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ALDEN PENNER’s voice needs to be heard

During the endless 2014 winter, ex-Unicorns and ex-Clues frontman Alden Penner created an album that crystalized his solo experience. "Exegesis" was born out of many songs build on strong folk structure and...
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TOPS, walking on thin ice

TOPS (all in caps) is a synth pop band that came out of Montreal, Canada in 2012. Rather unnoticed, their soft dreamy indie pop deserves more attention, even though the sound quality isn’t optimal. Catchy...
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Best Forgotten Songs of the 80s

There were some great songs in the 80s. Some were one-hit wonders from bands we never heard back from. Some were made by some of the greatest artists ever. David Bowie and Steve Howe certainly fall in the...

FATHER JOHN MISTY – I Love You, Honeybear

Father John Misty is the alter ego of Joshua Tillman, a prolific songwriter and musician: at 33 years old, he has 10 albums under his belt and has also toured as a drummer with the folk bands Fleet Foxes and...

FLEETWOOD MAC. Ok I liked it.

A last minute thing for me. Didn’t expect to go see Fleetwood Mac. My friend and ex-roommate Max Comeau was also there. Seated somewhere on the floor. A musician himself and very much influenced by the band,...

MARK RONSON – Uptown (Not So) Special

I really wanted to like this album. I really did, because the first single, Uptown Funk, got us all up and dancing at the beginning of winter, when we needed it most. I really liked Mark Ronson's TED talk...
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HARRY MANX: Grow Old with Me

There's something nice about growing old(er). Yes, the body is less performant. Some parts hurt. But experience and knowledge adds up through the years, and it makes some things more interesting. I've been...

KRAFTWERK – Music for the Digital Age

I stumbled upon a great great great BBC documentary about a month ago, on Kraftwerk and their influence across all branches of electronic music. A digital rights dispute made the video disappear a couple of...

VIET CONG… a step up from Women

Last week, I missed Viet Cong playing at Montreal's Ritz PDB to a sold out crowd. I wish I hadn't. That day, I had just started listening to their new self-titled album, and I haven't stopped since then....
windhand

WINDHAND’s beautifully controlled distortion

I was recently listening to good old Mudhoney albums (see my review of "Every Boy Deserves Fudge" here) and was missing the heavy fuzzy stoner rock these guys used to make in the heyday of grunge rock, late...
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SLEATER-KINNEY, The Girls Are Back In Town

We often hear about The Go-Go's and The Bangles as "influential and important" to the female rock scene, as they were somehow successful in the pop world of the 80s. Hard rockers L7 also get some recognition...
sting-80s

Are you a fan of the 80s? Here’s a playlist!

You've requested it, here it is! The great pop of the 80s cannot be beaten on energy, sunshine and catchy tunes. Let's go back to Cindy Lauper, Miami Sound Machine, Pat Benatar, Sting and re-connect with...
the-decemberists

THE DECEMBERISTS : back to folk

The Decemberists, with their songwriter leader Colin Meloy on the front line, had created one of the best albums of 2009, with the epic rock opera "Hazards of Love". An album with strong songs, for one thing,...
Art Bergmann

Good vibes at the WAVELENGHT 15

Wavelength Music warms up winter with the 15th annual Wavelength Music Festival running from February 13 to 15, 2015 in downtown Toronto, Canada. #WL15 is a three-night live curated mixtape of the best...