Category Archives: Feature

Brielle Ansems Turns a Difficult Subject Into Something Beautiful With ‘Hillsborough Bridge’

Not all subjects are easy to talk about, and they’re certainly not any easier to put into song. The key to making great art, however, seems to be going straight at what scares you and Prince Edward Island alternative pop-folk artist Brielle Ansems has done that with emotional candour. “Hillsborough Bridge,” Ansems’ latest single cuts deep with themes of heartache and self-destruction; artfully bearing it all with a raw and touching intimacy. Continue reading Brielle Ansems Turns a Difficult Subject Into Something Beautiful With ‘Hillsborough Bridge’

Retrospective: Looking Back Ten Years Later on Rich Aucoin’s ‘We’re All Dying to Live’

Ten years ago, if you already knew about the release of Rich Aucoin’s debut LP, We’re All Dying to Live, it was probably because you knew Rich Aucoin. Aucoin is first and foremost an entertainer: a living, walking, breathing party and his live shows, complete with confetti canons and coloured parachute, have become the stuff of legend. Long before his music was ever a twinkle in a jewel case, he was putting in the leg work—often quite literally—by travelling back and forth across the country. Now, it’s not unlikely that you or one of your friends know Rich personally, or at least have his phone number.

That perpetual party state of mind is what powers We’re All Dying to Live. It’s an electro-pop album that desperately teeters between a world of fun and a life of responsibility. A decade later, it’s clear what side of the equation Aucoin landed on, and in celebration of the album’s ten-year anniversary, we’re looking back to see if We’re All Dying to Live still brings the party. Continue reading Retrospective: Looking Back Ten Years Later on Rich Aucoin’s ‘We’re All Dying to Live’

Top 10 | Mike Trask Lists the Blues Albums That Have Influenced Him

Among Atlantic Canadian producers and musicians, Mike Trask seems unique; with his affinity for analog and a style of music that has become increasingly idiosyncratic with each release, Trask is continually surprising us. His latest release, “Great God Almighty,” is a clear indicator that, rather than having independently manifested his own form of rock and roll, Trask has some very real influences, especially when it comes to the blues.

So, we asked him for the Top 10 blues albums that have influenced him the most. Continue reading Top 10 | Mike Trask Lists the Blues Albums That Have Influenced Him