Savk — Savk (VK Records)
For his self-titled debut, former Beija Flor singer Stephen A. van Kampen (or, more briefly, Savk), has built a sound by stripping down. Without his previous band’s kaleidoscope of noise to distract, the spotlight is squarely on van Kampen’s pleasantly strained falsetto and his intricate guitar work. Opening track “I Can’t Wait” sets the pattern … Continue reading
Dr. Dog — Shame, Shame (Anti-)
Dr. Dog is one of those quintessential “hard-working” bands, plugging away since the turn of the millennium without ever quite reaching big-draw status. Maybe that’s because its The Band-like blend of psychedelia and pure Americana has never quite aligned with the other revivalist trends that cropped up over the decade — it’s too straight for … Continue reading
Saw them last weekend: Yukon Blonde
Nothing ups expectations like a well-placed wave of buzz, and Yukon Blonde’s sets at CMW generated just that. So, naturally, a decent crowd assembled at the Palomino on Saturday night to check out CMW’s highest-ranked band. And, man, it’s not hard to see how they earned that title. There’s nothing particularly progressive about Yukon Blonde’s … Continue reading
Frightened Rabbit — The Winter of Mixed Drinks (Fat Cat)
The leap between Frightened Rabbit’s debut, Sing the Greys, and the sophomore Midnight Organ Fight was like the difference between grayscale and full colour — the songwriting was more grand, the heartache more vivid. Now,with The Winter of Mixed Drinks, the band seems poised on the brink of mainstream success. Give or take singer Scott … Continue reading
Full interview with John K. Samson
I’ve been a huge fan of John K. Samson (and, by extension, The Weakerthans) ever since I heard “Anchorless” on Propagandhi’s Less Talk, More Rock back in elementary school, so I have to admit that interviewing him was a bit of a thrill. He was jet-lagged from a trip to Australia, but was still polite, … Continue reading
Elevating Alberta’s music scene
Luka Symons ups the ambition at Epcor series Boosterism has become taboo these days. Somehow, cynicism is now synonymous with sophistication, and wholehearted support for anything — a band, a city, a system of government — is seen not as a sign of open-mindedness, but of naiveté. Either no one has told Luka Symons about … Continue reading
Everybody Was In The French Resistance …Now
Fixin’ the Charts, Volume 1 Cooking Vinyl Art Brut frontman Eddie Argos has been skirting the edge of joke-rock since Bang Bang Rock & Roll. His saving grace — the trait that’s taken him from potential novelty to heir apparent of Jonathan Richman — is his sincerity. No matter how well-worked the turn of phrase … Continue reading
Concert review — Brasstronaut @ Broken City
A quick chat with Broken City’s exceedingly friendly bartender, Adam, reveals that Brasstronaut is short one guitar player and missed out on a full soundcheck — not necessarily a good sign for a band with two wind instruments to mic. Sure enough, the first song — “Lo Hi Hopes,” from the band’s debut full-length, Mt. … Continue reading
CD Review: Maintenant, by Gigi
(full review from ffwdweekly.com) Five years ago, Vancouver producer Colin Stewart got his hands on a pair of vintage reverb plates, the kind that gave ’50s girl-group pop its irresistibly warm feel, and asked his friend Nick Krgovich (P:Ano, No Kids) to provide songs that would do the equipment justice. Let’s not mince words — … Continue reading
The Consumption 