Better late than never, (effing email issues) here a batch of wicked photos from the grand opening of Magna Musee, a gallery located on Ross Ave, deeper into the grey areas of the Exchange. The night included many surprises and performances, some of which were captured  by the wonderful Denise McMullin, shown after the jump.

Continue Reading »

We’re not much of the hip-hop heads here at Stylus, but when two independent media personalities are publicly bashing heads and an army is being rallied via Facebook, it’s hard not to notice.

A boycott of STREETZ 104.7 FM is loosely being organized by local hip-hop group Filthy Animals, calling on fans to call or text in to STREETZ to send requests for their music to be acknowledged, and for fans to bombard STREETZ’s Facebook page with their love for the group. Member Jeff Bromley, who has had some notoriety in Winnipeg as host of music news and interview program “Signal to Noise”  on Shaw TV, wrote an “essay” detailing why this is all going down. Continue Reading »

The only thing lacking from Sufjan Stevens’ latest endeavor Age of Adz is a warning on the front cover, cautioning the soft-spoken singer-songwriter’s fans that his new album is anything but soft or singer-songwriter-esque. Imagine the string-strumming Sufjan we all know and love, but dragged through a synthesizer and re-arranged into an Edward Scissorhands version of his former self. Voila, this is Age of Adz. Stevens’ inspiration for his new album seems to range from the artwork of the former manically futuristic artist Royal Robertson, a self-described abandonment of a “re-meditated, scholastic, intellectual approach to songwriting” (www.eyeweekly.com) and an existential crisis (Mmm, right). Pretentious? Not really. Consider the scope of this guy’s discography: an experimental collection dedicated to the Chinese zodiac, a biblically-inspired narrative album as well as a five-disc set of all the Christmas classics. I suggest listening to Age of Adz in short intervals of 3-4 songs at a time if you’re an old Sufjan fan, and if you’re just looking for a couple songs to throw on a playlist, I’d suggest checking out “Futile Devices,” “Age of Adz,” “Vesuvius,” and “I Walked.” (Asthmatic Kitty Records,  www.asthmatickitty.com) Victoria King

THE ABSENT SOUND W/ POP CRIMES
@ Ragpickers’ Viva Libra Theatre
By Victoria King
Walking into Ragpickers sort of feels like walking into a real life version of Rocky Horror Picture Show. While the main floor holds a large assortment of vintage apparel, the rest of the building itself is an amusement park of eclectic art pieces, creaky staircases and an extensive used book collection. The place oozes of interest and unique authenticity. Moreover, seeing a show in the third floor Viva Libra Theatre is like sitting front row beside the speakers at a concert, no matter where you end up in the room. The space is so small, you are bound to leave with some kind of hearing impairment. Oh well. That’s what hearing aids are for.
After Saturday night, I am more than willing to go pick some aural assistance up after Absent Sound blew Ragpickers away for the release of their new EP Turn Them Off. The local experimental/psyche band definitely puts on more than your average show. If you haven’t checked them out before, I’m giving you fair warning that it’s more than just a concert, it’s an experience (fog machines, crazy lights, potentially moving image backgrounds). The show was one of the trippiest (and I use this word sparingly) experiences of my life. Holy mystic river, in three words: it was dope.
The night started off a little bit later than anticipated with Pop Crimes, a four-part experimental rock group and another local find, opening up for Absent Sound. Playing for an audience of no more than 40 people, they killed it. Relying mostly on heavy guitar riffs and some intense drumming, the band seemed to be totally channeling a Mission of Burma kind of vibe. Imagine all your favorite guitar openings, interludes and harmonies: that’s pretty much Pop Crimes.
With a room so small and intimate, it’s no wonder the band seemed to affect the audience so wholly. Absent Sound started up near midnight and the show opened with a steady progression into the opening song. Every note had its place. The fog machine started up, the lights were cued and with that it was more than a concert. The whole show was a full sensory experience. As mentioned before, the Viva Libra theatre is a tiny space. Seriously, it seems like no more than 60 people max at a time before the whole building would just crumble. With that being said, that music literally pulsed throughout the entire space. The whole show was a tight, focused, collective effort. It’s easy to get lost listening to Absent Sound. Also specializing in sound art, their music has a polished rawness to it. The whole show was nuts, right from beginning to end. Once the final song was finished, the lights fell and the audience, unsure whether to expect more, lay silent. Only until lead vocalist and guitarist David Fort clarified with, “That’s it.” Of course, clapping ensued as well as an encore. Not only did the show have the best closing I’d seen, the encore was incredible. Dedicating the song to a recent case of police brutality just outside the city, the tribute was wild. This was one of the coolest shows I’ve seen in a while.
While the EP doesn’t have the fog machine or the light show, Turn Them Off is a great stocking-stuff for any music fan on your Christmas list this year. It’s an epically haunting four-song trance/experimental/rock collection, available for purchase and download on the band’s website, www.theabsentsound.com. You can also check them out at Gio’s on December 21 at Element Sircus, also curated by Absent Sound themselves.

