
Note:
If you can read French, go to the French page for additional content.
to
SEARCH this page

FEATURED REVIEW:
|

P!nk –
Trustfall
For her first album in four years, P!nk presents a particularly
skilful mix of touching ballads and catchy pop songs. Trustfall
feels like a kind of motivational therapy session, addressing themes
of change, self-acceptance, loss and, of course, love. On this ninth
album, P!nk pushes her voice more than ever and she impresses
greatly. This voice supports her deep lyrics, which does not prevent
her from hitting the dance floor with lighter tracks like "Never
Gonna Not Dance Again". The Lumineers, First Aid Kit
and Chris Stapleton collaborate on three folk- and
country-tinged tracks, but they're not the album's best moments.
Instead, P!nk is at her best when she dominates the stage with her
strong personality and voice. With Trustfall, P!nk once again
offers a very good album, which may overwhelm some with its
variations of styles, but which contains very few weak moments.
Music Videos:
« Never Gonna Not Dance Again » -
« Trustfall » |
  ½

 |
FEATURED NEW
ARTIST:
|
Free Range is the project of Chicago-based singer, songwriter and
guitarist Sofia Jensen. The trio (completed by Jack Henry
and Bailey Minzenberger) offers soft, intimate acoustic music
with unforgettable melodies, albeit with some discreet electric
guitars. Even if it is rather sunny contemplative music, the album
was completely recorded late at night, in the depth of the COVID-19
pandemic. While "All My Thoughts" and "Want to Know" were the first
two singles from Practice, it's "Growing Away" that is the
most immediate song, the one that makes us want to come back to it
over and over. It is an interesting and pleasant folk debut album
that Sofia Jensen and her band offer us.
Music Videos:
« All My Thoughts » -
« Want to Know » -
« Growing Away » -
« Forgotten » |
Mick Music
  


|
March 17-23:
|

For his fourth album with Warner Classics, Alain Lefèvre continues
in the vein of
My Paris Years released in 2019. He once again evokes his
time at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris as
a young student, continuing his foray into the French repertoire.
This time, the virtuoso pianist tackles works by César Franck
(1822-1890), Claude Debussy (1862-1918) and Pierre Max
Dubois (1930-1995). From Franck, he proposes "Prelude, Fugue and
Variation in B minor Op. 18 M.30" and from Debussy, we can
rediscover five works, including the evanescent "Rêverie L.76(68)".
As for Dubois, he was the one who taught composition to Lefèvre
during his studies in Paris. A student of Darius Milhaud,
Dubois wrote witty and brilliant music. Here you can hear "10 Études
de concert pour le piano, Nos. IV, VIII & X", as well as the "Sonata
for piano (1985)", dedicated to Alain Lefèvre. This is a great
tribute by Lefèvre to his formative years in the City of Light. |
Parlophone /
Warner Classics
  ½


|
March 10-16:
|

Since 2019, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Orchestre métropolitain
de Montréal have undertaken to record the complete cycle of
symphonies by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957). Here they present
Symphonies 3 & 4 from the seven symphonies of the Finnish
composer. Conducted by Nézet-Séguin, "Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op.
52" and "Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 63" were recorded at the
Maison symphonique de Montréal by the Orchestre métropolitain. These
are two magnificent works by Sibelius, masterfully performed by an
orchestra and its conductor at the top of their game. |
ATMA Classique
   ½


|

The American pop punk band is back with a new album, six years after
After Laughter. Paramore hasn't been punk for a while now,
but it's even more obvious on This Is Why. Their sixth album
has some traces of their more aggressive past, but the whole thing
is definitely pop rock, a sound tailor-made for the radio. The
band's musical break allowed Hayley Williams to explore new
musical horizons and there are obvious traces of this on This Is
Why. Indeed, we find more poetic and confessional lyrics than
what the band is used to provide. Paramore also presents certain
influences of the 80's, notably in the synthesizers, as well as the
disco-punk of the late 70's. The whole thing is a great listen,
especially since there are only 10 tracks totaling 36 minutes. The
revival of This Is Why suggests a renaissance for Paramore,
who still has many lands to conquer.
Music Videos:
« This Is Why » -
« The News » -
« Liar » -
« Running Out of Time » |
  ½

 |
March 1-9:
|

Kimi Djabaté is a multi-instrumentalist from Guinea-Bissau,
specializing in guitar, percussion and balafon (an African
xylophone). He grew up in a family of griots, West African
troubadours who travelled from village to village to preserve
ancient oral traditions. On his new album, Dindin, Djabaté
takes the traumas of his childhood and turns them into joyful love
songs. He mixes traditional Afro-Portuguese rhythms, Afrobeat
grooves, electric desert blues and touches of Cuban rhythms. The
result is both smooth and rhythmic, managing to touch us quickly.
Here is a very nice album from Kimi Djabaté, very pleasant! |
Cumbancha
  ½


