Albums (English)

Rare are the bands that have genuine fun screaming repetitively "Dalai lama banana marijuana" all through a song. Even rarer are bands that would open their album with that song! Usually, it's one that closes...

It's a strange world in which experimental musician Alejandro Ghersi aka Arca brings us into. Deep diving into sonic vortex, mixing dark keyboards with triturated sound waves (on the 7 minute-long title track)...

Hotly anticipated is no doubt the biggest euphemism of the year when it comes to New Order's latest opus, Music Complete. It's been 10 years since the band released anything new (Waiting For The Siren's Call...

Have you ever gone "wow, now that is great guitar playing!" when listening to a blues record? You know, that feeling when everything's perfect: not just the guitar solos, but the guitar tones, the sound, the...

Jazz singer Melody Gardot signed one of the most interesting albums of the year. Her unique blend of pure jazz ballads (Morning Sun), cool soul funk songs (It Gonna Come) and haunted pop songs (the brilliant...

Canadian singer songwriter Leslie Feist is the perfect example of a musicians who find success as she digs deeper in her personal feelings, while showcasing her huge talent. As part of Noah’s Arkweld, By...

BURTON C. BELL -- -- USES VERIZON. I know this because about two minutes into our conversation the call is dropped because this writer is an AT&T customer. When I get him back on the phone I explain that...

Talented Southern singer songwriter and guitarist ZZ Ward is back with a 4-song EP in which she shows a more danceable angle of her music. Her first album, the excellent "Til The Casket Drops", featured her...

Scottish band Belle & Sebastian are the quintessential indie pop band. Throughout their 19 year career, they've always stayed outside the mainstream currents, while still producing quality music and often...

I am always suspicious of albums made by "son / daughter of" celebrities. You kind of feel that this person got a free ticket to the media's ears just because of their name. Curiosity. That they probably got a...

In the first half of the 80s, The Cure were a game changer band in the music world. Led by Robert Smith's songwriting skills and unique voice, the band brought an underground rock attitude and Gothic looks in...

Balthazar is another of these great Belgian bands that emerge, singing in English. I don't know what's in the water* in Liège, Brussels, Antwerp, Kortrijk or Ghent but there's a unique mood that comes out of...

JEAN-MICHEL JARRE's new album, "Electronica I: The Time Machine" involves about 15 collaborators. From old school (Tangerine Dream, Moby, Air, etc), to new school (Gesaffelstein, Little Boots), and even other...

I spent a moment with DABY TOURÉ in a small coffee shop in the heart of Montreal. He let me steal a few minutes in a day full of interviews, and I took advantage of it! Daby is touring North America at...

Cambridge, Massachusetts band Darlingside have a beautiful mix of vocal harmonies, folk and electric guitars in their music. Auyon Mukharji, David Senft, Harris Paseltiner and Don Mitchell can bring energy or...

DURAN DURAN came out with yet another album. I'll be honest with you, I hadn't even payed attention to them since the early 2000's. And even then, it was in quick passing, because I was imprinted with their...

Noir. The title explains it all. HEYMOONSHAKER's new album is dark, angry, and oh so blues-y. The duo redefines blues as it were. By mixing the raw voice with beatbox and blues arrangements, Andrew Balcon...

Ibeyi’s self-titled debut album has been on constant rotation on my player since it came out. The impact a couple of twenty year-olds have on me is… annoying! Yes, it is! What business do these two kids...

Foals is slowly but surely taking the vacant place of power alt-rock bands like The Strokes and Muse, who either are absent or less efficient in grabbing every rock fan's attention in recent years. Foals'...

You can hear it when pop music is great. It isn't overly repetitive. It has great melodies (Loving You), some very cool grooves (Diamonds) and sound that is flawless. ABBA, Duran Duran and Daft Punk are...

Tough not to think about Amy Winehouse when listening to Tami Neilson's new album, "Dynamite!". The tone of her voice on the two opening tracks, the retro feel she brings to her music, the soul that's all over...

Produced by Etienne Daho (80's French pop music icon), Lou Doillon's first album came out on September 3rd, 2012. Daughter to Jane Birkin and Jacques Doillon (music and cinema legends), and half-sister to...

For all those who love spleen in their music, in the likes of Travis, early Coldplay or Real Estate, the soft indie pop rock of San Francisco band Fine Points is a must. Airy vocals by Matt Holliman and...

Strong guitars, cool riffs and a high-pitched voice are the ingredients that Boston band Vundabar put their money on to stand out in the crowded indie rock arena, and it works! The band developed on "Gawk" a...

This is a puzzling album. One could ask "How Far Will They Go?" in blending genres. Smokey can create pretty funky beats - like on I'll Always Love You - on which a very versatile singer, John "Smokey" Condon,...

Michael Brown passed away March 19, 2015. He was sixty five years old and his musical career had spanned for almost half a century. He recorded some seven or eight albums all along his musical life and his...

Australian youngsters forming Tame Impala have finally launched their long-awaited follow-up album to their successful “Innerspeaker” and "Lonerlism" records. These opuses made them instant favorites of...

I've had the greatest experience with the music of Josh Newton, who goes by the name Aedhon/Apsaras when recording music. He masters a unique instrument called the hang, or hang drum, also called handpan,...

The LA band Best Coast just scored a pretty good hit in the indie pop world with "California Nights". Its 12 songs are all catchy, full of cool songs that make one bounce up and down. Tested on a teenager, she...

You'd think a band called Ratboys would be some sort of punk band with young males with sketchy Mohawk hair and Liquid Paper writings on their black leather coats yelling their life away. But you'd be wrong....

Whenever I write, whether it's a review or a story, I make a conscious effort to not take for granted that readers know what I'm talking about. However, in the case of The Orb, trying to explain their...

Bears of Legend has got soul. The Trois-Rivières-based band produces fine folk pop songs that are full of emotions, full of spleen. Right from the start, with Be Mine, All Mine, we think of Travis' greatest...

Mocky, aka Dominique Salole, isn't the most well-known musician around, despite the fact that this Canadian just released his 5th solo album. Mocky is one of those collaborators that is often there to make his...

The Old Ceremony is a North Carolina-based band that produces high energy music, either they go the folk rock route (The Sprinter) or a more middle-of-the-road rock (Live It Down). There's something...

Formed by Julian Flavin, Dexter Garcia, and Nigel Ward, Seoul is a this trio of synth-loving perfectionists - they are doing their album launch party in their home town of Montreal tonight (26th...

Emma Frank is a Montreal jazz singer that doesn't choose the easy way to get into someone's mind. Her complex melodies require the listener's full attention. Her jazz isn't easy listening but it's never...

It's an intense, and very dark album that Depeche Mode keyboard player and guitarist Martin Gore just release as solo work, as MG, under Mute Records. Instrumental music that brings listeners in a...

Screaming Females is fronted by a female singer. Marissa Paternoster doesn't scream all the time, but she sure gets her voice heard. The New Jersey based band produce a bouncy but gritty grunge rock that takes...

In the middle of the 80's jazz crooner Tom Waits reinvents himself and explores the darker side of things and, musically, creates music that is completely different from anything nobody ever heard before. The...

The new album from Finnish musician Jaakko Eino Kalevi is perfect for rainy days, sleepless nights with its atmospheric mood and heavy spleen. Songs like Double Talk immediately put one's mind into a...