By James Keller
Ambient, atmospheric backdrops put behind well-planned and perfectly executed melodies, peppered with ear-piercing subtle beats and mellow complementing lyrics. Add tracks with guitar-rock taking over, others with a blues feel, and you’ve only began to scratch the surface of Departure Lounge’s new record, Too Late To Die Young.Armed with an array of instruments–over 25 between… Continue reading Departure Lounge, Too Late to Die Young
From famed porn director to soulful musical philosopher, Society 1’s frontman Matt Zane is full of contradictions. His second album, Words as Carriers, is largely spoken art, touching on such dark themes as loss of innocence and the futility of existence.Understandably, sexual awakening and desires are a large part of this album, but some moments… Continue reading Matt Zane, Words as Carriers
By Tom Makarov
Much in the vein of Linkin’ Park and Project Wyze, Trik Turner’s self-titled release seems as though it was pushed through the studio to capitalize on the popularity of nü-metal bands. Unfortunately, it came off lacklustre and empty.The dual vocals are very familiar and the lyrics are hit-and-miss in terms of their complexity. Lacking the… Continue reading Trik Turner, Self-titled
By Dave Heaton
With so many bands sitting in their repertoire, Andy and Jim C. of the Brothers Creeggan are no strangers to the music business.Sleepyhead, the fourth installment of this co-sibling side project, takes a few steps away from their traditional lively sound and begins to venture into some of the gloomier realms of life. While the… Continue reading Brothers Creegan, Sleepyhead
By Anna Chan
The majority of this album resembles what you might hear playing in the background of an episode of Dawson’s Creek. Stereo’s slow tempo and mellow soundings are sure to ease a hyper-active child or make the calm extremely drowsy.The tracks are a simple combination of an acoustic guitar and Paul Westerberg’s raspy voice. Initially repetitive,… Continue reading Paul Westerberg, Stereo
By Falice Chin
After winning the 1998 Mercury Music Prize for “Most Innovative Album of the Year,” this five-piece band continues to amaze the world with their latest disc, In Our Gun. With their distinctively British blend of folk, blues, electronica and rock, Gomez provides an easy-listen, with catchy tunes and smooth percussion. Props to frontman Ben Ottewell… Continue reading Gomez, In Our Gun
By Eric Fung
Pop music has never been so bland. Velvet Empire and their self-titled debut are products of the Canadian reality TV series Popstars, which follows “the creation of a male/female pop super-group.”Average in every respect, Velvet Empire has no chance of attaining popstar status. There is no doubt they sing and dance decently and their image… Continue reading Velvet Empire, Self-titled
By Kyle Young
This CD belongs in your collection now, so you won’t have to go digging through HMV later when they’re selling out venues down the road.Even if this release had been their third or fourth, Headstrong’s self-titled debut would still manage to impress. With a heavy rock sound reminiscent of Rage Against The Machine, minus the… Continue reading Headstrong, Self-titled
By Eric Fung
Hot beats and live instruments aren’t normally mentioned in the same breath, but the combination works on N.E.R.D.’s debut album In Search Of…The disc features hip-hop tracks tinged with pop, rock and blues. For better or worse, it lacks the beats the duo became famous for as killer producers, The Neptunes. The product is a… Continue reading N.E.R.D., In Search of…
By Heath McLeod
Ben Kweller’s lack of creativity and insufferable lyrics are well displayed on his debut album Sha Sha. A motley mix of folk and pop-rock using pianos and violins, the album maintains an decent overall sound. Kweller’s contentedly lazy voice on “How It Should Be” produces a catchy tune, while on “Wasted and Ready” he shows… Continue reading Ben Kweller, Sha Sha