|
FEBRUARY:
|

The band Maneskin was formed in 2016 in Rome, Italy. The quartet
offers energetic alternative rock with excellent pop melodies and a
hint of electronica. They were first discovered in 2022 with three
colossal hits, "I Wanna Be Your Slave", "Supermodel" and "Mammamia".
However, they had already enjoyed success in Italy with their first
two albums,
Il ballo della vita and
Teatro d'Ira, Vol. 1, before winning Eurovision 2021 with
the song "Zitti e buoni". Rush! is Maneskin's international
debut album, featuring "Supermodel" and "Mammamia" as well as the
more recent hits "The Loneliest", "Gossip" (with Tom Morello)
and "Baby Said". The record unfolds with energy throughout, with
catchy choruses to match. There are only a few rock ballads to break
this frantic beat, ballads worthy of the 1980s. Moreover, this
decade comes to mind on some occasions with obvious new wave
influences. It is a solid album that this young band with an
impressive talent offers us. A fresh wind in the rock landscape!
(February 2023 Featured Review)
Music Videos:
« Supermodel » -
« Mammamia » -
« The Loneliest » -
« Gossip »
|
   

 |
With Cope Land, the Quebec collective led by guitarist and
composer Ben Copland Gilbert presents perhaps the most
surprising album of the year. For the occasion, the artist surrounds
himself with young jazz musicians ready to move away from their
roots to offer us a unique work. The result is a heterogeneous jazz
mix, also integrating metal, progressive rock, funk and rap.
Crossroad Copeland offers big distorted guitar riffs, spectacular
brass solos, and powerful voices. Although some passages are brutal
("Lift Off"), there are several moments of gentleness, notably in
the closing "Lion Sea" and "Playground". Musicians include bassist
Carl Mayotte, trombonist Alex Desjardins, trumpeters
Violet Hébert and Antoine Tardif, drummer Gregory
Kustka-Tsimbidis, saxophonist Hugo Leclerc, and vocalist
Jeanne Laforest. It is difficult to fit the group into a
precise category, but it is very pleasant to discover what they have
to offer, without constraints.
(February 2023 Featured New Artist) |
  ½


|

Maxime Goulet –
Symphonie de la tempête de verglas
Quebec composer Maxime Goulet works in many spheres of musical
creation, from symphonic music to video games. His classical music
works are regularly performed around the world by prestigious
ensembles, including the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.
He has composed more than 30 video game soundtracks and is the
creator of the Montreal Video Game Symphony, in collaboration with
the Orchestre Métropolitain, during the 375th anniversary
celebrations of the city of Montreal. To mark the 25th anniversary
of the ice storm that hit Quebec in January 1998, Goulet brings us
the "Ice Storm Symphony", a symphony in four movements: "Turmoil",
"Warmth", "Darkness" and "Light". It reminds us of one of the worst
natural disasters in Quebec's history and the heroism that came out
of it, in addition to raising awareness of environmental issues. The
album also includes "What a Day" and "Fishing Story". Goulet can
count on the Orchestre classique de Montréal under the
direction of Jacques Lacombe, with Kornel Wolak on
clarinet.
(February 2023) |
ATMA Classique
   


|
JANUARY:
|

Mount Westmore is a rap supergroup featuring Snoop Dogg,
Ice Cube, E-40 and Too $hort. The quartet offers
16 tracks totaling more than an hour of a frankly effective rap.
Each one of them takes the lead to impose their own style, but it's
all done in camaraderie and fun. In addition, the group surrounds
itself with talented producers: Rick Rock, Ant Banks,
Big Zeke, Soopafly, Kato On the Track,
Fredwreck, Dem Jointz, ProHoeZak, etc. The quartet
has already presented three singles ("Too Big", "Free Game" and
"Activated"), three solid tracks that give a good overview of the
whole that is offered to us, without forgetting "Big Subwoofer"
released a year ago. This is a must have for any rap fan, especially
if you like the West Coast sound. (January 2023
Featured Review)
Music Videos:
« Big Subwoofer » -
« Too Big » -
« Free Game » |
  ½

