Articles by Melody Lau

Austra

Opera House, Toronto ON, December 19

PUBLISHED Dec 20, 2014

For the past three years, Toronto band Austra have established themselves as a force onstage, translating their spectral synth-pop into unf...

Buzz Records Showcase with Greys, Odonis Odonis, Weaves, Dilly Dally and the Beverleys

The Garrison, Toronto ON, December 6

PUBLISHED Dec 8, 2014

Even though Toronto has had no shortage of independent record labels emerge in the past decade, there hasn't been a success story like that...

Exclaim!'s 2014 in Lists:

Top Five Albums From the World of Poptimism

PUBLISHED Dec 4, 2014

Pop music truly closed the gap between the chart-toppers and critics this year, as some of the biggest mainstream successes were also some...

Tei Shi

Drake Hotel, Toronto ON, November 17

PUBLISHED Nov 18, 2014

Over the past two years, Valerie Teicher, a.k.a. Tei Shi, has garnered quite a lot of interest from music critics and fans while amassing a...

Kiesza on "Hideaway," Dance Foundations and Her 'Sound of a Woman'

PUBLISHED Oct 29, 2014

Amongst the bevy of female artists who have been topping the charts in this year, Canadian singer-songwriter Kiesza has emerged as a viral...

Kiesza

Sound of a Woman

PUBLISHED Oct 21, 2014

Of all the singles that have triumphed in the mainstream this year, Canadian artist Kiesza's deep house viral hit "Hideaway" is a peculiar...

Allo Darlin'

We Come From The Same Place

PUBLISHED Oct 7, 2014

Ever since Anglo-Australian band Allo Darlin' started putting out music in 2010, they've been cast under the umbrella of indie-pop. Sure, t...

Cold Specks

Neuroplasticity

PUBLISHED Aug 26, 2014

I Predict A Graceful Expulsion, Cold Specks' enigmatic 2012 debut, was a spectral, spacious collection of songs. The year that followed its...