Splendide Abysse Made a Big Splash at FIMAV
On a day that saw splashy and attention-grabbing shows by international veterans like Joshua Abrams's Natural Information Society from Chic
Eric Hill•May 20, 2024
music reviews Archive
Laura Jane Grace Brought Sweat and Energy to Ottawa
After playing the 1,000-person capacity Bronson Centre in 2022, Laura Jane Grace returned to the nation's capital for an intimate performan
Daniel Sylvester•May 20, 2024'Hit Man' Oughta Be a Hit, Man
I had mixed feelings after hearing that Netflix had purchased Richard Linklater's 'Hit Man' coming out of TIFF last year: thrilled that a
Rachel Ho•May 20, 2024'Saturday Night Live' Ended Season 49 Energetically, Despite Sabrina Carpenter's Decaf Performance
A strong and memorable Saturday Night Live season ended with a funny and solid finale. Jake Gyllenhaal was a dedicated and great host, whil
Vish Khanna•May 19, 2024Pascal Germain-Berardi's 'Basileus' Opened FIMAV 2024 with a Bang
Taking over as artistic director of a major festival is a daunting task, but Scott Thomson has the extra pressure of tackling the 40th edit
Eric Hill•May 17, 2024Alana Yorke's 'Destroyer' Rises Above the Waves
Eight years in the making, Nova Scotia singer-songwriter Alana Yorke's full-length debut album 'Destroyer' is an art-pop outpouring of
Em Medland-Marchen•May 17, 2024Alex G's Score for 'I Saw the TV Glow' Is Spooky and Sentimental
If you ever wanted to hear synth wave Alex G, the score for Jane Schoenbrun's 'I Saw the TV Glow' is as close as you're going to get. After
Allie Gregory•May 17, 2024Alix Fernz Was a Wayward Star in Montreal
As we piled up the stairs into the Pow Pow Club to join the album release party of Alix Fernz, one of the newer Mothland label phenomenons
Stephan Boissonneault•May 17, 2024'IF' Only This Film Knew Whether It Was for Kids or Adults
Picking up where the 'Toy Story' and 'Monsters, Inc.' franchises left off, John Krasinski's latest directorial effort brings to life the
Rachel Ho•May 16, 2024The Anti-Queens Up the Ante on 'Disenchanted'
The Anti-Queens understand punk. Not just because they've been a Toronto underground mainstay for over a decade, or because their 2019 self
Oliver Crook•May 16, 2024'I Saw the TV Glow' and It Was a Bit Dim
In her second narrative feature, Jane Schoenbrun answers the question, "What happens when TV fandom goes too far?" However
Leina Gabra•May 16, 2024of Montreal Are Still the Horniest Freaks at the Party on 'Lady on the Cusp'
Over the span of 27 years, Kevin Barnes has released 20 albums and five EPs as of Montreal, nearly putting them in league with Guided by
Daniel Sylvester•May 16, 2024‘The Strangers: Chapter 1' Is Frighteningly Out of Touch
It's been a while since I've seen the cabin-in-the-woods subgenre presented without layers of meta self-reflection. That was until I
Josh Korngut•May 16, 2024John Mulaney's 'Everybody's in L.A.' Is as Chaotic and Confusing as the City Itself
Hosting a talk show famously takes a little while to get right. Comedians like Seth Meyers and Conan O'Brien took months or even years to
Alex Hudson•May 16, 2024Nap Eyes' "Feline Wave Race" Is a Patient Reintroduction to Halifax's Slacker Rock Philosophers
