By Robin Ianson
Surfing films aren’t normally life changing. They are mostly uninspired affairs of sun, surf and girls in bikinis that try to attach themselves to the hip surfer lifestyle in a desperate grab for status. However The Gift of Barong: A Surfing and Cultural Odyssey dares to be something more, tackling some serious cultural issues while… Continue reading The Gift of Barong: A gift to surf cinema
By Kenzie Love
The Lookout is a bit like the proverbial glass of water: it can be seen as either half full or half empty. Without a strong turn from Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the starring role and a compelling first half, it could have been a lot worse. Unfortunately, had writer/director Scott Frank built on these strengths by… Continue reading The Lookout: Not worth looking out for
By Darren Young
Arlo Guthrie is definitely a family man. He lives by traditional values handed down to him by his father, Woody Guthrie, the man behind the folk classic “This Land is Our Land.” Over the past year, Arlo has been on the road with members of his family on the Guthrie Family Legacy Tour carrying on… Continue reading Arlo Guthrie: A gathering of Guthries
Energetic folk-pop is hard to find, as most of it tends to be of the Conor Oberst caterwauling variety. Thankfully, Jim Bryson’s adorably-titled album Where the Bungalows Roam is the perfect mix of acoustic folk and low-key indie pop for the scenester set, without all the ugly histrionics that tend to irritate the senses. Bryson’s… Continue reading Spun: Jim Bryson
By Darren Young
It feels strangely compelling yet obviously taboo to crack a Mr. T joke about House of Fools. A cliched A-Team reference just seems juvenile and forced in such a glaring circumstance. Regardless, after one listen to Live & Learn, no one will pity any of the fools living in this metaphorical house. Not a soul… Continue reading Spun: House of Fools
By Marina Foo
Never judge a book by its cover–or so goes the old cliche. Despite an ingrained aversion to them, cliches are sometimes incredibly apt. Sadly, though, City and Colour’s latest release, Live, is an exception–its plain, brown, cardboard cover speaks volumes as to its content. Dallas Green wanted to paint a picture for the hapless souls… Continue reading Spun: City and Colour
Score is a collection of work from Matthew Herbert, a collaborator with such artists as Yoko Ono and Bjork, cobbled together from his various film scores. As such, there is a strange lack of cohesion to the album. With that said, track selection is a stylistic evolution rather than an attempt to place the album… Continue reading Spun: Matthew Herbert
By Marina Foo
Treading through aural water, Tony Dekker is leading what originated as his solo project, Great Lake Swimmers, into a whirlpool of success. It started out in 2003 when Dekker recorded his self-titled album in a grain silo with an accordion, piano, lap steel and acoustic guitar, taking advantage of the silo’s natural reverb. Four years… Continue reading Great Lake Swimmers: Make sure to coat yourself in Vaseline first
The elusive sound of Azeda Booth is a difficult bird to catch. Described by band members as “an interstellar Japanese blend of post-neo-futurecore pop,” the songs on their upcoming EP, Mysterious Body, feature an equal blend of electronica, melodic guitar and founding member Jordon Hossack’s searingly feminine vocals. The result is an extremely textured, borderline-ambient… Continue reading Azeda Booth: A Japanese enclosure of some kind?
By Jon Roe
There’s something to be said about political cronyism. Rob Anders’ bid to be his party’s candidate for the riding of Calgary West for the fifth time hit a bump after his acclamation was overturned Fri., March 16. A Calgary judge determined that Anders’ acclamation wasn’t acceptable and the riding association wasn’t following the proper nomination… Continue reading Editorial: It’s time to oust Anders