Stylus Magazine Feb/Mar 2023

Production Team

Editor Keeley Braunstein-Black editor@stylusmagazine ca

Assistant Editor . . . . . . . . . Myles Tiessen assistanteditor@stylusmagazine ca

Art Director Kelly Campbell design@stylusmagazine ca

Cover Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mahri White

Advertising Contact Rob Schmidt manager@ckuw ca

Print by JRS Print Services . 204-232-3558

Contributors

Jaclyn Weseen

Scott Price

Gabriel Fars

Mike Thiessen

Katie Kolesar

On the Cover

MAHRI WHITE (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist and arts administrator from Winnipeg, MB. Her current mediums of focus include textiles, drawing, and digital painting. Mahri holds a BFA Honours from the University of Manitoba.

Jakob Sheppard

Daniel Kussy

Michael Duboff

Adam Kelly

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

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Live Music Happenings

Veneer + Fencing + Warming Feb 10 at The Good Will *** Super Krystal Feb . 11 at the Handsome Daughter *** Luca Fogale Feb . 13 at the West End Cultural Centre *** Poodle Padle + Jupiter Meltdown + French Class Feb 14 at The Good Will *** David July w/ Caid Jones + MattMac Feb 15 at the Handsome Daughter *** 1st Annual Dallas Good Memorial Hootenanny Feb 17-18 at Times Change(d) *** Sean Burns and Lost Country Trio Feb . 23 at Times Change(d) *** Andrew Neville and the Poor Choices + Danny Z and the Riff Raff Feb 24 at Times Change(d) *** Louser “Clandestine” Album Release with Agapito & Guilty Sleep Feb 25 at The Good Will

*** The Windups 20th Anniversary Show Feb . 25 at Times Change(d) *** Annabella Proper Mar . 2 at Times Change(d) *** New Orleans Night feat Dirty Catfish Brass Band Mar . 3 at Times Change(d) *** Taylor Janzen I Live In Patterns Album Release Mar 3 at The Good Will *** Tinge Mar 4 at the Handsome Daughter *** Barbra Lica Mar 4 at the West End Cultural Centre *** Stanley County Cutups Mar . 4 at Times Change(d) *** The Honeysliders + Show Pony Mar 10 at Times Change(d) *** VVonder with Catamounts + Neighbour Andy Mar 11 at Times Change(d) *** Excuses Excuses w/ Ex Ømerta & Dead Levee Feb 11 at the Handsome

Daughter *** Lighter Thief Mar 16 at Times Change(d) *** The Dust Rhinos Feb 17 at the West End Cultural Centre *** Mark Reeves Mar 18 at Times Change(d) *** Field Guide Mar . 24 at the West End Cultural Centre *** Crywank Mar 27 at the Rec Room *** Bloc Parents + Holy Void Mar 31 at Times Change(d) *** Noah Derksen Mar . 31 at the West End Cultural Centre *** Bleachh, Die Cute, Tonzo w/ Poetry in Motion Apr 28 at the Handsome Daughter *** Andrina Turenne Apr . 29 at the West End Cultural Centre ***

The Business of Music

Beatmaker Agreements: An Artist Wants My Beat - What Now?

BY MICHAEL DUBOFF, AN ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER AT EDWARDS CREATIVE LAW – CANADA’S ENTERTAINMENT LAW BOUTIQUE™

Our law firm often receives inquiries from producers and beatmakers who have been contacted by an artist requesting to use their beat. We help both producers and beatmakers understand and negotiate the terms of the beatmaker agreement. If the deal terms are acceptable to both parties, we help the producer to review and provide feedback on the proposed contract. We also help the producer navigate the process until the contract is signed, and then help as requested to ensure guaranteed fees are paid, royalties are flowing, and credit is provided.

Beatmaker Contracts – What are the common deal points?

Up-Front Fee

We suggest the producer require an up-front payment for permission to use their beat. This up-front payment may come in the form of an advance (ideal for the artist) or as a non-recoupable payment (ideal for the producer). Often it falls somewhere in between, such as 50% of the payment being considered an advance (fairly reasonable and standard, however, it depends on the situation).

Composition Split

A general starting point is that the composition split will be 50% for the person or people who wrote the lyrics, and 50% for the beat producer; however, there are usually other factors to consider that may affect the split, especially if there are samples or other producers, remixers, etc.

