Reviews

When My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless was released in 1991, no one could imagine it would take more than two decades for a follow up to the shoegaze classic. After a wait rivalling Chinese Democracy’s, the indie-rock connoisseurs return with mbv, a smattering of highly infectious dream-pop picking up right where the band left off. There […]

Somewhere along the way Mike Trask invested wisely in a Delorean, and if you need proof, Jamboree II: 24 Cents is it—another recording of Trask’s that demands it be played from a dusty turntable. In an age where digital production buffs out any imperfections, Jamboree II doesn’t bear any of those digital fingerprints. This album feels old-timey […]

Four years on, people have seemingly forgotten the buzz surrounding chillwave, a faux-genre that splices sunshine R&B with dreamy vibes. With Anything in Return, Toro Y Moi (AKA Chaz Bundick) is forcing everyone to remember. A marked improvement from 2011’s somewhat spotty but still pretty great Underneath the Pine, this record signifies Bundick’s undeniable arrival […]

Just by existing, King Louie questions hegemonic capitalism, paradoxically celebrating capitalist excesses while drawing attention to the crippling social inequality that is its natural result. Still, songs like anthem “My Hoes They Do Drugs” are doing nothing to destroy patriarchy, reifying a truly revolting kind of misogyny. Even at his most hateful (AKA always) Louie’s […]

A solo EP earlier in 2012 by drummer/singer Erin Passmore has probably stoked anticipation for the third album by Saskatchewan’s Rah Rah as much as has the band’s previous output. Passmore’s voice has some sort of inner reverb that generates an extra tingle factor. The closest comparison would be to mid-’60s Marianne Faithfull. Four of […]

Ashley Moffatt is biology’s gift to music, citing her main influence as the late painter Tom Thomson. A job with Parks Canada at Kejimkujik National Park keeps her close to nature. She writes what she knows, quoting passages from text with subtle revisions for rhyme’s sake. Don’t you wish you had the sea cucumber’s defense […]

Yo La Tengo is a band of old pros. We have faith that they’ll forever release solid records because they’ve done so for more than 20 years. Fade kicks it up a notch, though, by sounding like the group at its most condensed: soft-spoken, jangly and droning. The album’s narrowed focus is refreshing, and while […]

Could anyone really recommend 17-year-old Chief Keef’s big label debut? On one hand it typifies an exciting new generation of Chicago rap production: hybrid hard-nosed Lex Luger trap beats and weirdo melodic auto-tune anthems. On the other hand, every track is a parade of dead-eyed misogynistic boasting. Like on bonus track “Citgo”—-where Keef warbles out […]

Monarchy, in the 21st century, is a game of survival. The Queen delivers her Christmas speech in 3D to stay relevant, while rapper Game, in defending his title as “King of the West,” plays chameleon and “borrows” from other rappers. For “Ali Bomaye,” featuring Rick Ross and 2 Chainz, Game recycles that same old flow […]

Deftones’ brand of nü-metal has always straddled the line between genuinely exhilarating and unintentionally funny, and Koi No Yokan continues this dance. The band’s calling card is Chino Moreno’s voice, which is a sort of whisper/wail that echoes Fred Durst and Kevin Shields in equal parts. The record’s high point is “Entombed,” a synth-laced stunner […]

Harlem globetrotter A$AP Rocky returns with Long.Live.A$AP, the follow-up to his critically lauded and commercially hyped Live.Love.A$AP mixtape. As far as debut albums go, the young Rakim Mayers doesn’t disappoint. Featuring the creme de la creme of hip hop’s new school of eclectic wunderkinds, A$AP gains support from the likes of Danny Brown, Kendrick Lamar […]

When Led Zeppelin announced they were reuniting in honour of the late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, my friend Spencer said he would kill a man to get his hands on a ticket. Five years later, Celebration Day captures the once in a lifetime performance in pristine audio quality for those who missed out. Robert […]