From the local “one to watch” category comes an introductory, five track e.p. from singer/songwriter Jenny Berkel. The southwestern Ontario-bred Berkel sings with a deep and rather resonant voice evoking an old soul-like veracity and with the sparse, all-acoustic accompaniment creates something a pleasant, albeit gloomy sound. The depths of Berkel’s lyrics are what really sell this piece. Her geographic displacement has taken its toll on her psyche and she tries to sing away her sadness with lyrics like “You come from far away / You come to give and take / Pull the city, she cannot stay”. Joining Ms. Berkel for the quiet ride are a few friends that add poignant musical filigree such as banjo, harmonica and slide guitar – just enough so you would almost notice, somehow necessary to the overall drift of this set. By the sound of it, Berkel may be just passing through and Winnipeg folk music fans should take note of this burgeoning talent before she again follows her muse to points beyond the Perimeter. (Independent, www.myspace.com/jennyberkel) Jeff Monk

Photo by Sara Maximus

By D.C.S. Murray

When I first heard the story of Krazy Madness I honestly thought it was a joke. The idea of a heavy-metal loving dad with knee-length dreadlocks starting a band with his family that exclusively played metal and reggae music seemed too over-the-top to be anything but a practical joke. Skepticism prevailed until I actually met the band. However, the reality of such a phenomenon wasn’t the most surprising part about this group – the first time I ever saw Krazy Madness rehearse I was absolutely blown away by the sheer skill and charisma possessed by every member. Continue Reading »

Somethin’ about this song is particularly funky (it’s definitely the staccato guitar), but the video from this Brooklyn band is even funkier. This is some straight-up Sesame Street psychedelia meets Flashdance, slathered in so many soft filters that must be a self-conscious nod to Napoleon Dynamite glamour shots. Maybe not. Whatevs, this cool track from Twin Sister’s Colour Your Life EP was directed by Mike Luciano and animated by Andrea Estella, the lead singer of Twin Sister herself!
And man, check out their handjive! Also, check out Kyra Leib’s interview with the band which will be online soon, and is in the Dec/Jan issue of Stylus on stands now.

Much is being made about the fact that Eskmo is the first release from venerable UK label Ninja Tune since marking their twentieth anniversary with a retrospective box set. But it may be placing too much on the shoulders of San Franciscan Brendan Angelides to say that his debut record sets the tone for the next chapter in the Ninja Tune book of electronic music. Eskmo certainly follows the lineage of trip/hip-hop and electronica that has come before him on Ninja Tune, but he has more in common with fellow Californians Baths and Flying Lotus than with Amon Tobin and Coldcut (however much of a debt he may owe the latter two). Eskmo is a glitched-out affair that blends hip-hop’s strutting beats with the left-field production elements that make it an album that rewards a good pair of headphones. The loping two-four beat of “Become Matter Soon, For You” is augmented by a menacing bass synth line that comes from behind the listener as skittery percussion hangs precariously at the outer edges of the left and then right channels – it’s the type of song that draws you in and strings you along in an entrancing way, and something that is repeated throughout the album. While opener “Cloudlight” is the first single (and a strong one at that), the album highlight is “Moving Glowstream” with its bottle and can percussion, insistent bass-line and the trance-y, sterile vocals that weave in and out.
Is it the sound of the future? Maybe. The sound of now? Most definitely. (Ninja Tune, www.ninjatune.net) Michael Elves

There is something beautiful about the ambient sound of Denmark act Under Byen’s fourth full length studio release Alt Er Tabt. Their music does not merely reverberate, but instead seeps through the speakers like an eerie fog of sound. Front-woman Henriette Sennenvaldt’s haunting vocals calmly echo against the often relentless beat of bass, drums, panicky pianos and shrill violins to create a contrasting yet somehow balanced marriage of song that is both unsettling and mesmerizing. Like their name and album title, every lyric is in Danish adding to the English listeners experience by accentuating the emotion and unique shadowy aura of their music. That being said, this album is not for everyone or every occasion. It is by no means an easy listen and could certainly make or break a mood depending on the situation. For instance, putting on Alt Er Tabt would not be the best choice to get people dancing at a party or for doing anything that would require a high level of energy. A long, quiet car or bus ride, however, would suit Under Byen’s music nicely, especially on a rainy evening. For just a taste of the album try enchanting track “Kapitel 1.” (Paper Bag Records, www.paperbagrecords.com) Cindy Doyle

Fans of Toronto based singer-songwriter Jason Collett are likely familiar with his earlier 2010 release, Rat a Tat Tat – so, a new record a mere few months later? Sort of. Collett has decided to share yet another facet of his well-known folk sound with the release of Pony Tricks, an acoustic collection of songs from Collett’s back catalogue – in total, nine cuts were rebuilt. And for those fans longing for new material, two previously unreleased songs also make an appearance: “My Daddy Was a Rock ‘n Roller” and “Pulling The Sun Down”. For Collett, the motivation behind this record stems back to his live performances; he wanted fans to have an accurate representation of his solo shows. Pony Tricks also aims to satisfy the demand of those fans wanting to hear a more ‘stripped down’ version of his songs. The 38-minute compilation, recorded at Zeus’ Ill Eagle Studios in Toronto, was originally intended to be an EP and features such songs as “Motor Motel Love Song”, “Bitter Beauty” and “Hangover Days”. Collett has been riding the solo train for several years now, having previously toured alongside versatile indie darlings Broken Social Scene. He’s released a number of solo records, after deciding to take a break from touring with BSS to focus on family and his solo career. BSS’s Kevin Drew has even called him “the Tom Petty of Broken Social Scene,” and for good reason: Collett has managed to hone his ’70s pop/rock and country ballad twang. With Pony Tricks, you’re invited to a Jason Collett concert and don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own home. Surely, fans won’t be disappointed. (Arts & Crafts, www.arts-crafts.ca) Sabrina Carnevale