-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
By: Daniel Gerichter (@ZenDonut) – It’s not easy being a Canadian rock institution, but after 20 years, Sloan has earned the title with aplomb. Commonwealth – the Toronto-via-Halifax rockers’ 11th studio album – proves what we’ve known about them all along: they’re funny, they’re eclectic and they’re a product of four streams of effort. … Continue reading
By: Daniel Gerichter (@ZenDonut) – High Noon, the excellent fourth record from Hamilton’s Arkells finds the band making a crucial decision about their future: innovate or stagnate. The band’s straight-ahead sound to date has managed to keep them on the radio, beer commercials and sometimes that pre-Hockey Night in Canada montage, so why leave … Continue reading
By: Luke Ottenhof – The Gaslight Anthem seem to have two types of fans: regular fans, who carry a respect and an appreciation for the band and their catalogue, and those who doggedly compare singer Brian Fallon’s every lyric and each of guitarist Alex Rosamilia’s melodies on the fretboard to the twangy, vintage Americana-punk nostalgia sound … Continue reading
By: Daniel Gerichter (@ZenDonut) – On her ambitious new album 1000 Forms of Fear, Australia’s Sia Furler proves that she’s ready for primetime. Sia has released over 5 studio albums and the 38-year old veteran of the music world is on the cusp of Pop’s shift to the weird, Her dark, moody songwriting and vocals accompanied some of the … Continue reading
By: Maria Sokulsky-Dolnycky (@marisodo) – In July, Toronto typically becomes engulfed in humidity, and a halo of haze distorts and softens our surroundings. It is serendipitous, then, that this month will see the release of Alvvays, the much-anticipated sun-soaked debut LP by the band of the same name. Alvvays (pronounced “Always”) is comprised of Molly Rankin (whose forebears comprised the celebrated … Continue reading
By: Daniel Gerichter (@ZenDonut) – Epics come in all shapes, sizes and moods. Sharon Van Etten’s Are We There, the newest album from the Brooklynite, is a grandiose and sweeping journey through the ruins of a long-demolished romance. The album impresses that Van Etten has made huge leaps as an artist since 2012’s Tramp, and found inner resolve in an … Continue reading
By: Daniel Gerichter (@ZenDonut) – In 2009, Toronto-based punk rock group Fucked Up won the Polaris Prize for The Chemistry of Common Life, and in 2011, they created the acclaimed epic punk-rock opera David Comes to Life. In 2014, what does the Damian Abraham-fronted sextet do for their encore? On Glass Boys, their latest effort, they give us one hell of … Continue reading
By: Jennifer Perkin – Damon McMahon’s story is one-in-a-million – a former New York musician residing in China when Chicago label Locust Music discovered his long-shelved solo bedroom recordings and set them for release in 2009. McMahon promptly returned to the US to tour behind his long-delayed debut and subsequently released new material … Continue reading
By: Rebecca M. Williams (@rebeccapeppers) – Pop singer and rapper Brooke Candy embodies the aesthetic of a glamorous, haute-couture stripper. In fact, she did formerly work as a stripper before starting her rap career. Her sexy-meets-high-fashion look translates with perfect accuracy into her first comprehensive EP, Opulence. With over-the-top synthesized beats, blaring sirens, and even a slight dip … Continue reading
By: Daniel Gerichter (@ZenDonut) – Around this time of year, a slew of artists release albums that look to capture the feel-good essence of Summer. This year, Ray LaMontagne’s Supernova shows the 40-year-old singer songwriter from New Hampshire honing a new vibe, a new mood and a new groove, with the Black Keys’ Dan Auberbach on co-pilot producer duties to … Continue reading
Aesthetic Magazine | Album Reviews, Concert Photography, Interviews, Contests 