By Jaime Burnet
Calgarian indie-rock giants Tegan and Sara’s seventh studio album Heartthrob is destined to be met with cries of ‘sell outs’ by self-proclaimed ‘true fans.’ On the surface, it’s easy to see where these jaded fans are coming from. Heartthrob trades in the acoustic-rock soundscapes that defined The Con and So Jealous for a wall of… Continue reading Tegan and Sara
By Jaime Burnet
The twins are back in full form. Calgary’s own Tegan and Sara Quinn have finally followed their 2007 release, The Con, with Sainthood. The Con launched them from cult obscurity into the eye — and ear — of the mainstream media and Sainthood follows its success, maintaining much of the feel of their ’07 disc.… Continue reading Spun: Tegan and Sara
By Jaime Burnet
Midnight Boom is like the incredibly hot guy or girl that you just can’t quite get a read on–it’s coy, a little sexy but with just a hint of guile to it. While the Kills have never been about creating an all-out sonic boom meant to blow their listeners away, this is the closest thing… Continue reading Spun: The Kills
By Jaime Burnet
Tegan and Sara have come a long way since competing in Calgary’s Garage Warz competitions. On previous releases, their songs have followed a set singer/songwriter formula and have gained critical response from it. On their fifth release, The Con, the sisters have enlisted the help of Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie to help… Continue reading Spun: Tegan and Sara
By Jaime Burnet
A plethora of pierced and black-haired show kids mill around the Stampede Corral, several hours early for the Taste of Chaos Tour. It’s ironic these people, who make considerable efforts to look drastically different from the mass of Hilary Duffs and J.Los, gather together similarly dressed and adorned–the angst and eyeliner so concentrated even their… Continue reading Music Interview: Looking for some chemistry
By Jaime Burnet
Up against the wall of rock’s back alleys, dirty guitar grinds against the knuckle-crack staccato backbeat of a drum machine. The stripped-down sound of Hotel, aka Jamie Hince, and the full, throaty vocals of VV, aka Alison Mosshart, create a sexual electric current running beneath the surface of each song on No Wow, the second… Continue reading Spun: The Kills
By Jaime Burnet
With all of the superfluous hyper-sexuality shoved down our throats these days, it isn’t surprising a little mystery and integrity come as a welcome and refreshing breath of relief. For some, the term “burlesque” conjures images of neon signs flashing “Live Nudes” leading to a sad little stripper strutting on stage for an audience of… Continue reading Theatre Preview: Flaming tassels of charity
By Jaime Burnet
A fusion of Alexisonfire-esque electric guitar, simple and effective beats, and just the right amount of distortion making you think this could be the beginning of a great song, maybe even an amazing CD. Then, Sleeper Set Sail vomit all over themselves, spewing the cheesiest lyrics since 98° (the group that rocketed Nick Lachey to… Continue reading Spun: Sleeper Set Sail
By Jaime Burnet
You are now entering Vagina Country. To your right are the chocolate cupcakes decorated with pink Vs and to your left is a charming coffee table painted in the likeness of the genitalia we all know and love-complete with clit piercing and rippling labia. A dense crowd mills around, heads bobbing to drum beats, enjoying… Continue reading Theatre Review: Vagina togetherness
By Jaime Burnet
You’re gnawing on the last of the lemony paste-filled chocolates and February 14 has come and gone. Roses have wilted and that poor bear would like to take off his red sequined vest right now. Chew your cud of waxy chocolate, but Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be about material crap. The “V” in Valentine’s Day has… Continue reading Theatre Preview: Ms. Va-jayjay: You talking to me?