Nap Eyes' most recent album, 2020's 'Snapshot of a Beginner,' featured an absolutely gorgeous ballad about evolution
Alex Hudson•May 16, 2024Kaia Kater's 'Strange Medicine' Is a Healing Epic
Back in 2018, Kaia Kater's third album 'Grenades' sent a ripple through the folk and roots music world, earning her Polaris and Juno
Stephan Boissonneault•May 15, 2024Kelly McMichael's "Bomb" Is a Blast
St. John's songwriter Kelly McMichael continues to drop explosive tunes in advance of her new album. "Bomb" is a blast of '90s pop rock ene
Alex Hudson•May 15, 2024'Back to Black' Honours Amy Winehouse's Persona but Not Her Artistry
The surge of biopics in the past two decades has allowed audiences to pull down the curtain between themselves and an artist that they're p
Isabella Soares•May 14, 2024Ghostly Kisses Do the Same, but Better on 'Darkroom'
Heaven, Wait, Margaux Sauvé's ethereal 2022 debut as Ghostly Kisses, was a precocious if spotty album built from sparse electronic producti
Luke Pearson•May 14, 2024Ouri’s "Baby Has a Frown" Is an Artful Grin
When I first heard the term "intelligent dance music" (IDM), I laughed. As anyone should! The idea of one form of music somehow being more
Megan LaPierre•May 14, 2024Julia Holter Took Her Music to New Heights in Toronto
Julia Holter's music is known for its careful intellectualism, a body of work that sometimes requires an open tab or two. Her Monday night
Kaelen Bell•May 14, 2024Mannequin Pussy Brought ASMR Hardcore to Toronto
"I have something for your review," Exclaim!'s Online Editor Allie Gregory told me as we spilled onto the street after Mannequin Pussy's Sa
Kaelen Bell•May 13, 2024Bibi Club's Majestic 'Feu de garde' Is Intimately Grand
Bibi Club's members, Adèle Trottier-Rivard and Nicolas Basque, are a married couple who have a child together, and that familial
Alex Hudson•May 13, 2024Maya Rudolph and Vampire Weekend Had Rip-Roaring Fun on Strangely Scatological 'SNL'
Saturday Night Live alum Maya Rudolph returned to have some rip-roaring fun (there were a number of jokes about farting and pants pooping),
Vish Khanna•May 12, 2024Trans-Canada Highwaymen Were Pure Nostalgic Joy in Ottawa
All-hits touring packages are usually reserved for the casino and raceway circuit. But Trans-Canada Highwaymen, featuring Moe Berg from the
Daniel Sylvester•May 11, 2024Fuck the Facts Returned Anew in Toronto
After an eight-year absence, Ottawa grindcore powerhouses Fuck the Facts returned to Toronto. Since the band's inception in 1997, they've b
Mark Tremblay•May 11, 2024The Promising 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' Doesn't Quite Reign Supreme
The Andy Serkis-helmed Planet of the Apes reboot is arguably one of the greatest trilogies of all time. The innovative use of motion captur
Rachel Ho•May 10, 2024Remi Wolf Laughs Through the Tears on Aching "Alone in Miami"
Remi Wolf has incredible knack for making raw confessions alongside goofy jokes, each tone making the other more intense by contrast
Alex Hudson•May 10, 2024'Under the Bridge' Empathetically Examines One of Canada's Most Shocking Crimes
Reena Virk's death in Saanich, BC, came with the revelation that adolescent bullying in 1997 could go beyond name-calling and prank calls.
