Erika Angell Was Obsession-Worthy at FME
"These songs are off my recent album entitled 'The Obsession with Her Voice.' You'll soon understand why."Thus began Erika Angell's
Scott Simpson•Sep 3, 2024
film reviews Archive
Karkwa Bid Rouyn-Noranda a Subdued Adieu at FME
There were some light grumblings when Karkwa were announced as headliners for the 2024 edition of the Festival de musique émergente
Scott Simpson•Sep 3, 2024Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' 'Wild God' Finds Jubilance in the Dark
By this point, there isn't much more that can be said about Nick Cave. A post-punk punk who evolved into one of music's elder
Marko Djurdjić•Aug 30, 2024Tycho's 'Infinite Health' Is Melodic Medicine
There are few guarantees in life, but a new Tycho album that doesn't disappoint is something you can always bet on. Based in San Francisco
Dylan Barnabe•Aug 29, 2024'The Crow' Is Caws for Concern
James O'Barr's graphic novel 'The Crow' isn't a dense text. Its core themes aren't so thickly packed in metaphor as to obscure their
Alisha Mughal•Aug 29, 2024Sabrina Carpenter's 'Short n' Sweet' Is a Raunchy Ray of Sunshine
Sabrina Carpenter and summertime have a lot in common: a penchant for nostalgia, brash flirtatiousness, and now, 'Short n' Sweet'
Isabel Glasgow •Aug 28, 2024Season 4 of 'Only Murders in the Building' Has Reached a Moment of Reckoning
For Only Murders in the Building's fourth season, the whimsical investigative trio return to their usual hijinx to solve the murder of Sazz
Leina Gabra•Aug 27, 2024Anciients Stick to What They Do Best on 'Beyond the Reach of the Sun'
Anciients were at the forefront of Canadian metal music after the release of their second album 'Voice of the Void'
Mark Tremblay•Aug 27, 2024Choose Your Own Adventure to Ascension with Jon Hopkins's 'RITUAL'
Jon Hopkins' music is filled with empathy and compassion, even if it often (consciously) struggles with maintaining composure
Marko Djurdjić•Aug 27, 2024Past and Present Dance Hand-in-Hand on Ghostkeeper's 'Cîpayak Joy'
Like a ghost, certain artists tend to stick around. Transformation is the name of the game in a fickle Canadian music market
Em Medland-Marchen•Aug 26, 2024Luna Li's 'When a Thought Grows Wings' Glows with Fearless Optimism
Words fail us as often as they serve us. As we filter the world through our many feelings and sensations
Alisha Mughal•Aug 23, 2024'Strange Darling' Has One of the Year's Most Subtle, Staggering Performances
JT Mollner's 'Strange Darling' understands and trusts lead Willa Fitzgerald to the point of sweaty, lip-licking ecstasy. The film lets her
Alisha Mughal•Aug 23, 2024illuminati hotties Are All Grown Up on 'POWER'
Keeping existential dread at bay has been an underlying current for illuminati hotties since day one. When it inevitably does rear
Ian Gormely•Aug 23, 2024Spectral Wound's 'Songs of Blood and Mire' Is More Party Than Pain
Spectral Wound want you to think they're scary. That's fine, they should — they're a black metal band. Hailing from Montreal
Marko Djurdjić•Aug 22, 2024Fontaines D.C. Pen an Unreliable Encyclopedia of 'Romance'
Love is not patient or kind. It fails and boasts. It appears contorted, grim, armed, and it poisons the angered soul with swarming radon
Myles Tiessen•Aug 21, 2024We've Seen 'Between the Temples' Before
What's "between the temples"? The answer is relatively simple: the brain. And yet, that conclusion leads to an organ so complex and weird
Marko Djurdjić•Aug 21, 2024WUT Claw Their Way to Victory on 'Mingling with the Thorns'
WUT have always been tender but tough. The Vancouver trio — guitarist Kaity McWhinney, bassist Tracey Vath and drummer Lauren Smith
