Against the grain

By Olivia Brooks

Spotting a bag of paprika in the IKEA with the label “Gluten-Free” often garners eye-rolls. It is easy to assume there is no gluten in spices, but the reality is quite different. To prevent clumping during packaging and to extend shelf life, most spices are mixed with wheat flour. It is also common for sausages… Continue reading Against the grain

Bleeding Knees Club

By Laura Wan

Had this album been released a few months earlier, it would have been the soundtrack to my summer. Bleeding Knees Club brings their highly danceable pop-punk to life on their EP, Virginity. This Aussie outfit injects their coastal sound into songs that recall those of noise-rock bands Black Lips, The Hives, and Step-Panther.But don’t pin… Continue reading Bleeding Knees Club

Wilco

By David Kenney

Wilco’s latest album is a true culmination of everything the band has done. The Whole Love pulls sounds from the experimental folk-rock of 2002’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and the straightforward rock of 2009’s Wilco.The seven-minute-long epic opener “Art of Almost” starts with a barrage of loops and sounds not unlike the opener on Yankee Hotel… Continue reading Wilco

Radiohead

By Myke Atkinson

When Radiohead released The King of Limbs earlier this year, it fell short of expectations. Still considered to be a viable addition to the Radiohead canon, the letdown came from the direction in which the band took the album. A remix compilation featuring some of Thom Yorke’s favourite producers, TKOL RMX 1234567 seemed to be… Continue reading Radiohead

Jack’s Mannequin fixes up, sounds sharp

By Jordan Clermont

Jack’s Mannequin’s most recent album took two tries to get right. Lead singer-songwriter and pianist Andrew McMahon says that there are two ways to look at the recording process for People and Things, released earlier this month: “Either I made a record and scrapped it, or I just made really good demos.” Feeling that the… Continue reading Jack’s Mannequin fixes up, sounds sharp

Jeff Beck still the master of the Stratocaster

By Ken Clarke

On Monday evening, legendary guitarist Jeff Beck (left) and his top-notch band delivered a solid two-hour set of mostly instrumental guitar wizardry to an appreciative sold-out crowd at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. Highlights of the show included an exquisite instrumental version of “A Day in the Life,” the always crowd-pleasing “Led Boots” and an… Continue reading Jeff Beck still the master of the Stratocaster

The Swamp Dwellers awakens onstage

By Alicia Ward

Although it might sound like a cheesy horror flick, The Swamp Dwellers is actually a widely acclaimed play by Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka. The University of Calgary’s drama department’s production of this play, directed by MFA student Edward Ogum, is sure to offer up important, emotional and perhaps controversial conversation topics for audiences to… Continue reading The Swamp Dwellers awakens onstage

Concert review: Skrillex

By Adam Marofke

Lost in a sweaty and throbbing mob, awash with eerily luminescent lights, you are blasted with bone-rattling bass and ear-piercing screeches, all while dancing to the commands of a shadowy figure with long, dark hair. No, this is not a ghoulish dream — this is a Wednesday night Skrillex set. The Oct. 19 Calgary show… Continue reading Concert review: Skrillex