Reviews – Stylus Magazine

May 6, 2025March 23, 2025

Album Review :: Jeff Parker ETA IVtet ::THE WAY OUT OF EASY

(or, “The Dialectics of Improvisational Jazz”)

by Maggie A. Clark

I listen to a lot of jazz at this time of year.

Between my graduate studies and biweekly Leninist reading group, I spend many an afternoon with my nose buried in a PDF. But, you see, my mind wanders, and I can’t stand to be left alone with my thoughts for longer than about 50 seconds at a time. Naturally, this is a situation that calls for some tunes, but lyrical music often distracts me from the text I’m supposed to be reading or writing! What’s a girl to do?

April 29, 2025March 23, 2025

Album Review :: LEON’S GETTING LARGER :: YOU BE GOOD NOW

a punpkim head lying in a chair surrounded by beer cans (prairie and killter)

by Bradi Breckman

“These aching bones, these two years at home, all these things I own, I think they’re plotting against me.” — Leon’s Getting Larger (“Oh the Places You’ll Go”)

After several years of live shows, singles and EPs, Manitoba band Leon’s Getting Larger released their first official album last fall. You Be Good Now is a collection of old and new tracks that combine aspects of alternative, rock, indie and emo genres into a cohesive sound. The album features a mix of short and long songs which, when listened to in order, blend into one another, engulfing the listener in the sound, and not letting them leave until the final chord is struck.

April 22, 2025March 23, 2025

Album Review :: Orelands :: Secrets and Select Missions

album cover starry sky with clouds neon sign that says Orelands on the horizon.

by Mykhailo Vil’yamson

Even though one might see the We, Here and Now! record label and mistakenly assume that Orelands must be made up of Shakespearean bards from the Stratford Festival in Ontario, the band itself emerged from the hard rock, zinc-laden mining town of Flin Flon. Though only one member of this three-piece actually lives there – i.e., the drummer, Dean Martin – both Jay Hovland (songwriter, guitarist, vocalist) and Scott Ellenberger (bassist) also have roots in Flintabbatey Flonatin.

April 15, 2025March 23, 2025

EP Review :: WITCH HAZEL :: CASA ROSSO

by Maggie A. Clark

Clicking around on Bandcamp again, I stumbled upon a local indie-rock outfit known as Witch Hazel. Now, maybe I should have heard of them by now; I am, after all, a writer for Stylus Magazine. But what you might not know about me is that I am a lousy, no-good dilettante, so it takes me a while to catch on to small details like “what bands exist in Winnipeg in 2025.”

April 8, 2025March 23, 2025

Album Review:: Attica Riots:: Life’s a Sugar Pill

by Jamie Glenwright

After six years of radio silence (aside from live performances), Attica Riots finally released their second EP. Life’s a Sugar Pill dropped on December 9th of last year, and it doesn’t disappoint at all. It has the same upbeat, melancholy-ish vibe they are known for. Their new EP has five songs that are all lovely in their own ways, and I’m thrilled to have the pleasure of reviewing them all as my first article for Stylus.

March 25, 2025March 23, 2025

Album Review :: Dinner Club :: Brave Faces

by Mykhailo Vil’yamson

The unknown is intimidating because, by definition, it’s unfamiliar. This can express itself as fear — either unfounded or rational — or alternatively, as fascination. Regardless, uncharted territory is worth exploring when there’s a choice, as one never knows what one might find. It’s easy to surround oneself with the recognizable and “safe.” But isn’t life more exciting when deliberately leaving room for surprise?

February 13, 2025February 13, 2025

Album Review :: Jason Tait & Patrick Michalishyn :: G-384

by Maggie A. Clark

Some readers may well be scratching their heads right about now.

“Jason Tait, huh? Yeah, I recognize him. The drummer from Red Fisher and that other band — you know, the one with that song about Gump Worsley! Patrick Michalishyn, though: now where have I seen that name before?”

Try “one page ago,” on account of the above “CKUWho?” profile. In the interest of full transparency, I should mention that he did ask me to review his split tape, and I obliged. So let it be known — if you ask nicely enough and I have a spare evening, I’ll just do whatever you say. I’m easygoing and I crave the approval of others! (And on that note: if you have an album you’d like me to review, shoot me an email at [email protected].)

January 7, 2025December 13, 2024

Album Review :: NITOTTIR :: the noise is…

light tile distorted light pinky blue faded photo

by Maggie A. Clark

The best experiences in life are the ones that come to you by chance.

I don’t know if I believe that—and, in fact, I probably don’t—but for the sake of argument, let’s say that’s true. Out of boredom and looking for something to write about, I went rooting around in the Bandcamp tags for “Winnipeg” and “experimental” until a recent-ish release leapt out at me.

The resulting find was the noise is… by NITOTTIR.

December 31, 2024December 13, 2024

Album Review :: Burton Cummings :: A Few Good Moments

a few good moments album cover old clock, watch and timepiece.

by Maggie A. Clark

Owing to The Guess Who’s transformation from rock band into local institution, it’s easy to forget that Burton Cummings is not only a real person, but a real person who is still alive and making music.

December 24, 2024December 13, 2024

Album Review :: Jamboree :: Summerland

Sumerland album cover. photo tiles of horse on a roof, bumper cars, roller coster, sun tanning in a lawn chair, rainbows, paths, trees and swings.

by Mykhailo Vil’yamson

If there was one place that I could live, it would be California. But for reasons manifold, it’ll never happen. Second best is travelling there, which I had the chance to do earlier this spring – after saving for years – and along my way down the coast I stopped in a little place called Summerland: population 1300-ish. There’s a song by the same name from the mid-’90s by Everclear where frontperson Art Alexakis sings: “Just a name on the map / Sounds like heaven to me.” And stopping at the beach was just like that: a dream. But it was an illusion; an ephemeral fantasy. Because after my few days on the coast, it was back to landlocked Manitoba with only a one-minute video of the surf as a souvenir.