Blank Bullets When I sat down to talk to guitarists Peter Baylis and Joe Peplowski of the Montreal-based alternative rock band Blank Bullets, there was one pressing question on my mind. “Yeah, there’s a guy at work who always calls me Littlefinger,” laughed Baylis when I asked him if people[Read More…]
Music
Jason Feathers—De Ora
Justin Vernon is a man of many personas. A glance at his Wikipedia page reveals that the singer-songwriter has been involved in 12 different musical ventures. The Jason Feathers project De Ora, a collaboration with Minneapolis based hip-hop artist Astronautilus, is his latest. The album is assertive harmonically, but it[Read More…]
Deep Cuts – September 3, 2014
“Triumph” Artist: Wu-Tang Clan Album:Wu-Tang Forever Released: 1997 Wu-Tang Clan is foundational old-school rap, and the huge success of their debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) confirmed their immortality in the hip-hop world. “Triumph” comes from their second—and also hugely successful—1997 album Wu-Tang Forever. Centred around themes of immortality[Read More…]
Trib jams of the summer
“Advanced Falconry”—Mutual Benefit Mutual Benefit’s LP Love’s Crushing Diamond was on repeat for me all summer, providing a soothing soundtrack to many early mornings and long bike rides. Its sound is folksy with warm banjo strings and natural vocals that bring to mind Sufjan Stevens. The unique atmosphere of “Advanced[Read More…]
J-Mascis—Tied to a Star
It’s been about three years since guitar hero J. Mascis released any new solo material. Known for his soulful lead guitar playing and slow sentimental song constructions, Mascis sounds like an indie-rock version of Bon Iver. Although some appreciate this fleecy sound, Tied to a Star lacked any poignant sound[Read More…]
Comfortably awkward
I remember the first time I saw Napoleon Dynamite.
Revitalizing a bygone medium: the rise of Record Store Day
With the proliferation of digital media, the so-called ‘death of the physical format’ has been proclaimed for years. The seventh annual Record Store Day, which will take place on April 19, throws a wrench straight into this morbid hypothesis. The day’s sole purpose is to celebrate record stores, their customers,[Read More…]
Deep Cuts
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…]
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…]