April / May 2020

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April / May 2020 Stylus Magazine

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2 Stylus Magazine April / May 2020

APR/MAY 31 NO. 2 2020VOL

Production Team Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gil Carroll

editor@stylusmagazine.ca

On the Cover KATE O’DONNELL is a 20 year old visual artist from St. Paul, Minnesota. She is currently studying at the University of Manitoba. She specializes in acrylic painting, for now. As seen through the cover piece “In Hiding,” her work is mostly inspired by femininity and mythology.

Assistant Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . Jen Doerksen

assistanteditor@stylusmagazine.ca Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelly Campbell

design@stylusmagazine.ca Cover Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kate O’Donnell Advertising Contact . . . . . . . . . Rob Schmidt

manager@ckuw.ca Print by JRS Print Services . . . 204-232-3558

Contributors Ryan Haughey Levi Manchak Nigel Webber Dwayne Larson Olivia Michalczuk Chan-Yang Kim Mark Teague Ryan Sorensen Olivier LaRoche Jacob Letkeman Isabella Soares Daniel Kussy Chris Bryson Matt Harrison Lily O’Donnell Jessee Havey Suzy Keller Brett Enquist Ally Sigurdson David Akello Calm Elliot-Armstrong Carly Boomer Stylus is published bi–monthly by CKUW 95.9 FM, with a circulation of 2,500. Stylus serves as the program guide to 95.9FM CKUW and will reflect the many musical communities it supports within Winnipeg and beyond. Stylus strives to provide coverage of music that is not normally written about in the mainstream media. Stylus acts as a vehicle for the work of new writers, photographers and artists, including members of the University of Winnipeg, of CKUW and of the Winnipeg community at large. Stylus reserves the right to refuse to print material, specifically, that of a racist, homophobic or sexist nature. All submissions may be edited and become the property of Stylus. All opinions expressed in Stylus are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors.

Contributions in the form of articles, reviews, letters, photos and graphics are welcome and should be sent with contact information to:

Stylus Magazine Bulman Student Centre, University of Winnipeg 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9 Phone: 204-786-9785, Fax: 204-783-7080 Writing submissions: editor@stylusmagazine.ca Graphics submissions: design@stylusmagazine.ca www.stylusmagazine.ca Contributions will be accepted in the body of an email. No attachments please. All submissions may be edited and become the property of Stylus. Unauthorized reproduction of any portion of Stylus is strongly discouraged without the express written consent of the editors.

Table of Contents Blah, Blah, Blah Events Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CKUW Program Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Winnipeg State of Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CKUWho: Bikini Drive-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Album Reviews: Boniface, Joko Tea, NNAMDÏ, and more . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CKUW Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

03 11 12 13 15 16

Features Not Your Average Summer Camp: Girls Rock Winnipeg . . . . .

Nic Dyson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jaunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Marlaena Moore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mobina Galore Documentary: Behind The Scenes Punk . . . .

Holy Fuck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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April / May 2020 Stylus Magazine

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WILCO BY OLIVIA MICHALCZUK

02 Stylus Magazine April / May 2020

NAH, NAH, NAH Stay inside and enjoy these awesome online events***Every Saturday QPOC Winnipeg is bringing you The Quarankiki - an online queer party for the local community (and beyond!) Entry is free but if you have

the means, please consider tipping your performers***Slow Leaves is live streaming on Facebook on April 6***Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie is performing live from his bedroom every Thursday at 8:00

pm check it out on Facebook***BNB Studios have hundreds of videos of local artists performing on their Facebook page***On April 11 Matthew Gervais is hosting Distant Drones, a long form, semi-collaborative live

streamed ambience on Facebook***Join the amazing Frankie Cosmos live on Instagram on April 10,17, and 24 at 8:00 pm***Check manitobamusic. com/livemusic for more streaming events from local artists***

Unison Benevolent Fund for financial assistance to musicians: How to Apply SOURCE: UNISONFUND.CA/SERVICES/FINANCIAL-ASSISTANCE The application process starts when you contact the Unison office by phone (1-855-986-4766, ext.

3) or by email at assistance@unisonfund.ca. The staff will review with you your situation and will go over the requirements with you. The application process will ask for details about your professional background and your reason for approaching Unison. We also ask for two references. We may contact your references to confirm the details of your work history. They will not be given any information about your application.

You will be asked to provide information about your financial situation. Many people find it difficult to talk about finances like this so we provide guidelines explaining exactly what is needed.

Assessment is based on your household income, so we will also ask for details of your partner’s

financial situation, or anyone else who is a part of your household.

A committee of your peers will promptly review your application, which will be known to them only by a file name. No personal information will be divulged.

We will maintain all information that you provide to us in strict confidence in accordance with our privacy policy. View Unison Benevolent Fund’s Privacy Policy here: unisonfund.ca/privacy-policy.

If you are approved, you will be provided with emergency financial assistance and/or financial, career or personal counselling. Assistance will be tailored to each applicant’s personal circumstances.

The assistance of the Unison Benevolent Fund is short-term, helping you to address a crisis situation.

We will move quickly to determine what help we

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can provide and what actions may be necessary for you to re-establish independence from Unison.

You may be asked to take career, credit or personal counselling as a condition of receiving financial assistance.

For more information, please look over the Financial Assistance process on the Unison website: unisonfund.ca.

TO APPLY PLEASE CONTACT OUR OFFICE assistance@unisonfund.ca or call 1-855986-4768, ext. 3

April / May 2020 Stylus Magazine

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PHOTO: JESSEE HAVEY

PHOTO: JESSEE HAVEY

PHOTO: JESSEE HAVEY

PHOTO: JESSEE HAVEY

NOT YOUR AVERAGE SUMMER CAMP

PHOTO: JESSEE HAVEY LOGO: LEANNE FREJUK

PHOTO: JESSEE HAVEY

04 Stylus Magazine April / May 2020

PHOTO: JESSEE HAVEY

PHOTO: SUZY KELLER

PHOTO: SUZY KELLER

LILY O’DONNELL Every late August, something wonderful reverberates from the West End Cultural Centre.

One can hear the sound of pre-teens singing about pugs, best friends, acceptance and standing up for themselves over rough guitar chords, bass grooves and simple but powerful drum beats. The sound fills the body with a transcendental chill. It brings one back to the odd, dark and lost parts of our younger selves. The rock bands of past versions of ourselves learn to perfect their craft, learn to collaborate. In a way, we hear the forgotten pains, memories and joys of ourselves, a pre-teen past most live to swallow and forget. Instead, it’s proudly displayed in it’s most beautiful and empowered self. Being ages 1014 is not an easy time in most of our lives. We see someone else going through that pre-puberty fight to figure themselves out and figure out the world.

