By Jon Roe
Recently-elected federal Liberal leader Stephane Dion dropped by Calgary for a visit Fri., Jan. 12 and weighed in on the issue of building nuclear plants to power the oilsands. As it stands now, a massive amount of natural gas is being used in the extraction of bitumen.There are concerns when erecting nuclear power plants and… Continue reading Reactor reaction
By Emily Senger
Homelessness in Calgary is going corporate A group of Calgary movers and shakers including CEOs from TransCanada, Suncor, Canadian Pacific, the Calgary Flames and Imperial Oil are redefining the traditional model of faith-based homeless advocacy groups to create the Calgary Committee to End Homelessness. The committee promises to join corporate, municipal, faith-based and non-profit interests… Continue reading Editorial: Corporatized
By Jeff Clemens
Much like pimpin’, being a rapper in Canada ain’t easy. In a country where the most famous emcees are liberals from Vancouver, it’s easy to see why the proud nation of beavers and maple syrup might be lacking in street cred. Belly, a.k.a Rebellyus, a straight Ottawa O.G., is hoping to change all this. With… Continue reading Rapper wants more cops on street?
By Kay She
Molly Johnson does exactly as her album title, Messin’ Around, suggests–she messes around with her genre. It is important to note, however, that messing around is very different from messing up, and the melodic liberties she has taken are not mistakes. With a voice similar to Billie Holiday, this Canadian blues/jazz extraordinaire takes her audience… Continue reading Spun: Molly Johnson
By Emily Senger
Part live album, part studio recording, Sarah Slean’s fifth album, Orphan Music, is both elating and disappointing. Clocking in at 15 tracks, Orphan Music gives listeners an hour-long showcase of Slean’s classically-trained voice and piano talents melded with her signature foot-tapping, catchy pop stylings.This is where the elation ends.Apart from five previously unreleased tracks–the “orphans”… Continue reading Spun: Sarah Slean
By Robin Ianson
When a band decides to name itself Hurt after how their music sounds, it would seem like a safe bet to assume they are just another whiny emo band. Although the album features plenty of emo lyrics, calling Hurt emo is about as accurate as labeling Geroge Dubya MENSA material.Hurt is a band that doesn’t… Continue reading Spun: Hurt
It’s not uncommon to find big-name musicians putting their star power behind social and political causes. The most famous examples include Bob Geldof’s Live Aid concert in 1985 to raise awareness and funds for the famine in Ethiopia, and more recently, his follow-up Live 8 concert in 2005 to combat global poverty. While many mainstream… Continue reading Spun: Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars
By Kyle Francis
Though still relatively unheard of, Busdriver (born Regan Farquhar)has been twisting up eardrums since the early nineties with the vocabulary of a Pulitzer Prize-winner and elocution to trump Outkast. The tendency to flow with the melody of a track rather than the harmony produced an unmistakable style that carries Busdriver from album to album, but… Continue reading Spun: Busdriver
By Ryan Pike
While most albums face a series of challenges, soundtrack albums face an additional hurdle: preconception. Regardless of how enjoyable the music, the casual listener will only remember if the film was any good. It’s a shame that Freedom Writers was so generic, because the soundtrack is a surpringly listenable, if flawed, collection.Featuring such old-school hip-hop… Continue reading Spun: Freedom Writers
By Janice Tran
A Static Lullaby has returned from the fiery depths of major label hell, and live to tell about it in their latest self-titled release. After releasing the commercially unsuccessful Faso Latido on Columbia in 2005, the band disappointed many fans and lost much of their hardcore following. In the year between the two releases, the… Continue reading Spun: A Static Lullaby