MUSIC REVIEWS

Forgotten Door has a large lineup, six performers in all, and brings a varied vocal approach to their songs. This approach recalls the band’s obvious influences from acts like Buckingham/Nicks era Fleetwood Mac, among others, but Forgotten Door are successful carving out their own niche in this tradition rather than indulging in mere …

Jeremy Rice’s improbably titled new release Jeremy Rice and the Legendary Fist of Takinawa is Rice’s first since relocating to Quebec City in 2016. It likewise reflects lessons learned from his time scoring television programs, video games, and commercials in addition to his pre-existing solo work and tenure with bands such as …

Sometimes we can learn more from a gentle hum than we can a thousand-words’ worth of dialogue, and in the intro to Patiently Awaiting the Meteorite’s new music video for “Devil’s In My Car,” the vibrating melody of the singers’ wordless melody is as transparent a tone as it gets. …

The Toronto Tabla Ensemble are back this fall with their most expressive track yet in “Dream Symposium,” an instrumental beat ballad with a penchant for the provocative. If you’ve heard their music before, you already know that the Toronto Tabla Ensemble are no strangers to the eclectic when it comes …

The duo of vocalist/guitarist Chris Tapp and drummer Brian Mullins, under the name The Cold Stares, isn’t your everyday indie act. The pair commands national recognition thanks to their cracking blend of rock and blues. The mix they bring to these time-tested forms balances the fundamentals giving each style its …

Gilded strums flow through our speakers in “Whatchoo Gonna Do,” and despite their regal quality, theirs is honestly just as soothing a sound as that of the rumble in “(Meet Me at the) Delaware Water Gap,” the gentle picking in “Angelina of the Sky” and the angst-ridden chug of “The …

The fourth full length album Zephyr from Gold Light is, for the most part, the work of one man. Joe Chang’s new release under the Gold Light moniker draws inspiration for its title from the town of Zephyr, North Carolina, where many relatives reside. Chang plays with a band on the release …

Surreal soundscapes that demand as much of a reaction out of us through the texture of their melodies as they do the substance of their soulful lyricism. Guitars that ache with the pressurized wonderment of youth. Basslines that bleed out of our speakers and drown everything within earshot. Percussion that …

In “Runnin’ Round,” one of the best tracks on Lesibu Grand’s The Legend of Miranda, the guitars are rife with a textured grit that has become next to impossible for listeners to find in most contemporary mainstream rock, but the fiery riff work isn’t limited to this song alone. Though a …

People have been talking about AV Super Sunshine a lot in 2019, and after taking a look at his latest single, “Candyland” (not to be confused with the first instalment in his Candyland series of LPs), it’s more than clear to me why. Available in a rock mix as well as a …