggly guitars, buzzing synths and busy percussion. From the […]

Normal responses to my constant beseeching to listen to Young Thug’s new Brick Squad-affiliated mixtape include: “the auto-tune sounds like he’s euthanizing sick farm animals”; “he isn’t even singing on key”; “he mumbles half his lines and the ones that aren’t mumbles are horrid shrieking yelps” and “the weird half-singing half-rapping cadence sounds like listening […]

Following a good stretch in Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Fearing is back to doing what made his name. His first solo album in seven years should reclaim his status in the acoustic realm. The tune he was dying to get out there is “Cold Dawn,” concerning the tragic helicopter crash off Newfoundland in 2009. […]

Thom Swift follows up 2010’s Blue Sky Day with his third solo recording, The Fortunate Few. Newly released Tuesday, Swift is slated to play during ECMW Friday, March 8 at the Waterfront Warehouse (see the listings, page 15). The Fortunate Few features some lighter-sounding fare (“Sweet Thing”, “Runaway Train”) but for the most part, the […]

If punk is dead, these 20-somethings didn’t get the message. Hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, left-leaning punks Iceage have taken the urgency of early Black Flag and combined it with the book-smart aggression of fellow Scandinavian-revolutionaries Refused to create an album that’s equal parts unabashed-desolation and youthful-exuberance. On the aptly titled You’re Nothing, Iceage unleashes a […]

On “Inhaler,” the lead single from UK math-rockers Foals’ third album, Holy Fire, the tunesmiths explode in a flurry of distortion and arena-ready riffs. Anchored by bandleader Yannis Philippakis’ usually inaudible croon, during the opener’s climactic chorus, the young singer’s vocal chords sound close to combustion, screaming, “I can’t get enough space,” overtop his band’s […]

This veteran bard of Guelph wants to be a hellraiser, but is he too nice? When Gordon sings “Why can’t we all just agree?” in “We’re on the Same Side,” he is the least cynical person alive. The late NDP leader Jack Layton’s farewell letter has been adapted into “Jack’s Dream,” which may strike some […]

Mining the sublime from a broad selection of music is the knack of Toronto multi-instumentalist Greg Jarvis and his aggregation The Flowers of Hell. When Neutral Milk Hotel and the Czech band Plastic People of the Universe each get a baroque trumpet and violin makeover, you know somebody’s given this some thought. Klaatu’s “Calling Occupants” gets […]

River Tiber is a four- piece live band brought together by the solo efforts of Toronto native Tommy Paxton-Beesley. Synapses sidles up to you slowly, spins you around, gives you a dip and then humbly takes a bow, leaving you delightfully flummoxed, if not slightly disconcerted. It’s a maelstrom of layered electronic sounds, jarring and […]