Winnipeg music & culture since 1989
The newest EP from Winnipeg’s best post-punk band Surprise Party, Circle of Death, is a fusion of unlikely genres and effects. Each track boasts a distinct musical signature. The opening song “Come Down” features a very groovy and upbeat sound, with shimmering guitar riffs lodging themselves in your eardrums. Continue reading “Surprise Party :: Circle of Death EP”
Ready for some folking? Good, us too.
The 31st Annual Brandon Folk, Music, and Art Festival runs this weekend, July 24-26, in Brandon, MB. Stylus caught up with the festival’s artistic director, Shandra MacNeill.
Continue reading “Brandon Gets Folked :: The 31st Annual Brandon Folk, Music, and Art Festival”
Touring on behalf of their album II, Toronto Post-Punks Metz will be stopping by Winnipeg on July 29, performing at the Pyramid Cabaret. Stylus got caught up with the band on the phone. Continue reading “METZ :: On the Phone”
By Kaitlyn Emslie Farrell
If you enjoy your indie music where the vague genre labels stem from breaking the rules and mixing up the typical formulas, then Lady Lamb is probably on your playlist, or at least she should be. Aly Spaltro aka Lady Lamb has been making music since her days working at her hometown’s popular video rental store in southern Maine, USA. Stylus caught up with Aly on the phone to talk about life and music. Continue reading “Lady Lamb :: Clear your head”
“. . . John writes the songs that make the whole world cry.”
Continue reading “From the Archives :: Vol 8, No. 5, July 1997 – The Weakerthans”
By Harrison Samphir
Since the release of his debut album, Veneer, 12 years ago, José González has remained an enduring indie-folk figure, crafting mellow yet affecting compositions on his classical guitar. Born in Gothenburg, Sweden, the 37 year-old has since released three full length solo records – his latest, Vestiges and Claws, dropped in February – several extended plays, and various other works with the Scandinavian band Junip, and London’s trip hop ensemble Zero 7.
Some might recall González for his ultra-popular covers of famous songs like The Knife’s “Heartbeats,” Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” or his more recent rendition of TLC’s “Waterfalls,” performed live on Sweden’s most popular television quiz show På spåret. Whatever the case, his vast array of successful work continues to garner critical acclaim and open the door to new creative opportunities. He wrote three original songs for the soundtrack of the film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, lent a track to a massively popular 2010 video game, and participated in experimental collaborations with orchestras from Europe to North America.
Stylus Magazine spoke to González from his home in Gothenburg about his new record, creative inspirations, and the underlying meaning of his most personal songwriting. Continue reading “ONLINE EXCLUSIVE :: In Conversation with José González”
By Tim Richardson
Sufjan Stevens is known for high-concept projects. He’s crafted musical anthologies of Illinois and Michigan, made a song for each of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, and churned out seemingly endless volumes of Christmas music. With his newest album, Carrie & Lowell, we find him at his least thematically ambitious and most biographically and emotionally exposed. As has been extensively publicized and discussed, Carrie & Lowell is very explicitly about one thing: Sufjan’s response to the 2012 death of his mother Carrie to stomach cancer. Each song copes with the reverberations of this event: witnessing it, burying it, or accepting it, sometimes all at the same time. Continue reading “Sufjan Stevens :: Us and those we lose”
Sam Neal has been involved with CKUW for approximately the past 4 years, first doing guest spots on Sellout Sound (now Mercy of Slumber), then co-hosting, and has now graduated to his own show, Knock Between Doors, which is a marathon six-hour set of experimental music from across the spectrum. Stylus emailed Sam to talk about his show. Continue reading “CKUWHO :: Knock Between Doors”
Topher Duguay
“So, this band Jan, they’re…”
“They’re certainly Jan, yeah.”
“They play Janwave. It’s when you sound like a mix of every fashionable 2003-2009 indie band, but your name is also Jan.”
“It’s a bold new genre. I like it.”
“It’s got a good beat, and you can Jance to it.”
“Oh, they’re done. On to Deerhoof.”
“So this is Deerhoof?”
“Yeah, they’ve been around for about 20 years and they play math rock.”
“So they aren’t Deerhunter?”
“No, Deerhunter’s singer is tall and Deerhoof’s singer is short. That’s how you tell them apart.”
“And they don’t play math rock.”
“But they both put on good shows. Feel that jazzy little guitar riff on ‘Paradise Girls.’”
“It’s very jazz-student wave. Weren’t these guys originally a noise rock band?”
“Well yeah, but they’ve discovered the joys of pop. There’s even a singalong chorus of BA-BA-BAs on this song!”
“I see she’s trying to get the audience to sing along. They aren’t taking the bait.”
“Well, I will. BA-BA-BA-BA BA BA.”
“Topher, stop.”
“No, I’m making up for Winnipeg’s notable lack of enthusiasm for anything. BA-BA-BA-BA BA BA”
“You’re at the back. She can’t hear you.”
“Well, darn. They are awfully energetic…”
“And tight! You’re going to ruin her concentration with your BA-BA-BAing! It’s like clapping along, it never works!”
“Point taken . . . oh it’s over.”
“No encore?”
“None! Maybe they’re disappointed about the lack of BA-BA-BAs?”
“Well, shame on Winnipeg. This band deserve better.”
“My apologies to Deerhoof. At least I BA-BA-BAed.”
“Deerhoof: A band whose live show deserves a BA-along.”
By Natalie Bohrn
There is hardly a line on Carly Dow’s album Ingrained that isn’t worth twisting around in your mind like a skein of yarn to find its true beginning and end. Continue reading “Carly Dow :: Ingrained”