Stylus Magazine -- Dec/Jan 2012-13

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Dec 2012/Jan 2013 Stylus Magazine

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EVERYTHING

WENT

BLACK 217 Osborne St.

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Stylus

Dec/Jan

Issue6 2012-13 Volume23

On the Cover KEVIN MOZDZEN is a graphic designer at Cold Bones Creative, co-owner of I’m Trying Records and part of the production team at Prairie City Sound. His graphic design work stemmed out of a necessity to produce posters, album art and other merchandise for bands on his label.

Over time that work has expanded into magazine illustrations, company logos and album art for various Canadian artists.

Production Team Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sheldon Birnie Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Mazurak Assistant Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . Darcy Penner Advertising Manager . . . . . . . . . . Ted Turner

For a look into Kevin’s ongoing work visit: www.coldbonescreative.com

204-786-9779, outreach@theuwsa.ca

Distributor . . . . . . . . . . . Patrick Michalishyn Cover Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kevin Mozdzen Printed by Copy Plus Inc. . . . . . 204-232-3558

Contributors Janet Adamana Matt Austman Pierce Caims Janel Chau Nick Van Doeselaar Shanell Dupras Matthew Dyck Kabir Kaler Victoria King Devin King Ginaya Jesmer Grace Moyer Harrison Samphir Martyna Turczynowicz Scott Wolfe Adrienne Yeung

Stylus is published bi-monthly by the University of Winnipeg Students’ Association, with a circulation of 2,500. Stylus serves as the program guide to 95.9FM CKUW and will reflect the many musical communities it supports within Winnipeg and beyond. Stylus strives to provide coverage of music that is not normally written about in the mainstream media. Stylus acts as a vehicle for the work of new writers, photographers and artists, including members of the University of Winnipeg, of CKUW and of the Winnipeg community at large. Stylus reserves the right to refuse to print material, specifically, that of a racist, homophobic or sexist nature.

All submissions may be edited and become the property of Stylus.

All opinions expressed in Stylus are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors. Contributions in the form of articles, reviews, letters, photos and graphics are welcome and should be sent with contact information to:

Stylus Magazine Bulman Student Centre, University of Winnipeg 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9 Phone: 204-786-9785, Fax: 204-783-7080 editor@stylusmagazine.ca www.stylusmagazine.ca Contributions will be accepted in the body of an email. No attachments please. All submissions may be edited and become the property of Stylus. Unauthorized reproduction of any portion of Stylus is strongly discouraged without the express written consent of the editors.

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TableofContents Blah, Blah, Blah Events Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Live Bait Photos of RiFF RAFF, The Noble Thiefs, The Lytics and more . . . . . . 14 CKUWho Inner City Voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 CKUW Program Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Local Spotlight JohNNy SiZZle // Hey Pilgrim // Lazyhorse . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 NonStopHipHop Brother Ali talks Latest Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Root Cellar Xavier Rudd // Wool On Wolves // Tift Merritt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Iconoclast Bullet // State Radio // Millencolin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Laugh It Up Jon Mick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Under the Needle Band of Horses // Dum Dum Girls // The Zolas . . . . . . 24 Fear of Music Billy Corgan and the Parallax of Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Kontroller Dishonored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Feat. Throw Off The Shackles of Youth and Age Well . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Features Japandroids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Diamond Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Beck’s Song Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Yukon Blonde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fireworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Unbelievable Bargains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Jeans Boots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Dec 2012/Jan 2013 Stylus Magazine

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BIG JOHN BATES GATE NIGHT PYRAMID

Blah, Blah, Blah No need to deny it friends, Winnipeg’s ostensibly bitter winters tend to slow things down around here. However, never fear! There are still plenty of great bands and artists putting on some wonderful shows throughout the white-covered months. So lace up your Sorels, grab a flask for the walk, and don’t be a wimp. Let’s do this, Winnipeg! *** Every Wednesday night at the Rose N Bee Pub, Andrew Neville & The Poor Choices rip it up, country style! *** Every Thursday is Rock N Roll Draft Night at the Windsor. No cover, cheap beers, live music! *** Sundays are Blues Jam nights hosted by Big Dave McLean down at the Times Change(d) *** Saturday, December 8 Boats are hosting a Tape Release Party at the Windsor Hotel, joined by Oldfolks Home and Ultra Mega; Dave Bidini is at the Times; and down the road The F-Holes have an album release at (hopefully!) the Albert *** Sunday, December 9 rock-opera kings Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers are hosting a video release party at The Park Theatre *** Monday, December 10 head down to the Park Theatre for a songwriting fest featuring a lot, and I mean a lot, of Winnipeg songwriters, hosted by Romi Mayes *** Tuesday, December 11 sees Canadian indie-exports The Sheepdogs play the Burton Cummings theatre, joined by Yukon Blonde (pg. 10); or go see Kim Churchill at the West End Cultural Centre *** You best you all hit up the Folk Exchange on December 12 for Prairie Roots Revue featuring Ryan Boldt, Zachary Lucky, Kacy & Clayton and Carly Maicher *** The annual JP Hoe Hoe Hoe Holiday Show takes over the Park from December 13 - 15 *** Thursday,

December 13 has The Perpetrators getting rowdy at the Times Change(d); meanwhile Give Your Gifts, Take Me To The Pilot, James Struthers and The Treble bombard the Garrick *** Head down to the Royal George on Friday, December 14 for the Beach Station Blues compilation release, featuring a bunch of bands including Zoppa, The Hoots, and Modern Man *** Get out the innerchild, because Fred frickin’ Penner is playing a pub-style sing-along at the West End Cultural Centre on December 15 *** Sunday, December 16, the Park is hosting Bobby Desjarlais, Salinas, Sons of York and A Waste Odyssey *** Do you like pie?

Because Chic Gamine is at the WECC on Monday, December 17 (Youtube the joke if you’re confused); Do you like beer? Because Japandroids are playing the Pyramid that night as well (read their lyrics if you’re confused) *** Tuesday, December 18 promises good for ear-plug sales as Viridians, Distances, and Warsaw play the Park *** An all-star line-up of Winnipeg pop-rock hits the Pyramid on Thursday, December 20, with Imaginary Cities, Cannon Bros., and Federal Lights *** Friday, December 21 will see collage-à-trois release their debut EP at the Gas Station Theatre; and the annual Quinzmas (Quinzy + Christmas) will be at the Burt *** Park Theatre features Crisis Jane, Adam Hanney and ELESSAR THIESSEN on December 22 *** Thursday December 27, the New Lightweights release their new EP at the Times Change(d) *** Friday, December 28, the Pyramid goes Pop with Royal Canoe, Tom Keenan, and Animal Teeth *** The JD Edwards Band is play-

PHOTO BY GINAYA JESMER

ing the Times Change(d) on Saturday, December 29 *** Happy New Years! There will be something going on in pretty much every dang bar in the city.

Then again, every dang bar will be packed to the teeth, so get there early if you’re getting anywhere at all. *** Saturday, January 12 Moses Mayes graces the Pyramid, The Unbelievable Bargains (pg. 12), Smoky Tiger, and the Big Three rock the Cavern *** There’s sure to be a Title Fight at the WECC on January 13 with some dudes who are Living With Lions *** Gojira, Devin Townsend Project and The Atlas Moth bring their L’Enfant Sauvage Tour to the Garrick Centre *** Sure, it’s not the Jets, but on Wednesday, January 16 Blue Rodeo play the MTS Centre *** January 19 Mobina Galore, Dust Adam Dust, and Gaff & The Slasher are at the Cavern *** January 21 has Yellowcard, All Time Low and Fireworks (pg. 11) punk the Burton Cummings Theatre; and shit really gets hard at the Zoo with Into Eternity, Revista, Grand Master and Viridians *** January 24 – 26, it’s the second annual Big Fun fesitval, hosted at a bunch of venues throughout Winnipeg with a slew of bands including Liptonians, The Angry Dragons, Pip Skid, The Ripperz, Bokonists, Jeans Boots (pg. 18), and tons more! *** The Tragically Hip and The Arkells play the MTS Centre on Saturday, January 26 *** Of course a lot of shows will be announced between now and our next issue, so be sure to visit www.stylusmagazine.ca for up-to-date listings, online-exclusive features, and blogs. Keep warm, Winnipeg. Our next issue will be released February 7th, right in time for CKUW Fundrive 2013!

YOU ROCK COMEDY SOUL JAM Friday Dec 7th @ WECC

PRESENTS:

HOLIDAZE CRAFT SALE Fri. Dec 7th & Sat. Dec. 8th @ 75 Albert St DJ HARRY CHAN Saturday Dec. 8th @ The Pyramid BOATS Saturday Dec. 8th @ The Windsor LITTLE HOUSE ALBUM RELEASE Saturday Dec. 15th @ The Cavern ELELEMENT CIRCUS Friday Dec. 21st @ Pulse Nightclub BIG FUN FESTIVAL Jan. 24th - 27th @ Various Venues OH MY DARLING Saturday Jan 26th @ WECC

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Dec 2012/Jan 2013 Stylus Magazine

05

JAPANDROIDS TAK ING THE T O UR O N R EC O R D

BY DARCY PENNER

“There were just certain moments during the set

when we’d play that would be this huge avalanche of positive energy from the audience,” explains Brian King, guitarist and co-vocalist of Japandroids.

“The part of whatever song that caused the people to have that reaction, that’s what I wanted to do.

I wanted to have a whole album that was like that— a whole set that was like that.”

Released June 5th on Polyvinyl Record Co., Japandroids’ second album, Celebration Rock, is thirtyfive minutes of bombastic drums, huge guitars, and shouted chorus hooks that are proving to step up what was already a high-energy, explosive live set.

The Vancouver pair’s history tends to dominate press narratives since the band was so close to ending in 2008. Therefore, keeping it short and detail-free: Japandroids formed in 2006 as a duo comprised of Brian King and Dave Prowse. They released two EPs, All Lies and Lullaby Death Jams in 2007 and 2008, respectively (these would be combined for the release No Singles, in 2010).

While recording their first full length, the pair mutually agreed to disband, deciding to finish with a couple of shows. One of these shows landed them a vinyl-deal with Unfamiliar Records, the album was picked up by internet critics, and in August of 2009 their debut full-length, Post-Nothing, was released internationally by Polyvinyl Record Co. Post-Nothing supported the band’s high intensity show for two years, after which they hunkered down to write the follow up, Celebration Rock—an album praised by critics across the globe (Metacritic.com has it at 83/100), short-listed for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize (Post-Nothing was long-listed in 2009), and peaking at 37 on

the US Billboard 200. The anthem-filled album and its creators are back in the environment they prefer, jet setting across the globe on a four-month international tour.

Talking over the phone while getting ready for a show in Dallas, King explains how at points while writing Celebration Rock, the possibility of abandoning the album arose. “I mean, I’m glad we did not, but there were certain moments that I thought [our] ambitions were greater than our talents or abilities. There [are] so many different elements in play working on your second record than working on your first record,” King recalls.

