Jah’Mila’s latest release is a celebration of Jamaican culture, but from a perspective that we might not be used to seeing. Paying homage to Israel Vibration’s 1995 song “Rude Boy Shufflin’,” Jah’Mila turns the song on its head, switching out the male-centric imagery for the strong matriarchal energies of a “Roots Girl” as a commentary on the male-dominated genre. Continue reading Jah’Mila Turns Israel Vibration Classic on its Head for ‘Roots Girl’
Tag Archives: Nova Scotia
The Strange Valentines Sign Off on the Apocalypse With ‘Burning House Waltz’
Nova Scotian folk duo The Strange Valentines ended 2020 with a single that sounds like it could have been a not-so-fond farewell to a year gone wrong, but really just marks the beginning of a lot of work to come. “Burning House Waltz” is an acknowledgement that civilization took a wrong turn somewhere along the way and it’s time to address some of these issues before the whole thing goes up in flames. Continue reading The Strange Valentines Sign Off on the Apocalypse With ‘Burning House Waltz’
Rusty James Aims to Please on Debut Album ‘Wishing Well’
As far as first albums go, Rusty James has decided not to pull any punches. Wishing Well is a solid debut from the Nova Scotia-based singer-songwriter, a collection of warm and engaging tracks that help to cement James’s voice as an artist. Continue reading Rusty James Aims to Please on Debut Album ‘Wishing Well’
Joel Plaskett and Sloan’s Chris Murphy Bring to Life Matthew Grimson’s ‘Prize for Writing’
“Here lay psychological metal, verbose pop, queasy balladry, and odd trips, all in all, the general detriment of a life well spent, for all who have known me or tried to understand.”
Those are the words the late Matthew Grimson used to describe his own music. You may not recognize his name and, sadly, Grimson passed in 2018 at the age of 50 without many people being aware of the large body of phenomenal work he had written. As a musician and songwriter, however, Grimson could scarcely have better references than Joel Plaskett and Chris Murphy (Sloan). The two monoliths of East Coast music have recently collected some of his unpublished work to create Matthew Grimson: Prize for Writing — an LP showcasing 15 of his songs that were recorded in 1994. Continue reading Joel Plaskett and Sloan’s Chris Murphy Bring to Life Matthew Grimson’s ‘Prize for Writing’
Sleepless Nights’ ‘Every Word Is a Trap’ Will Capture Your Mind and Heart, Along With Everything Else
Art has remained one of the brightest spots in a year where such spots may as well have been urban myths. Whether it was forward-facing optimism, the safety of our distant memories, or something new entirely, the art of the world remains the MVP of humanity’s hearts. Fronting this charge are those pieces that manage to combine all three into something truly beautiful; enter Sleepless Nights’s Every Word Is A Trap, an era-fluid, masterfully-crafted collection of glam rock, new wave, and an x-factor that could only come from the one and only AA Wallace. Continue reading Sleepless Nights’ ‘Every Word Is a Trap’ Will Capture Your Mind and Heart, Along With Everything Else