Eccentric, electric, and extraordinary, Florence Welch and her devoted Machine defied conventions with their June 29 release of High as Hope. The band’s fourth album reveals a seasoned, contemplative Welch who explains her past traumas in music for the first time. Florence + The Machine’s first three albums, Lungs, Ceremonials,[Read More…]
Music
Beyoncé and Jay-Z upstage the ‘Mona Lisa’ in ‘Apeshit’
On June 16, Beyoncé and Jay-Z released their surprise joint album, Everything is Love. That same day, they shared the music video for the the album’s second track “Apeshit,” filmed entirely at the Louvre. The video features acclaimed works from the famed gallery, including Mona Lisa, The Coronation of Napoleon,[Read More…]
How Osheaga fell prey to gentrification
Pulling big names like Arctic Monkeys, Florence + the Machine, ODESZA, Travis Scott and Tyler, the Creator for their 2018 edition, it’s cliché (but pretty much obligatory) to say that this is not the hippie-driven, muddy-camping festival envisioned by Woodstock’s creators. Since transferring ownership to Evenko for its fifth edition[Read More…]
Album Review: My Dear Melancholy, – The Weeknd
Only 16 months after his last album, Starboy, The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, surprised fans by dropping a 22-minute, six track EP, My Dear Melancholy (MDM). Aside from cryptic social media posts, the project went practically unannounced until Tesfaye posted the cover artwork to his Instagram account on[Read More…]
From the Viewpoint: Mosaica taught me how to love dance
I’m going to be honest—I know next to nothing about dance. It was therefore with some measure of anxiety that I attended the Mosaica Dance Company’s annual spring showcase. Of course the show would be good, of that I had very little doubt. The problem was instead how to write[Read More…]
‘American Utopia’ insists that everything will be ok
American Utopia might be David Byrne’s first solo record in 14 years, but the former Talking Heads frontman has been hard at work on an eclectic mix of side projects since the 2004 release of his last album, Grown Backwards. Perhaps the most intriguing of his ventures is the launch of[Read More…]
First Impressions: Drake’s “God’s Plan”
On Feb. 16, Drake dropped his newest music video, “God’s Plan.” The video, which heavily implies that Drake is, in fact, God, has already gone triple platinum, further proving Mr. Graham’s messianic claims. The McGill Tribune Arts & Entertainment team gives their first impressions on the most controversial Drake video since[Read More…]
Tyler, the Creator is glowing
2011 was a while ago. When Tyler, the Creator rapped that he would “stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn esophagus” on 2011’s “Yonkers,” he wasn’t threatening the Bruno we’ve come to love or hate on “24K Magic,” “Locked Out Of Heaven,” or even “The Lazy Song.” Tyler was threatening fedora-wearing,[Read More…]
Get to Know: The Nicotines
Davide Spinato, singer-guitarist of the indie-grunge-rock outfit The Nicotines, had a lot on his mind when we met. “Most bands are entitled,” Spinato said. “They think that because they play a show, that because they come out with something, people are automatically going to respond and show up.” Sitting upright[Read More…]
Son Lux charts a dissonant journey in ‘Brighter Wounds’
Son Lux is incapable of making an uninteresting song. On their new album, Brighter Wounds, Rafiq Bhatia’s hypnotizing guitar licks, Ian Chang’s slurred drumming, and founder Ryan Lott’s warbly falsetto and intricate production give listeners a glimpse into the eclectic future of music. The trio are known for a wide[Read More…]