Leslie Ken Chu•Aug 21, 2024OMBIIGIZI Refine Their Craft on "Laminate the Sky"
OMBIIGIZI, the super-duo of Daniel Monkman (a.k.a. Zoon) and Adam Sturgeon (a.k.a. Status/Non-Status) have announced their sophomore album
Alex Hudson•Aug 20, 2024Charly Bliss Are Complex and Colourful on 'FOREVER'
Five years is five years too long since 2019's 'Young Enough,' but at long last, Charly Bliss
Karlie Rogers•Aug 20, 2024Angie McMahon Threads the Anthemic Needle on "Untangling"
Angie McMahon is a master of the affirmation anthem. If the Australian singer-songwriter — who plays Toronto's Axis Club tonight — hadn't
Megan LaPierre•Aug 15, 2024'Alien: Romulus' Grabbed Me by the Face and Wouldn't Let Go
There have been a pile of 'Alien' movies over the past 45 years, from crossovers with 'Predator' to the 'Prometheus' spinoffs and an
Alex Hudson•Aug 14, 2024Skegss Are Doing Strokes Cosplay Right on "Out of My Head"
With the announcement of their new album Pacific Highway Music — out October 18 — Skegss, the Australian duo of Ben Reed and Jonny Lani, pr
Allie Gregory•Aug 14, 2024Awkwafina and John Cena Fail to Hit the 'Jackpot!'
Imagine, just for a moment, if Los Angeles were inhabited by hundreds, if not thousands, of people desperate for wealth and fame. People so
Nathan Chizen•Aug 14, 2024Okay Kaya Dances with Common Sense on "Check Your Face"
There's a juxtaposing icy composure and warm vulnerability coursing through Okay Kaya's discography. Much of it comes in the form of dry
Sydney Brasil•Aug 14, 2024Mumblecore Throwback 'Good One' Speaks Loudly
India Donaldson's directorial debut, 'Good One,' will bring indie film lovers back to the times of camping trips with dad and when
Lindsay Clarke•Aug 14, 2024'Close to You' Is Disjointed, but Held Tightly by Elliot Page
When we first meet Sam (Elliot Page in an explosive and touching performance), he's pensive. As he walks down Front Street towards Toronto'
Rachel Ho•Aug 14, 2024'Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story' Is the Long Overdue Tribute to a Toronto Icon
When thinking of Toronto music talent, Jackie Shane is an often overlooked name — understandable considering how she has largely been lost
Rachel Ho•Aug 13, 2024'Borderlands' Is a Borderline Adaptation
Eli Roth's 'Borderlands' is so disappointing, it's actually kind of comforting. For audiences unfamiliar with the video game series
Lindsay Clarke•Aug 12, 2024'It Ends with Us' Isn't Very Lively
It Ends with Us has all the ingredients for success but, unfortunately, director Justin Baldoni can't consolidate them into a coherent whol
Barbara Goslawski •Aug 9, 2024Justin Townes Earle's Posthumous 'All In: Unreleased & Rarities (The New West Years)' Is a Bittersweet Farewell
Covering Fleetwood Mac's biggest hit is a tall order, even for a performer and interpreter as gifted as Justin Townes Earle
Kyle Mullin•Aug 8, 2024Ravyn Lenae Looks at Life with a 'Bird's Eye' on Her Sterling Sophomore Album
Two years after her debut album 'HYPNOS,' Ravyn Lenae returns with 'Bird's Eye.' Another smorgasbord of the fluttery falsettos, iridescent
Ozioma Nwabuikwu•Aug 7, 2024'Skywalkers: A Love Story' Is Better on Instagram Than Netflix
"Rooftopping" is the dangerous social media trend in which daredevils climb buildings, cranes and construction sites in order to take risky
Alex Hudson•Aug 7, 2024Toronto's New Friends Fest 2024 Was Powered by Catharsis and Community
New Friends Fest is an anomaly in the Toronto festival world: staunchly rooted in DIY practices that promote anti-oppression, unity and
Marko Djurdjić•Aug 7, 2024'Last County' Is Trying to Be Something It's Not
