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By: Sheena LyonnaisThe Artist Life’s sophomore EP Let’s Start A Riot has dropped the eerie hospital imagery and upped the homage to their central Ontario punk rock roots. Comprised of ex-members of Jersey, At the Mercy of Inspiration, the Fullblast and Always Outnumbered, it’s no surprised this is one solid pop punk explosion.
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By: Sheena LyonnaisPrior to recording the Garage Sessions, Jane’s Party set off in a van to embark on an East Coast busking tour. Despite hailing from Toronto, Jane’s Party has a very Oceanside folk-pop sound that is wonderfully chill with just enough pizzazz. A busking tour was probably the most appropriate thing this band could have done. With their country flair and use of harmonicas, songs like "Her Pain," "Into the Wild" and "Please!" are summer standouts that immediately make me yearn for July.
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By: TJ LiebgottIts always disappointing when an artist goes solo just to release an album that’s a carbon copy of the band they are trying to "grow" from. With Sarah Blackwood’s debut release Way Back Home this is hardly the case. Way Back Home is exactly as it sounds, a CD of Blackwood visiting her early roots of country and working class folk heroes like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.
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By: Sheena LyonnaisIn Between The Lines Saint Alvia drops the Cartel but ups the ante. TMS caught up with vocalist Benjamin Rispin this past summer and he promised a smörgåsbord of dance hall inspired tracks, Russian waltz, Motown and some good ol’ fashion punk rock. Rispin certainly isn’t a liar, because this follow up to their 2007 self-titled debut incorporates a vast array of influences yet managers to unify them with that rough Saint Alvia flair.
By: Sheena LyonnaisWendy Leung’s third release Stop/Start is a sweet, melodic record packed with a lot of heart. She is an ambitious classically trained pianist/singer/songwriter whose music borders a little on the coffee shop side yet boasts admirable originality worthy of music festival Lilith Fair. The album is refreshingly packaged, complete with images and partial lyrics inside a lovely artistic little insert. It’s a pleasant additional element to an already pretty parcel.