Basia Bulat, David Bowie, Pusha T and Our Readers Poll Results Fill Exclaim!'s February Issue

BY Paula ReidPublished Feb 11, 2016

The February issue of Exclaim! shows it's been an exciting start to the year for music. As usual, we got in touch with a host of artists to discuss their new and highly anticipated albums, but in this issue, we reveal the results of our annual Readers Poll about your favourite movies, music and more.

Gracing the cover of our February issue is Canadian folk singer/songwriter Basia Bulat. In our interview, Bulat opens up about her latest studio album Good Advice, and how it was inspired by a broken heart and time spent on the road. Our feature also explores why relocating to a new city to work with new people was so important to the album. About her fourth album, Bulat says, "I think the common thread is that I'm trying to find beauty in what was there."

To help process the passing of David Robert Jones, Exclaim!'s first-ever three-page Timeline spotlights the fantastic voyage of David Bowie. We take a look at the way that all of his work resonated with and inspired the work of countless others, while recognizing he dealt with battling his own flaws like the rest of us. Read the full feature that led to Bowie's incredible last album, Blackstar.

In this month's Questionnaire, Pusha T discusses holding off finishing up his upcoming album, his obsession with interior design, his time with Clipse, refusing to talk about Donald Trump and why it's always weird to meet fans.

Our 2015 Readers Poll results found readers voting for hunky PM Justin Trudeau above musical chart-toppers like Drake and the Weeknd when it comes to repping Canada. Justin Bieber apparently convinced readers he's had the number one best comeback with his new, mature direction, and with Oscar season approaching, Mad Max: Fury Road kept critics buzzing and readers agreed it deserves the praise. On the small screen, fans appreciated the Netflix original Master of None's relatable themes, voting it in the top five best shows.
 
In our monthly Music School feature, Ottawa's Jim Bryson shared how his recording shed, Fixed Hinge, was inspired by the drunk advice of his friend. In the new issue, we also shared words with Chairlift, who discussed producing their own album — "It was time for us to do it ourselves. We had a lot of confidence going into it" explained member Patrick Wimberly — and Junior Boys, who call their latest album, Big Black Coat, a return to their roots, while DIIV's Zachary Cole Smith talked about the personal and musical growth that inspired the personal nature of their new album, Is the Is Are.

Online, you'll find web exclusive interviews with artists like Toothgrinder, Saul Williams, Anderson .Paak, Jason Collett, Tedeschi Trucks Band and many more, but to read all of our latest interviews, you'll have to or find a street box, local coffee shop, concert venue or record store to grab Exclaim!'s February issue. 
 

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