We feel their resilience and want to celebrate, dance and scream with them. The campers of Girls Rock Winnipeg learn to play in a band, and we learn something about ourselves.

Brandi Olenik, the camp founder, president and director, walked us through how exactly Girls Rock Winnipeg works. The camp is for girls, trans, twospirit, and gender variant youth, ages 10-14. The camp’s main focus is on empowerment through workshops, collaboration, skill building and performance.

The camp is a week long. It’s a small time frame to fit in learning to play an instrument, creating a band and writing a song for the camper’s last performance.

Olenick describes it as “just magic” that campers are able to learn to do so much in such little time. Every camper learns a new instrument. Students quickly learn the basics of their instruments, whether it be five major guitar chords, or simple drum beats. Just enough to play in a band. From there they form

bands, create a band name and design band shirts. Then, comes collaboration and song-writing for the end performance on the last day of camp.

Along with the musical component, the camp fits in loads of workshops that work to further empower the campers. One particularly moving workshop is “Human Hour”, where three influential community members are asked important questions about growing up by a host. Afterwards, the campers can submit anonymous questions they have for the panel. The questions have focused on topics like finding yourself, building confidence, bullying, etc. Olenick told us that by the end of the workshop, almost every adult volunteer is crying.

There is also a Music History lesson workshop where campers learn a quick one hour, 100 year history of the importance of women, transgender and queer people in rock and roll history. They learn the real origins of rock and roll, the important and forgotten voices within hegemonic narratives of the history of rock and roll. Through this, they learn the importance, the need and the legacy of women, trans, and gender variant people in creating rock and roll.

They learn about the forgotten, bluesy, harmonic howl of Big Mama Thorton, the significance of the Riot Girl Movement, the legacy of afropunk, the power of Buffy St. Marie, among other landmark, legendary rock stars and music scenes.

While the camp has only been running for two years, there are so many potential scene strengthening and community building

PHOTO: JESSEE HAVEY opportunities. Many of the bands created in camp play year-round at local events like Spence Street Festival, Winnipeg Pride and the Ellice Street Festival. Volunteers have made strong relationships with campers and with other volunteers. This creates more friendships that ultimately help build and promote a women-, trans- and queer-based music community.

Along with this, loads of local, amazing bands and artists work closely with the camp. Some come into play for the campers and answer questions about creating music. This eliminates the barrier between artists and campers, teaching them they can be just like the artists they admire. Olenick hopes to one day have a Girls Rock Winnipeg Fest where local bands would play with the Girls Rock bands, to fundraise for more programming. This would truly make Girls Rock an important site of relationship building and connecting the local music scene.

PHOTO: SUZY KELLER

PHOTO: JESSEE HAVEY

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April / May 2020 Stylus Magazine

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OLIVIER LAROCHE

Nic Dyson

Stylus had the chance to sit down with Nic Dyson, singer-songwriter from rural Manitoba, to ask him some questions about his experience writing music and with the local scene.

Stylus: How would you generally describe the style or genre of your music?

Nic Dyson: My friends call it acoustic sad. It’s very finger-style based and lyrically very cathartic, therapeutic, confessional lyrics stemming from my experience pretty much exclusively. I’m not one of those artists that writes fictional stories, I’m very personal when I write.

S: How would you describe your songwriting process? Do you start with lyrics, music, or do you have a different formula?

ND: I think for myself, it really depends. I don’t do one way exclusively. It’s more whatever comes first, but a majority of the time I think the music comes first, just because the music kind of informs where the lyrics are gonna go. If I write something on the guitar that’s upbeat, I’m not typically gonna write something that’s soul-crushingly sad, you know?

Sometimes I’ll have a line or a lyric that’s floating in my head for however long, and so I’ll try that over top of a bunch of different progressions, then eventually one will stick. You can do that too, but on the whole I think most of the time music first, lyrics second.

S: Between music and lyrics, which one do you think better conveys emotion?

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PHOTO: ALLY SIGURDSON

ND: Oooh, that is a good question. For me personally, it would be lyrics, just because that’s always what I’ve gravitated towards. When I was a kid, when I bought a new album I would always sit down, take the lyric book out, and read along to the lyrics while I listened to it for the first time.

It’s one of my favourite pastimes. I still do it. There are always exceptions, because there are songs I will listen to purely for the instrumental or a melody.

S: Is there a particular artist or album that you think shaped your sound?

ND: The first thing that comes to mind is City and Colour. He was kind of my catalyst, because before him, I just played guitar. I didn’t write or sing. When I switched from electric to acoustic and more finger-style, it was because of City and Colour, because I was learning all his songs. He is definitely the number one answer. Other than that, I’d say Neil Young, which is one of the things that I grew up on. I love heavy music, I love hardcore music, and I don’t know how it happens but I definitely get influenced by that music and it shows itself in weird ways in my acoustic music.

S: Is there anything in particular you like most about the scene here in Manitoba?

ND: I think we are so fortunate for the scene that we have, not just in terms of talent, but in terms of the support system behind the scene. Manitoba Music does so much for us, and we have all the little venues around the city that support local music. I think the community is so amazing, you go to any show and you’ll run into someone that you’ve seen

before a million times. You’ll always see somebody. I constantly go to shows alone, because I’m confident I’ll run into someone I know and hang out with them for the show. The whole atmosphere is so safe, so welcoming to me. As someone who has a disability and has always felt on the outside of every group they’ve ever been in, I was really welcomed in for the sheer fact that I wanted to play music and show people. I don’t think that is something we should take for granted.

S: Which of your projects did you enjoy working on and writing the most?

ND: So, my first three main releases I did with my dad in my basement. It’s a father and son project, right, so that’s incredibly special to me. In terms of sheer enjoyment, probably my first release, just because I felt like I had something to prove but no one knew what to expect. That’s really freeing creatively because I can release anything I want and whatever I come out with first is the bar that I set.

That was very exciting for me because all I really wanted at that time was for people to hear what I had, and all they wanted to do was hear what I had to say. Hearing yourself recorded for the first time is something you never forget. After I had that out, I started to have expectations for people listening but also expectations for myself. I had expectations to rise above what I did before, and that’s gotten in my way a few times. Having the local scene and having my friends embrace it all in such a positive way was so freeing to me on so many levels.

