Reviews

VariousBrats on the Beat(Go-Kart)Just when you thought the memory of the Ramones has been sold and spit upon enough, some other marketing genius finds a new way to disgrace it. This collection of pseudo and real punk vocalists with kids screaming along behind them to the choruses of Ramones songs is a travesty. The arrangements […]

ResetNo Worries No Limits(Union 2112)Remember the days when the two founding members of Simple Plan still had some cred in the punk scene? The artists formerly known as Reset have re-released their albums No Worries and No Limits on a single disc, and they’ve cleverly titled the new/old release No Worries No Limits. The album […]

HouseholdsBullrushes Will Grow(Burnt Oak)Environmentalists first and musicians second, Households has released its second album in casing that was “salvaged from a brewery dumpster” and with liner notes that appeared to be glued on with a glue stick. They also like to play “by candlelight.” With Bullrushes, this small eco-band from Guelph has enough political stands […]

City and ColourLive(Universal)City and Colour started out as a limited edition EP of solo material from Alexisonfire frontperson Dallas Green and became the full-length, critically acclaimed Sometimes. Due to the popularity of Alexisonfire, Green couldn’t tour the release, prompting a live CD/DVD package that would allow City and Colour fans to experience these tracks in […]

MarahSooner or Later in Spain(Yep Roc)Marah can’t get a break. Despite heavyweight fans in Bruce Springsteen and Steve Earle, their Replacements-inspired rock has never made the band anything more than a cult favourite (though Matt Mays opened for them in New York last year). This live EP isn’t going to remedy this situation, but that […]

David VanderveldeThe Moonstation Mouse Band(Secretly Canadian)Multi-instrumentalist David Vandervelde recreates the glam-era Marc Bolan that graced such classics as Electric Warrior and The Slider with scary accuracy. While that should make fans of T.Rex and glam rock excited, the line between imitation and influence often gets blurred throughout this debut. But there is no denying that […]

Glen Hansard and Marketa IrglovaOnce OST(Summit)This is how dope the songs from the terrific film Once are: they’re number one in soundtracks at iTunes, besting even Hannah Montana and High School Musical. Though some of the tracks are available rock-like on The Cost, the latest from Hansard’s band The Frames, and in delicate piano form […]

Shop BoyzRockstar Mentality(Universal)Much like the popcorn films on the screens at your local multiplex, there’s an equal number of brainless filler discs that storm the airwaves during the lull in the summer release schedule. The debut album from the Shop Boyz is every bit a filler disc—it will drop another pair of singles and then […]

Animal CollectiveStrawberry Jam(Domino)If there is a common element in all of Animal Collective’s records it’s a child’s disposition. The band doesn’t rationalize the world and then decide to radicalize it or destroy it like punk, it’s more that they never tried to understand it in the first place. It’s extreme idealism—the only world that ever […]

JDiggzMemoirs of a PlaybwoyMaxamus EntertainmentCan someone pass JDiggz a dictionary? Glance at the tracks on Memoirs of a Playbwoy and you’ll understand (“Whutchu Like” and “Bad Gyal”). But spelling is the least of his problems. The debut effort sees JDiggz trying to pull double duty as witty emcee and sensual R&B seducer, but the shift […]

SharePedestrianForward Music GroupShare, who played on Wednesday, had me at “Dance Dance Retribution,” one of my favourite Pop Explosion song titles. Moving from acoustic folk into a more electronic and experimental sound, New Brunswick-born Andrew Sisk, along with A.A. Wallace, Kyle Cunjak and Nick Cobham keep things interesting by not sticking to one formula. Instead, […]

The Ergs!Upstairs/Downstairs Dirt NapSo long as The Ergs! keep putting out records like this, I do not care if The Descendents ever record or tour again. This is the type of record that can erase years of damage done by painful Christian pop punk and terrible, no good bands like The Ataris and Alkaline Trio. […]