Earlier today (February 3), word spread that Canuck rap hero Drake was being sued by Ericka Lee, an alleged former girlfriend and business partner who appeared as the female voice in the Take Care single "Marvin's Room." Now, Drake has responded to the lawsuit, and, according to him, he didn't do anything wrong. A spokesperson for the rapper released the following statement: This claim is entirely without merit and our client has not engaged in any wrongful conduct. Ericka Lee consented to the use of her voice in the song "Marvin's Room" prior to its release. Lee...Read More
February kicks off with a mixed bag of movie releases, from Gerardo Naranjo's gripping tale of a girl caught in the Mexican drug trade, to yet another directorial disaster from Madge. For tips on what to see and what to avoid this weekend, read full reviews of the following highlights at Exclaim!'s Recently Reviewed section.
First up, Daniel Radcliffe goes from wizard to haunted widower in The Woman in Black (pictured), while teens take on superpowers in Josh Trank's smart debut feature Chronicle.
Drew Barrymore blubs about the plight of trapped whales in animal rescue romp Big Miracle. And Gerardo Naranjo's Miss Bala ("Miss Bullet") displays the dark side of life in modern Mexico.
Meanwhile, Glenn Close pulls off an Oscar-nominated performance in Rodrigo Garcia's Albert Nobbs. Madonna goes behind the camera as the director of W.E., a film which tries to mirror the life of a lonely New York trophy wife with that of King Edward VIII's bride Wallis Simpson. And Sean Cisterna gives us Moon Point, which is an endearing but ill-conceived flick about a 20-something looking for his long-lost love
Then two Connecticut inn employees attempt to prove their workplace is haunted in Ti West's homage to past horrors, The Inn Keepers. And lastly, Inside Lara Roxx follows Montreal native and aspiring porn star Lara Loxx, who made headlines in 2004 after contracting the HIV virus during a shoot. Director Mia Donovan documents Roxx's subsequent struggles with crack addiction, HIV-related tuberculosis and bipolar disorder in this tragic yet compelling film.
To read full reviews of these picks and more, head over to the Recently Reviewed section at Exclaim.ca.
UK-based power metal warriors DragonForce parted ways with founding vocalist ZP Theart in 2010, leaving some wondering what would happen to the band's uplifting riffs without any singing. Then, last year, the remaining members announced that they had recruited Oxford, England native Marc Hudson. Now, we'll get to hear this new lineup on record. Embodying the epic positivity that could only come from DragonForce, the new album is called The Power Within. Even though it sounds like the ending of a Disney special, however, guitarist Herman Li promises it will be the band's best...Read More
The story of teenage rapper Earl Sweatshirt has been as confusing as it has been intriguing, as the "missing" Odd Future member was allegedly sent to Coral Reef Academy in Samoa by his mother. Earl then supposedly spoke out in support of his mom before Odd Future later called his statement into question. Soon, it looks as if the mystery might finally be solved, with Earl reportedly due to come home to Los Angeles. Alternative Intervention Models, a program that aims to help at-risk youth through the arts, posted this message on its website [via Prefix]: Why would nine...Read More
When not releasing top-notch full-lengths, Seattle record imprint Suicide Squeeze has made a name for itself by releasing some fantastic singles from a wide variety of different artists. Now, the label has revealed plans for the 2012 singles series, and it's as diverse as ever. This year will see seven-inch singles from Cloud Nothings, Iron & Wine, Julianna Barwick, Wax Idols, King Tuff and White Woods, which is a side-project of Suicide Squeeze regulars Coathangers. The first release in the series is King Tuff's "Wild Desire" seven-inch, which features "Hole in My Head" on the...Read More
Yesterday (February 2), original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward showed his dissatisfaction with the metal troupe's upcoming reunion and threatened to leave the group if he wasn't handed a "'singable' contract" that he felt respected his contributions to the band. Unfortunately, the ultimatum has, at least temporarily, backfired, as the rest of Sabbath have announced they'll continue the get-together without him. A statement from vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler made today (February 3) confirms their disappointment that the two sides couldn't come to...Read More
It's still too early to tell who will be playing this year's instalment of Sled Island, which runs June 20 to 23, but the Calgary music festival has just announced two curators that will help schedule some showcases. Just like the event's balance of out-of-town artists and homegrown locals, 2012 curators Andrew W.K. and the Dudes' Danny Vacon have been plucked from both sides of the spectrum. Acclaimed party rocker Andrew W.K. doesn't need much of an introduction at this point, but one can only assume that the sweat-stained musician will amp up the crowds with his decisions. A press...Read More
One of the highlights of Drake's Take Care is the ultra-sensitive single "Marvin's Room," which include clips of lady speaking over the phone and asking him, "Are you drunk right now?" Well, now the woman from those clips is suing Drake for royalties from the song in question. Hollywood Reporter reports that the plaintiff is Ericka Lee, who claims to be an ex-girlfriend and former business parter of the rapper. She alleges that the couple agreed to work on the song together and split the proceeds. Some time after the track was completed, the pair ended their...Read More
Rock jokesters Tenacious D have been pretty quiet since making their feature film Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny and its accompanying soundtrack six years ago, but the duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass are apparently ready to return with more acoustically accompanied dick jokes in the near future. They've just announced a new album called Rize of the Fenix. Little is known about the album thus far, but the twosome's website now features a quick animation sequence featuring the album cover, well, rising into a picture frame while the title track plays in the background. On...Read More
