When Maximo Park released their debut in 2005, many critics were hoping the new wave revival was coming to an end. A Certain Trigger was catchy, but also included almost every post-punk trope that could be imagined. It's jolting rhythmic changes took time to get used to, but slowly the band managed to ditch the comparisons to Razorlight and The Futureheads. Fast-forward to this year's Our Earthly Pleasures, where the band has slightly toned... [continue]

When deciding who to see at this year's Over The Top Festival, we luckily opted to check out Halifax's Rich Aucoin. Between his musical pedigree (he's the brother of the Hylozoist's Paul Aucoin) and the fact that his EP was synched up to How The Grinch Stole Christmas, we knew he would at least be interesting. His set turned out to be far better than just interesting, so it seemed natural to give his Personal... [continue]

What does it take to run one of the world's premiere film festivals? Lots of volunteers, of course! This week, the Toronto International Film Festival starts recruiting volunteers for the 2007 festival, a process that will continue throughout the summer. They're not only looking for people to help out with the theatres during the festival, but a variety of tasks in the weeks leading up to the fest. Whether you are a new or returning... [continue]

The problem with doing a weekly CD review is that an excellent album will sometimes cross your path, only to realize that you can't get to it for weeks. Then they explode (sort of), play a show that gets covered by everyone and their Grandma (a.k.a. The Star), and you end up twiddling your thumbs, not sure if one more review is really going to say anything different from all the other ones. It might... [continue]

As any hockey fan in Toronto already knows, the NHL draft took place this weekend and featured John Ferguson Jr. trading for a veteran goalie for the second straight year. The newly acquired Vesa Toskala, traded from San Jose, should provide a more stable presence in the net than Andrew Raycroft, and is projected to become the starting netminder. While a quality goalie was obviously a necessity for the Leafs, the fact that they gave... [continue]

When The Ghost Is Dancing played our Back To School Party last September, they described their sound as "GODZILLA POP." Fast-forward to the release of their debut cd, The Darkest Spark (Sonic Unyon), and it's cleary evident why that description is appropriate. They've expanded their lineup since their EP came out, leaving the number of band members at a staggering nine. Not only have they grown in size, but their sound is appropriately more rich... [continue]

Summer: the official season of barbecues, cottages and having a nice cold beer. To honour the finest microbrews in the GTA and Ontario, The Bar Towel is once again asking for the public to vote for the 2007 Golden Tap Awards and have a voice in who should go home with one of the eight coveted awards. The main competition in the GTA categories is the Mill Street Brewery, especially now that they have their... [continue]

For the time, it seems, side-projects are here to stay. If you take a look at any of the large indie bands from Canada (Broken Social Scene, Stars, New Pornographers, The Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade, off the top of our head), they've got at least one offshoot, whether active or not. The surprising thing is that, for the most part, these side-projects have done a decent job of living up to the hype brought... [continue]

It's almost time to say goodbye to North By Northeast for yet another year. Two longs nights have past, leaving tonight as the last chance to get out an enjoy some of the best new music from around the world. Seeing as it is Saturday, expect a lot of the shows to be really busy so going earlier is always better than later. All the cool kids are doing it! But before we get back... [continue]

It's Thursday, which means it's the first day of North By Northeast and the end of our previews. In the final installment of our NXNE recommendations, we'll guide you through the best that Saturday has to offer. And, if we may say so, Saturday has a lot of good stuff to offer. Before heading out, you may want to fuel up at the 2nd Annual Back Lot BBQ put on by Six Shooter Records. It... [continue]

It's NXNE Eve! One last chance to get a decent sleep before you find yourself staggering home at 4 a.m. for three nights in a row. Before we get to our picks, there are a couple of special Friday happenings that we feel the need to tell you about. First off is the East MEATS West BBQ happening at Global Village Backpackers (460 King St. W.) from 1–7 p.m. Presented by Kelp Records, Saved By... [continue]

Similar to how the Oscars end the awards season with a bang, the coming of North By Northeast signals the end of festival/conference season for another year. Running from June 7th to the 10th, with over 450 bands playing NXNE shows between Thursday and Saturday, not to mention the NXNE film festival, we're already starting to sleep in a little longer so we can bring you as much of the festival as we can. To... [continue]

For a Monday night show at the Horseshoe, there was quite a bit of enthusiasm for the excellent bill of The Rosebuds and Land of Talk. Even though the attendance was a little lacklustre, both bands gave inspired performances that provided for a strong double-bill of energetic rock that got the week off to a good start. As much as their fans are pining for a follow-up to the Applause Cheer Boo Hiss EP, it’s... [continue]

"Do you trust your friends? Would you let them redecorate your apartment, or do your homework for you? Would you let them buy your groceries? Would you leave them in charge of your kids? And if you did, what would they change?" So reads the beginning of the liner notes from Do You Trust Your Friends?, the album of remixes and reimaginings of songs from Stars' Set Yourself On Fire, now out on Arts &... [continue]

Now that the weather is heating up, it's the time of the year when our music tastes start turning towards those short, infectious pop songs that encapsulate the spirit of the season. On his latest release, If We're Not Talking, Vivek Shraya has created a sexy ode to electropop that's loaded with catchy choruses that will make your hips shake. Running at just over twenty-five minutes, the nine-song album has no extra frills or padding.... [continue]

Sometimes it's hard to know how to review a concert. What should take precedence: the performance or the music? Where do the two merge? Is it better to see a band performing excellent songs in a boring manner or a band that has loads of charisma but little musical substance? These were the questions floating around the Horseshoe after Saturday night's show by Sweden's Mando Diao, pictured above, and England's Pop Levi, both of... [continue]

For Toronto's Kids On TV, it's been a long road to get their debut album completed, one that has lasted the better part of three years. For those waiting to hear Mixing Business With Pleasure, released last week by the Blocks Recording Club, there has been the lingering question of how the music would translate from the live show onto tape. For a band that is so infamous for its high-energy, explicit performances, how would... [continue]

While our experience Over The Top experience from Thursday was full of guitar driven pop-rock, Friday night was all about pianos, keyboards and synthesizers. We're still all smiles from it, it was that freakin' good. Here's why. It's hard to find a more energetic, loveable duo than Matt & Kim, who started the night at the Mod Club. With Matt on keys/synth and Kim on drums, the Brooklyn pair smiled and headbanged their way... [continue]

Even though the Toronto Indie Pop Festival became the Over The Top Festival a long time ago, Thursday night's show at the Whippersnapper Gallery would have fit in easily with the former name. With three bands on the bill, it was a short blast of sweet songs that got the fest off to a good start. The first act on the bill was local four-piece Great Bloomers who quickly impressed the small crowd with a... [continue]

Most people are probably jealous of Feist. As a globe-trotting artist she's had the chance to play shows around the world, both as a solo-artist and with Broken Social Scene, not to mention the time she has spent living and recording in France. But as her third album highlights, now out on Arts & Crafts, all of this travel has come at a high price. The Reminder shows the lonely life of the internationally popular... [continue]