Author: Jenny

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The Besnard Lakes – Fine Vintage

By Kevan Hannah

Between releasing their third album, The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night, embarking on a worldwide tour, and managing Breakglass Studios at home in Montreal, the Besnard Lakes’ Jace Lacek found some time to sit down with Stylus to talk about their record, vinyl superiority and inspirational fever dreams.

Stylus: Your last album received a lot of critical attention and really catapulted you out of obscurity. Did that impact the way you approached album three?
Jace Lacek: It was kind of daunting for me. With the first two records, nobody knew who we were, we weren’t expecting anybody to ever hear the record. So I kind of wanted to approach it the same way. It took about three or four days in the studio for me to actually close my mind off from that and make a record. I kept thinking, “Is this…what are we making? Is it good?” Before, I was always like, “I don’t care.” After about four days of just writing away at it, I got over that. Let’s just close ourselves off and just make the record.

Continue reading “The Besnard Lakes – Fine Vintage”

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Label Profile: War on Music

By Kent Davies

War on Music isn’t just a label or a store. War on Music is a political movement. Much like Organic Planet Worker Co-Op or Mondragón Bookstore and Coffeehouse, the principles guiding the War on Music organization are that of participatory economics. Through a committee structure there are no bosses, no managerial hierarchy and no purveyors of lame-ass corporate music. All members of War on Music maintain an equal share of equity in the business. The worker co-operative is located, as member Charley Justice says, “halfway to hell”—or the basement of 93 Albert St. here in Winnipeg. As a local metal store, WoM also serves local bands, offering high-quality in-house merch for cheap and sometimes even acts as a venue for shows. Aside from row after row of quality, reasonably priced metal and punk albums, top-notch metal merchandise and vintage arcade machines, the most alluring feature of War on Music is their in-house label. War on Music the label is leading the way in Canadian metal releases on vinyl. With over a dozen releases, including re-issues of classic metal and punk albums, 7” singles of Canadian metal and hard-rock acts and the number-one-sellling metal album in the country, WoM is a force to reckoned with. Stylus talked with label rep and co-op member Charley Justice about the label, the store and the future of vinyl-driven metal. Continue reading “Label Profile: War on Music”

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Pip Skid – Fake Blood, Real Beats

By Sarah Petz

With a sound that is raw, honest and provocative, you wouldn’t expect that Pip Skid (a.k.a. Patrick Skene) grew up on the mean streets of the small prairie city of Brandon, Manitoba. Skene said growing up in Brandon was, like all small cities, challenging at times, but thinks that he and his other Brandon-raised friends DJ Hunnicutt and mcenroe ended up developing their music simply because of the lack of things to do.

“We also never had other rap groups to look up to in a close sense,” says Skene, “The only place we could see or hear rap was from rare little moments when it would get played on TV or the radio.” With only punk, jazz and metal bands around them, the group played any show they could get, even if it meant playing a 12-year-old’s birthday party.

“I do believe that coming from a place like Manitoba does effect your art. Our winters change your life which in turn influences the music,” says Skene. His latest album, Skid Row, is the first time he’s worked with DJ Kutdown on an entire project. Also collaborating with Magnum K.I., Skene is proud of the record they’ve produced. Continue reading “Pip Skid – Fake Blood, Real Beats”

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Review: Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba – I Speak Fula

With I Speak Fula, the Malian Ngoni lute player Bassekou Kouyate has put together a confident and precise collection of songs that ought to be heard by both those familiar and unfamiliar with the West African sound. This is evangelical music at its best, as Kouyate, backed by his band Ngoni Ba, do well in bringing traditional West African motifs and typical western sounds into conversation with one another, such that his music is ripe for the masses. The songs found throughout the record are equal parts African Highlife and American dessert blues, resulting in a fascinating fusion of sound that avoids doing violence to the genres at play. Kouyate clearly has the utmost respect for the genres he’s working with, and the performances throughout the record excel as a result. Highlights would include the trance-like “Jamana Be Diya” featuring Kasse Mady and Toumani Diabete and the wah-wah driven “Musow,” which at moments sounds like straight-up rock and roll. Considering the increased interest in the “African sound” among recent Western rock and pop bands (Vampire Weekend, Dirty Projectors et al.). I Speak Fula proves to be both a beautiful and timely record, tapping into the Western musical conscious, simply by paying due tribute to the traditional forms of West Africa. (Sub Pop, www.subpop.com) Jeff Friesen

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Review: The Lonely Vulcans – Night Date

The key influence of the mostly-instrumental band is Santo & Johnny’s “Sleepwalk,” which is, duh, a sleepy number. But that song and this album are far from lullabyes—they’re a real gentle form of rock and roll. But other than tracks which sound like the Lonely Vulcans’ patron saints, there’s much more to get excited about on Night Date than that, like T.J. Blair’s soulful wails on “The Lonely Vulcan” and on “Hymn,” or the group’s London Calling-esque rockabilly on “Western.” Guitarist/ band founder Daniel Pangman has said that he’s more inspired by movies than music, and he’s interested in invoking imagery. In my mind, there’s a handful of songs that evoke images of just laying back under an old Wild West sky sitting by a campfire, moving from one town to the next. All in all, it’s an easygoing disc with some bite. (Transistor 66, www.transistor66.com) Taylor Burgess

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Review: Various Artists – Peg City Enterprise Vol. 2