Recording Royalties

We suggest the producer ask to receive a percentage of the royalties generated from the new sound recording (the master recording) featuring the artist. There are various revenue formulas to determine that entitlement, including that the producer be offered (1) a percentage of artist’s net profit, (2) a percentage of the overall gross revenue or (3) a PPD (purchase price to dealer) percentage of royalties. PPD is more typical when there is a major record label involved. Each formula is different, and the more information we know about the situation the better we can negotiate for you to ensure the entitlements are reasonable.

Payment Schedule

As a producer, ask if you are only paid once other costs are reimbursed. It’s fairly common, but the question is whether it’s reasonable in the circumstances. The concept of “record one” means that your entitlements will be calculated from the time the music is released, but that you are not actually paid until other expenses are reimbursed to the relevant party.

Payor

Who is actually paying you? If the artist uses DistroKid to distribute the recording, it might be reasonable to ask that you be paid directly by DistroKid using DistroKid’s splits function, which allows an artist to automatically split payments

to their collaborators including producers and beatmakers (or their manager, mom or mentor). If the artist is signed with a record label, ideally the label is paying you by way of what is referred to as a letter of direction (a.k.a. an LOD).

Digital Performance Royalties

Are you entitled to a share of the featured artist share of these royalties paid by SoundExchange, ACTRA RACS, MROC, etc.?

Credit

What credit are you getting? Where is that credit being included? Will it appear on Spotify, Apple Music, and other important platforms? Getting a credit with a significant artist can open many doors. If you are not credited for your work, it’s harder to prove you actually made the beat.

Additional Considerations

The points above are only some examples of the most relevant deal terms – but they are a good start. Not all the deal terms you want are going to be included in the deal terms you are offered.

When you receive an offer from an artist (especially if they are a “bigger” artist, for example, one with a strong record label behind them), a general suggestion is to not make that same beat available to anyone else – either to buy or lease. If, for example, you have the beat up on YouTube, but also on BeatStars for people to lease or purchase, we generally suggest not making it available for sale or lease to anyone else while the opportunity with the artist is being negotiated.

Also, important to note is that if the beat includes a sample, or it has been leased to someone else, that you are up-front with the artist about that fact, so you can deal with it together, proactively, and avoid anyone being surprised by that fact later on. Similarly relevant are loops – and how you acquired them.

Overall, we want to ensure the deal is reasonable in the circumstances and within the scope of industry standards. Just because something is standard, does not mean that it is reasonable in the circumstances. If you have any questions, Michael can be reached at michael.duboff@edwardslaw.ca

Interview :: Fire & Smoke

BY KEELEY BRAUNSTEIN-BLACK PHOTO: ADAM KELLY

Fire & Smoke is the bilingual folk duo comprised of Claire Morrison and Daniel Péloquin-Hopfner. They released the single, “How It Is,” from their FR-EN bilingual EP (Spring-Summer 2023). We caught up with them at Synonym’s office above Electric Lunch.

Stylus: Tell me about the new single “How It Is ”

Claire: With the next release that we are doing, we wanted to bring it back to the source of the project. Doing things as much as possible live off the floor, playing simultaneously together as much as possible, avoiding individual tracking. There are a few overdubs we did on this recording, but trying to keep it in the realm of live recording.

Daniel: It has the magic of what it is that we do, with our two voices and avoiding the studio magic to make a clean polished pop record, to make it the roots track that it deserves.

S: What inspired this song?

C: I had the draft of a song that I couldn’t finish, that I was really stuck on. I kind of had an idea of what the cords were and kind of had an idea of what the melody was. The shape was there, but it wasn’t clear. We knew we were going to be recording a new EP, and one of our first weeks of preproduction I sat down and said, “here, this is what I have got. What do we do with this?” We sat down and workshopped it a bit, and tried options for instrumentation, and as soon as we started working on it together, the rest of it fell into place. The rest of the lyrics emerged within a few hours and by the end of the day we had a new song.

D: Of all the songs we have written, it was like, “this is it. This is the one.” If there is going to be one lead single for this, it is going to be this one. Clair and I work in a really dynamic way. Claire is super businessoriented and very organized in your personal life, business life and artistic life. I am a bit of an agent of chaos, for better or worse. We complement each other well in that sense. We bring out the best in each other.

