Since its establishment in 1999, Fire of Anatolia (originally titled Sultans of the Dance) has been continuously dazzling audiences around the globe with its impressive spectacle of dance and percussion. Conceived and produced by Mustafa Erdoğan, a native of Turkey, this unique performance draws inspiration from the ancient mythological and[Read More…]
Music
Overshadowed, but not overmatched
When I bring up Shad in conversation, I find that the number of people familiar with him is still frustratingly low. Many will shake their heads to indicate they have no idea who I’m talking about, but when someone is familiar with the emcee from London, ON, I can expect[Read More…]
Krewella DANS la ville
Krewella is one of music’s most fascinating emerging acts. Their debut album Get Wet was released last month with a strong chart performance, and the group landed in 44th place in the DJ Mag Top 100 this past week. Consisting of sisters Jahan and Yasmine Yousaf, as well as Kris[Read More…]
Black Milk – No Poison, No Paradise
Black Milk’s sophomore album, No Poison, No Paradise, is the perfect blend of smoothly laid hip-hop beats and a techno-synth vibe. The Detroit rapper-emcee introduces a new kind of soulful lyricism mixed with a story-teller vibe that was largely absent from his 2010 release Album of the Year, a mix[Read More…]
The Head and the Heart – Let’s Be Still
I listened to Let’s Be Still on constant alert for a track that might outshine “Rivers and Roads,” The Head and the Heart’s traditional concert -closer and all-around gem of a song. In that regard, their sophomore album didn’t succeed—the sendoff song is still the cream of their catalogue—but when[Read More…]
The Strumbellas – We Still Move on Dance Floors
Canadian indie rockers The Strumbellas have been described as alt-country and ‘popgrass,’ among other ambiguous labels, but I can’t say I have a better phrase for what they do. Their sophomore album, We Still Move on Dance Floors vacillates between the quiet and unobtrusive, as well as a forced pep[Read More…]
School of Ska
“Two roads before you, and you must make your choice,” legendary ska singer Roy Panton intoned during the final night of the 2013 Montreal Ska Festival. His words aptly described the contrast between the final two nights of the festival, though thankfully for many Montreal ska fans, they didn’t have[Read More…]
Preaching from the choir: The Zolas explore their musical evolution
When I called to interview Zachary Gray of The Zolas, he was in a line deciding on a pastry to buy in Toronto. Since September, after stops in Toronto and Hamburg, Germany, they’ve been on a Canada-wide tour. Now, Zolas is embarking on a 30-day tour with Ottawa’s Hollerado and[Read More…]
Pearl Jam – Lightning Bolt
No one would have thought that any band could surpass the unique sound—or should I say noise—of legendary grunge-rock band Nirvana. But Pearl Jam did. The Seattle-based band’s career began with their grunge debut album Ten (1991), but the band’s music seemed to transition to a more alternative rock sound[Read More…]
Drake – Nothing Was The Same
Drake reasserts himself as one of hip-hop’s front-running rappers with the release of his third studio album, Nothing Was the Same. While the album possesses chart-topping singles such as “Started From The Bottom” and “Hold On We’re Going Home,” the more obscure tracks deserve sizable credit for the album’s lyrical[Read More…]