I’ve been hard on rap music in this magazine before. So before I begin this review, I need to make something clear: I do not hate rap music. I appreciate the skill that goes into rap, and the rhymes that many of these artists can come up with are great. I think that one of the reasons I’m hard on rap is because the experiences that rappers have gone through are so far removed from my own that it is hard to relate to. But enough about myself, it is time for me to look at the newest release from Peg Town Entertainment. This CD functions similarly to a mixtape. It contains fifteen tracks from several different artists on the label, including Tha M.I.C, Zkilla, and Ed E Buk. The beats are well-constructed and don’t feel amateurish at all, and the raps are well done too. There are quite a few talented voices in the Winnipeg hip hop scene that haven’t been discovered yet, and this album highlights some of these voices. I would like to hear some solo albums next time from these artists. Definitely give this album a listen. (Peg Town Entertainment, www.pegtownentertainment.com) Charles Lefebvre

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Review: Kids on Fire – Kids on Fire

So let me tell you a story of this trio of Winnipeg puck-rock vets who drunkenly decide to make an album before they’re sure if they’re a band or not. The result is a pretty damn good debut of passionate beer-soaked punk-rock recorded right off the floor. While it’s not really groundbreaking, the band never the less are three great local punk-rock performers let loose. Hearing the fully unleashed versions of Steve Hallick (the Crackdown), the rambling vocal screams and guitar jangles of Ian Lodewyks (Subcity) and Leif Gobeil (Vibrating Beds) fierce punk-rock growls on tracks like “Celebration” are something to behold. Now that ’90s sytle SoCal-infused dirty punk rock is dwindling locally, KoF has the opportunity, the passion and the raw power to really capitalize on the sound. Lodewyks’s rambling gravely screams over spastic guitar and punchy basslines sets the stage with the lead off “Shotgun.” Bassist Leif Gobeil’s songs are a faster and fiercer brand of punk-rock with tracks like “White Collar, Fluorescent Lights.” Overall, the real standout track is “Grand Mystifier,” a lighter-hearted punk-rock ’n’ roll number with damn catchy guitar riffs and a great chorus. Hopefully these guys extend their bender and stick it out for another album. (Transistor 66, www.transistor66.com) Kent Davies

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Review: Keith and Renée – Detours

Despite being named as musical ambassadors for both Manitoba Homecoming 2010 and Free the Children’s Adopt a Village Program, Keith Macpherson and Renée Lamoureux have still managed to find to put together this polished album. Detours is the fourth full-length record from these homegrown prairie popsters, and it finds them offering up a brand-new assortment of quality folk-rock.The duo take turns on lead vocals and songwriting duties, resulting in an interesting back-and-forth between the two that saves this collection from too much sameness. It also serves to showcase both Lamoureux and Macpherson’s individual strengths. Lamoureux’s impassioned Amanda Marshall-esque vocals contrast nicely with Macpherson’s introspective, at times almost coy, acoustic guitar-infused melodies. Overall, Detours is radio-friendly Can-pop at its best–clean production, hints of alt-country and folk alongside more straightforward pop/rock tracks, only with a humble, down-to-earth approach that is uniquely Winnipeggian. Keith and Renée may no longer be easily amused, but they know how to make a warm and satisfying record that’s a joy to listen to. (Easily Amused Music, www.keithandrenee.com) Tiff Bartel

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Review: Canteen Knockout – Broken Down Town

This album is the sort of country that I think anyone can enjoy, given that they’re not a snobby curmudgeon. Tonally, it’s extremely pleasant, with all the trappings of a true country album. What I mean by that is that the family of country these guys belong to lost any common ancestry with Taylor Swift and the like about 40 years ago. They all play instruments (and well!), and the twang isn’t just a superficial wrapping for some cheesy pop music. These fellas country like Hank Williams was still kickin’ around, and do a damn good job of it too. As with most country in this vein, there’s not a whole lot in the way of original songwriting—the songs seem immediately familiar (and I have only a passing knowledge of country music) but it doesn’t detract from the album as long as you don’t expect some sort of futuristic avant-country. Also, I love the lyrics on this album. A single reference to “…feelin’ like a turd” won me over immediately, and if it doesn’t sell you too, I don’t think we should hang out. They have an awesome sense of humour, an excellent sense of musicality, and they’re Canadian to boot. (Weewerk, www.weewerk.com) David Nowacki

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Review: Hedzoleh Soundz – Hedzoleh

Hot off the heels of last year’s Ghana Special: Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds and Ghanaian Blues, Soundway gives us yet another terrific reissue with Hedzoleh, the 1973 debut disc from Ghanaian afro-jazz masters Hedzoleh Soundz. Better known as the back-up band for South African trumpeter Hugh Masekelah, here it appears the band was perhaps better off on their own, as the songs found throughout the record carry a wonderful blend of traditional Ghanaian sounds and a slight hint of 1970s rock. The record’s highlight is “Hedzoleh!”, a seven-minute afro-blues jam session that displays the creative energy the band had at this early point in their career. Consisting of a clever interplay between guitar and flute solos and an acute use of rhythm, the track develops to encourage even the most stubborn to get up and dance. With another solid release to add to their catalogue in Hedzoleh, Soundway has proven yet again to be one of the more exciting record labels currently working. (Soundway Records, www.soundwayrecords.com) Jeff Friesen