Alex's Staff Picks

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  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...

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  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...

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  Exclaim!'s Staff Picks:​ Colin Stetson's 'When we were that what wept for the sea' Is a Cinematic Experience

  PUBLISHED May 23, 2023

  Colin Stetson has been releasing dizzying sax albums for a decade and a half, but I still don't fully understand how he makes such visceral...

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  Exclaim!'s Staff Picks:​ billy woods Keeps His Hot Streak Going with the Kenny Segal-Assisted 'Maps'

  PUBLISHED May 15, 2023

  billy woods released two of the best rap albums I heard last year (the spring's Aethiopes and the fall's Church), and he keeps his absolute...

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  Exclaim!'s Staff Picks: Bratboy Deliver Rock 'n' Roll Mayhem with Precision on 'Bratworld'

  PUBLISHED May 8, 2023

  Guitarist Bella Bébé and bassist Megan Magdelena used to play in the backing band of proggy, poppy post-hardcore songwriter Jo Passed — and...

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  Exclaim!'s Staff Picks: Louise Burns Shows Off an 'Element' of Her Studio Wizardry

  PUBLISHED May 1, 2023

  In addition to being an ever-evolving singer-songwriter, Vancouver's Louise Burns has become an accomplished producer — and her studio wiza...