Mac Demarco’s third solo release and follow-up to critically acclaimed 2 follows a similar pattern of his previous successes with small easter eggs of maturity buried throughout. Continue reading “Mac Demarco – Salad Days”
Mac DeMarco :: No straight talk here…
by Gil Carroll
With the release of his new, overwhelmingly fresh and catchy LP, Salad Days, Mac DeMarco has been dragged into the indie music spotlight with force. He’s been told to stay there, take countless interviews with every music blog in North America and Europe, sing some songs to sold out crowds all over the world, tell jokes and do funny dances. With so much coverage and a frenzy of hip kids surrounding Mac at this point, what else is left to be said? Continue reading “Mac DeMarco :: No straight talk here…”
Hillbilly Highway – Ryan Boldt on the dangers of the Highway, and Winnipeg Folk Fest 2014
by Sheldon Birnie
There’s no secret that Saskatoon’s Deep Dark Woods are a favourite of ours out here on the Highway. As such, we’re very fired up as the Winnipeg Folk Fest starts to creep up on us. I spoke with Ryan Boldt of the DDWs a month or so ago, and if you’ve seen the June/July 2014 issue of Stylus on stands, you may have read our feature. But not everything made it to print, and some of the best stuff was left on the cutting room floor. As I continue to listen to the Deep Dark Woods excellent Jubilee on repeat while I check my camping gear for all its essentials, here’s a bit of our conversation… Continue reading “Hillbilly Highway – Ryan Boldt on the dangers of the Highway, and Winnipeg Folk Fest 2014”
Bidiniband – The Motherland
On the title track of Bidiniband’s third record, Dave Bidini doesn’t pull any punches, as he sneers, “you might think I’m an angry, radical freak for what I’ve sung/But when it comes to speaking my mind, it’s only just begun.” Continue reading “Bidiniband – The Motherland”
Micah Visser – The Moon in a Jar
Micah Visser is a fairly new face in the local scene with a real knack for songwriting. Continue reading “Micah Visser – The Moon in a Jar”
The Bamboos – Fever in the Road
Maybe I was lonely, mostly I was bored, so I went for a stroll in a seldom travelled neighborhood. Continue reading “The Bamboos – Fever in the Road”
Timber Timbre :: Scary music, but far from scary only
by Sheldon Birnie
Timber Timbre crept onto the Canadian music scene like a thief in the night, capturing the imaginations of audiences and critics. Their 2011 opus, Creep on Creepin On, was nominated for the Polaris Prize, and spawned a series of five mind bending cinematic short films (or, “music vides,” if you prefer). The band, formerly a solo project of Taylor Kirk’s now filled out to a larger, collaborative performance based group, recently released Hot Dreams, an LP which is sure to find its way onto Top Ten lists (and likely the Polaris Prize long list, at least) for 2014. As the band launched themselves into “the touring vortex,” Stylus caught up with Taylor Kirk in a hotel room in gloomy Iowa City for a chat before their Winnipeg Jazz Fest performance. Continue reading “Timber Timbre :: Scary music, but far from scary only”
Timber Timbre – Hot Dreams
Hot Dreams, the sixth album in nine years from Toronto’s Timber Timbre, features ten tunes bound together by countless moments of dark and shadowy beauty. Continue reading “Timber Timbre – Hot Dreams”
Alejandra Ribera – La Boca
Alejandra Ribera sets the bar high for her second album, La Boca, before the listener even hears it. Continue reading “Alejandra Ribera – La Boca”
Wizards/The Faps – (split single)
After drooling all over the Loser Surf Death EP last year, it was no challenge to get excited about new stuff from Saskatoon’s wonderful Wizards. Continue reading “Wizards/The Faps – (split single)”