Month: August 2005

By Peter Hemminger

It might have been recast as a request for getting things started after Wal-Mart’s political correctness took hold, but in 2003 the Black Eyed Peas were asking their fans to get retarded. Don’t think about it, don’t search for some way to turn it into irony, just bob your head like an epileptic and get… Continue reading Spun: Black Eyed Peas

By Kyle Francis

After listening to the first two songs of this blues sampler, I thought, “If this is the future of the blues, spare me please.” The tracks “Memphis” by Taxi Chain and “Sleepless Dream” by David Jacobs-Strain are nothing more than pleasantly melodic, commercially driven folksy MOR drivel that one might accidentally stumble across on an… Continue reading Spun: Various Artists

By Katherine Fletcher

Picture yourself walking down an empty street on a cool spring afternoon–the sky above you milky white, a soft breeze tousles your hair. You scrunch your hands into your pockets and stare at the street beneath your feet, looking up periodically to take in the space around you. This introspective moment has been brought to… Continue reading Spun: Thirteen Senses

By Logan Niehaus

In a society revolving around computers, video games and movies, paying attention to anything, let alone the subtleties of music, can be tough. Unfortunately, The Starting Line’s sophomore album, Based on a True Story, undeniably falters at every turn, not even giving the listener a chance to get interested. Little has changed since their debut,… Continue reading Spun: The Starting Line

By Peter Hemminger

]Take one of the most underrated Canadian bands of the ’90s, add one of the most overrated Canadian bands ever, and you’re left with Stripper’s Union. Their debut album Local 518 is competently written, impeccably performed, and strangely lacking in charisma. It is, in a word, Canadian. This isn’t meant to slight the vast amount… Continue reading Spun: Stripper’s Union

By Ken Clarke

From his early electronically charged days with pop group Roxy Music in the ’70s to the present day, Brian Eno remains a true pioneer of the avant garde. Although he’s probably best known for his production work and collaborations with the likes of David Bowie, Robert Fripp, U2, David Byrne and Jah Wobble–to name but… Continue reading Spun: Brian Eno

By Trenton Shaw

Get ready for Supagroup because their album, Rules, is 11 songs of bitch-ass hair-metal with cover art resembling a sloppy kung-fu movie montage. Still, the title of Supagroup’s album is somewhat deceptive, unlike the bass player’s handlebar moustache, the album does not rule–though it does rock pretty hard. On Rules Supagroup have mastered the art… Continue reading Spun: Supagroup

By Nathan Atnikov

The Canadian alt-country scene has been expanding rapidly over the last few years thanks to the likes of Kathleen Edwards, Matt Mays, and most recently, Driveway. It would be an overstatement to say anything on Driveway’s self-titled debut was particularly outside the box, but they do make themselves very comfortable within the confines of this… Continue reading Spun: Driveway

By Garth Paulson

By their very definition, bands must work together as a group. Without all the members in sync the music will inevitably suffer. Regardless of how mind-implodingly awesome your lead guitarist is, your music is still going to sound like aural piss if your drummer can’t keep time. Sadly, this is the fate of Wintersleep. Although… Continue reading Spun: Wintersleep

By Emily Senger

As a follow up to the Juno-award winning A Poodle in Paris and sequel to the children’s chart-topper A Duck in New York City, comes Sky with Nothing to Get in the Way, the long-awaited release from Canadian singer-songwriter Connie Kaldor. Kaldor’s latest proves once and for all things do get in the way of… Continue reading Spun: Connie Kaldor