Music Reviews

Charlotte Cardin - Une semaine à Paris EP Review

In mid-November of 2023, Montreal’s very own Charlotte Cardin released her Francophone EP, Une semaine à Paris following the singer’s week-long stay in the French capital. The short and sweet 4-track work was released after the drop of Cardin’s second studio album 99 Nights, and continued her careers’ upwards trajectory. Une semaine à Paris encapsulates the intense passion within Cardin’s relationship with actor Aliocha Schneider and the ebbs and flows of emotional intimacy. 


30 Years On: Siamese Dream and In Utero

1993 was a good year to be a music fan: MTV was arguably at the peak of its cultural influence, CD's were flying off the shelves every day, and music fans were spoiled for choice when it came to what they could listen to. If you were among those who enjoyed alternative music, you were probably anticipating the releases of Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins and In Utero by Nirvana on July 27 and September 12 of that year.


Beyond Genre: A Playlist

My favourite part about making playlists on Spotify is finding the one “thing” that connects the songs to one another. The general theme of the playlist is probably the most important part, and from there, the rest flows freely. “Beyond Genre” was created in the same way. As a musician and lover of jazz, it’s interesting to see the many ways artists take the jazz genre and tweak it to create new waves of music that can’t be classified into one section or another. This playlist is a compilation of music that isn’t necessarily jazz, but where we can recognize influences through chords, melodies, or harmonization. 

 


Beach House's Become EP: a Review

Beach House surprised the world by releasing a new EP Become, on April 22, 2023. The collection being the second EP in the American dream-pop duo’s discography, follows their 2022 album Once Twice Melody. Victoria Legrand (vocals, keyboard) and Alex Scally (guitar, keyboard, backing vocals) have been making music together since they formed the band in 2004.


NAS: KING’S DISEASE III

Released on November 11th, 2022, KD3 is the third and final album of NasKing’s Disease trilogy, which kicked off in 2020 and has been executively produced by Hit-Boy since its start.


Without Waves - Comedian Album Review

There are certain things you probably can't just pick up from only kind of knowing someone. For instance if you've read any of my previous reviews or listened to my show, you may not realize – and please, sit down before you read this next sentence – I am a bit of a weirdo.

Out of courtesy, I will allow you to recover from this shocking revelation.

Are you back? Great, let's keep going.


Stabbing Westward Chasing Ghosts Review

Many of you have probably not read the book Feed by Matthew Tobin Anderson. It's okay; it's not the best. I mean, it's fine, but like, do you really NEED to read it? "No," is the answer.

Anyway, the book is about a future where people basically have the internet installed in their brains and mainly centers around a small group of teenagers living in this world. It has various comments on economic class, societies obsession with social media, and of course, since it was written in 2002, there's a whole "young adult" love subplot.
 
But the most interest concept presented in the book, and the part that still sticks with me is the following:


Ghost - IMPERA Album Review

I think we're going to start this review with me talking about my favourite vodka. I think it will be clear as to why as we go on, but just bear with me for a moment.

At this point in history, I'm mainly a rum drinker, but when I first started drinking, my liquor of choice was vodka. I tried a lot of different brands and types of vodka. Pro tip: vanilla vodka and Pepsi or Coke makes a pretty delicious combo for when you want to add a sweet flavour to your drinking.


Zeal & Ardor Review

Boy, the new Zeal & Ardor album is good.

Oh, that's probably bad. I shouldn't start out with the direct opinion, right? It defeats the purpose of you reading the rest of the article. But, then again, I can't be accused of burying the lead. Maybe what I should do is act like I didn't start with any of this. I could edit it out I guess, but... no, that seems like work.


Underoath - Voyeurist Album Review

Are you ready for a hot take? I... am not a fan of COVID. I know, right now you're sitting there saying, "Andrew, what are you TALKING ABOUT?! COVID has made it so I know how to make bread during the upcoming climate disaster, AND I learned the very basics of a new language so I can trade as I wander the wastelands of our ruined society."


TV Freaks bring raw, vivacious energy to their fourth album People

“For me, (punk) is doing what you want to do unabashedly,” TV Freaks frontman Dave O’Connor said in a 2014 interview with The Silhouette. It is this same attitude that has carried the Hamilton band through a decade of feverish and brazen garage punk records.


Briga’s Territoire Album Takes Turbo Folk to New Heights

The Montreal-based writer, composer, performer, violinist and multi-instrumentalist Briga released her fifth album Territoire on Oct. 29.

Born to a Polish father and a Quebecois mother, Briga isn't afraid to show us the different sides of her fragmented identity. Briga gives listeners a modern take on Eastern European music, a new subgenre in folk she self-defines as Turbo Folk


Love, Loss, and Nostalgia: BAO gets reflective on debut album Perpetual Heartbreak

Those familiar with LA-based electro-pop outfit Ming and Ping may have a particular sonic vision in mind for BAO’s debut album - BAO is the solo venture of Bao Vo, the producer and musical mind behind the duo’s sound. As a producer, Vo has worked with a number of other Asian-American artists, including the aforementioned Ming and Ping and Mariqueen Maandig Reznor, lead vocalist of How To Destroy Angels.


Album Review: Microphones in 2020

With the band’s first release in 17 years, Phil Elverum of the Microphones shares his vulnerable yet powerful journey of becoming an artist.


Sleep Token Sundowning Deluxe Review

Photo Credit: Louder

It will probably surprise no one that I am a fan of bands with gimmicks. I firmly believe that having a gimmick can bring an overlooked aspect to bands, that being "theatrics". For so long, bands like KISS, Slipknot, and even Babymetal have been utilizing the power of their gimmicks to justify adding non-music elements to shows and giving fans an interesting other aspect to explore.


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