“You have all kinds of outside pressures weighing down on you that never existed before, and for us, we just kind of lived that whole sort of [second album] cliché that you hear about.”

Fortunately for one-time young-twenties beer guzzlers who refuse to let their youth die, King and Prowse’s writing process was put on hold to go back on tour. “After we got back from that we decided ‘We really needed to make a change in the way that we approach what we’re doing. Otherwise, we’re never going to get this done, or if we do, it’s not going to be up to the standards that we want,’” King says. “That was when we decided to move to Nashville to finish the record up… which really changed everything.”

“Putting all that stuff in the car and driving all the way to Nashville and setting up in a living room of a house and getting to explore a new city that you [have] never really spent any time in – I mean, that part of it just made it feel a little bit more like you’re back on tour. You’re back on the adventure and all of a sudden all of the clout surrounding writing the record was gone.

Then songs started to come really fast and really easy.”

The relationship between Japandroids’ writing process and touring is what gives them so much of their impact live: not only

are the songs heavily influenced by the pair’s experience on the road and understanding of what parts are the most fun to play live, one could read from King that the main reason the songs exist is to tour.

“I know a lot of bands who would be perfectly content in just writing songs and recording them, and never having to tour,” King says. “Those are the kind of bands, you know, [they] write an album, record an album, and then figure out how to play it live later. We’re just sort of the opposite of those kinds of bands. We love to tour, we love to play shows, and that’s what our band is centered around.

So it’s only kind of a logical extension from that that our records are associated around that as well.”

December sees the band making their way through North America to get them home for Christmas, ending four days after their December 17th show in Winnipeg after four months on the road.

“We started this tour kind of in the place that we ended the Post-Nothing tour, which was a great place. And we’ve just only managed to kind of build it from there, and the shows have been getting bigger and better over the course of the year—the crowds have been getting more and more into it,” King says.

In the New Year Japandroids will be touring Asia and Australia, but are not revealing any details beyond that, because they don’t have any. While they have fulfilled their Polyvinyl contract, the duo have been very public about their short-term planning.

“It’s not just a line when we say stuff like that,” King tells. “We really do have very short-term conversations about things and don’t make a lot of plans.”

Catch Japandroids at The Pyramid on December 17th, 2012. Mac Demarco is opening, and you may want to consider wearing a rain jacket for the beer and sweat.

ILL US T N TIO RA

AR ESELA N DO K VA NIC BY

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Dec 2012/Jan 2013 Stylus Magazine

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ILLUSTRATION BY GRACE MOYER

By Adrienne Yeung

Everything about Diamond Rings (aka Toronto na-

tive John O’Regan) dazzles these days, especially when each facet of the platinum-mohawked, bejewelled musician throws back an image of the musical and visual changes that have taken place over the past two years. His second album, Free Dimensional (released Oct. 23), is obviously grown up out of Special Affections’ (2010) sparkly DIY-esque pop: it’s polished, deliberate, and endlessly catchy. While a phone interview sadly failed (the recorded interview is literally five minutes of mumbling, crackling, and my repeating “Hello? Hello?” into the Stylus phone), we managed to finally connect via trusty e-mail to find out what he’s got to say about his changing presence and sound.

“I’m also not interested in the presentation of ideas,” explains O’Regan. “I’m interested in the expression of feelings. I don’t speak to the world. I speak to the self.”

This comes through in pretty much every song on Free Dimensional, where O’Regan’s trademark baritone combined with constantly energetic backbeats seem to produce the sounds of various emotions. Personally, I hear the sound of how you feel when you throw yourself into a new relationship (“Runaway Love”), realize you own your identity (“I’m Just Me”), and feel like you’re finally on the right track (“Stand My Ground”), among others. This is obviously different for everyone, but the optimism displayed throughout is universal.

“I’ve always attempted to make my music accessible. That’s the whole point of being an artist,” says O’Regan. “Perhaps I’m just getting better at what I do and it’s becoming more readily apparent that I treat accessibility as an end

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in itself, rather than simply a means to something more vapid like fame or fortune.”

The bottom line for O’Regan, it seems, is that Free Dimensional connects with its listeners. It’s not necessarily best experienced “sitting at home with virgin vinyl, headphones, and a hi-fi,” but possibly also with “a poorly dubbed cassette tape in a used car or on cheap earbud headphones at the gymnasium.”

This is instantly apparent when Diamond Rings plays live shows now, too. O’Regan explains that travelling with the addition of a band “really allows me to engage with the audience and perform to the full extent. After touring for a while, it was something that I [realized I was] really missing: to be able to look people in the eye instead of staring into the computer screen.”

A conscious effort to experiment and keep things fresh are what guided Free Dimensional out of the place that 2010’s Special Affections tour had carved for itself. He mentions at one point that he’s already working on new material.

However, “the final version is never what anyone has in mind at the very outset of the creative process.” He notes that the title of the album is its own manifestation to his creative process, choosing it because “I wanted to allow myself the room to experiment with different styles and sonic textures without the fear of having to conform to what I feel are often narrow genre categorizations.”

Indeed. For example, this time around you can hear O’Regan rapping on several tracks, which is something he hasn’t tried before. He actually wrote “Day and Night” in one morning, but hesitated to add in the R&B hook that his producer had pushed for. Eventually, he “decided to just go for it. I’m definitely most proud of that song.”

The recently released music video for “I’m Just Me” is stunning in its production quality. Space themes and avant-garde outfits abound, which visually augment O’Regan’s confidence in his career and deliberate steps towards creating the Diamond Rings presence. However, he says as a reminder, “you can find a bit of me in every facet of Diamond Rings. No one part of me takes precedent.”

Dec 2012/Jan 2013 Stylus Magazine

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ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW MAZURAK

BECK’S SONG READER // PRETENTIOUS STUNT OR EFFECTIVE ARTISTIC EXPERIMENT?

By Shanell Dupras

CDs, MP3s, LPs. These are the formats most of us

are familiar with when buying our music in the 21st century. Any other forms of music are inconvenient.

In a day and age when everything is about convenience, Beck has decided to do a little experiment; to go back to the inconvenient; to release his next album only as sheet music. This new album, titled Song Reader, consists of 108 pages of music notation and original art. What’s intriguing is that the only way to hear the songs aloud are to both read and play them yourselves, or sign up for a mailing list to hear other fans’ renditions. The one question on everyone’s mind is: will it work?

There have already been plenty of different opinions on Beck’s little experiment, some very positive, some – not so much. Some comments online so far have been “Beck, get your lazy ass in the studio and make your own album;” “Releasing something that only appeals to a small percentage of your fan base is a huge step backwards;” “And the gold medal for pretentiousness goes to Beck!!!” It appears that the fans are so far not too keen. It’s obvious as to why; for any fans that aren’t able to read notation this is a slight slap in the face.

The question remains: will this work?

Professionals appear to be hopeful. Wade Nelson, a Rhetoric and Communications professor at the University of Winnipeg believes that “it’s both clever and smart-assed (in the best possible way)… Of course, it doesn’t solve any problems, and perhaps creates a few, but that doesn’t mean that the project isn’t worthy of attention. And at the very least, it gets people talking about the current state of affairs in the music industry.”

Nelson is one of many who would have to wait until these songs are recorded before getting to hear them. “It unfortunately takes too much of an effort to consume, and I suspect that most folks are not invested enough in this sort of thing to actually make it happen for themselves.” Song Reader is worth trying, but will it be worthwhile?

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Zane Zalis, a composer – who has worked with the WSO – and high school music teacher, has a slightly more optimistic view of Beck’s efforts: “I welcome it. I embrace the idea. I think it will be a challenge for most people in popular culture.” As a composer, Zalis sees the good in sheet music that recordings alone may not offer. “The eyes catch what the ears miss and the ears catch what the eyes miss… I think the power comes when the two come together… the notated word has a lot to offer, the recording has a lot to offer.” As of right now, Beck has not announced the release of a recorded album with these tracks; however, some fans don’t seem to mind.

Rather than recording the album himself, Beck

has decided to let the fans do it instead. Beck has recently launched a website called songreader.net, where fans can sign up and submit their versions of his songs. Even before the album’s release, some fans have showed interest. The last time I peeked at the page (and this number is most likely different now), there were three versions of the song “Do We? We Do” as well as four versions of the song “Old Shanghai,” all using the exact same notation, with drastically different results. One band, Bradley Dean Whyte and the Perfectly Violent Dream, has gone so far that they not only wished to record “Do We? We Do,” but has hopes to produce the entire Beck album, and play concerts with the material as well.

One thing’s for sure; Beck has seen more publicity than he has in quite some time due to this attempt. Zalis hopes that this project will spark interest in young music lovers to learn how to read notation, but has hesitations; “I don’t think we can [go backwards], but I do know that we seem to embrace something new and novel, get excited, then our short attention spans take off and we go do something else.”

This has sparked our interest, but for how long? And will any fans use this as an excuse to learn how to read music notation?

Song Reader appears to be an interesting project, but along with it comes plenty of possibilities, plenty of slaps in the face, and plenty of questions. Before deciding to take on the challenge that is Song Reader, Zalis has a few questions to ask yourself first: “Are you willing to go through this to achieve the reward? Do you see the reward great enough? Is it really about the Beck piece or about learning the symbolic code of a language so that you can enjoy many others?”

This, and many other questions, will have to wait to be answered until the release on December 7th.

Dec 2012/Jan 2013 Stylus Magazine

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By Matt Austman

With nearly a decade of history under

“

ILLUSTRATION BY GRACE MOYER

YOU HAVE TO

their belt, Yukon Blonde is on course to establishing itself as one of Canada’s most acclaimed and cherished indie rock bands. Their latest release, Tiger Talk, is a departure from their previous, more laid-back 70s inspired rock n roll, and is propelling the band past the club scene and into theatres.

Recently, Stylus had the opportunity to speak with the band’s chief songwriter and lead vocalist, Jeff Innes, about the band’s success, the meaning of Tiger Talk, and the personal impact of touring full-time.

The band has come a long way since scrapping the name Alphababy and becoming Yukon Blonde a little over three years ago. “It’s kinda cool. I feel like we’re growing up,” Innes says about their growing success. “We’ve got a really good rhythm of touring.

It’s starting to feel like more of a legitimate job.”

The band recently signed to Dine Alone Records, one of Canada’s premiere indie labels, and is currently on the road with fellow Canadian rock sensation The Sheepdogs. Their single, “Stairway,” has even been featured on a Toronto Blue Jays commercial, and was covered by Dan Mangan as a B-side on his latest 7”. Tiger Talk was longlisted for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize.

“In 2006, Dan Mangan opened up for us in the seediest bar in all of Vancouver,” Innes reminisces proudly. Long-time good friends, Yukon Blonde was also the band at Mangan’s wedding.