Jaunt

Toronto’s “Weird Pop” Five-Piece

MARK TEAGUE

Jaunt, indie pop hailing from Toronto, met at a Halloween party years ago and, after years of non-committal track sharing, the band has come together to make their mark on the Canadian music scene. Despite their haphazard beginnings, the band’s mindset when it comes to making music is quite meticulous.

“Many of the songs on the record began as an initial sketch or idea by our singer Tom. We often work through the songs over time, fleshing out the arrangements, and constantly tinkering with the production. Sometimes the songs reveal themselves quickly, but we often continue to revise and work on songs in chunks as opposed to focusing on one song at a time.”

This process has once again culminated in the Jaunt’s newest album All in One, set for release on April 16th.

“For the most part, the album was self-recorded at our various homes. With that said, Alex Sowinski helped us record some additional instrumentation at Studio 69. We also recorded a bit with our friend Louie Short at Dining Room Sound, both studios being in Toronto. The album was recorded and

pieced together over several years, so the process was quite fragmented!”

One of the album’s songs, “Delighted to be Spoken To”, is the latest in the band’s series of video releases.

“The video was directed and shot by Sylvain Chaussée and Pia Perez, in our bandmate Daniel’s apartment. We shot a series of loose vignettes for several songs from the album, and “Delighted” features Caitlin reflecting and contemplating while hanging out in a skylight in the apartment.

We wanted the viewer to have the option to pay attention to the visual if they wish, but the vignettes are mainly intended to serve as some pretty, visual accompaniment to the music. The goal was for a simple and repetitive visual that was captivating, but not distracting. We filmed all the

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PHOTO: CALM ELLIOTT-ARMSTRONG vignettes in one day, so the process was quick and relatively painless thankfully!

Although the band has seen success and support from a thriving Toronto music scene, rising metropolitan real-estate is putting pressure on live music.

“Things in Toronto are pretty good! There is no shortage of amazing music coming out of the city, and I’m constantly impressed with all the new artists and talent emerging all the time. The downside is, with the rising cost of rent in Toronto, it’s becoming tougher and tougher for venues to stay afloat. There’s been far too many venue closures in the last few years, which is obviously concerning. The scene has found a way to band together though, and I still don’t think I can see us moving away any time soon.”

You can find Jaunt’s albums, videos, and merch @ www. thebandjaunt.com

April / May 2020 Stylus Magazine

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a n e a l r a M e r o Mo ISABELLA SOARES Music has been a tool used time and time again to cope with the stumbles in life and turn the most undermining situations into a work of art. To Edmonton born musician, Marlaena Moore, the desire to shelter herself in music comes instinctively and naturally as she expresses the inner workings of love, her urge for mental stability, and her personal growth. Stylus had the chance to speak with her about her latest album Pay Attention, Be Amazed, as well as her life on the road and future projects.

Moore began her career at 14 with her punk band Sweathearts, and soon after, she started writing her solo album Beginner. Although her lyrics have evolved from the teenage drama themes to the more complex ones as an adult, her music continues to bridge indie pop sensibilities with grunge guitars.

“Throughout the years I have been gravitating more towards the 90s rock scene, like The Breeders, and trying to incorporate solid pop structures with interesting bits of production.”

Her latest album, Pay Attention, Be Amazed has come years after her second studio album Gaze released in 2016. This gap of nearly four years has enabled Moore to chill out from touring, and figure out the sounds and themes she wanted to emphasize.

She was not afraid to step out of her comfort zone and channel the anxiety, sadness, and struggles of feeling out of place a.k.a “imposter syndrome”.

These heartfelt emotions and thoughts combined with the right collaborators were the perfect mixture for a brilliant album.

“Every song has its own little world happening.

Chad VanGaalen, who produced the record, did an amazing job with it as well as everyone who played

08 Stylus Magazine April / May 2020

PHOTO: LEVI MANCHAK on it. There are really sick guitar parts by Scott Munroe, and beautiful bass parts played by Ryan Bourne.

Stylus asked what Moore’s favourite tour memory was and she replied: “I got to tour the UK two years ago, and I got to play at a festival called Indie Tracks, which is this wonderful indie pop festival in Derbyshire. There were so many good bands that I would probably never hear about unless I have played there and had the opportunity to be exposed to artists that you would normally not listen to in your hometown.”

While everything seems to be focused on the present, Moore didn’t hold back in sharing about her vision for the next songs she puts out.

“How it works is that you are always thinking about the next project before the one you’ve been working on the past year has even come out…My goal is to continue be as honest as humanly possible and trying to find topics that I would not dare to talk about, and fully exposing how feel about them. I want to

continue diving as deep as I can.”

By expressing the feelings that stir in ones in most being, producing melodies that serve as last touches on an artwork, and singing it out, Marlaena Moore has proven that creating can be challenging.

Yet, at the end of the day, you just have to pay close attention to the details around you and be amazed at how they can inspire you to make something extraordinary.

MOBINA GALORE DOCUMENTARY Behind-the-Scenes Punk

When Winnipeg punk duo Mobina Galore went into Private Ear Recording to lay down their 2019 release, Don’t Worry, they came out of there with more than an album. Mobina Galore’s Jenna Priestner and Marcia Hanson worked with Marty LaFreniere of Looksmart Video and John Paul Peters of Private Ear Recording to compile 40-50 hours of video, which has since been pared down to turn into band content and a documentary called Sorry, I’m a Mess – The Making of ‘Don’t Worry’.

Priestner says that initially when the band went into the studio with LaFreniere and his film gear they didn’t know exactly what they were going to do with the material they came out with. “It wasn’t even a preconceived notion to create a full-length documentary, it just ended up that way,” explains Priestner. “We just wanted to get some good footage in the studio and show what the process is like.

And representing Winnipeg. Because we had recorded in Winnipeg and used a local filmmaker as well. So we just wanted to collaborate and create something that was very Winnipeg, but also can be accessible to our fans.”

As time went on they came to a clearer idea of what they were going to do with the footage. So in addition to fan accessibility, Priestner says they wanted to create a documentary that could appeal to different kinds of fans; those of their music, and those who like music documentaries who may come across it on YouTube.

“We’re kind of coming across it from two sides. In terms of our fans I think that people just enjoy seeing behind-the-scenes footage of anything that an artist is doing,” says Priestner. “So I think fans will find the process in which we record interesting. Some of the gear that we use interesting. Our weird language that we speak to each other in the studio interesting. Whereas some other people might not care so much about the specifics of the songs and specifics of the gear that we’re using, but more just what it’s like to be in a situation that they would never find themselves in. Like if people aren’t musicians or have never been into a studio or are never going into a studio, they might just find the process interesting because it’s something totally out of their element.”