C: We cover each other’s weaknesses. We fit into each other in a complementary way. In terms of the lyrics and the overall theme and energy of the song, it was because I was coming out of a really long slog, like a lot of people at that time. It was a dark couple of years, and I was having a really hard time. I lost my mom just before the pandemic, and then the pandemic hit, and I lost all of my jobs. Also, in that same year, I broke up with my long-term partner. Lost my apartment. It was one of those periods of time where you start to feel like, “oh, I don’t know if it is going to get better.” When I was writing “How It Is,” it was this tongue-in-cheek, reminder that

things get better whether you are expecting them to or not. That, for me, is the essence of the song. You can decide in your own mind that things aren’t going to get better, that things just suck, and that is where you are now, that is where you exist, and then little surprises happen.

I think what is so cool about this song is that I wrote it at a time when things where so many things were looking up that I was almost overwhelmed by how much hope there was. Coming to terms with that you don’t have 100 per cent control over your life,

and revisit.” It’s given people the chance to course correct.

D: To see what is actually bringing you happiness, and what is meaningful in your life.

C: Meaning-making has become a big part of people’s lives in the last few years, and I think that is amazing.

S: How would you describe yourselves to readers who haven’t heard you before?

D: This band started around a campfire at Folk Fest. We were playing, and this voice came out of the darkness. It was Claire. We played a song together, and it felt like this awesome chemistry. From that moment on, I tracked her down and said, “we should start a project together.” Thankfully she agreed because I had already started booking festivals.

C: I would just like to clarify that the invitation was not “let’s start a band together,” it was “we should jam sometime.” I was like ok, sure. At the time, it was through something funny like MySpace. It’s so funny to think about now. Just got this message from this random person who I played one song with one time. We got to together to play some music and at the end of that jam together, he was like, “oh, I booked this thing for us. Do you think you would like to play this festival?” I said yes. It was terrifying. It was Shine On, a month later.

D & C together: Agent of chaos.

for worse but also for better. You need to be open to surprises.

D: It has a triumphant vibe in an ironic way.

C: It was the first thing that we wrote together after getting our band back together. We were active from 2010-13, and then I moved away, and we focused on other projects. It was during the pandemic that we got back together and said, “we aren’t done. Let’s get back together and make some new music.”

I think those years allowed people to recalibrate and look at their lives and go, “oh, there are things that I am missing here,” or “things that I want to go back

D: What the project sounds like, and the ethos behind it is bringing what that campfire energy really is. The special moments of intimacy, and where everyone is in a circle focused inwards. The ancient tradition of storytelling and oral history is a big aspect of that in our live performances. A lot of what we write is richly painted metaphors that are narrative based. There is a narrative thread through each song. If I were to sum it up, I would say, “twilight, campfire music, and old souls.”

C: It is important to note that it is in both French and English what we do. The EP will be in both.

D: What you will see when you find us is feet in both worlds. We are trying to represent the best of that. Claire living in Montreal, and me living here, being able to span the country and also the two languages and cultures. Build bridges instead of focusing on the differences.

Fire & Smoke will be performing as a trio with bassist Marika Galea at Festival du Voyageur on Feb. 18, opening for Louis-Jean Cormier at CCFM.

Space Jam Sweeping

In a two-story house on a quiet street in Osborne Village live Lucas Nixon, Ben Adolph, and Aidan Klapprat. When these housemates duck under a large, metal “No Trespassing” sign and descend into their basement, they enter the domain of Sweeping, an up-and-coming post-rock group. This house they moved into at the end of October has proven to be not only a convenient jam space for the trio but crucial for the development and connection of the band.

“It’s easier to get into each other’s heads – in a good way,” says Aidan, the band’s bassist. “Even just understanding how we live together, that really brings a whole lot more to this space. We’re kind of intertwined a lot more now.”

It’s been a huge step up from their previous situation – lugging all their gear back and forth between their parents’ houses. They agree that the past couple of months have felt much more natural and cohesive than ever.

Sweeping’s instruments are situated in a circle around a large, soft rug, guarding socked feet from the frigid concrete floor. “We split it,” says Lucas,

vocalist and one of the guitarists. “We were all so stoked, like, ‘we have to get the nice rug.’” “We all wanna be touching the rug when we play,” adds Ben, the other guitarist.

