The Tribune

Not content with the status quo of band photos and random artsy shots as album art, Weezer took a new route with their newly released album, Hurley (an ode to television’s Hugo “Hurley” Reyes, Lost’s resident “dude”).

Winnipeg isn’t the first place that comes to mind when you think of the Canadian music scene, but there’s a good case for bumping it a bit higher on your list. The city has produced some amazing bands over the years: the Guess Who (and spin-off BTO), Propaghandi (and spin-off the Weakerthans), and a little artist named Neil Young. Comeback Kid represents the heavier side of the ‘Peg, and has carried on the city’s DIY punk tradition. “There’s always been a healthy underground following for the punk hardcore kind of thing,” says Comeback Kid guitarist Jeremy Hiebert. “I’m 34 years old and it’s never been super hard to find people who book local stuff throughout the years. There’s still kids doing that, renting community centres or whatever.”

Ask Röyksopp fans to describe the band’s sound and you will get answers like “bold and bright yellow, like sunshine” or “beats with a fresh kind of energy.” But upon listening to the more ominous ensemble of tracks on their newest release, Senior, I found that anything but sunshine came to mind.

Trey Songz continues his steady rise to the top of the R&B charts with Passion, Pain, & Pleasure, his fourth album in five years. R&B and hip-hop may be almost one and the same these days, but with only two songs featuring shared vocal time, Trey pulls his own weight from start to finish.

This fall, Canadian musician Dan Snaith, also known as Caribou, is embarking on a three-month world tour across North America, South America, and Europe in support of his sixth studio album, Swim. The tour, comprised of 10 European festival dates and over 80 cities worldwide, will showcase Caribou’s explosive live presence, as well as his talents as a solo artist.

In celebration of Priority Records’ 25th anniversary, hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg runs through his catalogue of West Coast favourites in The West Coast Blueprint. With a few well-placed interludes, Snoop guides the album along like a radio DJ, providing insight and commentary on California hip-hop’s golden age. Blueprint has tracks that any casual hip-hop fan will recognize and also includes some forgotten gems. Tracks like “Pay Ya Dues” by Low Profile and “Playaz Club” by Rappin’ 4-Tay have bass and G-Funk vibes, but they failed to earn the universal respect that “Eazy-Duz-It” and “Alwayz Into Somethin” achieved.

At first glance, the new Iron Maiden album reads like an epitaph. But the British heavy metal giants are very much alive, kicking, and rocking out.

Comprised of lead singer and guitarist Jeremy Gaudet, drummer Andrew Woods, Isaac Neily on keyboard and Richard MacLeod on bass, Boxer the Horse is a home-grown Canadian band with lots of kick. The boys hail from Charlottetown, where the music is crude and the coastal vibe is real.

Nowadays the Internet can be used for everything, including finding up-and-coming stars.

This Wednesday, local Internet sensation Brittany Kwasnik will perform an acoustic set at Le Cagibi. The 16-year-old singer-songwriter made her online debut about two years ago and is now signed to Montreal-based Justin Time Records, with her first album, I Don’t Know Me, set to be released in January.

The eighth studio album from Luke Doucet, and the second to feature The White Falcon, Steel City Trawler is an unabashed portrait of the magic in the everyday. The album’s straightforward guitar riffs and upbeat melodies, combined with Doucet’s earnest lyrics, form an enjoyable and thoughtful record.