Innes speaks about the band with a sincere duality. While clearly honest and utmost appreciative of Yukon Blonde’s success so far, he is also sharply cognizant of the sacrifices that have made any of it feasible. “You have to sacrifice pretty much everything,” he explains.

At the time of talking, Innes was in Vancouver doing overdubs for a commercial (“I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say anything about that,” he says half-jokingly), and was about to see his girlfriend for the first time in four months. Meanwhile, his bandmates were in Toronto, where they now reside during their time off. “It was weird,” he jokes. “It was the first time we haven’t seen each other everyday.”

They don’t have homes, instead opting to sublet rooms from friends as they see fit. “I don’t know what a normal life is... it’s kind of weird,” Innes admits. In fact, in order to pay for Tiger Talk, the band purged their only permanent space at the time – yes, a jam space – and sold various objects to help pay for the recording process.

Indeed, it’s fitting that the album that has seen so much success is largely about the personal strife of being in a full time touring band. The record was written while on tour in the United States – Innes would lock himself in a hotel room, and punch out piles of songs. “A lot of it was written on days off. There would be two or three days between tours… it would all build up so much on tour,” Innes says.

Consequently, about 50 demos were put forward for Tiger Talk. Yet the ones that made the cut were a collection of tunes that Innes initially intended for a side project, and that clearly strayed from their previous efforts. When rearranged with the band, the road environment in which they were written shone through.

“It’s about touring the States… that’s pretty much what the record is,” Innes explains. “It’s a romantic record, but I [also] feel like it’s a desperate record.”

Their single, “Stairway,” takes the listener there in an evocative and considerate manner: “I’m wishin’ I could be home right now, right home to you,” he sings overtop a rhythm section that drives like one on tour, drinking shit coffee from some middle-of-nowhere gas station as a means to stay awake.

Still, when reminiscing about the challenges of making a meaningful record, Innes looks forward to new opportunities with little hesitation or complaints. The band manages to keep things fresh for themselves on the road, viewing tour “as an open idea instead of a fixed burden.” With a pile of 7”s and EPs under their belt, they have built an impressive catalogue of music, and have no plans of quitting anytime soon.

“Of course,” Innes says matter-offactly when asked if there will be another Yukon Blonde record.

SACRIFICE PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING

12 Stylus Magazine Dec 2012/Jan 2013

Detroit, Michigan’s rising pop punk

quintet, Fireworks, has been steadily climbing the pop punk ladder since their formation in 2005. From their DIY approach to touring, later joining the ranks of New York-based indie label, Triple Crown Records, to the more recent years of entertaining crowds as far as Europe and Australia. The band will kick off the new year continuing to break into foreign ground, hitting six major cities across Canada, opening for pop rockers Yellowcard and All Time Low on their co-headlining Canadian tour.

“We’ve never really had a true Canadian tour,” says Fireworks’ lead vocalist, Dave Mackinder. “We did a short round with Living With Lions, but we just did Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal.” The 26-year-old says it’s a dream of his to drive across the Great White North. “To us, Canada is very foreign, so we’re all really excited. Even if this tour fell through, I wanted to just take a drive trip across Canada and up to Alaska, with very little money and go camping.”

Fireworks began when Mackinder and his high school friends, bassist Kyle O’Neil, drummer Tymm Rengers, and guitarists Brett Jones and Chris Mojan, all decided they wanted a creative outlet for their shared love of punk rock. “We were in bands that played more extreme genres. Chris played in a band called Let It Die, and they were straight mosh metal,” states Mackinder. “We all love catchy punk bands, so we thought, let’s try to have a project like that and it ended up being something we really wanted to put more effort into.”

That effort quickly translated into a spot on the Run For Cover Records roster and a debut EP, We Are Everywhere, in 2006 and a follow-up EP, Adventure, Nostalgia and Robbery, in 2008. Within the next few years the band moved to Triple Crown Records and extensively toured the United States. In 2009, the boys worked with producer and New Found Glory guitarist, Chad Gilbert, to create their debut full-length, All I Have to Offer Is My Own Confusion.

Their current full-length, Gospel,

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was released in 2011 and garnered rave reviews all over the web, capturing the hearts of pop punk lovers new and old, and becoming one of the most notable records in the current American pop punk scene.

“We didn’t really know what to expect,” Mackinder explains.

“We knew the record was going to be significantly different than the others. It still had that similar influence but it was the first record where you really thought we put 100 per cent soul into. We knew it was

going to be a different approach, and I think it took a lot of people off guard, but our fans actually liked the things we did differently. That meant a lot to me.”

For those who have grown with the band, one can easily detect the stylistic and lyrical differences from their start with We Are Everywhere through to their latest, Gospel – changes that Mackinder says are a direct translation of their progression through life.

“Our music is reflective of our age and as we’re getting older, we’re slowing down. Not writing ballads per se, but we’re realizing that we do have other influences. We’ve also become more honest with our music and just like an author re-

leases a book, every novel is a different story and I think what we’re doing is exactly that.”

The stories may change but there’s one strong recurring theme that is frequently woven into their most recent records.

“Being in your twenties you do have that inevitable internal debate of holding onto your youth, or growing up and letting go.”

With songs like “Oh, Why Can’t We Start Old and Get Younger?”, “Again and Again,” and “Summer,” Mackinder douses the albums with an honest and sometimes pessimistic outlook on the battle between doing what you love or doing what is presumed to be better for you.

“Like, seeing some of our twenty-something-year-old friends have houses and kids, yet the fact that they aren’t doing what they truly want to do still haunts them. It’s interesting when I see people ten years younger than me feel that realism of growing up. Regardless of your age, the uncertainty of your future is unsettling.”

Despite the growing success of his band, Mackinder admits, the other, more simpler life does seem tempting at times.

“Regardless of how popular your band is, I think you’re always going to be questioning it. It’s funny to me because my friends who aren’t in bands say to me, ‘What you’re doing is so great, I’d trade places with you and the life you live,’ but at the same time there are some days where I would love to be an accountant, work nine to five, go home to my cat and watch CSI and it would be great,” he explains with a laugh. “But on the same token I know I’d still always want the other thing. The grass is always greener, but I’m very happy with my life and I know that even though the pressure still exists, the fact that people think what we’re doing is cool, is enough motivation for me to stick it out until I physically can’t do it anymore.”

Catch Fireworks on January 21, 2013, at The Burton Cummings Theatre, when they open for Yellowcard and All Time Low. Dec Dec2012/Jan 2012/Jan2013 2013 Stylus StylusMagazine Magazine 013 11

By Sheldon Birnie

“Don’t lick the floor,” warns Steve Basham as we’re

universal, though perhaps a little off-beat at first listen.

“There are one of three principal themes,” Basham begins explaining, before Birch details these themes for me.

“It’s either about food or animals or like, daily events and bodily functions,” he says. “Most of my songs I just write about things that amuse me or things that happen to me. Like, something will happen to me and I’ll just be thinking of something in the shower or on the toilet. I’ll think of JA some funny rhyme, and it NE L CHAU goes from there. I’ll grab a rhyming dictionary and make a song.”

A prolific songwriter, the Unbelievable Bargains have a mass of tunes ready to share with the public, and have just begun recording their debut (as yet untitled) album.

“We recorded 21 songs in a day. In like five or seven hours,” explains Perron. With bed tracks in the can, the gang has only to return to do lead and background vocals, and “sound effects.” Out of the 21 tracks, the Unbelievable Bargains hope to put out a 16 track full length in early 2013.

Jamming once a week, playing shows regularly, and recording an album is a busy schedule to maintain. Nevermind that the they all hold down jobs and school, but Basham and Perron are both in other busy bands. Basham is the singer and guitar player in The Girth, and Perron plays drums for This Hisses. Regardless, the boys find a way to make it happen.

“I think we all just go out of our way to do it,” says Basham, citing that while other commitments exist, “this one is particularly fun and hilarious to do.”

“We’re all good buds,” says Perron, over a sip of whisky. “We just get together every Wednesday and hang out. It’s great.”

Indeed. If you’re looking for a fun band with plenty of energy, and some weird songs to get stuck in your head, make sure you check out the Unbelievable Bargains soon.

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14 Stylus Magazine Dec 2012/Jan 2013

The thrills of daily living, like stumbling across a great bargain at a yard sale, are universal. The themes the Unbelievable Bargains explore in their off-brand rock and power-pop tunes are certainly

N IO AT TR US ILL

sitting around, drinking beers and swapping jokes.

“We’ve got mice,” explains Marshall Birch, singer, guitar player, and principal songwriter for the Unbelievable Bargains, with a chuckle. But they’re not joking about the mice. The infestation, I’m assured, is very real.

Both Birch and Basham (bass) live in this large house on Balmoral where I’ve met them to do the interview, before their weekly Wednesday jam.

“This has always kind of been the home of the band,” Birch had said earlier, as we discussed the background of the group. Active now for over a year and a half, the Unbelievable Bargains started with a jam between Birch and (former housemate) J.P. Perron (who arrives directly with a heel of whisky in tow). Birch, who has been recording and releasing lo-fi CDRs of his material for years, had a whack of new material that he wanted to flesh out with a band. With Perron on board, and another buddy on bass, all they needed was a name.

The Unbelievable Bargains started off as The Big Honkin’ Dingers, a name which changed shortly after Basham joined the group.

“We were playing at the Death Trap,” Basham explains, laughing. “I was there a little early, and someone asked me, ‘What’s the name of your band? I want to put it on the sandwich board outside.’

And I was like, ‘Uh, the Down Dirty Digglers? No. The Red Hot Dingers?’

I couldn’t remember the name! They were gracious enough to change the band name because I could never remember it!”

The Unbelievable Bargains is not only a catchy handle to play under, but representative of these three dudes (and many Manitobans) as well.

“We’re very value conscious,” Basham admits.

“We value values.”

“We go to a lot of second hand stores,” says Birch. “That’s where I get all my clothes and records and things like that.”

The Unbelievable Bargains are hosting an album fundraiser January 12th at the Cavern. Ticket price is sure to be a steal of a deal!

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VIKIN PHOTO BY GS @ THE PYRAMID ANDREW MAZURAK

THE NOBEL THIEFS @ PHOTO BY THE PYRAMID GINAYA JE SMER

BAD JUJU @ PARK THEATRE PHOTO BY GINAYA JESMER

Live Bait THE LYTICS @ TH PHOTO BY ANDR E PYRAMID EW MAZURAK

016 Stylus Magazine Dec 2012/Jan 2013

QUINZY @ PARK PHOTO BY GINA THEATRE YA JESMER RIFF RA PHOTO BY FF @ GREENROOM ANDREW M AZURAK

out now on disintegration records

midnight midnight

Disintegration Blues greg Macpherson

also available

greg macpherson disintegration blues cannon bros. firecracker/fireglow disintegration.ca

Inner City Voices

Mondays, 5:00p.m. to 5:30p.m. on CKUW 95.9 FM or streaming online at www.ckuw.ca

CAMERON MACLEAN

Every Monday during rush hour, the team of volunteers that run Inner City Voices deliver content applicable and angled to the lives of people living in Winnipeg’s inner city. The show is comprised of three hosts, all of whom have ties to various community development initiatives.

