Album Reviews: Alanis Morissette, Buscabulla, Midwife

 Alanis Morissette  — Such Pretty Forks in the Road (Ottawa) With spells in acting amongst other new ventures in her career, it's been a minute since we've heard anything from local star Alanis Morissette. With a wondrously produced and often dark introspection, this latest effort from Morissette is a mature

Albums reviews: February 3, 2020

 Harry Styles - Fine Line (Redditch, UK) After leaving One Direction, Harry Styles quickly defined himself as a potent solo artist not afraid to take the singer-songwriter genre meld its future and past into one. And here he manages to make a much more coherent record than his debut outing,

Album Reviews – Lorde, Royal Blood and more

 Lorde - Melodrama (New Zealand) Few artists become as critically acclaimed as Lorde on a debut without a few stumbling blocks on their follow up, luckily Lorde has always been an anomaly. Taking her latest album to more bombastic and dance-focused territory, it nails both the fun and artistic qualities

Giant Paper Heads: Who Wore it Better? Arcade Fire or WOTE?

 Yesterday, Burlington ON band Walk Off the Earth released a new video celebrating trans youth and the importance of accepting ourselves and others. The video, ‘Alright,’ features a young girl named Ellie who is forced to wear boy’s clothes and just wants to be herself. The video also features Walk

James Leclaire: The Sing-a-Long Sounds of Storytelling and Sorrow

 Album cover by Brett Clarke. James Leclaire’s fourth album, These Weights, combines the soulful storytelling of folk and country music with the anthemic energy of punk, to create a sound he calls ‘dirt country.’ “There is a country twang to it but it’s got an edginess that is a little

An Old Guitar and an Ottawa Bar

 Union Duke’s soaring vocal harmonies and throbbing beats have enlivened hearts and dance floors across the nation. The quintet is sure to have Ottawa concertgoers heel-stomping and hip-swaying with their performance at the Black Sheep Inn on July 31. Balancing a mixture of soulful indie rock, bluegrass and country, the

Taylor Swift Sparkles at the Canadian Tire Centre

 Photo by George Pimentel/Getty Images for TS “After five long years of not coming to see you, it is so good to be back in Ottawa," Taylor Swift told the screaming fans at the Canadian Tire Centre on July 6. The pop powerhouse and singer-songwriter stopped by the Capital along

Everything He Plays, Turns to Gold

 Photo Credit: Scarlet O'Neill For more than eight years, Toronto-based singer-songwriter Ben Kunder has been writing and producing music every Canadian can relate to. His long awaited debut solo album, Golden, will be released May 26, followed by a number of shows throughout Ontario and Quebec. One of the tour’s

Pilar’s Picks: Julie Crochetière

 Canada definitely has talent. I’d love to introduce you to singer-songwriter Julie Crochetière, born and raised in Montreal. Her music tugs deep into your heart and each track has you feeling passionate emotions. Crochetière recently released her fourth solo album Counting Dreams, and you need to give it a listen to! I’m

Mother Mother: Back to Basics on The Sticks

 At the peak of digital possibility, for every one artist capitalizing on the technology age, two are cursing its contribution to the demise of good music. For every Rebecca Black, there is a Neil Young – an established artist there to remind us that it didn’t used to be all