Priestner says the documentary starts out by helping clarify the band’s backstory; noting that depending what year’s bio you read about them, they could be from Vancouver, Fernie, or Winnipeg.

“Then from there it goes into featuring four tracks from the record,” she explains. “And within those four songs we’ve tried to create a narrative around each of the instrumentations. So there’s the guitar part, a vocal part, a drum part, a bass part. Just sort of every element that was in the studio. And then within all that there’s just kind of the ebbs and flows the ups and downs of what the recording process is and how frustrating it can be, and the time crunch and everything.

So it’s a storyline from day one to the last day, and sort of the stresses that come along with that.”

Turning 40-50 hours of material into a documentary is no easy task, and Priestner pays credit to all of the hard work LaFreniere has put into the project, noting that it’s his “first time doing a documentary like this on his own. So it’s also as much for us as it is for him to kind of get this out there. So we’re kind of co-releasing it in a sense.”

CHRIS BRYSON PHOTO: DWAYNE LARSON

The band will be premiering the documentary through their YouTube channel at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 11. Originally, they were going to host a coinciding event at Sookram’s Brewing Company, but that has since changed.

People are invited to chat and hang out with the band through their Instagram live and Youtube channel before the premiere. The YouTube screening is interactive so people can leave comments and ask questions as they watch. After the screening the band will be heading over to Instagram and Facebook live for an acoustic performance and to chat with people and answer questions.

Follow this link to see a trailer for the documentary: http://www. smarturl.it/siamTRAILER Instagram: @mobinagalore Facebook: @mobinagaloremusic www.ckuw.ca/stylus

April / May 2020 Stylus Magazine

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H o ly Fuck

CHRIS BRYSON

Over five full-length albums Holy Fuck have been mining the fields between improvisation and structure with rewarding results. On their new album, Deleter, Holy Fuck have continued to evolve their inventive and ever-shifting electronics from their exploratory jam band origins into something more refined and cohesive while maintaining their improvisational roots.

The band’s dynamic and infectious sound, crafted with the intent of creating electronic music with live instrumentation, has enabled them to play some major festivals and tour with a range of artists including Wolf Parade, M.I.A., and Hot Chip, and they keep things weird in the process.

Holy Fuck’s Brian Borcherdt says Deleter came together in an interesting way from patterns that Graham Walsh, who is also in the band, had made at home and then during soundchecks while they were on tour for their previous album, Congrats. He would throw them out there and the band would build onto it. “I don’t know to what extent they were finished ideas,” says Borcherdt. “I think sometimes they were just simple; a drum beat or something.

But when we were in those soundcheck moments those were the things that we were able to just dive

10 Stylus Magazine April August / May / September 2020 2019

PHOTO: CHAN-YANG KIM

onto.”

“After touring the Congrats record, when we were done touring and going through our phones, I think all four of us had heaps of funny jams and stuff from various soundchecks, and one song came from an encore that we played in Luxembourg,” explains Borcherdt. “We had little different things and some of the notes were just like the name of the city we were in and we compiled all that stuff together and realized well if we just successfully record these ideas, we’ll have a record.”

For the recording of Deleter the band brought on Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip, Angus Andrew of Liars, and Nicholas Allbrook of Pond as featured artists to contribute vocals to three tracks. These three add their own unique creative elements to the album that Borcherdt says plays to each of their strengths.

Over the years the band has created a lot of its music from found sounds. Borcherdt recalls one time in Winnipeg when they went to a pawn shop on their way to the gig and picked up something that they tried at the show that night, brought it home with them, and it ended up contributing to a song on their next album.

“That’s just an example of how you find

something, press play on it. You start with that kernel of the idea, that seed that grows into the final thing. So that’s always been the way we do it,” explains Borcherdt. “There’s some exceptions to it, but for the most part that’s where we get excited is starting with a sound.”

Borcherdt says that with this process “sometimes it’s not the matter of finding the coolest sounding thing. Sometimes it’s finding something that sounds terrible, but it gives you a goal. Like I want to make this the most it can be. It’s sort of like playing with restrictions, and seeing how far you can break those open. As opposed to the other way around where you start with limitless technology, limitless ideas, limitless sound banks. Those kinds of parameters are far too wide for me. I really enjoy making the most of something.”

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Winnipeg State of Mind NIGEL WEBBER “Just think while I sink into the brain structure” Erick Sermon Hip-hop music in Winnipeg is in a moment.

Artists representing different sub-genres of rap, from boom-bap to new school to trap, all are finding their place in Winnipeg in 2020. While most of the attention is usually heaped on the rappers and DJs, less attention is given to the producers, those responsible for making the actual music in the song. With the lack of attention comes a lack of understanding of proper titles. An important distinction must be made between a producer and a beatmaker. Producers typically work with artists in-studio and are often involved in the writing of the song, as well as the mixing and mastering. A beatmaker typically will make a wide selection of beats. They tailor them to a famous artists’ sound, which is called ‘type beats’, and then upload them to YouTube where other artists can download them and use them in their own songs for a small fee. Winnipeg has its fair share of both beatmakers and producers, but in this special edition of Winnipeg State of Mind, let us take a look at three local producers all with varying levels of experience and expertise.

Hoopaloop Hoopaloop is coming at hip-hop production from a different angle than most. Making beats for about three years, Hoop started his musical journey playing guitar and singing in metal bands.

He knows that he’s got a lot of catching up to do in the hip-hop world but in 2020, he’s well on his way.

The metalhead past has lead to the frequent use of live guitar, bass or piano on his tracks and a noted love for analog recording equipment, particularly the Akai brand and their MPC gear. There is a through line that connects Akai with some of the most impactful moments in Hoop’s music career.

Hoopaloop is most associated with the local rapper Kairo. They just released an EP titled Give Thanks in late February. The two first met on the recommendation of Pollyfree, an Edmonton- based rapper who worked with Hoopaloop while living in Winnipeg. Before their first real recording session, Hoop and Kairo had to make a stop at a music store for some headphones. It was on that day that Hoop purchased the MPC X, Akai’s new, software connected, drum machine and sampler. At that first Staged photo of Hoopaloop’s Akai gear photo by Brett Enquist

session together, on the first take, the pair made the up and it’s largely due to what Pascal Beatz is cooking song Radiate. Hoop still regards it as one of the up in his home basement studio. Also making beats favourite tracks he has ever produced saying “Radiate for about three years, Pascal was inspired by his older is kinda what set the bar for us.” The song also got brother, a rapper, to get into production. Starting in a video treatment from director Brett Enquist. A his last year of high school, Pascal quietly learned his few months after the Radiate video came out, Hoop craft, only letting a few people, like his brother and asked Enquist to come to his studio where they cousins, hear his beats. But in 2018 Pascal heard staged a photo that shows all of Hoop’s Akai gear of a new competition for Winnipeg producers and artfully assembled in his Trendkill Productions decided to enter the inaugural Winnipeg Beat League studio. Hoop posted the photo to his Instagram and contest. Looking back now, Pascal remembers, “I moved on. But a few months later, the Akai official was the youngest person there out of like sixteen Instagram page re-posted the photo of his studio. contestants,” but he wasn’t about to be intimidated.