Cameron MacLean, the Community Liaison for the Spence Neighbourhood Association, and Michael Champagne, a youth activist from Winnipeg’s North End, have hosted the show for the past year after taking it over from other members of Winnipeg’s community development industry. The duo is now being joined

by Jovan Lottis, the Safety Coordinator for the West Broadway Development Corporation, who was undergoing training when this article was being written.

“The show is basically about anything that we think is either related to, or an interest to, people living in the inner city,” MacLean explains. “That gives us a really broad spectrum of stories and issues that we can cover.”

The hosts alternate weeks, meaning that each show is a unique product of their varying backgrounds, allowing coverage to fluctuate from civic policies relevant to inner city residents to the happenings within Winnipeg’s grassroots activist communities.

“We try to run a broad spectrum of issues and content that appeals to inner-city people, and doesn’t just get bogged down in heavy complex issues surrounding community development,” MacLean says.

As implied by the show’s title, the hosts believe a distinct perspective is needed on issues being covered by

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Winnipeg’s mainstream media. “We do cover a lot of issues that get brought up in the mainstream media, but we try to use our contacts in the community development industry to bring a more grassroots perspective to some of the issues that come up,” MacLean explains.

“We do try to find stories that are being missed by the mainstream media entirely, but we also try to find ways of looking at stories that are already in the mainstream media and present issues in a different light, a light that more accurately reflects the point of view of people in the inner city.”

A recent example is food security in downtown, and the announced closure of two downtown grocery stores. MacLean compliments the coverage of the story by the Winnipeg Free Press, but felt the need to address the issue through the lens of local community development organizations by interviewing individuals from Food Matters Manitoba and the Winnipeg FoodShare Co-op.

“The inner city doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s an integral part of the city as a whole, and we need to make people in the other parts of the city aware of the issues that affect people from [the inner city]. It’s not a selfcontained world, and we’re not just trying to talk to ourselves—we’re trying to create a conversation, a dialogue, between all people in Winnipeg.”

One of the longest running CKUW programs, Inner City Voices has been airing for over a decade.

MacLean is honoured to be involved in such a long-running project; “It’s something that goes beyond any individual who is currently hosting the show. It’s a product that’s been built up over years and years.”

Tune in to Inner City Voices on CKUW 95.9FM Mondays from 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM.

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ILLUSTRATION BY MATT PERRIN

Saskatoon songstress comes to town for Big Fun

By Victoria King f you go Googling “Jeans Boots,” you’re bound to Icome up with some interesting results.There are

if you come to see me you’re more likely to get a rock show than an acoustic folk set.”

As you’ll also see on her site, the music is tagged as “Pajama Pop,” and when asked about the categorization, Stewart laughs. “I think I sing a lot about unrequited love, [my music] is definitely more romantic. I don’t really remember where pajama pop came from. I think its just the funniest description of a genre,” Stewart says, with a laugh. “Maybe you’re having a really fun sleepover and you’re playing really fun pop stuff.”

In addition to making pajama pop, lately she’s

plenty of images of slender ladies’ legs tucked into cowboy boots, as well as one blog devoted entirely to women wearing boots. For all intents and purposes, we’re ignoring those. Jeans Boots not only refers to Jeanette Stewart’s solo work, but also her full band – a “pajama pop” garage rock group from Saskatoon – who’ll be headed our way in January for the second coming of Big Fun. Txt Msgs is Jeans Boots’ latest release, and is based on a former relationship that, as Stewart explains, existed primarily with her cellphone.

“The reason I named that record that was because I was in this weird Jan. 24–27 relationship for a really long time 2013 that was just based on text messages,” Stewart explained. “I kinda wanted to tease that guy a little bit because, you know, we weren’t actually hanging out, we were just texting each other like every single day for hours and hours.”

On the subject of modern love and relationships, the age old question of texting vs. calling comes up. “I would way rather text someone than call someone,” she says. “But sometimes with texting it’s really hard if you have a crush on someone and you’re like, ‘Oh, I need to play it cool,’ then you have their phone number so you can just text them. I think it’s kind of bad for love.”

If you visit Jeans Boots’ Bandcamp (jeans.bandcamp.com), you might get a little confused: the first release under Stewart’s pseudonym Liptonians/The Angry (appropriately called Jeannette StewDragons/Pip Skid/ The Ripperz/Bokononists/ art is Jeans Boots) is acoustic and & many many more... folky, but as she describes, is not an accurate reflection of her current musical endeavors.

“That was my first attempt at putting my music out, and my friend made me do it,” Stewart recalls with a laugh. “I’m proud of it, but I think Txt Msgs just has the full band, and

20 Stylus Magazine Dec 2012/Jan 2013 18

been working with Factor, a hip-hop producer from Saskatoon, to produce hip-hop/electronic beats mixed with vocal hooks. You can look forward to hearing this crazy collaboration on her new EP, which is currently in pre-production with a release date TBA. In regards to the EP, Stewart says “it’s gonna be about 50/50 – I’m jamming with a rock band for some songs on the EP and hopefully the rest will be electronic hip-hop beats with vocals.“ Music aside, there is one striking image of Jeans Boots on the web that I had to ask about - the picture shows Stewart with a unicorn headpiece on, strumming a guitar in (what appears to be) a forest.

“I’m pretty sure that picture was taken at the Ness Creek Folk Festival,” says Stewart. “I think that was the 25th year and I think there was a costume parade and stuff so I brought my unicorn costume … It’s really funny to play in a unicorn outfit when it’s like four in the morning and people are tripping out. [Laughs] It’s like, ‘Oh! A unicorn!’”

As far as music festivals go, Stewart knows the importance and positive influence these kinds of festivals can have within a local music scene - and as our conversation shows, there’s no shortage of them (Sled Island, Ness Creek, Big Fun, etc.).

Jeans Boots played Sled Island last year and knows first hand. “What a festival like that does in a city is it sets a bar and you’re like, ‘Oh man, if my band is good enough this year we’re gonna get to play with all these other amazing bands.’ I think it raises the bar for people . . . It brings such a fun energy to the city, and I think it makes more people supportive of the local music scene throughout the year.” bigfunfestival.com You can check out Jeans Boots, playing with locals Cannon Bros, at this year’s Big Fun Festival, running January 2427!

Local Spotlight

HEY PILGRIM Hey Pilgrim Hey Pilgrim’s new album is quite simple: simple progressions, simple percussion, simple production, and simple lyrics. But that’s why it’s perfect. Now when I say simple, I don’t mean so simple that it’s generic. I mean so simple that it’s easy to enjoy.

Each of the songs on this album has their own little twist that makes it different from the last: “DJ” brings along extremely blunt, but entertaining, lyrics, such as “Why would I learn how to play, when I can download, plug and play? Give me a time and place, I’ll bring my iPod and move this place.

So that the chicks can dance, so I can get into someone’s pants.” “When We Were Young” offers guitar solos that spice up the simplicity a tad. Hey Pilgrim ends with two acoustic songs, which place the guitar in the spotlight and makes for a smooth end to a smooth album. (No Label, nolabelcollective.bandcamp.com ) Shanell Dupras

LAZYHORSE Lazyhorse This debut disc from Winnipeg rock n roll super-group (of sorts) Lazyhorse is ten tracks of bluesy, fuzzed out rock n roll. From toe-tapping rockers to beer swilling doozies, the short album takes you for a booze cruise in the back of an old Eldorado along Winnipeg’s seedy side-streets and back lanes. With straight-up

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blues rockers like “Last Call,” to the nasty punk rock of “Baby Don’t You Play That Song,” to tunes like “Straw House” and “Wild Again,” which have a psychedelic flavour to them, Lazyhorse spices things up within the relatively limited field a blues based bar band can explore. With vocals shared evenly between guitar players Jan Quackenbush and Kyle Dubois, each track remains fresh. This debut is a great disc to throw on at a party when the house is really rocking, or when you’re at home, alone, hammering back a couple fast Luck-Dogs after work, trying to get a jump on the night. Looking forward to hearing more from these folks soon. (Eat Em Up Records) Sheldon Birnie

JOHNNY SIZZLE Home Sweet Home JohNNy SiZZle’s newest release, his first in over eight years, is a slab of pure outsider, acoustic based punk rock n roll. SiZZle’s trademark nasal twang and strumming style are unmistakable on the 14 tracks here. Canadiana punk anthems “Shania Twain Left Mutt Lange (For Me),” “Kick Cindy Klassen in the Face,” and “Dale Hawerchuk Drunk in a Strip Bar” are sure to become classics. SiZZle shows us his introspective, artistic side here too, though, on beauties like “I Dream of Insects” and “So... He Died in Jail.”

Throughout, SiZZle displays great storytelling and a way with words that, while frequently referencing pop culture, are sure to stand the test of time. In the future, when we finally have flying skateboards, music geeks will talk about SiZZle in the same terms as Daniel Johnston, BA Johnston, and Mr. Awesome. A true Winnipeg original, we are blessed to have JohNNy SiZZle and his tunes. (No Label, nolabelcollective.bandcamp. com) Sheldon Birnie

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Brother Ali talks latest record, US politics, and the unwavering vitality of hip hop music

By Harrison Samphir

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Amidst turbulent economic and social conditions presently coagulating in the US, Mourning in America is far from a eulogy; it is a wake-up call to fans and heads alike that the same alternative voice they seek in their music must be desired in their politics.

“There’s a lot of activism right now,” reminds Ali. “People are doing really cool things... but I’m not as excited about the presidential stuff.

When Obama does something ‘good,’ it seems weak and anemic. It doesn’t appear he’s trying to fight for virtue.

“It goes along with other trends in our society,” he continues. “I have already been tracked by Homeland Security. The Patriot Act gives the government the power to target me because of my music, and that’s a serious problem.”

Despite this theme of overarching uncertainty and disillusionment, Mourning in America is not just concerned with ideas about society and political participation. It’s also filled with magnificent break beats courtesy of Seattle producer Jake One and some anthemic jams like “Need a Knot,” featuring Bun B of UGK fame.

Ali even extends the narrative of a 2007 track titled “Faheem” (the name of his son) on “All You Need,” where his reflections on fatherhood sound more nuanced and ruminative than they have in the past.

For the independent hip hop industry, Mourning in America is emblematic of an ambitious midwest scene that continues to grow while fostering new artists. Rhymesayers Entertainment, the label that has supported Ali throughout his career, is a constant inspiration to the 35 year old.

