David Jacobson plays simple acoustic guitar lines like a man capable of more than a little Frivolous Complexity, who has nevertheless learned the value of restraint. ‘Please Tell Me’, the opening track of his scintillating debut Come Around Again, lilts into being with a simple strum that shimmers with grace-notes and sophisticated ornamentation before resolving into […]
It was a brisk, sunlit afternoon and I was walking along Queen West, headed into the city to meet a friend for dinner. As I passed the south gates of Trinity Bellwoods, I pulled out my phone and absentmindedly flipped over to my Instagram feed like the modern, connected fellow I am. There, I saw […]
Modern classical music is primarily a consort of the modern musical elite, with little to no basis in consumer demand. It is more often than not the product of a graduate thesis, or commissioned by an eccentric for equally eccentric ends. They Will Take My Island by Robert Martin is one such project. At this juncture I […]
I was walking through the grocery store the first time I heard “Ghost Years” by the minimal-electro-glam-darkwave group WAZU. I melted when the guitars came in. They shimmer on both sides of the stereo image. As I walked down the grocery aisle I felt I was being carried by these massive metal structures. It felt […]
I went on and on about the awesomeness of The Global Cabaret Festival last year, so I’m not going to say it again. What I will say is that this year was even better with only a few mild disappointments in a wonderful weekend of 9 shows in 2 days from October 12th to 14th. […]
Mount Kimbie and Squarepusher- DANFORTH MUSIC HALL, Nov. 2 Staying relevant is difficult for modern musicians. Ubiquitous online scrutiny coupled with the limitless ability to release and re-release material has created a musical landscape where rapid change is not only expected, it is demanded; this is particularly true of electronic acts. Genres and sub-genres emerge, embellish […]
Abel Tesfaye has been around long enough to be selling out shows but you still might not know who he is or why people (see John Norris of MTV) are calling him the “next Michael Jackson.” He’s found the essence of a generation in his drug-riddled tales of desperate adoration, sex, and pain. The self-starter […]
Deftones have been creating music since ’88 and haven’t had a single line-up change until tragedy struck their bassist Chi Cheng in 2008 (he’s been recovering at home as of the latest news, which is amazing to hear). I bring this up because after twenty years together as a single unit, bringing in somebody new to continue the […]