Rachel Ho•May 9, 2024Myriam Gendron's 'Mayday' Speaks to the Future and the Past
Every mother is a child, and within that dynamic lies a compelling tension, which Myriam Gendron explores on her brilliant
Vish Khanna•May 9, 2024'We Grown Now' Finds the Poetry but Loses the Grit
"A place is the people," flashes on a black screen at the end of 'We Grown Now,' Minhal Baig's third feature film. This message drives
Leina Gabra•May 8, 2024Mach-Hommy and Kaytranada Do It Again on "#RICHAXXHAITIAN"
Moments in which Kaytranada provides production to an MC determined to give it nothing less than their most charged-up delivery remain enti
Calum Slingerland•May 8, 2024Dehd Crack the Code on 'Poetry'
There's nothing better than witnessing a band hit their stride in real time, and Dehd are doing just that. On their fifth album 'Poetry,'
Dylan Barnabe•May 8, 2024'Dark Matter' Is a Dimension of the Multiverse That Looks Kinda Like All the Other Ones
Multiverses are so hot right now. The idea of a limitless number of parallel dimensions, spinning off from every decision everyone makes
Matthew Simpson •May 7, 2024Knocked Loose Polish Their Blade on 'You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To'
Knocked Loose are something of a love-them-or-hate-them band, or at least a name that comes up often in pedantic internet arguments, with ev
Manus Hopkins•May 7, 2024Amen Dunes' 'Death Jokes' Is a Discombobulated Thrill
Many of Damon McMahon's releases under the Amen Dunes moniker have been marked by a sense of musical and lyrical austerity. Even among the
Tom Piekarski•May 7, 2024Jon McKiel Casts a Hypnotic 'Hex'
Jon McKiel's 2020 album, 'Bobby Joe Hope,' had an incredible backstory, involving a second-hand reel-to-reel recorder full of mysterious
Alex Hudson•May 6, 2024Home Front Did What They Do Best in Toronto
Home Front are one of Canada's best bands, in any genre, full stop, period. Hailing from Edmonton, Home Front was formed in 2021 by Graeme
Marko Djurdjić•May 6, 2024Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service Looked Perfect from Far Away in Toronto
More than a year ago, when Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service announced their 20th anniversary tours celebrating their most beloved
Allie Gregory•May 6, 2024Hot Docs 2024: 'Daughter of Genghis' Has an Upsetting, Inspiring Character Arc
Daughter of Genghis is a documentary following a mother and son through seven years of their lives — but it displays such a fascinating
Alex Hudson•May 6, 2024Dua Lipa's Enthusiasm and Jerry Seinfeld's Cameo Couldn't Redeem a Nonsensical 'SNL'
Despite Dua Lipa's effervescence and enthusiasm, 'Saturday Night Live' had a schedule of sketches that were particularly surreal and random
Vish Khanna•May 5, 2024Jessica Pratt Lights Up the Dark on 'Here in the Pitch'
It's been hard to find the words for Jessica Pratt's 'Here in the Pitch.' Even now, I feel more like I'm scrambling against time than saying
Kaelen Bell•May 3, 2024'The Fall Guy' Falls Just Short of Great
With the release of 'The Fall Guy,' summer blockbuster season has officially begun. Beautiful, personable leads? Check. Quippy meta humour?
Rachel Ho•May 2, 2024Camera Obscura Find a Way Forward on 'Look to the East, Look to the West'
On 'Look to the East, Look to the West,' Camera Obscura's first new material in over a decade, the Scottish quintet recapture the melodic
Dylan Barnabe•May 2, 2024Beams' 'Requiem for a Planet' Is a Stirring Swan Song
The end of the world has come, or at least it has for Beams. The Toronto-based psych-folk band's concept album 'Requiem for a Planet' tells
Emma Schuster•May 2, 2024Sabrina Carpenter's "Espresso" Is Addictive
Last night, my partner — who loves music but rarely keeps up with new releases — said to me with total confidence, "Oh yeah, they were
Sydney Brasil•May 1, 2024Laufey Was More Than Just Vibes in Toronto
How do you make a Laufey set interesting? When the highs are unassuming bossa nova bops and the lows are ballads gentle as falling snow, ho
Rachel Evangeline Chiong•May 1, 2024Charlotte Day Wilson Creates New Hues on 'Cyan Blue'
Charlotte Day Wilson stands out among the coterie of modern torch singers in part because she has largely self-produced her music, includin
Nicholas Sokic•May 1, 2024Hot Docs 2024: Though 'Grand Theft Hamlet' Be Madness, Yet There Is Method In't
English teachers absolutely love anything that makes classic literature seem cool to young people. Someone rapping 'The Canterbury Tales'?
Alex Hudson•May 1, 2024Mdou Moctar's 'Funeral for Justice' Is a Fiery Affair
Admittedly, Mdou Moctar and I got off on the wrong foot. Having grown up with East African parents with no affinity for FM radio, many a
Matthew Teklemariam•Apr 30, 2024