“Rhymesayers and Atmosphere are the leaders for underground hip hop in general,” remarked Ali. “I follow what they do... seeing them continue to grow gives me a lot of hope that I won’t need to think about quitting any time soon.” A prominent symbol of this growth is Soundset, a Rhymesayers-hosted one-day festival held each May since 2008 in Minneapolis.

In Ali’s words, “Soundset shows the power of the underground movement. It’s a testament to the work Rhymesayers puts in. We feature a wide variety of artists; young brand new, and guys we look up to and respect.”

The festival is slated for Sunday May 26, 2013, and Brother Ali will certainly constitute a major part of the experience, both musically and for the fans. To this emcee, the continued success of hip hop music rests in the hands (and ears) of listeners who fuel success with energy and support.

“It’s important for fans to be the ambassadors of the culture and for the movement of hip hop,” concluded a soft-spoken Ali. “People need to maintain it and stay in the driver’s seat.”

PHOTO BY ANDREW MAZURAK AT SASQUATCH MUSIC FESTIVAL 2010

“You’re now rocking with the champion” Hip hop is a fascinating medium, not only because it lends a voice to the voiceless, but because it exhumes a political consciousness from below; from the hearts and minds of its listeners who are motivated and enlivened by the music’s revolutionary potential.

For Minneapolis-based Brother Ali – a decorated emcee signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment – fifteen years in the rap game has equipped the artist with revolutionary tools of his own, providing pointed social commentary through hip hop that continually maintains an independent ethic and sound without losing sight of the fans that make it possible.

Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Ali spent his early childhood and formative years in the American midwest, finally settling in Minneapolis, Minnesota to begin a career in music that has since spawned five LPs, three extended plays, and an assembly of features and singles with other artists.

After recently completing an exhausting 40-city tour across North America, the veteran emcee spoke with Stylus and discussed his latest album, Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color, and how his career and music have evolved from an autobiographical to societal focus.

“Compared to other albums, this one is about society and its current

state,” said Ali of his latest disc, released on September 18, 2012 to critical acclaim.

“In terms of the project and the music, I’m really happy with it. I feel as though I was able to put in words what I wanted to, and that makes me feel good.”

Long since Ali’s seminal 2003 release Shadows on the Sun, which was characterized by raucous lyrical intensity and audacious bravado, Mourning in America is a more reflective and sincere effort that blends political commentary with themes of change, family and love.

If ever there was one, the album’s first track, entitled “Letter to My Countrymen,” is a stirring proclamation and call to arms that features Princeton University professor Dr. Cornel West – and it sets the stage for the following thirteen tracks.

Over a smoothed-out, xylophonepunctuated beat, Ali lays down a turn of phrase that seems to crystallize his mission and purpose: “They tell me I’m a dreamer, they ridicule/They feel defeated, old, bitter and cynical/ Excuse me but I see it from a different view/I still believe in what a driven few could really do.”

Indeed, Ali’s introduction is laced with symbolic references to 21st century American life, but it also beckons the listener’s active involvement in his music.

“I wanted to make an album that forced the listener to make a true and honest assessment of our society and who we are,” said Ali. “There are buddings of a very strong social movement (in the United States), and we need to hold onto that.”

Root Cellar

SAM DOORES AND RILEY DOWNING & THE TUMBLEWEEDS Holy Cross Blues This little platter is a pure slab of oldtimey Americana gold. The product of Sam Doores and Riley Downing & the Tumbleweeds chance encounter in 2010, these 12 tracks are a mix of each songwriter’s style, along with some revamped classics thrown in for good measure. “Wrong Time To Be Right” is one of the best hangover laments I’ve ever heard, while “I Got Found” is one of the best contemporary gospel tunes I’ve heard in years.

The Doores’ penned “Cricket’s Creed” could easily have been written 100 years ago, and Riley’s “Throw Another Cap on the Fire” wouldn’t sound off place in one of America’s dwindling hobo jungles. The fact that this record sounds so downright, down home authentically old could come across hackneyed the way some roots acts who rely too heavily on pastiche often do. But Holy Cross Blues never does. This is the real deal. I expect to see them at the Folk Fest soon, and if not, well then someone is asleep at the wheel. (Dollartone Records, dollartone.com) Sheldon Birnie

WOOL ON WOLVES Measures of Progress Wool on Wolves’ sophomore album Measures of Progress is rock in folk music’s clothing. The Edmonton based band is a constantly evolving collaboration of five singer-songwrit-

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ers, resulting in impressive vocals with equally strong instrumentals.

Every song on the album is distinctive and stands strong on its own while contributing to the album as a whole. Opening track “Unsuspecting Ways” sets the pace of the album with its soulful sound and lines like “Don’t learn to let go/I can’t call you my home.” From there, things pick up and take a turn towards rock. The vocals sometimes get overpowered and come off as a little muffled, which calls for occasional repeats and a little careful listening to get a better feel for the words. A second listen is worth it, ‘cause the lyrics cover everything from heartbreak (“Darkest Hour”) to optimistic tracks about learning to love again (“Love is Learned”). Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, tracks like “Inside the Light” start off gentle, with wistful folksy vibes, and then take surprising turns towards a fiercer rock sound.

Compared to past albums, Unsuspecting Ways shows off the band’s growth and improvement with a more polished sound and deep, relatable lyrics. While it differs from previous albums, and lacks cheerful tunes like “Honeybee” from their 2010 release, Grey Matters, Measures of Progress’ combination of rock and folk has earned the album a spot on my shelf.

(Independent, woolonwolves.com) Martyna Turczynowicz

THE DO GOOD ASSASSINS Rome The “debut” disc from Toronto’s Do Good Assassins is sure to be of interest to fans of Ron Hawkins and 90s Canadian indie-rock. As part of Lowest of the Low, Hawkins set the stage for bands like the Weakerthans to really take off in the 21st century, crafting literate rock n roll with a penchant for social justice and boozy portraits of young artists out on the town.

Since the early 90s, Hawkins has continued pumping out tunes, either

solo, with his band the Rusty Nails, or, occasionally, with the reconstituted Lows. Rome is an ambitious 20 track double disc, divided along the lines of “rock” and “country.” The two discs are not really so far apart in style, though the “rock” disc certainly leans more towards the Rusty Nails territory, while the “country” disc is more of a direct continuation of Hawkins’ 2011 solo disc Straightjacket Love. Hawkins’ songs are strong throughout, with “Sadder Days” and “The Last Casanova in Town” demonstrating his clever wordplay best on the “rock” disc. On the “country” side, “Capistrano,” “Little Volcano” and “Rome” prove the strongest of the solid set. Producer and guitar slinger Steve Singh takes the vocals on two tracks, one off each side, which provides a nice change of pace and scenery in much the same way that Stephen Stanley’s contributions did on the Low discs. Perhaps not the best introduction to an underrated Canadian songwriter, Rome is certainly an album that displays the breadth and depth of an artist with 20 years of slugging it out in the underground.

Essential listening for even the passing Hawkins fan. (Independent, ronhawkins.com) Sheldon Birnie

XAVIER RUDD Spirit Bird The message present on this album is both powerful and heartfelt. Look no further than the title track and the blues heavy “Bow Down” to get a clear idea of what is being preached.

The talent that this man possesses is incredible; he seamlessly switches instruments from track to track and plays each with an uncanny musicianship. The highs are amazing and beautiful but the lows fall very short of anything impressive. Album opener “Lioness Eye” opens with some fine sounding didgeridoo but never really breaks into anything special; instead

it just builds and remains stagnant without ever really climaxing. The same goes for “Culture Breeding.”

“Prosper” and “Butterfly” seem rather pointless but then “Full Circle” hits your ears and builds slowly into magnificence. “Mystery Angel” is just swell but the inconsistency gives the album a roller coaster vibe. The music is passionate and the message is strong and a good one. I cannot rightfully say too many negative things about this album, even though it is not my favourite. If music like this was made more often I reckon the world would be a far different place… with way more drum circles. (Sideonedummy Records, sideonedummy.com) Scott Wolfe

TIFT MERRITT Traveling Alone North Carolina’s Tift Merritt has a gift for storytelling, a mean band, and a voice that wouldn’t be out of place on the Ryman stage, or a backwoods jukejoint. Her latest release, Traveling Along, is a tight set of 11 songs that are reminiscent of her earlier work, and yet come across quite fresh. A good chunk of the record is indeed about travelling, such as the title track, the rocking “Still Not Home,” and the plaintive “Too Soon To Go.” Andrew Bird makes an appearance, sharing vocals on “Drifted Apart.” Produced by Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket), the album ebbs and flows nicely around Merritt’s short-story like songs, giving each tale its own space to breath. Having first stumbled across Merritt shortly after Bramble Rose came out in 2002, it’s reassuring to hear a record like this one, where the artist has grown substantially over a decade while still holding true to the artistic vision they came out of the gates with. (Yep Rock, yeproc.com) Sheldon Birnie

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Iconoclast BULLET Full Pull Okay, this is essentially Scandinavia’s AC/DC, just a little more metal and a little less awesome. I am sure some of these tracks would please many fans of hard rock but there is literally not a single original idea, concept or song on this album. Maybe it’s because there is a plethora of significantly better bands coming out of Scandinavia right now, Kvelertak, and Okkultokrati to name a couple, which explains why I detest this so much.

Everything sounds the same on this album, the tracks blend with each other to give the illusion of a 42-minute song. I am confident that if you drink enough and give this a listen it will actually sound exactly like AC/ DC and become far more enjoyable.

