In late July, Halifax’s Vadell Gabriel (Seth Glasgow) released 27 of his own instrumental tracks in a collection called Timbits. The title is a shout-out to the 2006 masterpiece Donuts, the final album by Detroit’s posthumous instrumental king, J. Dilla. On his third release in a year, Gabriel enacts the same new jack swing style […]
Reviews
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Review: Old & Weird/New Fries split EP
Last Friday, Toronto’s Pleasance Records released a seven-inch split with four new songs by Halifax’s Old & Weird and Toronto’s New Fries, bands that are different in approach, but alike in the methods by which they’re challenging convention. Honestly, this seven-inch super-rocks. There’s a pretty good chance you’ve never heard anything like it, probably ever. […]
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Review: Joel Plaskett
The first thing you might ask with Plaskett is “Emergency or solo, rock or acoustic?” Drummer Dave Marsh and bassist Chris Pennell play on a good portion of the 13 tracks, often with extras. The Emergency is most robust on “Credits Roll,” where Erin Costelo’s piano boosts the bottom end and Peter Elkas adds a […]
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Music Review: Thrillah
Welcome to #church.The latest self-titled EP from Dartmouth’s Thrillah is a sermon on the hustle, as he bounces from struggling on the grind to ladies grinding. In its approach, Thrillah feels like an abridged version of his multi-chaptered 2014 project Thrillville 2. And as far as local rap goes, the EP is well-produced, consistent and […]
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Review: Alana Yorke
Titled “The Wichita Years,” Alana Yorke’s opening track is a delicious entry point. A whirlpool of strings shows how ubiquitous Owen Pallett’s influence has become. Yorke sings about a film inside her head, inviting random reverie. If she reminds you of a certain Irish priestess of the ethereal, then it’s unanimous. Yorke’s vocals are less adorned […]
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Review: Christina Martin
With a voice full of longing and a producer/husband who’s the best pedal steel player around, Christina Martin pointedly sidesteps the option of classic country singer. Dale Murray plays straight-up rock guitar and solos tastefully on a number of tracks, particularly “I’ve Got a Gun.” Here, Martin asserts a menacing defense against a bothersome suitor: […]
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Review: The Good Lovelies at the Company House
Winter in Atlantic Canada is cold, and cruel. It’s late February, and we’re all at the point of questioning why we live here. The answer could be found at The Company House last night, where The Good Lovelies, who travelled from all corners of the country with major flight delays, serenaded two shows in one […]
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Review: Jay Mayne, S/T
A tip for all my weed-smokers: never soak your blunt wraps. Things burn better when they’re not weighed down. Same goes for your blunt raps and Dartmouth rapper and WESC activist Jay Mayne wants to catch fire with his latest self-titled 15-track record that leaves his heavy 2014 ECMA-nominated project, F*kit, in the ashes. This is an airier, more cohesive and much more honest collection of cloud rap, start to finish. “It […]
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Sloan
Sloan at the Marquee Ballroom Saturday, March 7 $25/$30 sonicconcerts.com Halifax’s most enduring rock export this side of April Wine, Sloan carries on a quest for the perfect hook. On its latest, the four make their practice of contributing individual songs more territorial, each taking a quarter of the running time, a reduced version of […]
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The Mellotones
The Mellotones Live! at the Seahorse (independent) New Year’s Eve 2015 with The Mellotones and DJ Savory Wednesday, December 31 at 8:30pm Olympic Community Hall, 2304 Hunter Street $40 A suitable keepsake for The Seahorse Tavern as it leaves its Argyle Street location after 66 years is the band that has made that downstairs hum […]
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Cam Smith
You’re at a party at Cam Smith’s house, and it’s one for the books. There are crushes, belly laughs, Roots is on TV and some of the most innovative artists in the city are hanging out and eating Tostitos. Cannon is heavily narrated throughout track transitions under this premise, making this album vaguely conceptual. It’s […]