Voodoo Sometimes wanted to take a story-telling approach to their single, “Hummingbird’s Vice,’ so it seems appropriate that the video, directed by Liam MacDonald, would be treated to something more akin to a short film. Working with the NSCC Screen Arts Year-2 Class, the video weaves an open-to-interpretation narrative through some rhythm & blues-based psychedelic rock. Continue reading Music Video: Voodoo Sometimes Work with NSCC to Produce ‘Hummingbird’s Vice’
New Music: The Royal Volts Hit Hard on ‘Hard Landings’
After recently becoming the first band to officially sign at Ragged Head Records, headed by producer Jon Landry (The Stanfields), Halifax rockers The Royal Volts have wrangled their whirlwind sound into Hard Landings, a six-track album of some faithful, old-fashioned classic rock. Continue reading New Music: The Royal Volts Hit Hard on ‘Hard Landings’
Music Video: Apryll Aileen’s ‘I’m Still Alive’ Trends Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
The irony of the COVID-19 pandemic is that streaming music has become practically essential to survive this with our sanity intact while simultaneously cancelling concerts worldwide. Apryll Aileen’s new video for “I’m Still Alive” offers a curiously grim outlook on the situation—not for the content of the song, but given the song’s title and the fact that it’s currently trending, along with being featured on two of Apple Music’s major playlists….. Continue reading Music Video: Apryll Aileen’s ‘I’m Still Alive’ Trends Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Music Video: Sarah Harmer’s Prince Edward Island-Inspired ‘St. Peter’s Bay’ Meets the St. Lawrence River
Sarah Harmer’s “St. Peter’s Bay” is about as Canadian as it gets. Written against the backdrop of a Hockey Day in Canada event that took place in Prince Edward Island on February 9, 2012, there’s a cast that includes Ron McLean and Don Cherry, Chris Murphy, Lennie Gallant, Stephen Stanley, Carmen Townsend, Liam Corcoran, and Dave Bidiniband, all lurking in the wings. Centre stage to the song is Harmer’s relationship that was falling apart at the time. Continue reading Music Video: Sarah Harmer’s Prince Edward Island-Inspired ‘St. Peter’s Bay’ Meets the St. Lawrence River
One Album to Another: Sloan Albums Ranked
When it comes to the Top 100 Canadian Albums of all Time, there are a few things that critics can agree on. There are legends you can count on finding every time, like Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, The Tragically Hip, Rush — and Sloan. Made up of Jay Ferguson, Chris Murphy, Patrick Pentland, and Andrew Scott, this four-piece rock band, originally from Halifax, Sloan has historically delivered a sound that has eschewed contemporary tastes for the sound of ‘60s Brit-rock and ‘70s garage rock, but with four songwriters, each with distinctly different styles, it’s difficult to put them into one box.
Each member has amassed his fair share of songwriting credits and, while performing, the band will often reinforce that democratic nature by trading off instruments to accommodate the performance of each other’s songs. Their successful and unique take on band democracy has served them so well that they’ll soon be celebrating 30 years as icons of Canadian music, having created countless radio hits and equally amazing deep cuts.
So how well do you know the work of these beloved rockers? If you haven’t yet delved into their diverse catalogue, allow this guide to help you decide where to start as well as suggest some deep cuts you may have missed! Continue reading One Album to Another: Sloan Albums Ranked