By Lewis Park
Many are quick to write off remix albums as a quick and easy way for an artist to cash in on a recent wave of success, and are consequently inclined to pass them by. Champion has certainly had success lately with the album Chill ’em All, receiving positive reviews and getting nation-wide radio play for… Continue reading Spun: Champion – Remixed
A few months ago, some whistling, bass, laidback drumming and the charming interplay between male and female vocalists made the Internet go bonkers. The reason for all the blogosphere gushing was “Young Folks,” a breezy love song by the comma-hating Swedish trio Peter Bjorn and John. The song was, in a word, perfect. It deserved… Continue reading Spun: Peter Bjorn and John
By Ryan Pike
Back in 1971, a group of friends in Maryland formed a bluegrass band called the Seldom Scene. The main rule for membership in the band was that each member had to keep their day job, playing music on the weekends just for fun. Throughout the years, the Seldom Scene changed membership often, but fans of… Continue reading Spun: John Starling and Carolina Star
By Robin Ianson
Manowar, second only to GWAR as heavy metal’s biggest joke, are back again with yet another eardrum assault. Holding the unofficial world record as loudest band on the planet at 129.5 decibels (ear damage starts at 80!) Manowar have been writing their over-the-top, hyper macho songs for over 20 years and show no signs of… Continue reading Spun: Manowar
Some albums slap their listeners in the face, demanding their undivided attention and pummel them from start to finish. Other albums take a slower approach as they gradually seep into listeners’ heads until they’ve carved out a nice niche for themselves. The best albums employ both strategies, offering a strong first impression and increasing rewards.… Continue reading Spun: Loney, Dear
By Darren Young
In a world where downloading music onto iPods has become more addictive than heroine, music is often treated as the subconscious soundtrack to life. Active listening has taken a clear backseat to mindless listening, with most fans content to blast music through one earphone while listening to their friend talk their free ear off. More… Continue reading Spun: Champion
By Ryan Pike
The 79th Academy Awards take place Sun., Feb. 25 in Hollywood, and the world prepares for a spectacle of celebrities in silly outfits, overwrought acceptance speeches and excessive door prizes. It is, in no uncertain terms, the motion picture industry’s annual celebration of themselves. As usual, there’s a lot of debate on who deserves it… Continue reading The Gauntlet’s Oscar Predictions 2007
By Janice Tran
Control Freak” has such a nasty connotation. It immediately evokes images of the high-powered, pinstriped corporate shark, ruminating over every detail as he plans the exploitation of pandas, koalas or indigenous peoples. When refering to something as benign as pop music, perhaps “control enthusiast” is more appropriate. Whatever the nomenclature or connotation, this is the… Continue reading No, no, Copeland with an “e”
By Daniel Pagan
Departing from his common elves-and-goblins universes, Guy Gavriel Kay’s Ysabel is an urban fantasy novel in the style of Neil Gaiman, complete with contemporary setting. Combining Roman and Celtic history, photography and a centuries-old love, Ysabel tells the story of Ned Marriner, a young French boy who moves to America and stumbles upon a hidden,… Continue reading Book Review: Ysabel
By Jeff Clemens
To most English students and the general literate public, the words ‘Canadian literature’ automatically evoke a painful groan. Thankfully, not every Canadian author needs to recall coffee-spoon poetry and the unbearability of being a suburban housewife. Famed fantasy writer Guy Gavriel Kay is one of the authors giving readers something entirely different. “When I started… Continue reading Faeries, hobgoblins & iPods