As cool as it was to see that, the re-post lead to As that night in November 2018 wore on, Pascal one of Hoop’s biggest successes. One of the people kept advancing to the next round. His trap-style that caught wind of Hoopaloop through the Akai beats had the crowd pumped up. When it was all said re-post was Ishq Bector. A quick PSA for young and done, Pascal was crowned champion. The plaque Winnipeg hip-hop heads: know the name Ishq he won that night is now mounted on the wall of his Bector. Then known as Sunil aka Sun Lo, Ishq was studio. He gazes up at it while telling the story of that a founding member of foundational Winnipeg rap night, saying that winning “gave me the confidence group, Frek Sho. Before moving to India in the early to start sending beats out to artists and posting stuff 2000s to be a Bollywood musician, Ishq rapped and online.” The first of those artists was Myazwe. The produced all the beats for Frek Sho, who started in local rapper made waves in 2019 with the release of Winnipeg in 1994. Now living in Vancouver, Ishq his album Things I Never Said and an opening spot is an undisputed star in India. He’s written songs for YG and Tyga at the MTS Centre. And much of for famous Bollywood movies, written English that rise is fuelled by Pascal’s beats. While not the versions of popular Indian songs and continues to only producer Myazwe works with, Pascal produced produce his own music. Ishq reached out to Hoop more than half the songs on Things and expects and asked if he would do a hip-hop remix of Ishq’s to have a similar amount on Myazwe’s upcoming new song “Chaand Sitare ft. Supa J.” Within a day of album. Pascal entered the 2nd Annual Beat League first making contact, Hoop had the files in his inbox contest in 2019 and placed third. Disappointed not and was developing a remix off a background synth. to repeat his title, Pascal humbly remarks “it was nice Ultimately the remix helped introduce Hoopaloop to to see all the [other] producers in the city pop off.” He a new crowd of listeners and expanded his musical notes that the most important part of Beat League horizons saying “it was a real challenge but [Ishq] and similar events is to build up the community had faith in me so that meant a lot.” While that remix of producers so they don’t feel isolated, but so they remains a one-off, it is Hoopaloop’s work with Kairo can share tips and tricks and just become friends. that is setting him apart. With a big 2020 planned, The other artist making big waves over Pascal’s Kairo and Hoop were compelled to end 2019 with productions is YSN Fab. Pascal initially saw Fab in Never Back Down. Released as a single in the final a freestyle video on Instagram, blown away that such days of last year, Never Back Down and it’s cover art a talented rapper lived in Winnipeg. Although Fab will make sense to anyone who lives in Winnipeg. came through the studio shortly thereafter, it took The art, made by Hoop, is a collection of headlines a while for his second visit to happen. But Pascal from local media, showing the record number of describes that second session as when he knew they homicides that took place in 2019 and other social had something and, “since then we’ve been locked in.” issues such as the liquor store thefts. Kairo reflects That session Fab recorded Nobody Loyal, his first on that in the chorus of “I vow to never back down / single, which currently sits at over 156 thousand All the bad shit occurring in my damn town / I can’t listens on SoundCloud alone. Pascal is tight lipped drown getting caught in negativity / the system that’s here but hints at big things to come from YSN Fab in place was designed just to get rid of me.” Hoop in 2020. Pascal, who doesn’t play an instrument or explains that, “it’s hard to find a constructive way to rap, is in the process of learning to DJ so he can in talk about it [but] we wanted to put light on it in a consideration as a tour DJ for YSN Fab and Myazwe. way that wasn’t just negative yet could embrace the Until then, as his producer tag says, “you already negativity of constantly seeing those headlines.” It’s know Pascal cooking up, right.” been a dark time in Winnipeg of late but Kairo and Malcolm-Jay Rapper-producers are nothing new.

Hoop want the community to know there is a way to From Pharrell to Q-Tip to Kanye, producers who talk about it. also rap have been around. Even locally there has Pascal Beatz On the south side of Winnipeg, a new been sufficient representation through the years with movement in local rap is heating Malcolm-Jay performs live with rock band Lounge FM - photo by Carly Boomer

Pascal (left) with Myazwe after winning the Winnipeg Beat League in 2018 - photo by David Akello

12 Stylus Magazine April / May 2020

artists like BBS Steve carrying the torch passed on by the likes of The Gumshoe Strut and mcenroe.

Malcolm-Jay is another heavy hitter on that relatively short list. Producing since about 2012 and rapping much longer than that, Malcolm has developed his skills to the point where he is now giving back and teaching beat making. Originally starting with the occasional workshop at Studio 393, Malcolm was asked to start teaching a weekly workshop at Ndinawe on Selkirk Avenue, a youth drop-in centre.

Now there for over a year and a half, Malcolm says that he just loves teaching the youth what he can.

Teaching beat making and rapping to youth has also lead Malcolm to a weekend workshop at the youth jail and now to his latest endeavour, teaching adults.

After being asked many times about teaching hiphop producing to adults, Malcolm took the plunge in early 2020. At his office space on Donald St., for a very reasonable fee, Malcom-Jay teaches everything from “Intro to Hip-Hop Production” to “Business

Tools for Artists” to “Intro to Rap Techniques.”

Through his website, winnipeghiphoplessons.com, Malcolm is trying to do for others what no one did for him in his early days. He explains that, “this took me years to learn but it would have been a lot faster if someone had just shown me all these tricks.” He understands that the competitive nature of hip-hop hasn’t always allowed room for teaching and bringing up the next generation, but he wants to see more collaboration instead. On the topic of an event like Beat League, Malcolm notes how important it is to get all those producers in the same room but would rather see them join forces somehow instead of actively competing against each other. At the same time, Malcolm recognizes that his style of hip-hop, more socially conscious and with a live band, often fits more with the local rock crowds than the modern hip-hop scene. The fact that they can co-exist is what is important.