 |
Babehoven –
Light Moving Time
Babehoven is a duo formed in 2017 in Portland, Oregon that is now
based in Hudson, New York. It consists of singer/songwriter Maya
Bon, along with her collaborator, musician Ryan Albert.
The duo's music is simple, even basic, based mostly on Maya's voice.
It is minimalist alternative folk music, with pop melodies. After a
few EPs, Babehoven signed a record deal in New York and they present
us now their very first full-length album with Light Moving Time.
The album was preceded by three first singles: "I'm On Your Team",
"Stand It" and "Often". Their music is smooth and easy to get used
to throughout the 10 tracks. It is 40 minutes that remain pleasant
until the end. Here is a very good first try for this duo that has
undoubtedly a sense of melody.
(January 2023 Featured New Artist)
Music Videos:
« I’m On Your Team » -
« Stand It » -
« Often » |
  ½


|
december:
|

Five years after
Feed the Machine, which went back to the basics of the
band's sound, Nickelback continues in the same direction on Get
Rollin'. They once again leave out all the frills that made them
stray from their raw, heavy sound. So, the sound of the album isn't
all that modern, but it achieves its goal. We quickly discover it
with the energetic first single "San Quentin", one of their most
effective compositions in years. However, one quickly realizes that
the musicians are no longer 20 years old when we hear the nostalgic
"Those Days" and that we have the feeling of dealing with grandpas
on "Skinny Little Missy". Catchy choruses are still on point in
songs like "High Time", "Tidal Wave" (with 1980s influences) and
other mid-tempo ballads. The veteran Canadian rockers have enough
experience to know what music to produce to satisfy their audience,
and this is still evident on Get Rollin'. Unfortunately,
Nickelback doesn't manage to move their music in a very surprising
direction.
(December 2022 Featured Review)
Music Videos:
« San Quentin » -
« Those Days » |
 ½

 |
Based in Toronto, Aysanabee is an Oji-Cree
multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter from the Sandy Lake
First Nation in Northwestern Ontario. He began creating music under
his mother's maiden name during the pandemic. With Watin
(named after his grandfather), he presents his debut album
incorporating a superb blend of alternative music, rock, soul and
electronic arrangements. Both hypnotic and melodic, his music can be
compared to Bon Iver, Matt Corby, Kings of Leon
and Sam Smith. The album contains 10 songs, interspersed with
nine interludes that include the voice of his grandfather. In fact,
the project began with conversations between him and his
grandfather, talking about topics they had never discussed together:
his life in the Sandy Lake trapping area, falling in love, his life
in a residential school and leaving everything behind. An excellent
source of inspiration for Aysanabee, it resulted in three quick
singles, first "We Were Here" in July, then "Nomads" in August and
"Ego Death" in October. He played nearly 100 concerts in one year,
including an appearance at the Montreal International Jazz Festival.
Watin is a personal album that can still reach a wide audience, a
very enjoyable album for almost 47 minutes.
(December 2022 Featured New Artist)
Music Video:
« We Were Here » |
  ½


|

Oscar Peterson – On a Clear
Day: The Oscar peterson Trio - Live in Zurich, 1971
The legendary Montreal jazz pianist and composer
may have passed away 15 years ago, but his incomparable music and
performances are still very much in the collective imagination. In
1971, he went on a world tour as a trio (with Danish bassist
Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen and drummer Louis Hayes)
and stopped in Zurich, Switzerland. This unreleased concert is now
presented on CD, a true collector's item since this trio only played
together in 1971 and this is their only live recording, in addition
to a studio album titled
Great Connection. Although the trio only collaborated for a
short period of time, this concert was recorded at the end of their
tour. The band demonstrates that they are at the top of their
creative game, with perfect control of their playing and excellent
synergy. In tracks like "The Lamp is Low", "Mack the Knife" and the
title track, Peterson seems to be simply in a trance. It is a unique
episode in the history of jazz that is immortalized on this
memorable album.
(December 2022) |
SRF / Two Lions / Mack Avenue
   ½


|

After two albums in 1986 (Metalized)
and 1988 (Sweet
Dreams), and having opened for Metallica, the Quebec
band Sword broke up in 1991. The band led by Rick Hughes (who
was also seen as the leader of Saints & Sinners, as a backup
singer and as a participant in La Voix) made a comeback in
2011 and has since played in various festivals. Sword is now
officially back with their third album, which picks up right where
the band left off after Sweet Dreams. The quartet formed by
Hughes (vocals), his brother Dan (drums), Mike Plant
(guitar) and Mike Larock (bass) once again offers its mix of
metal and hard rock, with obvious influences from Metallica, Iron
Maiden, Dio and Queensrÿche. Many of the guitar
riffs are really effective, especially on the first singles "(I Am)
in Kommand" and "Dirty Pig". Their sound will certainly not
revolutionize the genre, but it's an enjoyable album that will
please the nostalgic 1980s metal fans.
(December 2022) |
Massacre
  


|

|