The rip off of AC/DC is just so apparent I cannot get over it, right down to the singer’s growl. The vocals sound more raspy and ridiculous that Brian Johnson but the connection is unmistakable. Do yourself a favour and dig a little deeper to appreciate all the significantly better music Scandinavia has to offer, because this is a very inaccurate portrayal. (Nuclear Blast Records, nuclearblast.de) Scott Wolfe WITCHCRAFT Legend Everything about this album screams “METAL!” The album cover, the band name, the band members, the promotion from Pantera’s Phil Anselmo…

Everything on this album screams metal, except for most of the actual music. Now this isn’t a bad thing. Although I wouldn’t go as far as Phil in saying it’s my new favourite album, I was expecting something a little… heavier. At the beginning of Legend, it felt like listening to a softer version of Tool, with vocals like those of Wintersleep. It was progressive – with distorted guitars, harmonies, and mostly fast progressions, although less experimental than most progressive music – but lacked the harsh vocals that normally accompany anything that falls under the “metal” category. This mixture is almost relieving; at a time when metal keeps trying to push the boundaries going heavier and heavier, Witchcraft has decided to take a softer route – and did a damn good job. There are some songs that do feed those metal lovers with guitar solos and fast riffs, but even those songs

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have slow moments. The first track, “Deconstruction” for example, begins to slow down at about 2:20 into the song. This kind of mixture keeps the album interesting. It’s not too fast, not too slow. (Nuclear Blast, nuclearblast. de) Shanell Dupras STATE RADIO Rabbit Inn Rebellion Rabbit Inn Rebellion is the fourth release from Massachusetts’ State Radio, and their first since 2009. This inconsistent album sways between southern-influenced rock n’ roll and anthemic indie-rock, with the latter being pulled off much better than the former. The schizophrenia this album deals with is unfortunate. Songs such as opener “H.A.C.K.I.N.,” which relies exclusively on a cliché powerchord riff to support spoken vocals and a few average melodies in the chorus, and “Sugarbeet Wine,” which spastically switches between riffs you’d expect at The Zoo on a Wednesday and classic, quiet pop harmonies, drastically take away from the great parts on this album. “Take Cover” takes the listener through a haunting melody on top of distant guitar to a catchy-as-all-hell belted chorus, while “Adelaide,” a light hearted finger-snapping rock number, would fit in seamlessly within Canada’s indie rock circuit. A politically charged record with many of the songs previously released as singles to benefit various initiatives, Rabbit Inn Rebellion has some great songs and some fantastic parts, which would shine much better on an EP devoid of the cheese-riffs. (Ruff Shod, stateradio.com) Darcy Penner METZ Metz The debut, self-titled release from Toronto’s Metz is a short, heavy affair that pleasantly reminds me that back in the late 80s and early 90s, Sub Pop used to pump out this sort of stuff on the reg. Clocking in at just under 30 minutes, these ten tracks are reminiscent of – and clearly inspired by – heavy, technical stuff like the Jesus. In Metz’ most punishing tracks, like “Rats” and particularly “Knife in the Water,” I hear some of Winnipeg’s Kittens earlier intensity, which is fucking deadly. Other than KENmode and Hide Your Daughters (both Winnipeg acts), I haven’t

heard anything that brings me back to the first time I heard Tiger Comet like the mid-way point on this disc.

Five years in the making, this “fulllength” debut is certainly a strong one and, according to folks who’ve been following the band a lot longer than I have, one that brings the intensity of their live performance into blistering, diluted album format. Pick it up, crank it up! (Sub Pop, subpop.com) Sheldon Birnie MILLENCOLIN The Melancholy Connection This album combines b-sides and rarities spanning through the entire career (20 years!) of these Swedish pop-punk rockers. The album opens with the back-to-back punch of the only two new songs present on the album, “Carry You” and “Out of Nowhere.” The former being a standard catchy rocker and the latter slowing things down a bit, but both tracks are pretty standard Millencolin. The en-

ergy remains at a pretty constant high and I have no doubt that fans will be pleased with this release. However, my one quarrel with the album is its redundancy. This record could easily blend in with most of their other material; simply put, no boundaries are being pushed. This redundancy adds to their charm though, as they are consistent and fans definitely know what to expect. If you are looking for groundbreaking music, then maybe play this filtered through some wacky computer synthesizer, backwards and under water – then you will have achieved earth shattering.

This is classic Millencolin, nothing fancy. Some highlights include “The Downhill Walk,” “Bull By the Horns,” and the funny little number “Phony Tony.” Some solid stuff on this album – nothing can quite touch the epics “Fox” and “No Cigar” off Pennybridge Pioneers, but damn is some of this catchy. (Epitaph, epitaph.com/) Scott Wolfe

Laugh It Up

JON MICK Beard Milk Jon Mick’s second stand-up record is a disturbing beauty indeed. The Edmonton based comedian goes for all the right weird spots on this one: depression, excessive gaming, obesity, elabo-

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rate masturbation, douche-bag doctors, and much more. Like his debut independent standup release, Who Knew?, Beard Milk was recorded live at Edmonton’s awesome Wunderbar. Compared to his first release, Beard Milk is decidedly darker, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if you enjoy laughing at the misery of others (as I do)... so long as it’s delivered with the self-deprecating aplomb of a true pro. As the great Dr. Thompson said, “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.” With gutbusting riffs on everything from cat-masturbation to vaginal taste-buds, Jon Mick displays he’s certainly a fucking pro with this one.

Pick it up, but only if you yourself are a certifiable weirdo. You’ve been warned.

(Old Ugly Recording Co, olduglyco. com) Sheldon Birnie

Dec 2012/Jan 2013 Stylus Magazine

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Under The Needle

MELODY’S ECHO CHAMBER Melody’s Echo Chamber Melody Prochet’s feathery voice sounds like it was time-warped out of a jam session with Francoise Hardy and Jane Birkin into 2012. But after a track or two, it’s apparent that while the carefree, childlike quality of 60s French pop is a huge influence of Melody’s sound, her collaboration on this CD with Tame Impala’s frontman Kevin Parker brings along subtle complexity and a darker kind of dreamlike feel. Listening to this CD is like being caught in a storm in a boat and choosing to float away, instead of trying to paddle back. It really feels like each song has its own layers of lithos- (warm bass and marching percussion), bio- (guitar riffs, odd spoken samples), and stratospheres (vocals and echoes), which isn’t to say the album is incohesive. French and English will float into one another on multiple tracks, as do melodies, the repetitiveness of which reminds me of the heaviness you feel in the moments before you sleep, or the scenes blurring past the passenger seat window of a car on the highway. Relaxing is the word. (Fat Possum, fatpossum. com) Adrienne Yeung TOY Toy This debut album from UK rockers, Toy, gleans inspiration from krautrock and post-punk, but shoegazing psychedelic pop would be a better description of their sound. Toy doesn’t try to push the limits of psychedelic music. The strongest songs flow smoothly on a washed-out groove and from the first track, there’s a feeling of something familiar, something old, something borrowed. But a carbon copy is hard to find; it stems more from the unoriginal approach. The Morning After Girls – The Dandy Warhols of New Zealand – was the first group to come to my mind, despite their more energetic style. Comparisons have been made to Joe Lean

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and The Jing Jang Jong, with a few Toy members hailing from the once-hyped now-defunct band. Their UK contemporaries, The Horrors, are also an inspiration, but neither band sounds anything like Toy. They’re definitely less jagged and moody. Ultimately, Toy sounds like a group of talented British stoners trapped in vintage psychedelia.

Guitar pedals propel most of the album with some organs and synthesizers adding texture or melody.

The more avant-garde offerings, like “Strange” and “Kopter,” show off their krautrock influence but crash and burn in their own excess. Lead-singer, Tom Dougall, brings a too-cool-forschool attitude that lends itself well to “Motoring” and “Make It Mine,” but veers too close to disinterest on the many lengthy or lengthy-feeling tracks. “Reasons Why” and “My Heart Skips A Beat” feature more distinct arrangements, with the latter being the best of the bunch. As a whole, this debut is very uneven and it’s obvious that Toy doesn’t know how to wrangle their influences into a cohesive product, just yet. I love mellow psychedelic rock albums but this one is a little pretentious and uninteresting for long periods of time. Still, it manages to be appropriate background sound to a chill night with friends. (Heavenly Recordings, heavenlyrecordings.com) Matthew Dyck FAUNTS Left Here Alone Left Here Alone is a collection of songs Faunts created between their first and second releases, Feel. Love.

Thinking. Of., and M4, but unreleased until now. The songs and release contribute to the public evolution of the Edmonton quintet’s songwriting. This post-rock record is pop-rock played in slow-motion, drenched in reverb and delay. The EP mood is set by opener “Alarmed,” establishing the band’s atmospheric drones, airy vocals, and slow, slow builds. Indulging in each part until satisfied, Faunts adds hooks one at a time, ensuring no part goes unnoticed. Regularly creating a gorgeous contrast of warmly distorted guitar melodies soaring above an orchestra of drones, this EP carries you through numerous builds, fades, highs and lows as it seamlessly transitions from one song to the next. Don’t expect the builds to culminate into anything out of control—every time you

expect them to step into genuinely loud territory, the band backs off. The EP closes beautifully with the title track, a haunting piece that is propelled by a sensitive chord progression supporting an ultimately uplifting vocal melody washed out in the mix. Despite few memorable parts, Left Here Alone is a great atmospheric post-rock record that carefully carries the listener through an emotional story in the perfect amount of time. (Friendly Fire Recordings, friendlyfirerecordings. com) Darcy Penner BAND OF HORSES Mirage Rock Normally bands grow and develop with their sound, constantly improving and maturing but not without few slips along the way. However, usually the band in question will bounce back from that weak album/single and rock the shit out of the next one, understanding where they went wrong.

Band of Horses seem to not favour this whole growth and development thing and instead of making an album that solidified their musical talent, and to make up for (the piece of shit) 2010’s Infinite Arms, they made this.

Everything seems half hearted and honestly, boring as hell. “Slow Cruel Hands of Time” puts you to sleep instead of rousing any sort of emotion and “Dumpster World” just bums you out while confusing the shit out of you simultaneously. The vocals are repetitive throughout the album, to the point of a flaw and at times everything comes off as a little half-assed (see “Shut-in Tourist”). The handful of highlights cannot save the rest of this album from disaster, and as a result it falls flat. (Brown Records/Columbia, brownrecords.com/) Scott Wolfe

DUM DUM GIRLS End of Daze End of Daze is bold and methodical, delivers moments of great strength and touching vulnerability, flies high,

digs deep, and it’s only 18 minutes long. In other words, it’s anything but dumb. Lead vocalist, Dee Dee, anchors this five-song EP that lands in a foggy space between gothic new wave and thoughtful garage rock. Her vocals are fluid, soulful, and, above all, genuine with lyrics that speak to personal tragedy. This makes for a final product that is both intimate and energetic – something sorely lacking from many full-lengths. The disc moves from chants to ballads with walls of sound that are sonic and lush, bringing to mind images of waves crashing into an immense cavern. The atmosphere is definitely dark, but also uplifting and triumphant.

Opening track, “Mine Tonight,” comes in with a commanding guitar riff followed by a hymn that builds to a sonic explosion. “I Got Nothing” is even more profound with a rousing chorus that showcases Dee Dee’s ability to make a mood tangible. The tangled guitars of “Trees and Flowers,” (a Strawberry Switchblade cover) bring the EP down to its most somber moment, but lifts with “Lord Knows.”

Easily the most satisfying track, the song plays off of the legendary guitar riff from “Crimson and Clover,” but chooses to focus on a graceful melody that doesn’t rely on the reputation of the song’s influence – an example of using your inspirations intelligently.

“Season In Hell” takes you out of the darkness with an energetic beat and reverb-soaked guitars. It’s an uplifting closer that brings the EP out of the doldrums for some fresh air. Despite all its strengths, first impressions might not be kind to End of Daze. It’s an album that deserves multiple listens before the final judgment. Wait for a quiet night to dive in, and then take a few days before your next swim.

(Sub Pop, subpop.com) Matthew Dyck DIAMOND RINGS Free Dimensional My first listen to this album jerked me back to my first grade seven dance where I wanted so badly to stop standing there awkwardly. And at some point, I did. What does it matter if you might look silly, I learned; fearless wild dancing is always an amazing time! In the context of Diamond Rings’ second album, I honestly don’t think I’ve ever heard music that’s so unapologetically sweet and sincere. I’m not preaching purity, but it sure is a change to hear

what distilled optimism sounds like.