When Bon Iver scored a Grammy Award nomination late last year, many music fans were amused to learn that songwriter Justin Vernon had insulted the industry award show in a prior interview. Well, evidently getting nominated hasn't improved Vernon's opinion of the event, since he reportedly turned down a chance to perform at the show. The singer told Billboard that, while he would have possibly been interested in performing his own music, the Grammy organizers told him that the performance would have to be a collaboration. "We wanted to play our music, but were told that we...Read More
Hardcore fans are counting the days until Toronto faves Cancer Bats unleash their next destructive disc, Dead Set On Living, but the fans have even more to look forward to now that the act have announced a swell of Canadian concert dates. While the album doesn't hit stores until April 17, the Cancer Bats will tour across the country starting late March, no doubt dishing out a chunk of new tunes. The trip kicks off on March 30 in Winnipeg, and will find Cancer Bats heading out west to Vancouver before ricocheting back to Ontario. Joining the group will be U.S. melodic hardcore...Read More
Toro y Moi and Black Lips look as if they probably know plenty of swimsuit models, right? (Right!?) Well then it's only natural that the two acts are among the indie artists selected to appear in the upcoming swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated. In addition to Toro and Black Lips, other artists to be featured either in the magazine or on its website are: White Denim, DJ A-Trak, Hanni El Khatib, Delta Spirit, Elan Atias & White Elephant, J. Roddy Walston & The Business, Little Hurricane, Maluca, Nick Waterhouse, Vonnegutt, Selebrities, Bosco Delrey, Kito & Reija Lee, New Look,...Read More
Though he's without a backing band for the upcoming Hairdresser Blues album, bubblegum power-pop master Hunx (aka Seth Bogart) will re-team with his beloved Punx for an upcoming North American tour. The spring trek sees the band bringing their wild stage antics all over North America, including Canadian stops in Vancouver on March 24 and in Toronto on March 31. Those shows feature support from Heavy Cream, while other stops see the band meeting up with Nobunny, Natural Child and Chain & the Gang. Hunx's Hairdresser Blues will be available from Hardly Art on February...Read More
Weirdo composer Derek Gedalecia has released countless CD-Rs and cassettes under the Headboggle moniker, all of which have pointed to bigger things to come. Now, he'll attempt to live up to all that promise with his definitive debut long-player. Fittingly titled Headboggle, the debut album from the project boasts a wide variety of instrumentation, from Moog and EMS synthesizers to Irish harp, violin, harpsichord and banjo, along with field recordings and other surprises. As an album one sheet explains, "What makes Headboggle so special is the careful arrangement of...Read More
British drum and bass master Rupert Parkes is best known for his work as Photek, the moniker under which he's released two decades' worth of material. After a brief dry spell, Photek returned with a handful of EPs last year, and with the momentum going, the producer will now try his hand at a mix for the DJ-Kicks series. Aside from multiple Photek compositions, the mix also includes material from Kromestar, Hot Toddy, DLX, Marco Effe and Sepalcure, among others. In a press release, Photek offered up the following explanation for his choices: I wanted to create one...Read More
Leonard Cohen has had one of the most notable careers in Canadian literary history -- and would have even if he'd never sung a song. But as the poet became a novelist, so the novelist became a singer and the singer became an icon. He published his first book of poetry more than five decades ago and recently released his latest album, Old Ideas. As highlighted in Exclaim!'s newly published Timeline, here are five facts you may not know about Leonard Cohen. ...Read More
Every year, the Sasquatch! Music Festival invades George, WA's Gorge Amphitheatre with an enormous batch of indie and indie-minded musicians. It's become an annual tradition to say that each edition of the festival is the biggest yet, and 2012 looks no different with a jaw-dropping batch of performers. Sadly, there are no planned appearances from Coachella reuniters At the Drive-In or Refused, but this is a stacked lineup with star power like Jack White, Beck and Bon Iver alongside the likes of Kurt Vile, Beirut and Explosions in the Sky. Fans of Carrie Brownstein will get a double dose...Read More
Bon Iver only just put out his beloved sophomore album last June, but frontman Justin Vernon has already lined up a whole whack of new projects that are sure to satiate his ever-expanding fan base. Speaking with USA Today, the songwriter shed light on his new musical endeavours. In addition to talking about already announced collaborations with the Flaming Lips and the Chieftains, Vernon explained that he has a new album on the way from his Volcano Choir project "for the Japanese market," as well as one by the Shouting Matches. The latter is his duo with Peter Wolf Crier drummer...Read More
As previously reported, Exclaim! will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in style with a star-studded show at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern on Saturday (February 4). The night will feature some of Canada's finest musicians teaming up for unforgettable collaborative performances, and now we can share some more of the evening's exciting details. First up, indie pop up-and-comers the Elwins will perform alongside members of Broken Social Scene, Rural Alberta Advantage, Ohbijou and more. They'll be playing a set of classic Canadian covers that includes songs by Leonard Cohen and Constantines....Read More
Always active indie folk star Bonnie "Prince" Billy (aka Will Oldham) released his latest full-length Wolfroy Goes to Town last fall, and also announced an upcoming collaborative double seven-inch with Marie Sioux, but the musician has a few more jams to send our way, explaining his new single "Time to Be Clear." Interestingly, a press release points out that while the digital version of the single will feature the aforementioned Wolfroy Goes to Town cut, along with two previously unreleased B-sides ("Whipped," and "Out-Of-Mind"), a seven-inch edition will feature just the...Read More
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