A drum kit sits in the corner, the kick drum covered in stickers, and the rest of the drums covered in shirts, mats, and a toque – anything to keep the noise down.

“Even though we have the drums,” Lucas explains, “we don’t want to play them too much because we don’t want to get noise complaints” – the absence of which is necessary for Sweeping’s jam space to remain in the house. “It works that we don’t officially have a drummer.”

“It definitely feels funny trying to store other things here, where it’s just such a musical space,” says Lucas. “The basement before was just a lot of stuff.”

Most of this stuff – cans of paint, various screens, a couple boards, standard rental basement fare – has been distributed between the junk corner next to the furnace and the slightly unsettling root cellar, which they generally avoid.

“We were thinking of hiding a friend in there to jump out at the end,” Aidan tells me, the other bandmates laughing.

One of the sole non-musical items in the Sweeping jam space is a VHS box set of the second season of The Sopranos. “It’s the best thing we have in this basement,” declares Ben. “Someone could come and steal all of our gear, and as long as they left that, we’re ok.”

Lucas’ guitar pedals are laid out on an old beat-up

skateboard deck. “I’ve been wanting to upgrade it to an actual pedalboard for a while, but I get a lot of compliments on it at shows,” he says.

As may be suggested by the skateboard, Sweeping is by no means made up of gear purists – they play what sounds cool, and whatever gets them there is more than adequate for them.

“My pedal setup is really stupid,” Ben laughs. “I don’t even really know what I’m doing, but I like the way it sounds.”

His Roland FC-200 MIDI foot controller is perhaps the band’s pride and joy.

“This thing’s sweet for live shows because I have the MIDI hooked up to my sampler, so I can just hit one of these when I want the drums to kick in,” he explains. “Instead of hitting a button and then getting ready to play, I can just go right into it.”

Sweeping has been focusing on live shows as of late, but they’re hoping to begin recording music beyond their several existing SoundCloud demos and the one-ofone 4-track tape they gifted Chad VanGaalen last winter. Whatever the band ends up doing, as they continue to sweep the Winnipeg music scene, their basement will undoubtedly keep playing a foundational role.

WORDS & PHOTOS: MIKE THIESSEN

Transistor 66

Knows How to Throw a Party

The Transistor 66 anniversary show at The Handsome Daughter was a riot. Seriously, so much fun. It makes me wonder; when did rock ‘n’ roll start taking itself so seriously?

The Unbelievable Bargains have always generated good wholesome fun. Their universal themes say what everyone is thinking in a way that everyone can enjoy. Their songs remind us about the simple

pleasures in life, like “Aquatic Mammals,” “Dogs,” & “Tomato Clam.” These are love songs about everyday life, even the one about the “Awful Cat.” “Are You Ready for Spaghetti?” made even the crustiest punks gently sway side-to-side & nod their heads in agreement. Who could dislike the Unbelievable Bargains?!

The Lonely Vulcans were a comeback treat for

the senses. Haze, psychedelic, & surf species of rock were woven into an instrumental tapestry. Dank bluesy-synthy melodies compounded their performance, with a hint of a circus lilt behind some of the rhythms. They sounded tight as if they were still doing regular shows. A welcome chaser before things got off the rails.

These are the standards we have come to expect from T66 in their 20 years on the calendar. Quality musicians teaming up to appease the hooligans of our local scene, giving us something to sharpen our senses and rekindle that feeling of why we started coming to live shows in the first place. Art Transistor stood to the side, enjoying the ride of the evening but never took the spotlight himself. Simply enjoying the evening for what it was, a rock n roll show.

Scott Nolan made a short appearance to wish his best to the label that gave him his footing in the recording industry – an early investment that has paid off ten-fold. He did a capella ode, “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” before slipping out the backdoor as quickly as he came in.

BA Johnston is up to his old tricks, and the audience lapped it up. When his snot rockets were flying, I had an epiphany. His performance made me realize that deep down, there is a part of me that enjoys cringe. He was born from the creation of meme culture. He’s played at every iteration of this bar that has existed and knows just which jokes land. He can shit-talk the Bombers, but it’s okay because he’s a TiCat fan (described in detail when Jesus helps them win the Grey Cup in “Jesus is from Hamilton”).