Ultimately, no two producers are alike. Some can

rap, some can play instruments, some can DJ but none of these are pre-requisites for getting into producing or beat making. With just a laptop and a free, easily downloadable program, you can start making your own beats. And with social media, it doesn’t take much to get those beats out into the world. It’s even possible, with the example of Murda Beatz from Fort Erie, to go from small-town Ontario to being one of the most popular and successful producers in the rap game working with Migos, Nicki Minaj and Drake.

But, as all of the producers interviewed for this piece stressed, it starts with showing up to events and supporting the hip-hop community locally.

ckuwho who? ?

Listen to: Bikini Drive-In Sundays 4:30-5pm CHRIS BRYSON

PHOTO: MARK TEAGUE

Olivia Norquay, founder and host of Bikini Drivein, takes half an hour every week to get to the bottom of what is really happening in our favorite horror and science fiction movies. She uses the framework of intersectional feminism to unpack the details of these films and provide insight into their impact. By deftly applying elements of screen and media studies, art criticism, and women and gender studies, Olivia brings to light the cinematic and theoretical weight of the horror and sci-fi genres.

Stylus : First and Foremost: What is Bikini Drive-In? Olivia Norquay: Bikini Drive-In analyzes horror and science fiction films through an intersectional feminist lens, while combining elements of screen and media studies, arts criticism, and women and gender studies. Using horror and science fiction genres as a site of discourse, the show hopefully provides listeners with access points to feminist theory, art history, and film critique. While horror perpetuates certain tropes and stereotypes, it should still be considered an important platform worthy of discussion.

Stylus : What is Intersectional Feminist Theory?

OV: Intersectionality examines how interlocking systems of power affect marginalized groups. Examining the white/cis/male dominated genres, Bikini Drive-In aims to explore how gender, race, identity, and class are represented and underrepresented in horror and science fiction films.

Stylus: Which passion came first: theory or film?

OV: Film! My favourite movie is Scream. I’ve

always been a horror fan and I think so-called low brow genre films have cultural value. I’ve taken a few cultural theory and screen studies classes at the University of Winnipeg, but nothing that specifically focused on horror studies. So I thought I would study genre film on my own once a week.

Kier-La Janisse’s book, House of Psychotic Women is a huge inspiration to me and is basically my reason for doing the show.

Stylus: How did you get into radio?

OV: I was first introduced to the station by friend and former The Tonic host, Melody Titus. I’ve been hosting The Tonic with Mike Furnish and Sam Doucet for several years.

Stylus: How do you choose which films to focus on?

OV: When my friend Jill Groening and I were hosting together, I think we chose films based on movies we’ve seen and were really excited to talk about. Our movie tastes really vary - she likes devastating nihilistic films like Possession and I like goofy coming-of-age horror like Ginger Snaps.

Since Jill has moved and we don’t get to host together as often, I’ve been inviting guests such as Talia Steele, Sara Atnikov and Gwen Trutnau to the show. Having guests is great because I get to examine films that I haven’t seen before the show, like Nightbreed and House of 1000 Corpses. Last year, I was invited to host a panel discussion and live show at Winnipeg Cinematheque during their Aurora Gorealis Canadian horror festival so I was able to discuss such classics as Dead Ringers and My Bloody Valentine.

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Stylus: What inspired the name Bikini Drive-In? OV: The name Bikini Drive-In is the title of a Schlocky movie from 1995. Have you seen the “I wish you were her” postcard from The Simpsons? I wanted that same energy.

Stylus: What is your audience like?

OV: I think the show’s audience consists of CKUW listeners and horror fans. The response has been really positive and I’m so glad people like the show.

Stylus: Who would be your dream guests?

OV: I’m a big fan of the horror podcasts “The Faculty of Horror” hosted by Alexandra West and Andrea Subissati, and “The Gaylords of Darkness” hosted

by Stacie Ponder and Anthony Hudson, so I would love to have the hosts on the show. Or Katharine Isabelle from “Ginger Snaps” because I’m obsessed.

Stylus: What has been your favorite show to date and why?

OV: My favourite shows are the Scream episode because it’s the greatest movie of all time and the Martyrs episode because it’s such a beautiful, emotional and nihilistic film.

Stylus: I know your show is spoken word but, personally, what are you listening to right now?

OV: Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of The Ramones and Beat Happening.

Join Olivia for Theory and Horror on Bikini Drive in – CKUW 95.9 Sunday 4:30 - 5:00pm

April / May 2020 Stylus Magazine

13

Local Spotlight the middle of the album that strikes the perfect notes and strengthens the album as a whole. The changes to ‘Find the Sea’, now called ‘Find the Sea(s)’ sends the album off with a slightly different tone than the 2016 original. The new version features a more dynamic and showy guitar display in the outro which ends the album on a high-energy, fun note rather than the more subdued original.

All in all, Legend(s) is an incredibly ZRADA fun, entertaining album from a band Revisiting Legendary Sounds(s) that is nearly bursting at its seams with creativity. If you heard the album from In 2016, the Winnipeg-based a few years back it is definitely worth Ukrainian folk-punk band released revisiting and checking out what’s new their masterpiece of a third full- and refreshing yourself with a fantastic length album entitled Legend to rave work of art. If it’s brand new to you, reviews. Combining a traditional you’re in for a treat! Ryan Sorensen Eastern European folk influence with everything from metal to jazz to Afro-inspired beats, the album was an explosion of creativity made by and for people who love music in all its forms.

