Alex Turner and the boys have returned—with a decidedly poppier sound. AM takes a bit of warming up to; it’s hard to reconcile this band with the one that produced 2006’s punk-infused Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, or 2009’s hard rocking Humbug. Alas, part of what has defined the Monkeys over the years is their ever-changing sound, and AM is just another step in that evolution.
Arts & Entertainment
Keep up to date on local art, new albums, and everything entertainment-related.
Mile End gallery Art Mûr unveils found objects
Art galleries can be pretty confusing places—especially if you don’t go to school at Concordia. Allow this piece to be your cheat-sheet to the current exhibitions of Art Mûr, one of the city’s major contemporary art galleries.
Could be good
Californian act The Growlers make an appearance in Montreal this week with a tour that follows their January 2013 release Hung at Heart. The psychedelic quintet has a history of theatrically flamboyant shows, making use of crossdressing costumes and other trippy visuals.
Kings of Leon – Mechanical Bull
One would be hard-pressed to find a mainstream rock band that has evolved their sound as drastically, and with as much cohesion, as Kings of Leon. From the early country-blues of Youth and Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak, to far more melodic, alternative sounds of Come Around Sundown, the Kings of Leon have managed to keep a style in all their music as familiar as it is distinct.
Basia Bulat – Tall Tall Shadow
Whenever I listen to a new album, I try and envisage what type of movie the album would be the perfect soundtrack to. Tall Tall Shadow by Torontonian Basia Bulat would accompany an idiosyncratic rom-com—like (500) Days of Summer—or a quirky romantic dramedy—like last year’s Take This Waltz.
Deltron 3030 – Deltron 3030: Event II
Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Dan the Automator, and Kid Koala return 13 long years after the release of their first album Deltron 3030 with one hell of a weird story.
Letters to My Grandma: a story of racial bias, love, and amnesty
Award-winning Indo-Canadian playwright, Anusree Roy, has crafted a slightly humorous—yet incredibly captivating—one-woman play. Letters to My Grandma triggers sentiments of fear, horror, and awe.
Players’ debut more than just entertaining
Hearing the title of this play conjures up the image of something dreadful: a stuffy costume drama, a ‘comedy’ of errors, or a farce by some witless Oscar Wilde wannabe. Those labels couldn’t be further from the truth. This play, after all, comes from the delightfully twisted mind of Joe[Read More…]
Ha Ha Tonka – Lessons
Inhabiting a unique spot at the crossroads of modern indie rock and backcountry American folk music, Ha Ha Tonka has delivered yet again with their fourth, highly anticipated album, Lessons. More introspective and instrumentally complex than their previous work, this multilayered set of tracks has far-reaching appeal, but rewards those[Read More…]
POP, lock, and drop it
In the vast landscape of the indie-folk genre, Young Benjamins would lie at the intersection of better-known acts Born Ruffians and Mumford & Sons. Their repertoire features mostly frenetic foot-stomping tracks, with some laid-back tunes mixed in. Relative newcomers to the music industry, the four-piece Saskatoon group only released their first LP, Less Argue, this past spring. The band has equal gender representation, composed of two men (guitarist and drummer) and two women (bassist and violinist/keyboardist). Though they’re still somewhat raw, their versatility and exciting melodies provide glimpses of the high ceiling Young Benjamins has. The presence of the violin really strengthens their sound, and makes for an interesting dynamic when it interacts with the edgy electric guitar. If you’re looking for a lively show that strikes a balance between dancing and artistic enjoyment, look no farther than Young Benjamins.
