My dad used to work for Tiny Mix Tapes. It was, and still is, a respectable review website. He specialized in music reviews, something I never really took into consideration at the time. I recently read through some of his old material, some of which are rave reviews of The Decemberists, Ghostface Killah, OutKast, and The Black Keys’ early work, and I noticed a common trend.
Author Archives: Jacob Crepeault
Surfer Blood, the Florida-based indie rock band, first stumbled into fame in 2009 with their song “Swim” catching passing glances from prestigious music journalists. This song, as well as the band’s SXSW performance, shot Surfer Blood into a heated circle of anticipation. The youngsters had yet to put out a proper album.
It was early in the day when I received an email invite to something called a “Lollipop-Up show”. With that kind of title, why not look a little closer at the details? I was given a golden ticket to Toronto’s low-key best place to be a few days before the big fright.
If you’re looking for a good time in Toronto tomorrow, look no further than the incredibly zany and intriguing “Lollipop-Up Show” at the 8-11 Gallery. Toronto natives shy kids are the hosts of honour at this creative endeavour, filled to the brim with great music, good food, and entertainment aplenty.
The event starts at 8pm at 233 Spadina Ave.
Generalizations are made when it comes to a person releasing music under their own name. Though they are usually a crucial part of the music-making process, they are not always the sole contributor to the overall sound. Such is the case with Jenny Ritter, the conductor in a grand orchestra of indie folk music.
Young bands have so much going for them. In their infancy, bands have a hopefully prosperous career in front of them and are eager to get going. London-based alternative act Run Coyote fall into this category with their bright minds aligning for an ultimate goal of success.
Run Coyote, made up of Sam Allen (vocals/guitar), Jake Allen (guitar/bass), Amanda Grant (bass/piano), and Jeremy Ramos-Foley (drums), have released one album to date and hope to continue improving on this collection.
James Blake is one of the most exotic and elaborate music producers working today. His distinct post-dubstep style and melancholy swoon has attracted flocks of people to adore his masterpieces. Since 2009, Blake has been consistently releasing music, all incredibly diverse and brilliantly crafted. He went on to win the esteemed Mercury Prize in 2013 for Overgrown, his second LP.
Wand, the LA-based psych-rock outfit, has returned for a full throttle experiment. 1000 Days is the second studio album that Wand has released this year, but that doesn’t mean they skimped on the sound quality. When bands release two studio albums with such a short time span in between, there are always two scenarios that can play out.
The concept of a doppelganger isn’t anything new in the world of film. We’ve been accustomed to what would play out if there was another exact replica of ourselves. Most of the time, the results aren’t pretty. Take a look at Denis Villeneuve’s recent cinematic mind-melt Enemy for example. In the music world, doppelgangers don’t have as much of a presence.
I don’t usually write angry articles. I’m not the type to side against any genre of music and place meaningless biases towards an artist or a song. However, today I’m crossing the threshold. If you haven’t heard at least a fraction of David Guetta’s poptastrophe “Hey Mama” featuring Nicki Minaj, you may want to leave the rock you are currently living under.