If you’re familiar with John O’Regan’s style, you should know that Free Dimensional is not simply an extension of the DIY, sparkly-grungy pop of 2010’s Special Affections. It’s immediately apparent that this time, O’Regan is utterly invested in the entire Diamond Rings package – futuristic, fierce, put-together, catchy, electronicbased pop that finds its place not just in bedroom studios or tiny pubs, but in decked-out recording studios, and a certain popular trendy clothing store.

I think “Runaway Love” is my favourite on this CD – ever since its release in October, I’ve listened to it probably a hundred times and it never fails to pick up me and drop me (like I used to do to my Sims, but into the lake) into a shamelessly good mood. And how can it not, when O’Regan’s baritone references videogames, rainbows, adventure, and bottomless amounts of love: “ You and I can make it extra special / You and I can make it super cool / You and I can beat the extra level / You and I can make or break the rules.” SEE?! This CD is like a freaking cake! And, if Free Dimensional were three-dimensional (ha ha), I bet it’d be good for you too. (Secret www.stylusmagazine.ca

City Records, secretcityrecords.com) Adrienne Yeung THE ZOLAS Ancient Mars This duo out of Vancouver likes to call themselves progressive, but Ancient Mars is undoubtedly a pop rock record The Zolas can be proud of. Following their 2009 debut, Tic Toc Tic, this sophomore effort is as catchy as it is charming, and should gain a wide following among pop rock fans. Adding to that, it’s heavy focus on postsecondary romance should ensure this album a comfortable place on a number of campus radio stations. I can’t tell you the name of my favourite track because I just can’t decide – it changes from day to day. And yes, I have been listening to this album in its entirety almost everyday for the past few weeks. Ancient Mars just has that enviable quality local wunderkinds, Cannon Bros, achieved with Firecracker/Cloudglow – too rewarding to let rest for very long, and too engaging to stop halfway through.

I wouldn’t compare their sound, though. Listeners will more likely hear fleeting wisps of The Shins, New Pornographers, and – strangely

enough – The Zombies, along with a strong interplay of piano and guitar fleshing out The Zolas’ sound. Of course, this would be an empty list of ingredients without the memorable melodies at this album’s core. Ancient Mars is both balanced and well paced with some more straightforward rock songs (“Strange Girl,” “Tiger and Euphrates”) and tracks that are unassuming upon first listen, then come around to shine as the album’s standouts (“Observatory,” “Knot In My Heart”). So at nine songs and one bonus track, Ancient Mars is a satisfying ride, but all too brief, and will likely leave many in eager anticipation for Album Three. If The Hype Gods are fair this year, we should hear plenty of praise for The Zolas. (Light Organ Records, lightorganrecords.com) Matthew Dyck AIDAN KNIGHT Small Reveal Aidan Knight released Small Reveal on October 23, 2012 and I’ve listened to it every day since (and just a couple times more). The album lulls you inwards to deep places and deep thoughts. There’s a beautiful elusive quality to it, with lyrics that

are never directly explicit and leave a lot to personal interpretation. Knight presents a shimmering crossroads on the opening track “Dream Team” - an acoustic hum for the young and unsure to pause and reflect on age and experience, after which the pace races to a tidal wave finish, with the crash of electric guitar against speaker. The second track on the album, “A Mirror,” seems nearing the opposite - flowering and bubbly, it reflects a lightness and a brightness that functions as a solid folk-pop single. In my opinion, this is pretty much the only time this optimistic sound is really articulated on the album. Small Reveal is stirring and poetic (and in my opinion, really fucking good), though obviously also weighty and heady. In comparison to Knight’s debut Versicolor, Small Reveal doesn’t have the beginner’s naivety that made Versicolor as charming and lovely as it was. That being said, it feels as though this release is more crafted, more organized and less hesitant to excel. The one constant factor to my ears is Knight’s voice, as it still resonates throughout with remembrance, thanks, and poignancy. (Outside Music, aidanknight.com) Victoria King

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MAYBE IN 10 YEARS BILLY CORGAN WILL REMEMBER SELLING OUT ARENAS AROUND THE WORLD AS FANS YELLED EVERY WORD TO HIS BELOVED OCEANIA.

FEARofMUSIC Billy Corgan and the Parallax of Memory

By Devin King

“Those songs you’re cheering for now are songs that I once played for people who went ‘What are you doing?’” Billy Corgan recalled, during the Smashing Pumpkins October 2nd show at the MTS Centre.

He was referring here specifically to “classic” Pumpkins tracks like “Stand Inside Your Love,” “Zero” and “XYU.” The quote came as the band began playing through a greatest hits selection, after playing their latest, Oceania, from beginning to end. It was a strange comment to make for at least two reasons.

First, there’s an implication that we just don’t “get” good music – that if we were just to give Machina II time, we would finally “get” it and clamor to hear it live. Again, this is a narrative that benefits you if you are someone who, like Corgan, has a pretty solid back catalogue and a mostly ignored recent history, rightly or wrongly. At its worst, this mentality is unflatteringly egotistical, but also pretty flat out wrong. There are not a lot of people clamoring to hear deep tracks off of Zeitgeist, nor will I suspect there be a lot who will clamor to hear the deep tracks off of Oceania any time soon.

Secondly, I’m not entirely sure that Corgan’s own memory is right when he says this. It’s a sort of revisionist history that posits Corgan as forever the underdog, one step musically ahead of his fans and critics. While that would be a pretty compelling narrative (especially for Corgan), I don’t know that there’s a lot of evidence to show that people weren’t digging “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” when it came out. He may be referring more so to mid-history albums like Machina, as he proclaimed before performing “Stand Inside Your Love” – “Here’s a song you might know from the Machina album. Not that you bought it when it came out.

You didn’t like it then. You like it now.” Though not their best or most popular album by far, there’s certainly a contingent of fans that appreciate it.

So what Corgan might be talking about here is a parallax effect – that things seem to be changing as your perspective changes. In this case, the perspective that changes is time; as

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we age, we recognize that his music is better than we realized. This happens often in music, with critics referring to albums as being “growers” that take several listens to understand. And it’s true, great albums are often given less than stellar initial reviews.

Nick Hornby originally referred to Radiohead’s Kid A as “commercial suicide,” and compared it to Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music. I’m assuming he’s come around on that one. What’s important about this parallax effect is that it’s perhaps less of a scientific observation as Corgan might hope, and more of a mixture of hindsight and nostalgia.

This nostalgia factor may be helped along by the fact The Smashing Pumpkins have always trafficked in high melodrama. Regardless of the different eras of style, band members and seemingly even faiths, (Gish-era, Mellon Collie-era, Adore-era, Oceaniaera) one of the consistent elements of the Pump-

PHOTO BY (A YAWNING) ANDREW MAZURAK

kins’ sound has been high emotional resonance with relatively simple lyricism. Nothing matters after Corgan growl-whines “The world is a vampire set to drain.” That concept, plainly stated, resonates with those who feel the world has conspired against them, and sticks with them. No other lyrics in that song matter after that. He already hit the emotional ball out of the metaphorical park. Couple this with the way he sings “Believe in me as I believe in you, tonight, tonight” and what you have is the perfect marriage of simple angst and high melodrama.

This appeals to many people in the moment of some extreme emotion. It’s easy to relate to the Pumpkins in these moments, and make those particular moments in your memory stronger by soundtracking them. Then, in retrospect, we’ve created the tiny movies of our lives. We look back and remember, yes, that was truly a great period of time.

That particular Pumpkins era was the best. We can think this because it connects so closely to us. And so, perhaps, Corgan is able to believe in his own self-conceived parallax because his own music has been so emotional and so close to him for all his life. People of all his different eras have told him, presumably, how close to the music they felt, which has led to a strengthening of his own concept of his back catalogue.

In a sense, he’s right. We often make bad calls on music in the initial moments of hearing it, and looking back with hindsight and nostalgia, the music we listened to – even really bad music – is fondly remembered. While Corgan’s historical revisionism needs to be soundly rejected, he taps into a more important idea of how we remember music. All that’s left for us to use as a barometer of good or bad (whatever that means) is our own sense of nostalgia. To this end, nostalgia works in the Pumpkins’ favour, more than most other bands. While he insists that we forget how great his music was and only a parallax of time can restore that memory, the reality is that the parallax warps all memory and often blurs our concept of how good or bad anything may have been. In the end, much of what we enjoy about music might have nothing to do with the music at all.

KONTROLLER Dishonored

By Kabir Kaler The name of the game is revenge in this issue of Kontroller, with this new game from Bethesda, appropriately named, Dishonored.

You are Corvo Attano, lord protector to the Empress and her daughter Emily. After a long voyage to find a cure for a plague that is consuming the city, you return home to relay the bad news. During your conversation, assassins appear and kill the Empress.

They also kidnap Emily and blame you in the process with the help of some corrupt politicians. After being tortured you are thrown in jail where you get a meal from a ‘‘friend’’ that comes with a note saying they believe you and want to help. You escape with a bang. Armed with new weapons, you set out to bring judgment upon those who did this, and save Emily in the process.

After your escape, a being known as the Outsider takes you to a place where time has no meaning to have a ‘‘chat.” The Outsider bestows supernatural powers on you with the freedom to use how you see fit. Revenge is the main objective, but this doesn’t make the story linear in any way due to the ability to “play your way.” How you play each level affects the next one in different ways, such as more or less guards, the demeanor of your allies, and other ways you won’t know until you play the next chapter.

The world of Dishonored is set in a fantasy land that is similar to England in the 1900s with Steampunk intertwined. Your journey starts and ends in the city of Dunwall. The architecture itself is similar to Britain during the plague, with buildings sealed off and broken, and bodies wrapped in bandages everywhere. Steampunk is shown in the technology used in the

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game. The very first technological piece I saw was called the “Wall of Light,” which is an invisible wall made of electricity that kills any intruder who touches it. The appearances and the defensive measures of Steampunk technology get more radical as you progress and it doesn’t get boring as most of it can kill you. Looking at British architecture is never a chore because it rarely repeats, as each area has specific tones and appearances.

A prime example is after you escape the prison you have to stop High Overseer Campbell, which is your first mission. The area you get dropped off is the ‘’poor’’ district where only a few people live and many buildings are closed off. As you continue on your path you see the area where the High Overseer is, which is nice with the tone being ‘’order,’’ matching the appearance of the main courthouse. Using this technique of showing different areas as you progress is an effective idea to alleviate seeing the same style of buildings and it is good incentive to explore.

The people are separated into four groups: civilians, weepers, guards, and aristocrats. Civilians dress appropriately with a couple being area specific.

