Alex's Staff Picks

P:ano Are Back in All Their Glory on "Hollow Stars"

Exclaim! Staff Picks

PUBLISHED Aug 15, 2023

P:ano's 2005 album Brigadoon is on my Mount Rushmore of Vancouver indie rock records from the 2000s (alongside Mass Romantic, Streethawk: A...

Exclaim!'s Staff Picks: illuminati hotties' "Truck" Is a Sugar-Sweet Road Song

PUBLISHED Jul 26, 2023

My favourite illuminati hotties mode is freaky, when singer Sarah Tudzin cuts loose with unhinged yelps and skronky riffs. The new single "...

Exclaim!'s Staff Picks: the Drums Continue to Outstrip Their Peers on "Better"

PUBLISHED Jul 18, 2023

Of all the blog buzz bands that I loved in 2009, the Drums have remained far more successful than nearly any of their peers, with monthly S...

Exclaim!'s Staff Picks: Metric's "Just the Once" Is a Giddy Reprieve from Modern Malaise

PUBLISHED Jul 12, 2023

Dance rock is back, haven't you heard? Two decades since their debut, Metric are as groovy as ever — except, rather than the spiky post-pun...

Exclaim!'s Staff Picks: Jeremy Dutcher Takes an Exciting New Direction with "Ancestors Too Young"

PUBLISHED Jul 4, 2023

"Ancestors Too Young" is not only the first English-language song Jeremy Dutcher has ever released, it's also the first one he ever wrote —...

Exclaim!'s Staff Picks:​ On 'MICHAEL,' Killer Mike Is a Braggadocios Blast

PUBLISHED Jun 27, 2023

In an interview with Exclaim!, Killer Mike named MICHAEL the "album of the year, unquestionably." I'm not quite sure I agree with him — not...

Exclaim!'s Staff Picks: Avalon Emerson's '& the Charm' Is Clear-Eyed Reflection from a Consummate Party-Starter

PUBLISHED Jun 13, 2023

American-born, Berlin-based dance DJ Avalon Emerson evidently absorbed a lot of influences during her time behind the decks, as her debut a...

Exclaim!'s Staff Picks: Helena Deland Ponders the Season on "Spring Bug"

PUBLISHED May 31, 2023

With a jaunty drum groove and latticework of acoustic arpeggios, Montreal singer-songwriter Helena Deland sweetly evokes the pastoral calm...