A serviceable home invasion thriller, Barret Mulholland's 'Last County' unfortunately makes every effort to cover its Canadian roots and
Tanner James•Aug 6, 2024'Cuckoo' Is a Birdbrained Good Time
If I had a nickel for every time a blonde actress from HBO's 'Euphoria' appeared as the lead in a horror film in 2024, I would have two
Karlie Rogers•Aug 6, 2024Lightning Couldn't Stop Amyl and the Sniffers' Punk Workout Session
Going to an Amyl and the Sniffers show feels like the strangest guided workout you've ever participated in. You're sweating, regardless of
Spencer Nafekh-Blanchette•Aug 5, 2024Bladee Made Osheaga Feel Like the Internet
When 'Cold Visions' spawned into the world earlier this year, Bladee proved that there was a method to his delirium through the creation of
Spencer Nafekh-Blanchette•Aug 4, 2024Chappell Roan's Osheaga Performance Was a Coronation
Chappell Roan has been on everyone's minds these past few months. The star's meteoric rise has shown no sign of stopping, and this energy
Spencer Nafekh-Blanchette•Aug 4, 2024Green Day Gave Fans the Time of Their Life at Osheaga
When going to see a band with a career spanning over 40 years and 14 studio albums to their name, what can one expect them to play?
Spencer Nafekh-Blanchette•Aug 4, 2024Charli XCX Continues to Reinvigorate the Remix Thanks to "Guess" with Billie Eilish
When Charli XCX got Lorde for her "Girl, so confusing" remix, it was a revolutionary way to sing about friendship. In an era when pop stars
Alex Hudson•Aug 2, 2024Devours Brought Connection and Belonging to Terminus Fest
What does it mean to belong? At Terminus Fest, Devours showed us the answer. Originally from Nanaimo, Jeff Cancade launched Devours after
Clay Geddert•Aug 1, 2024'Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa' Scales the Heights of the Human Condition
A touching and poignant story of female empowerment, 'Lucy Walker's Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa' follows the journey
Holly Hunt•Jul 31, 2024The Moving 'Sing Sing' Hits All the Right Notes
Greg Kwedar's Sing Sing delivers a beautifully tender yet aching portrait of incarcerated men who use the transformative power of art to pr
Marriska Fernandes•Jul 31, 2024Bootblacks Were a Machine at Terminus Fest
Brooklyn's Bootblacks have a reputation for near non-stop touring, and they flaunted their performing prowess at Terminus Fest
Clay Geddert•Jul 31, 2024Digital Poodle Brought the Dream of the '80s to Life at Terminus Fest
In a lineup full of young, fresh faces in the industrial scene, Toronto's Digital Poodle crashed Terminus Fest with an unexpected reunion
Clay Geddert•Jul 31, 2024Urban Heat Played into the Future at Terminus Fest
Trends come and trends go, but every once in a while you realize you're watching a band that's about to break out. That could be the case
Clay Geddert•Jul 31, 2024Leith Ross Was a (Too Quiet) Storm at Winnipeg Folk Fest
Some tent in the festival campground, staying up all night and missing the music the next day; some come exclusively to hear their
Myles Tiessen•Jul 30, 2024Sean Leon Keeps Listeners Wanting More on Addictive "WHAT IS HAPPENING?"
Sean Leon's "WHAT IS HAPPENING?" could easily have been a funk banger. All the pieces are there: a shimmying synth bass, choppy strums of
Alex Hudson•Jul 26, 2024Respire's 'Hiraeth' Is Pure Sound and Fury
Respire are a difficult band to categorize. While certain parts are somewhat easy to parse out — they're a diverse collective that fuses
Marko Djurdjić•Jul 26, 2024'Doubles' Looks at a Toronto Through a New Lens
In 'Doubles,' we're first introduced to the titular Trinidadian food by Dhani (Sanjiv Boodu), a young Trinidadian street vendor who is fed
Marie Saadeh•Jul 26, 2024