Alex's Staff Picks

Ducks Ltd. Cure Listlessness with Jangle Pop Bliss on "Hollowed Out"
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PUBLISHED Dec 6, 2023
There's an irony to hearing Ducks Ltd. sing about feeling lifeless and empty, given how their music evokes heart-swelling emotion. On "Holl...
Kylie V's Elegantly Emotive Indie Folk Is an "Anomaly"
Exclaim! Staff Picks
PUBLISHED Nov 16, 2023
Two years on from 2021's excellent Big Blue and most of a year removed from last winter's The Runaway EP, Vancouver songwriter Kylie V pick...
Born at Midnite's "*69" Is Nice
Exclaim! Staff Picks
PUBLISHED Nov 15, 2023
Is star 69 still a thing? At a time when calling someone on the phone feels inherently retro, Born at Midnite release "*69," a yearning pop...
Mac DeMarco's 'Some Other Ones' Is a Peaceful Little World All Its Own
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PUBLISHED Nov 13, 2023
Mac DeMarco is one of the best singers in the biz, so his recent focus on instrumental music has been a little frustrating. Just listen to...
Cloud Nothings Try to Live in the Here and Now on "Final Summer"
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PUBLISHED Nov 1, 2023
Longtime Cloud Nothings fans are bound to raise their eyebrows at the opening seconds of "Final Summer," as the song begin with the whooshi...
Ducks Ltd.'s "The Main Thing" Is Effortless Pop Perfection
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PUBLISHED Oct 19, 2023
Ducks Ltd. make indie pop perfection sound practically effortless, and a couple years after the one-two punch of their Get Bleak EP and Mod...
Caroline Polachek's "Dang" Is Both a Continuation and Counterpoint
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PUBLISHED Oct 18, 2023
This past February's Desire, I Want to Turn Into You is a glorious, life-affirming masterpiece, its unpredictable stylistic turns (trip-hop...
'the rest' Confirms boygenius as One of 2023's Defining Bands
Exclaim! Staff Picks
PUBLISHED Oct 13, 2023
I have no clue how many concerts I've been to over the past 20-odd years of show-going, but I know exactly how many I've cried at: one. Tha...