Epic
Aging Is What Friends Do Together
By Omar Mouallem

Love him or hate him, nobody keeps it more real than Epic. The blue-collared, grey-haired, Saskatoon-to-Edmonton MC is nearing 40 and proud to still be a hip-hop head. On “I Only Like Rap,” he doesn’t so much tell of his struggle with middle age because all he can think about is rap. Or hockey, passionately told in what has become a cult hit, “Ah Hemsky.” But no matter how campy you think he is, there is an underlying humanity to it all, and nothing exemplifies this better than “Sleeping Shirts,” in which Epic raps, “Even the toughest MCs wear sleeping shirts.” On Aging is What Friends Do Together, his first album with Hand’Solo, but far from his first album, Epic understands his limitations. He doesn’t have projection, flow or a mean mug (the liner notes feature a picture of him smiling under a bicycle helmet) but he has sincerity. Knowing this, he keeps most songs to about two minutes, says what he wants and moves on. (Hand Solo)
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On the verge of big things, D-Sisive suddenly disappeared from the scene. New single “Brian Wilson” is a heavy, rockin’ jam that details just what happened, from his big ego to laziness to the death of his father. It bumps hard but it’s no less touching for it. Only slightly more mellow is “Kneecaps ...Read More
Justis - Just Is
When the intro’s horns erupt and Justis delivers his first two bars, you get that rare feeling that this is going to be something special. The Kitchener-Waterloo rapper and producer gets everything right on his debut, finding a delicate balance between personalisation and audience inclusion. On “I A ...Read More
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"For people to trust you and believe you, they have to see you a little bit. I'm not afraid to expose myself in that way," says Sara Quin, of sibling duo Tegan and Sara. The petite brunette has just led me into the heart of the east Vancouver jam space where she and her identical twin Tegan are rehearsing for upcoming tours. The room we're in is expansive, chilly and draped in darkness aside from a single strip of light in the middle of the room; she drags a sofa under the wimpy illumination and offers it to me, taking a straight-backed chair opposite for herself. "If we were a genre film," she continues, "we'd be a documentary."... Read More
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Check out the hottest new releases in Canada this week, including: 50 Cent Before I Self-Destruct, Boris Japanese Heavy Rock Hits #2 7", Kid Sister Ultraviolet, Norah Jones The Fall, Stereophonics Keep Calm and Carry On... Read More
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Though they've never been predictable, twisting and turning down a veering path of whatever post-rock is supposed to be, Do Make Say Think strike a reflective tone on the wondrous Other Truths. By their own reckoning, Do Make's previous acclaimed record, You, You're a History in Rust, ... Full Review
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