His Discman is not the cutting-edge piece of technology it once was, but his songs are just as relevant as ever. “How Many T-Bone Steaks Can I Fit into the Waistband of my Pants?” - who doesn’t need to save a dime these days? “I Wanna Drink Alley Beers” - saving money at the bar (with

JOCELYN MCLEAN

a shout-out to the Lo Pub)! “Gimme Some Treats (GST cheque)” - okay, there might be a theme...

BA’s shows are a force that cannot be accurately portrayed in spite of my attempts. You’ve got to see it to believe it and then see it again so you can sing along. Don’t bring your kids – they won’t get the references. Or your good clothes. Everyone went home with BO by proxy.

PHOTOS: KEELEY BRAUNSTEIN-BLACK

Daniel Kussy’s Top 5 Albums 2022

DANIEL KUSSY

I did not have Baritone/Bass Spanish post rock on my musical bingo card for the year of 2022. A collection of serenading bass riffs along with tense percussion drawn from post rock pillars like Archers of Loaf and Hüsker Dü, Leia Rodríguez’s emphasis on Low-end makes for a refreshing rock listen.

As rock music begins to see its mainstream renaissance by way of pop punk ballads, a trio of Chicago girls barely out of their teens wave the alt rock flag in one hand and hold the torch passed on from the era of Archers of Loaf, Pavement, and Guided by Voices.

From Up There

The emotional gravity of Ants From Up There bared its weight on my seemingly already heavy shoulders. The thorough details in the lyrics in tandem with a canvas composition with instrumentation that draws emotional peaks and valleys. It’s hard not to feel a void in the departure of frontman Isaac Wood just days before this album saw the light of day, though I’m excited to see which direction the Cambridgeshire group takes us.

A deeply personal listen carried by relatable experiences. The thorns in Ella Marie Coyes’ vocals are sharp enough to have the listener hear the pain in her incredible voice while her guitar playing breathes as if covered in ash.

“With Love snaps a perfect picture of the empathetic love that Stevens never compromises. It carries important lessons with each lesson and radiates the colour pink. For these reasons, With Love is for everyone.”

Written in the June/July 2022 Edition (Volume 33, Issue 3) of Stylus Magazine.

5 Leia Destruye S/T

4 Sister Ray Communion

3 Horsegirl Versions of Modern Performance

2 Sophie Stevens With Love

1 Black Country New Road Ants

CKU Who?

6 - 7 p.m. Tuesdays

Sonic Blanket with Seraphine Crowe

WORDS & PHOTO: KEELEY BRAUNSTEIN-BLACK

Stylus: How did you come up with the name?

Seraphine: My initial idea for a show was to play a lot of intense music, maybe not all from the same genre but music that I found really surrounded me when I listened to it. I felt out of my body, and it had a layer that I felt I was wrapped up in, kind of like a big blanket when I heard it. Sonic Blanket is an acute concept in itself, but it goes towards how I feel when I play the music that I am centring the show around.

I also wanted a radio show to show other people the music I listen to because many of the bands I listen to don’t have the biggest following. I wanted to create a space where I felt like I was hanging out with you and showing you the music that I like.

Stylus: There is no theme to the show?

Seraphine: I started out with a set of music in my head that was very intense, with a lot of reverb; it’s very dense. After my first show, I was thinking about it in terms of wanting to talk more. I don’t want to be super personal on the radio, but I feel good

about telling a personal story or having a friend on the show to share the music they like. While I started with the theme of the music itself being the blanket, I might want to turn it into a concept of being a warm, comfortable show where people are talking about local shows and things going on in the community.

I like sharing stories. I like talking about music with my friends. That is a big part of it; having good conversations with friends about music and what it means to us. Just because sometimes things sound really good, and it is worth describing. I love being surrounded by a lot more people that are willing to do that with me.

I also want to share local shows. Which I may or may not go to because I don’t go out super often, but I think there is a lot of good music in Winnipeg.

Stylus: How do you feel about Tuesdays 6-7? Is the time slot going to affect your programming?

Seraphine: I don’t think so. I don’t work during the evenings. I have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I am at the U of W anyway. I think it is a good time slot because of the nature of the stuff I want to do on my show. It reminds me of unwinding after a long day. I don’t want to stress people out. I really enjoy that time slot; it’s the end of the day.

Stylus: How many shows have you done?