The epic soundscape was meticulously constructed and moved effortlessly from one side of the musical cosmos to the other. At one moment the music could elicit a tinge of melancholy as it moves slowly through a traditional instrumental, only for the script to be flipped seconds later and sound like something out of an Ozzy Osbourne JUNIPER BUSH concert. On that note the album Healing Through A Sonic Figure features a dynamic cover of the Black Sabbath classic ‘War Pigs’ that is truly Healing Through A Sonic Figure excellent. opens up with “Hindsight.” This After the release of Legend, happens to be my (current) favourite ZRADA concentrated mostly on their track on the album. It comes on all at live shows for the next few years, with once, but gently, with plaintive vocal only the 2018 single ‘The Fog’ being melodies that swoop and dance over released. With the addition of their top of the guitars, all of it bathed in lush new guitarist, Adam Ciric now in the reverb that washes over you, dreamlike fold, things look to be heating up for and calm, somehow reassuring in it’s the band. They already released a mournful feeling. brand new single, ‘Secret World’ The energy slowly builds over and now have dropped Legend(s), a the next few tracks, developing into re-release of Legend with the addition an absolutely gigantic sound. Tight, of an instrumental coda to the highlight punchy riffs intermingle with intuitive song ‘The Falcon’s Question’ entitled dynamic shifts, all the while, Lizzy ‘Katya,’ and a reimagining of the album Burt’s haunting vocals paint themselves closer ‘Find the Sea.’ According to the across cavernous soundscapes. The band’s press release, the new songs are track “Turn” shifts into “Slowly” with a an indicator of what fans can expect as sharp twist that grabs your attention, ZRADA enters the studio for work on further accentuating this band’s keen their new album. feel for the impact of intense dynamic ‘Katya’ makes a perfect addition to changes. The building tension through the musical odyssey that is Legend(s), these tracks is palpable, and comes giving a needed breath between to a head with “Colleen”. Catchy and Falcon’s guitar-heavy outro and the driving, it brings in flavours of 1960’s bombastic drum beginning of ‘By the garage and psychedelic pop as a massive Lviv Castle’. It is a lighter folk song wall of sound rising to a crescendo. that strikes beautiful, somber darker Juniper Bush closes out their album tones. Characterized by its European with “And You”, bringing us back to folk roots and beautiful harmonies, the a familiar theme established in their song is the perfect reflective piece in opening track “Hindsight” using

14 Stylus Magazine April / May 2020

what is probably one of my favourite framing devices used in music – the bookend. In doing so, they manage to further cement the feeling that you’ve just been taken on a journey through their music. “And You” brings you back down, it takes your hand and walks you through the tension and melancholia, and leaves you feeling as though there is still hope.

Healing Through A Sonic Figure is aptly named. As a person trying to come to terms with numerous aspects of my own existence, I found catharsis in what Juniper Bush has created, and I know many others out there will too.

Jacob Letkeman

two are separated through distance, emotion, and one’s self conscious efforts to put space between them.

In between, the songs on the album share experiences of fantasizing about escaping to new destinations, the fear and anxiety that comes with escapism, the feeling of suspension by a thread, when the right words abandon you at a moment’s notice, and rediscovering old feelings in moments of intimacy.

Vissers evocative lyricism creates a setting with enough detail and emotion for the listener to live in the scenario.

Boniface’s debut effort captures the essence of the 80’s synth pop sound, with everything from the sound to the album art, featuring Visser sitting on a Pontiac Fiero down a backroad in rural Manitoba. Much like the Fiero, this album is a catalyst for a young creative force ready to leave their small St. Boniface neighbourhood, outgrow the limits of their city and embrace the world as the world embraces them.

For fans of: White Lies, The Human League, The Killers. Daniel Kussy

BONIFACE Boniface Four years in the making, having played countless shows that have taken them across the sea and back, Boniface’s release of their self titled debut marks the return of singer-songwriter turned pop savant Micah Visser.

Those familiar with Boniface and their slow trickle of music since their inception will find themselves already familiar with a large portion of the album, though the track listing is curated nicely and gives the listener a peek into Micah Vissers progression as a producer. On tracks such as the 80’s driven bedroom dance party anthem “Dear Megan,” the synths glisten and shimmer as Visser finds their voice and flows in tandem. The pairing of “I Will Not Return As a Tourist” and “Keeping Up” is a nostalgic revisit for any listener lucky enough to have embraced Vissers pre-Boniface material, as these tracks have aged and grown to a better version of themselves as said listeners have.

Considering the time taken to compose the songs collected for this album, the subject matter is consistent and leaves a foundation for a potential overarching story. The young lovers in “Waking Up in Suburbia’’ are innocent and hesitant, though they know what’s between them is only temporary. In “Making Peace With Suburbia,” the

JOKO TEA Frustrated Machine Out from the depths of winter hibernation comes “Frustrated Machine,” the eclectic debut album from theatrical pop-rock outlet Joko Tea. For its complex sound and style, the songwriting comes together in dynamic fashion, and it’s colourful melodies flourish in such a way that has the listener using their entire body to move with the music. “James” is one of the biggest earworms on the album with its lounge-pop tempo. “Crick,” the lead single, is written in multiple parts that sees the song move from a repetitive yet boppy bass heavy riff, to an electronic explosion complete with a thick synth chorus as well as Hamilton’s vocals sprinkled with autotune.

Though Max Hamilton is the primary behind the songs written on Frustrated Machine, the roster of

musicians that make the rest of Joko Tea have also been trained musically on top of cutting their chops within the scene through multiple projects.

Joko Tea as a collective are oozing with passion and creativity, though they are not without their humorous touch.

Listen for Hamilton playing captain on “Tiny Sailer” as well as his take on the wilhelm scream in “Crick” and “Real Ghosts.”

The band’s biggest showcase appears in the form of “The Dawnheads,” a nearly 14-minute exploration of theatrics with your ears. Originally released as a stand-alone track, “The Dawnheads” quickly takes the form of a rock opera. Alex Peters provides vocals for the first chapter, before Hamilton comes in with a suspenseful change in tone as if to introduce a conflict or a possible resolve, as the finale explodes with guitars and feedback. It isn’t until the start of the next (and final) track, “3 Memories” that I contemplate how this Goliath of a track has played into a possible bigger theme the album has kept under the table. If that’s the case, then “3 Memories” starts with a bigger bang where the last ended. Even louder, crunchier guitars and melodies that harken to Blue Album-era Weezer

make for a real finish to the album and introduce a side of Joko Tea not yet met.

As Joko Tea exists within its own drive to challenge what it can achieve through the reality of sound, Frustrated Machine perseveres in pushing ideas in craft and structure together to compose itself as a masterpiece that has reinvented the wheel.

For fans of: Neutral Milk Hotel, The Reign of Kindo, Chick Corea Elektric Band. Daniel Kussy

the wait. The band has been part of the local bar rock scene for some time now, originally performing as The Autopilots since 2013. In 2015 due to a bizarre name copyright claim, they had to rename the band. It was around then that frontman Evan Chandler decided to rebrand the band itself and really start to focus-in on what makes them unique.

Over the next few years, the newly-titled band slowly became modern rock royalty in the province, performing with larger artists such as Jet Set Satellite, The Lazys, Royal Tusk, The Bloodshots and Palaye Royale. With each line-up change the band grew stronger and slowly began to carve out their niche as being one of the strongest local hard rock acts in Manitoba. The debut, self-titled fivesong EP is a perfect reflection of all their work to date.

