john k. samson - provincial

Only John K. Samson, Canada’s punk poet laureate, would title a song ‘Longitudinal Centre’. Longitudinal is not a word oft thrown around in pop music. Much of what Samson can and does do lyrically is not oft thrown around in pop music. Samson is, arguably, Canada’s best lyricist and Provincial is proof.

‘The Last And’ is particularly staggering: a song about the end of an affair between a lonely teacher and her married principle. “The last conjunction after every other and, I was just your little ampersand.” Heartbreak captured perfectly in punctuation. On the gorgeous duet with Christine Fellows, ‘Taps Reversed’, Samson perfectly illustrates the ridiculousness of our over-scheduled, obsessively anonymous, lives: “The calendar requests a meeting to discuss the time we waste. When would be good for you?”—Samson and Fellows half joke but there is also a terrifying honesty to these simple jokes. ‘Taps Reversed’ also holds as the album’s true stunner. Fellows’ contribution eloquently compliments Samson’s prose and each song on Provincial is a glimpse into 12 perfect human lives.

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kathleen edwards - voyager (4.5/5)

Let’s just say it, get it out in the open, so then we can just realize that it is absolutely irrelevant and move on: Kathleen Edwards is dating Bon Iver front man Justin Vernon. We good? Ok! Moving on…

What is relevant and interesting is Kathleen Edwards’ and Justin Vernon’s producing collaboration on Edwards’ stunning fourth album, Voyageur. The Bon Iver ubermensch, aside from being Edwards’ co-producer, also serves as multi-instrumentalist and background singer. Where Vernon’s contribution is most evident, aside from his beautiful backing vocals (especially on ‘Change the Sheets’), is a sobering of Edwards’ usual crisp and clean sound.

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the black keys - el camino

Somehow—and likely this is a larger question of music history in general—the blues seem to transcend trend and popularity, bringing The Black Keys with them. It further seems that no matter the state of pop music, no matter what is crazy, popular and floating all over the internet, The Black Keys continue to rise above it—to rise above ever-present and pervasive trite crap.

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interview - imaginary cities

“We had a different name. It was Sparrow and then it was Oh Sparrow but then we […] just couldn’t use it and I was in my dad’s basement looking at book titles and I saw one that was called “Imaginary Beings” and one that said “Invisible Cities” and we liked the way it sounded so we just put them together…”

A couple of weeks ago I sat down with Marti Sarbit, lead singer and co-songwriter from Winnipeg’s suddenly famous Imaginary Cities. Rounding out Imaginary Cities is Sarbit’s bandmate Rusty Matyas, multi-instrumentalist, co-songwriter and occasional member of The Weakerthans. From my plague-ridden couch in Edmonton and a quiet moment in the legendary Horsehoe Tavern in Toronto, Marti and I talked Pixies, rock ‘n’ roll and who should have won the Polaris Prize. Spoiler Alert: Sarbit doesn’t believe it should have been Imaginary Cities. She’s happy to just have been nominated. “Yeah! That was awesome! That definitely felt good. And to be in the same category with some of my favourite artists was so cool. That was my first time really experiencing anything like that, even being nominated for something. In fact, Marti couldn’t be happier that the Arcade Fire took the prize. “Oh yeah! I’m a huge fan! I’m glad they chose Arcade Fire. They totally deserve it. That album was amazing and it makes the award more genuine, you know. They’re one of those bands that have such a unique sound you either love them or you hate them.”

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childish gambino - camp (4/5)

For me, good hip hop has always existed at the intersection between genuine satire and a genuine commitment to the genre’s form and tropes. Donald Glover’s project, Childhood Gambino, seems to fall squarely and securely at that intersection. So squarely at that intersection in fact that it is almost impossible to tell which side he stands on.

But music first, right? Can Childish Gambino rap? Yes! Very well in fact. His flow is quick, aggressive and occasionally deadly stylish. And the beats? Not dazzling. Instead, they are mediocre and uninspired and if the lyrics weren’t so incredibly engrossing the beats would pull Childish Gambino into the deepest pits of mediocrity.

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