Category Archives: Album Review

The Festival that almost wasn’t a weekend at Santa Teresa

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Riots, rained out shows, and no Julian Casabalancas, Santa Teresa  had a rough year. The second instalment of the Quebec Festival had a killer line-up including The Voidz, July Talk, Nick Murphy and others but sadly, most of the performers didn’t make it to the stage.

Once a year Santa Teresa welcomes concert goers from all over to their quaint town for a festival that is closer to a block party. Streets downtown are blocked off and a main stage is set amid the local bars. The concept is fantastic, a wrist band allows people to wonder from venue to venue for three nights of nonstop shows.

Friday the show to see was Feist. Taking a step away from the local bars and main stage, Feist graced the church for an intimate performance. Saturday the troubles began as rain fall cancelled, The Voidz, HER, and Alice Glass’ set at the outside stage, thankfully the rain calmed enough to bring July Talk and Nick Murphy to the stage though not after a five hour gap. People stood in the rain in seemingly good spirits, dancing and continuing to buy drinks. The same couldn’t be said for Sunday when the cancellation of three artist brought riots to the festival. Fans rushed the stage and allegedly threw firecracker after their long wait brought no music. While the organization may to be to blame for the loss of showcases seen, and still no word on the reason behind Sunday’s cancellations, we have our fingers crossed that the festival will be back for a third year.

[listened, chewed, reviewed] meet Lucy Dacus, your new obsession

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 Earning the title of “Next big thing” is a blessing and a curse. In 2015, the stunning debut album, No Burden, was ironically that for a then 19-year-old, Lucy Dacus.

Quickly gaining attention with her powerful voice that can be turned from it’s velvety core to a raspy howl in seconds, Dacus showcased her strengths early on. Though her voice is as calming as a lullaby, that’s not the only card she has to play. Just a few years past 20 the singer-songwriter beautifully captures the complex thoughts individuals struggle to comprehend each day. Not only does she understand the beauty and tragedy in the world and overcome the challenge to put it into words relatable for fans, there is also the talent of pairing it to the perfect rhythms to enhance it’s impact.

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Historian, the latest album from the singer-songwriter is her confidently taking her place in the indie rock world. The term someone to watch is often mistaken for the new big thing, yet, sadly those two aren’t synonymous. The one to watch often topples under the greatness of their first album, Dacus is not one of those. Historian, is a more mature take on life. The album has a cohesive theme of grief, death and acceptance sung sweetly to disturb, lull or calm you along.  A notable difference with this album is the song lengths. Most are on the generous side of four minutes, but many stretch to five, six and even seven minutes and even that doesn’t seem long enough to satisfy your craving.

Bully “Losing” | Review

 

bully_-_losing_600_600The current nostalgic love for the ’90s has latest nearly as long as the decade itself. The ripped jeans, Calvin Klein revival and of course the music are seemingly far from falling off the radar. Releasing one of 2015’s best debut albums Bully screamed their way onto the radar. It’s been two years since the perfect debut, and the long awaited sophomore album is here.

Losing is as simple and raw as the cover itself.

It’s an album for you to isolate yourself to, for you to drench yourself into the ripe hysteria of ’90s grunge, to lock the doors and listen all day. Alicia Bognanno, (singer and guitarist) doubles as the band’s producer. The intimate touches of Bognanno can be felt throughout each track. The expressive songs paired with the unique coarse rasp of her voice is a staple for the band and perhaps the most comparable to the ’90s king Kurt Cobain. The 2015 release recounted childhood memories and confessions. Losing is no different when taking on the at times uncomfortable truth of insecurities, taboo subjects and the unpleasantries of everyday life.

For your Summer Playlist: She Devils

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Imagine taking a step into space, nothing is around you and you’re just there, whatever will happen, will happen. You’re unsure of everything aside from your fondness of it all, this album is pretty much that. For as long as I can recall, seeing She Devils on a show bill in Toronto wasn’t rare. Many times over the years the duo, Kyle Jukka and vocalist Aurdey Ann Boucher have graced various stages in the city, each sporting a dramatically different hairstyle each time. 

“What’s this next band like?” Someone asked me once. My response was far from cohesive. Electro-layered-pop- indie stuff,  seemed like a bumbling response, yet oddly fitting. Finally setting their debut album out into the world, the Montreal band has fully grown into their outlandish theme. Finding a cohesion through energetic layers and enticing melodies.

The first track on the album is their most enticing and catchy. Revamped, the album version of Come is a far cry away from how the single recently was released. Slower and more polished than previous heard on their self-titled EP.  Each track has a reoccurring theme of Boucher confessing a heartfelt intimate story to another faceless being. Riddled over hushed and dominant tones, each oddity of electronic tones evokes the message further.

 

Can’t miss track: The World Laughs