Recorded in 2019 in Vancouver, and produced by legendary producer Garth Richardson (Rage Against the NORTHERN ROYALS Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fit For A King Nickelback,) the Northern Royals album from a sonic perspective is It’s been a long road for Northern gold. It is tailor-made to be major rock Royals to get here, but I think their radio-friendly and has already been fans are going to agree it was worth featured on Power 97. Each of the five

songs would not sound out of place on any current modern rock playlist. The band sounds like a cross between The Glorious Sons and Bush, with a bit of Foo Fighters’ songwriting thrown in for good measure. The songs feature heavy crashing guitars, Chandler’s raw vocal power and a whole lot of fun. They were clearly constructed with their audience in mind, with the missing to make them head bang to every track.

‘Oh No’ is a stand out track, which has an infectious gang vocal hook that will stay stuck in your head for days. It is an anthem song in the making and something I can hear being shouted back by an adoring crowd at an arena near you in the near future. Other highlights include the dynamic album intro ‘Fools’ which features some outstanding work from drummer Codey Emms, and ‘Wild Ones’ the feelgood anathematic closer. Northern Royals is an intense, powerful listen that will be a must-have for fans of our local rock scene. After plotting their road to success so carefully over the past few years, the road is looking bright for Northern Royals and 2020 looks like it could be their banner year.

Ryan Sorensen

listening experience captivating.

On the instrumental side of things, many songs are laid with a blanket of lush instrumentation behind the soft vocals to further envelop the listener in NNAMDÏ’s emotions. His introspective themes of self-affirmation and hope are perfectly mirrored by the often delicate instrumentals.

The track “It’s OK’’ is a great example of this with its warm synth patterns and minimalist beat. The song “Everyone I Loved’’ takes a similar approach at first, but it eventually builds into a more upbeat and busy sound. A stunning piano solo makes up the last leg of the song, providing a beautiful sense of closure. Sound effects are briefly experimented with, like the interweaving of songbirds on the track “Salut’’ and the water droplets that introduce the song “Really Don’t’’.

The vulnerability of the lyrics give the sense that one is hearing the artist’s thoughts and feelings in an intimate context, giving another reason to listen to the album from front to back.

Stopping the album midway would be like hanging up on one’s friend who is in the middle of opening up about personal issues. The reward for staying on the line and listening to the whole

energy in the band’s performance on each track feels so animated and so close that it’s as if they’re performing right on the other side of my speakers.

With bubbly pop-sensibilities, Tops creates and explores a lush soundscape with synthesized foliage popping up at every turn. Tops imbues great care into the composition of each song and then abandons all caution for its performance.

The first track, “Direct Sunlight,” features a clean Rhodes keyboard that drives the bass and drums at a bound, while crystal synth stabs ring with delay on every bounce. It’s impossible not to lose yourself in singer Jane Penney’s flute solo as it replaces the main vocals in the final chorus and leads to an expressive breakdown to close out the opening track.

Penney’s vocal performance is just as expressive throughout the album, showing range not only in pitch but in timbre as well, flipping on a dime from a soft and gentle whisper to a reaching, operatic depth. On tracks like the album singles “I Feel Alive” and “Witching Hour” you can hear the slightest cracks in the vocal hooks, intentionally filled with heart and soul.

“Colder & Closer” takes a more

Ulteriors

NNAMDÏ BRAT On his most recent full length project, NNAMDÏ displays his talents as a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. BRAT is a tight collection of sweet, colourful tracks all tied together with a general theme of introspective intimacy. He uses vocal manipulation throughout the record, always in creative ways. From ad-libs to melodic hooks, NNAMDÏ shows his skill and versatility using autotune and similar techniques to add a new dimension the vocals. The unpredictable vocal manipulation is coupled with dynamic shifts throughout the album and provides sufficient ups and downs to keep the

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project is a tasteful blend of melodic pop that tells the story of NNAMDÏ’s current life. Not only is the music enjoyable, but there is an imaginary bond formed between listener and artist thanks to the personal nature of the lyrics and their pairing to such delicate instrumentals. Olivier LaRoche

TOPS I Feel Alive Hailing from Montreal, Tops is sharper than ever on their fourth fulllength album titled I Feel Alive. The record really does come to life — even in its most mellow moments the album is vibrant with colourfully chorused guitars and bewitching vocals. The

April / May 2020 Stylus Magazine

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straightforward pop approach on the main hook, which is underlined by more flute and counterbalanced by rhythmic synths that carry on through the verses. One of the only ballads on the record, “Take Down” is woeful with heartbreak, voices echoing in the background and foreground, the former floating in reverb, the latter dryly pressed down, both questioning a love that has passed.

The final track, “Too Much,” is a nostalgic slow bop with vintage ‘80s synthesizer tones that roll over and over, conjuring images of the aftermath of a late-night party — streamers flattened to the ground by a raucous stomping now gone and deflating silver balloons floating near the knees of a few slow dancers still swaying on the dancefloor with Tops still ringing in their ears. Ryan Haughey

through poems that listeners can relate to and connect with through its great subtle moments. These songs will touch a silent part of your heart, leaving you looking for more.

The gentle melodies of this EP take listeners by the hand and into the mind of Cole Shway. This aptly titled EP listens as though you are wandering through a dreamscape.

The songs Shway writes are revealing but mysterious as he shares that which is caught in his heart and soul through his words and instruments.

Matt Harrison

95.9 FM CKUW CAMPUS/COMMUNITY RADIO TOP 30 ALBUMS ( March 23-29, 2020)

COLE SHWAY Sleepwalking Sleepwalking is a four track EP that puts the musical talent and lyrical poeticism of Cole Shway on display.

Listeners will find on this EP a balance of gentle harmonies as he sings with authentic passion. Shway acts as master of the strings as he plays guitar, banjo, and bass in addition to singing on each track.

The soothing fluidity of Shway’s arpeggio guitar picking style makes this EP smooth and calming to hear. The album at times sounds as though it has a brush stroke of a psychedelic nature, which further entangles listeners into these poems of self-discovery.

Of the four songs on the EP, the last track, Sleepwalking, stood out more than any other. The track begins with the gentle picking of a banjo. Shway tells listeners his story as best as he can while the gentle melodies flow under his voice.

“I feel great ‘cause I’m not scared anymore”’ Shway sings at the outset of the song. “To take on the world, to let it in.”

The chorus states simply as the gentle instruments crescendo under his voice, “I am sleepwalking.”

If what you seek is a mellow sound that you can turn up and tune out into, Cole Shway’s Sleepwalking is the next album for you. Shway tells his stories

16 Stylus Magazine April / May 2020

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