Woodwinds whiz Joseph Shabason joins former Diana bandmate Kieran Adams (aka Vibrant Matter) for a new EP of slippery ambient surfaces. Fly Me to the Moon was born out of a collaborative routine at Shabason’s Toronto studio, where Adams regularly practised drums and the two would converse over coffees afterward. The resulting work is aContinue reading “Joseph Shabason and Vibrant Matter. Fly Me to the Moon.”
Genre Archives
claire rousay. A Softer Focus.
Over the past while, prolific and multifaceted Canadian-American artist claire rousay has managed to find visibility and acclaim while maintaining a firm commitment to creative restlessness and sonic ambiguity. Recent outings have tended to showcase an evocative blurred-Polaroid approach that weaves verité audio and brittle, ASMR-like, found-object manipulation, but her varied discography also encompasses sturdyContinue reading “claire rousay. A Softer Focus.”
Insides. Soft Bonds.
Simon Reynolds’s well-known essay on post-rock was published in the U.K. magazine The Wire in May 1994. Though today the genre tag tends to connote a particular sound, in the context of Reynolds’s piece, post-rock was more of a tenuous label for a diverse bunch of curious bands abandoning rock convention. Brighton, U.K.’s Insides, whoContinue reading “Insides. Soft Bonds.”
Silent Season: Intrinsically Connected to Nature
While living in Union Bay in 2007, Jamie McCue spent his downtime hiking, camping, and fishing in Vancouver Island’s abundant forests and rivers. Deeply moved by the symphonic rhythms of wildlife, blowing winds, and flowing water, he imagined meditative soundtracks that complemented his lush surroundings. That year he launched the electronic-music label Silent Season, whichContinue reading “Silent Season: Intrinsically Connected to Nature”
Colin Fisher. Reflections of the Invisible World.
Colin Fisher is busy. For nearly two decades his musical output and collaboration have touched many corners of the Canadian experimental scene—he is known as one half of psych duo Not The Wind, Not The Flag, as a frequent collaborator with artists such as Caribou, and as a solo artist in his own right. OnContinue reading “Colin Fisher. Reflections of the Invisible World.”
Matthew Cardinal’s Asterisms
Asterisms, Matthew Cardinal’s debut solo album, creates audial desire paths, not necessarily conjuring anything concrete in my mind’s eye but moving like a current—or a river—that I’m compelled to be swept up in. Asterisms is a pleasure to listen to, and I’ve found it to be a welcome companion in ever-shifting contexts. Cardinal is basedContinue reading “Matthew Cardinal’s Asterisms”
Olivier Alary and Johannes Malfatti. u,i.
If you were asked to choose a record to capture the spirit of 2020, you might make a compelling case for u,i, a new album by composers Olivier Alary (Montreal) and Johannes Malfatti (Berlin). The collaboration is an emotive and yearning exploration of distance, recorded using VOIP (voice over internet protocol) technology. When Alary andContinue reading “Olivier Alary and Johannes Malfatti. u,i.”