By Dave Teeuwen
Imagine this: Bob Dylan picks up his guitar and plays Bruce Springsteen’s catalogue. Then, when he’s finished with that, he plays Tom Cochrane’s. Matthew Ryan is a good songwriter, excellent with hooks and adequate with lyrics. But he’s cursed with mediocrity. This record catches your attention at first and then drops you off in a… Continue reading East Autumn Grin
By Dave Teeuwen
Deep, dark and mystical is not easily attained. Sunna tries, but it eludes them. The feeling you get when you put on Tool isn’t here, but they try; they really try. The first track "I’m Not Trading" begins with mechanical grinding sounds before a meaty bass jumps in. You think you’re about to be assaulted… Continue reading One Minute Science
By Dave Teeuwen
This CD will haunt you. Damien Jurado’s newest foray into folk is nearly perfect in its ambience. Probably Sub Pop’s angel at this point, Jurado has made a career of moody folk over the past few years. This record proves his song-writing strength. Not unlike Hayden or Julie Doiron, Jurado sounds like Neil Young’s earlier… Continue reading Ghost of David
By Dave Teeuwen
Ah, Canadian music. Sometimes so sweet, sometimes so sour. Feist has that very distinct Canadian flavour to her songs. Every song feels like it’s fall outside. More specifically, it sounds Torontonian: lilting voices, surfaceless lyrics, guitars set on "easy listening." The album is interesting, if nothing else. Unfortunately, it’s also somewhat unfocused. Not that it… Continue reading Monarch
By Dave Teeuwen
Burning Ground is Calgary native Pearl Luke’s first novel. As a short novel, it is decidedly conservative but a good effort. The story centres around a fire scout for the Northern Alberta forestry department named Percy. Secluded in her fire tower at Envy River for the seventh season, Percy reflects on her life thus far.… Continue reading Writer breaks new ground
By Dave Teeuwen
There is a disturbing trend in rock these days: the false belief that copying Van Halen, Kiss and The Cult means unbelievable fame. While the Unband and Blink 182 dabble in those ’80s-drenched black arts, Gluecifer is the unrivaled lord of the rock underworld. Tender is the Savage is a double-disc tribute to all the… Continue reading Tender is the Savage — Gluecifer
By Dave Teeuwen
Electronica is still finding itself. Unlike rock or jazz, which have relegated its members to certain styles within the genre, electronica still has blurred lines of discovery surrounding it. Musicians are not made to produce only slow grooves or fast dance beats. Supreme Beings of Leisure have produced a solid album that delivers a track… Continue reading Supreme Beings of Leisure — Self-titled
By Dave Teeuwen
When Lauren Hill released Miseducation, she set a new standard for the depth and quality of female soul/hip-hop. Like it or not, it redefined what listeners expect of the genre. Kelis’s new album, Kaleidoscope, may not quite measure up to the over-all quality of Hill’s, but it comes pretty close. Its first single, "Caught out… Continue reading Kaleidoscope — Kelis
By Dave Teeuwen
For most people, where they were the night that 1999 became 2000 is, unfortunately, of little consequence. Nothing really happened–no explosions, no pestilence, no good old-fashioned wrath o’ God. Despite many claiming it would be the end, the change of the millennium was as humdrum as any other New Year’s Eve. Yet, for centuries, people… Continue reading Apocalypses: Prophecies, Cults and Millennial Beliefs through the Ages — Eugen Weber
By Dave Teeuwen
There are few Canadians with the fame Mordecai Richler enjoys. It is not the kind of fame movie stars and musicians endure, crave and then complain about. It’s more along the lines of being an ambassador everybody likes. His recent collection of magazine articles and musings, Belling the Cat (and taken in large part from… Continue reading Mordecai tells it like it is