Weepers are people that are infected with a plague (a.k.a zombies), who look pale with blood coming from their eyes and hurl black puke as they try to kill you. The guards come in a couple different types and they all behave according to what they are. Your regular city guard wears a heavy jacket and khakis with a helmet sometimes and is either very buff and a little short, or the opposite, carrying a pistol and sword to combat you. Overseers are a little creepy as they wear a yellow mask and dress in dark colors, wearing a cross between religious and military clothes. Along with the weapons the guards use they also have a machine that saps your

supernatural powers, which looks like a metal accordion. Assassins wear gas masks and dress in camouflage clothing, usually in a green and black motif.

What makes them so dangerous is their ability to use some of the same supernatural abilities you have, making them formidable. High value aristocrats vary in clothing but what they wear shows they are important. They are always your objective and the way to handle them will be up to you.

Game play in Dishonored is an FPS, similar to Deus Ex: Human Revolution. It is multifaceted with player choice involved in every decision made. There are two main factors that change game play: supernatural powers and handheld weapons. In the beginning the Outsider grants you ‘’blink,’’ which is the best ability due to its versatility. Blink allows you to teleport a limited distance both vertically and horizontally. It can also be used in conjunction with your sword to impale enemies and sneak around them.

The other five abilities can be unlocked with a type of bone charm and all are available to upgrade to level two. The other bone charm (or talisman) gives you a unique stat bonus with the choice of carrying multiple types. You can find these by using a mechanical heart with a soul that tells secrets. You have four basic weapons (excluding your folding sword) at your disposal: a gun, a crossbow, grenades, and springrazors. Your gun is an old flintlock pistol. Your crossbow (my weapon of choice) has many types of ammunition and is silent. Grenades need no explanation and springrazors are portable mines that you can place on any surface, including people, that will explode, killing everyone in range.

Miscellaneous items, such as your rewire tool or blueprints, can be found throughout the game and will help you getting past certain obstacles or

give your equipment a certain edge.

As with upgrading supernatural powers, your tools of the trade can be upgraded as well. Almost everything you use or own can be upgraded with money found in the environment disguised as objects (paintings, treasures, a couple coins, etc…), but you can only upgrade when you are at your safe house.

What really stood out for me was the audio in Dishonored, including the limited soundtrack. The audio is mainly the conversations you hear as you skulk around. You overhear whistling, guards talking, and even people talking about your VIPs as you eavesdrop on them. I have played games with this before but they haven’t been as extensive as this. I would actually stay hidden and listen in on the whole conversation just to see what they would say.

Dishonored is a new game and one that is very well made. The freedom in the gameplay is refreshing, the graphics are unique but textures tend to pop out, the enemy – although few – are smart and dangerous enough that you need to be wary, and the audio is extensive. This game has a lot of replay value due to some objectives and items randomizing and making you choose the way you want to play this game. This game is excellent and I give Dishonored nine assassinations out of ten.

On a side note it has been acknowledged that there will be downloadable content coming to Dishonored. The first is challenge maps (all distinctive) to test combat, mobility, and stealth. It will be made available in December for 400 Microsoft points or five dollars on psn.

The other two DLC drops will happen in spring of 2013, simultaneously on XBox 360, PC, and Playstation 3.

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(feat.)

Throw Off The Shackles of Youth and Age Well

By Pierce Cairns

duces some and repulses the rest.

So stratification occurs, and musicians seek to rise through the ranks to riches, fame, personal enlightenment, or whatever. Music becomes another We know that more people than just music journalists means to an end, or for most of us, another stylistic have insights into the music we all love. Music is a part element for our own images on the path to success. of everyday life, and not everyone has the chance to Hair gets cut, battered speakers are traded for opera talk about issues and ideas that emerge when thinking tickets, and simple minds learn to navigate the beauabout music. (feat.) seeks out non-traditional points of ty of higher forms. To some this occurs instantly as view from our community and beyond. an almost religious epiphany; to most it is a slow process, evolving as we do through the years until I was in a punk band, once. Then I grew up. we no longer recognize – or even desire to – that One’s choice in music is as much a measure of older musical caricature of ourselves. status as one’s choice in car. We often deceive ourBut, fortunately for the masses, one’s musicselves into accepting all styles and genres, claiming based status can be more readily upgraded than they are just for different tastes and that we can one’s car, house, career, or spouse. The world of muenjoy them all equally; in the same way we enjoy sic is always ripe for exploration, and there is never riding around in a rusted van instead of a shiny a shortage of those who have already trod whatever BMW. Of course, there are particular stereotypical path you select. Quite often, a basic knowledge and exceptions when people are trying to make a stateenjoyment of higher music is enough to convince ment: hybrid or electric cars for the eco-conscious, others of one’s bona fides, just be sure to have a viminivans for the suburban soccer moms; indie muable explanation ready if they catch you listening to sic for the hipsters, dance-pop for the players pursurap/rock/punk alone ing ulterior motives at the in your room. Nostalclubs. But ultimately, some gia will not do, for it cars are simply better than 95.9 FM CKUW CAMPUS/COMMUNITY RADIO is not enough to not others. Some forms of TOP 30 ALBUMS (Sept 24, 2012 – Nov 26, 2012) currently be, but to music are superior. People !=LOCAL CONTENT * =CANADIAN CONTENT re=RE-ENTRY TO CHART never have been. I will may claim that they do not always have the punk enjoy opera or classical, taint, along with the but they generally lack the ARTIST RECORDING LABEL confession of the joy patience or required input, 1 ! Nova Midnight Midnight Disintegration it brought me, and will or are afraid to chance the 2 ! Propagandhi Failed States Epitaph ever appear the poor enjoyment lest they rise 3 Spy From Cairo Arabadub Wonderwheel 4 Cat Power Sun Matador soul brought in from out of their current com5 ! Johnny Sizzle Home Sweet Home No Label Collective the cold to start a new fortable station. You do 6 ! Mise En Scene Desire’s Despair Pipe & Hat and better life. not drive a BMW to the 7 ! Rambling Dan Frechette A Tease Done Bluegrass Self-Released I do not resent the rodeo after all.

8 * Mother Mother The Sticks Last Gang change. Rather, as I sit I was in a punk band 9 ! Vampires Vampires Self-Released here sipping cognac for several years dur10 * Denis Plante & David Jacques 4 Buenos Aires ATMA and basking in the ing my higher education.

11 Ringo Deathstarr Mauve Sonic Unyon testament to the greatWe had the whole deal: 12 Grizzly Bear Shields Warp ness of mankind and the rusted band van, the 13 Calexico Algiers Antito music itself that is long greasy hair, the bat14 ! The Lytics They Told Me Camobear Beethoven’s final sym15 Black Moth Super Rainbow Cobra Juicy Rad Cult tered speaker cabinets, 16 Kid Koala 12 Bit Blues Ninja Tune phony, I dare say I have the sticker-laden guitars, 17 ! The Girth The Girth Self-Released fully and appropriately and the gigs throughout 18 * Godspeed! You Black Emperor! Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! Constellation embraced my musithe city’s seedy underbelly.

19 * Stars The North Soft Revolution/ATO cal coming-of-age. To It was genuinely fun, and 20 * Amelia Curran Spectators Six Shooter others, I only submit we never once stopped to 21 Dinosaur Jr. I Bet On Sky Jagjaguwar that this advancement ponder the significance of 22 Lee Hazlewood A House Safe For Tigers Light In The Attic is available to all. So our music, or lack thereof.

23 ! The F-Holes Red Hot Morning Noise linger not; enrichment The energy was bliss. But, 24 ! Boats!

Marblemouth Self Released awaits! we evolved as all bands 25 * Ladyhawk No Can Do Triple Crown do and reached our sepa26 * The Sheepdogs The Sheepdogs Atlantic/Warner Pierce Cairns used to 27 ! The Thrashers Ramp Locals Transistor 66 rate, seemingly inevitable 28 ! Mahogany Frog Senna MoonJune be like you, but is now conclusions. One went to 29 * Diamond Rings Free Dimensional Secret City a pharmacist in rural rehab, after demanding 30 Bongo Love Future Voices Self-Released Manitoba. a little too much energy and bliss; another doubled

30 Stylus Magazine Dec 2012/Jan 2013 28

down, improving his talent beyond our scope and joining another band – or in car terms, trading in for an even rustier van, but with louder speakers.

I completed my education, applied for jobs, and moved away. I grew up.

I used to profess that all music was connected, that genre was simply a construct for our own categorization needs. I felt that the visceral rhythms, the ageless, enchanting melodies, the soulful and inspired lyrics, or the indescribable energy and interpersonal connections were what made music less of a commodity and more of a pure sensation or transcendence. However, naïve ideology often blinds one to reality in any field, and music, or rather the culture and industry that surround it, are fraught with petty corporatism, shallow and artificial characters, manipulative advertising and all of the evils we seek to ignore or actively avoid when we turn on our iPods or sway with the crowds at the concert.

The culture and music itself are sadly inseparable, and even the innocent busker, through no fault of his or her own, exudes an image, an ethos that se-

winnipeg folk festival ConCerts co-presented with the West End Cultural Centre

Kim ChurChill December 11 , West enD cultural centre

Oh my Darling Venez Danser Album Release

January 26, West enD cultural centre

co-presented with the West End Cultural Centre

WhitehOrse with special guest Daniel Romano

Prairie rOOts revue

February 8, burton cummings theatre

December 12, live @ the Folk exchange

feat. Zachary Lucky, Carly Maicher, Kacy and Clayton, Ryan Boldt

tickets – Winnipeg Folk Festival music store (211 bannatyne at albert)

all shoWs Doors 7:15 Pm, show 8:00 Pm

oPen mic

Folk school

Musicians and music lovers unite to share songs, inspiration and good times in the casual, intimate atmosphere of The Folk Exchange on the third Friday of the month. Presented in partnership with Manitoba Music.

We host a variety of Folk School classes for musical explorers of all abilities and styles that are facilitated by professional musicians at The Folk Exchange. Visit winnipegfolkfestival.ca for more information about the classes.

December 21, 2012, hosted by Jay Nowicki January 18, 2013 February 15, 2013

sound 101 – Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013

In this class, you will learn how to operate a PA system.

harmonica – Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013

Learn to play the harmonica with a Juno Award winning master harmonica player.

mandolin – Six Saturdays starting Mar. 16, 2013

This six week class happens every Saturday from March 16 to April 20. This class will guide you through the basics of playing the mandolin.

song sketching – Saturday, March 16, 2013

Need help finishing a song? Let Keri Latimer help you finish it.

WinniPeg Folk Festival in the city Love those magical collaboration that happen on the daytime stages at the festival? Join us at the Millennium Library for festival-style workshops year-round and in the city! Shows start at 1:30 PM.

January 26, 2013

February 23, 2013

for info and tickets call (204) 231-0096 or visit the Winnipeg folk festival music store, Bannatyne at albert

W www.stylusmagazine.ca i n n i P e g f O l K f e st i va l .C a

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032 Stylus Magazine Dec 2012/Jan 2013