By Kenzie Love
The cover of Haunted Cities, the latest release by Transplants, advises the album’s lyrics “may be unsuitable for some listeners.” The vast majority of listeners, prudes or not, will find most of the profanity peppering the disc’s 12 tracks gratuitous. In fact, some might be completely turned off by it, which would be a shame.… Continue reading Spun: Transplants
By Ken Clarke
It’s a shame such a talented group of virtuosic musicians are trapped in a ’70s time warp. This unfortunate affliction dominates Dream Theater’s arrangements and overwhelms what should otherwise be a progressively innovative band. Celebrating their 20th year together with the release of Octavarium, Dream Theater’s technical playing is at times second to none. James… Continue reading Spun: Dream Theatre
When Cuff the Duke appeared out of nowhere in 2002 with Life Stories for Minimum Wage they wowed the few lucky people who actually heard them. The album delivered a much needed kick in the pants to the stagnant alt-country genre. Instead of simply walking down the heavily travelled alt-country road like their peers, Cuff… Continue reading Spun: Cuff the Duke
Grab a dictionary and look up “poet.” You’ll come across a definition like “person who has great ability to feel and express beauty.” Look further down for “poetry” and you’ll get an entry along the lines of “the expression of beautiful or elevated thought, imagination or feeling.” …as the Poets Affirm, an art rock sextet… Continue reading Spun: …as the Poets Affirm
By Trenton Shaw
The beginning of Avenged Sevenfold’s City of Evil is harrowing in a good way. Manic roars, ballad-esque guitar lines and rousing drum fills swell to a flurry of double bass and hero-metal screams, eventually leading to a chorus of pop-metal bliss. These first five minutes of the album set the stage for the relentless, pulsing… Continue reading Spun: Avenged Sevenfold
By Kenzie Love
“A lot of books that get published suck.” These immortal words from Everybody Loves Raymond’s Robert Barone are a fitting analysis of Grizzly Lies, the second mystery novel by local author Eileen Coughlan. The novel is mediocre, but because there are so many other books like it the full impact of its pedestrian nature is… Continue reading Book Review: Grizzly sucks
An integral element of any coming-of-age novel is the repressive situation against which the angst-ridden protagonist rebels. For Esther Greenwood in The Bell Jar it was societal pressures for her to be a proper woman. For J.D. Salinger’s Holden Caulfield it was pretty much everything. Nomi Nickel, the heroine in Miriam Toews’ celebrated novel A… Continue reading Book Review: A Complicated coming-of-age
By Emily Senger
Poetry readings conjure the mental image of a dimly lit, smoky room filled with artsy men in berets and dark clothing snapping their fingers in response to deeply inaccessible gibberish. A point filling Station Magazine Managing Editor Derek Beaulieu hopes to make this weekend at the magazine’s first poetry BLOW-OUT is that poetry readings don’t… Continue reading Festival Preview: A new poetry
It might be a bad thing for these huge bands, like friggin’ Metallica, who get mad about it, but I don’t even think that’s really an issue for us and for a lot of bands,” says Adam Nimmo, drummer of The Most Serene Republic, about downloading. “Free exposure is free exposure.” In fact, the band… Continue reading Music Interview: Most Serene hype band
After heavier than usual use this summer, the University of Calgary Campus Food Bank is calling for a little help heading into September. “We’re kind of low on everything now,” said Food Bank Coordinator Amanda Head. Head stressed the situation isn’t dire, but a throng of needy graduate students have pushed the limits of the… Continue reading Food Bank seeks help