By Taylor McKee
The product of Syracuse University returns for its third full-length album, Beta Love, a decidedly more upbeat release than 2010’s The Orchard. Constantly being accused of being a Vampire Weekend cover band, Ra Ra Riot certainly step outside their comfort zone on this album — with mixed results. The album is remarkably fast-paced and rarely… Continue reading Ra Ra Riot
There is a new genre manifesting in Canadian music today, and A Tribe Called Red is at the helm. This DJ collective from Ottawa started out by mixing traditional powwow music with club beats at parties for urban aboriginal youth in 2008. When they combined a grass dance song with a dubstep beat, they realized… Continue reading Spun: A Tribe Called Red
By Taylor McKee
Like it or not, Taylor Swift is an inescapable part of pop-radio — you will hear her on virtually any mainstream radio station. But when one considers her pop counterparts — think Katy Perry, Ke$ha or Justin Bieber — Swift is clearly a cut above. In her fourth studio album, Red, Swift continues to… Continue reading Spun: Taylor Swift
Some albums are meant to pump up listeners and some are meant to relax them, but it’s rare to listen to something that is both exciting and calming at the same time. While this seems to be an impossible contradiction, one only needs to listen to Erin Costelo’s We Can Get Over to understand how… Continue reading Spun: Erin Costelo
During a time when musicians are taking too many self-indulgent liberties, Delhi 2 Dublin gives their listeners what they want with their latest LP. The Vancouver-based, multi-ethnic world fusion band has consistently produced a stellar album every year since 2008. Turn up the Stereo further refines the band’s unique sound — a mashup of Bhangra… Continue reading Spun: Delhi 2 Dublin
Hailing from Montreal, the five-person alternative rock band Mak showcase their Radiohead and Coldplay influenced sound in their nine track self-titled album, MAK. I was unable to fully appreciate this album, maybe because of my prolonged exposure to club music and indie pop. Overall, the entirety of MAK seems to be disjointed, with bits… Continue reading Spun: Mak
Recently my father has taken to harassing my sister, an electronic music enthusiast, with endless questions about her favourite genre. “What is this bass-step foot-dub stuff everyone is listening to? What makes this stuff, you know, good?” My sister scoffed and ignored him. This was a pretty effective way of avoiding my dad’s pestering, but… Continue reading Spun: Mantrakid
By Dixon Blume
Yeasayer is a band known primarily for two things: solid singles and excellent live shows. This determination and energy has not translated to the studio, however, as previous albums strived to reach innovation and expressiveness, but fell short. Fragrant World unfortunately continues this trend. Yeasayer return to psychedelic synth-pop, with traceable influences from an array… Continue reading Spun: Yeasayer
By Taylor McKee
Shout Out Out Out Out is an Edmontonian group on a one-band mission to prove that a synthesizer can have a heart too. Their third full-length album continues from Reintegration Time and the Juno-nominated Not Saying/Just Saying. With every new album, SOOO endeavour to complete the impossibly difficult task of capturing the sheer immensity… Continue reading Spun: Shout Out Out Out Out
Calgarian band Stalwart Sons ushers in the autumnal decline with their second album Stay Cold. Laden with the varnish of post-hardcore and ’90s screamo aesthetics, the self-proclaimed “Canadiana three piece” has abandoned their usual conventions to delve deeper into the realm of fast-paced, toe-tapping rock and roll. While the band’s first album, Burn Daylights Like… Continue reading Spun: Stalwart Sons