Latch (Acoustic) Artist: Sam Smith Album: Nirvana Released: October 4, 2013 The acoustic, sans-Disclosure version of Latch should come with an advisory to pack tissues. Stripped of the synthesizers and special effects, listeners are left with just Smith’s quivering voice, the melody of the piano, a heart-wrenching violin, and raw[Read More…]
Music
Montreal’s summer festival quartet
With the year winding down and the snow begrudgingly beginning to melt, thoughts of a long-awaited summer have begun to emerge. For those of us staying in Montreal over the break, it’s about time to start getting pumped for all the amazing musical happenings in the city, from weekly Tam-tams[Read More…]
Aloe Blacc—Lift your spirit
Products don’t always live up to their advertisements, but Aloe Blacc’s Lift Your Spirit holds true to its promise. Blacc’s innovative third album dips into multiple genres and realizes its promise of lifting listeners’ spirits through an upbeat mix of classic and novel sounds. Tending towards simple and iconic subject[Read More…]
Tokyo Police Club—Forcefield
These indie rockers from Newmarket, Ontario have had some time to craft their indie-punk sound and style since their first full-length album, Elephant Shell, was released in 2008. It’s for this reason that it comes as a surprise to hear that on latest release Forcefield, Tokyo Police Club go lighter[Read More…]
Karmin—Pulses
After rising to global fame through their YouTube channel, the band Karmin—made up of couple Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan—was signed to record label Epic, released a string of EPs and, finally, debuted their first full-length LP, Pulses. Characterized by a unique image, Heidemann’s seemingly unparalleled rapping style, and Noonan’s[Read More…]
Deep Cuts: the sounds of April
April Come She Will Artist: Simon & Garfunkel Album: Sounds of Silence Released: January 17, 1966 The light flurry of fingerpicked guitar that opens this track is a sonic representation of the feeling that comes over you when you realize for the first time that winter is truly over. Although[Read More…]
McMorrow remains calm during Post Tropical storm
Dublin-born singer-songwriter James Vincent McMorrow has been gaining positive critical attention for his latest album, Post Tropical, but when I talked to him, he was just another guy standing on the side of the highway. “Something exploded in the engine,” McMorrow explains, chuckling softly. “I’ve just been standing outside like[Read More…]
Deep cuts: sound bites from Seattle
Thank You For Tonight (feat. Eliza Young) Artist: Sam Lachow Album: Brand New Bike Released: January 1, 2011 This rapper begins his nostalgic track with trademark smooth vocals, which he proceeds to layer over rhythmic percussions, rich keyboard cadences, and mesmerizing saxophone samples. He paints an evocative scene—“Green eyes sitting[Read More…]
Various artists—Catch the throne
In the weeks leading up to the anticipated Season Four premiere of Game of Thrones, some HBO executives apparently thought it was a good idea to spend a chunk of their marketing budget on commissioning a mixtape project called Catch the Throne. The somewhat bizarre rationale for the project was[Read More…]
Osheaga: the small stage
There comes a time each year when it seems as though every other day sees another festival lineup released. As we crawl towards the end of winter, dreaming about weekends in the summer filled with music makes the final stretch a little more bearable. The headliners of these festivals don’t[Read More…]