Seraphine: Only one show.

Stylus: Do you have plans for your next one?

Seraphine: The first one was very centred around punk music. I was focused on a specific subgenre of punk: egg punk. It is the more manic and silly cousin of hardcore and classic punk. It has a lot of influences from the 60s and 70s; I don’t know if you’re into the B-52s. I really like them; they have this very jumping weight to the way that he speaks. A little bit punky but silly, and have a lot going on. Egg punk has a lot of that influence. It’s very absurd, very silly, very jangly, which are all things that I like. I like classic punk and hardcore, but there is something very eclectic about egg punk.

Stylus: What are some examples of things you played on your first show?

Seraphine: There is this band from Minneapolis; they are called Uranium Club. They’ve been around for a while; their more popular record came out in 2016. They are the definition of egg punk to me, even though they are a very recent band. One of their songs, “, “is one of the more popular ones; I don’t even know how to describe it. It is very silly, jumpy, and upbeat, but if you listen to the lyrics, they are very nihilistic and negative. They have created characters of themselves.

One thing about them when listening to live performances, my friends and I were talking about every time I have seen play in recordings, the way that they look is very stiff. They project their voices and do a lot with the guitar, but it seems like they are being forced to play. I think it is part of their act, and it’s kind of funny.

Another band would be Prison Affair from Barcelona. All the songs sound the same in the sense that their lyrics are incomprehensible. They have very garbled vocals and use a lot of the same types of guitar riffs and a drum machine. I wouldn’t listen to it over and over again. Each one of the demos they have is one minute long, about six minutes. Also really silly. I’m sure you are familiar with Charlie Brown; you know how the adults are garbled? I thought about Prison Affair as if the adults in Charlie Brown made a punk band.

Stylus: What’s next?

Seraphine: The plan for my next radio show is not about punk whatsoever. I will eventually circle back to it; there are a lot of punk bands that I do want to play. For my next show, I want to start it off by playing this whole demo album by the lead singer of the Pixies, Frank Black. The album came out long after the Pixies. It’s him and his guitarplaying demo versions of some songs that would go on to be major hits by the Pixies. It was recorded in an apartment building, and at some point, you can hear a buzzer in the background. My mom used to play it when I was a kid; I always loved it. It is recorded in an apartment building, and it is just him singing. It’s isolating and intense. It goes along with the intensity of the stuff I want to play. I am still figuring out the rest.

The big part of doing a radio show for me is coming to terms with being comfortable talking on the air. That is a big struggle for me is talking, especially live. By talking about music and incorporating talking. Another part was wanting to make posters for it. I got my friends to make posters. I made these three, and my friends made a bunch. We put them up around the U of W. Each of them has their own special style.

Local Releases

giving an almost angelic sound that fits perfectly with the funky electronic instrumentals.

Another thing that stood out to me on this project is the lyrics. This is encapsulated in a song like “Deep See” They are a mix of fantastical, almost nonsensical verses to more real, authentic lyrics. These two elements of natural and supernatural are composed together perfectly.

BICYCLE FACE BICYCLE SPACE

Winnipeg art-pop duo, Bicycle Face, describes their sound as “the most whimsical side of Metric, or Joanna Newsom with effects pedals.” Their new album, Bicycle Space, is centred around the theme of space and constellations to paint a picture of life, loss, and going through changes.

The album opens with “The Fainting,” an upbeat, almost nursery rhymesounding song, playing into the space theme. It is a strong opener for the record, and I am particularly fond of the bassline, especially the vocals. The vocals on this album are high-pitched,

The entire album has an extremely relaxing vibe to it. On a song like “Innerlude” and later “Outerlude,” There aren’t any lyrics. You are just left with this simple yet beautiful instrumental. These were refreshing breaks during the album experience. It lets the artists show off their instrumental skills instead of letting them be drowned out.

My favourite track on the album is definitely “Alien Mind” it is a perfect encapsulation of every praise I have laid on so far. The instrumentals were great, with a chill rock vibe to them. The vocals and especially the inflections stand out. And the lyrics were thoughtful yet wonderful at the same time.

Tunes From Away

for you.’

The track “Full Time Dazing” is almost too real for me. From the background static to the repeating guitar melodies to all the lines about being lost at sea, this track is like a dissociative episode.

That feeling is similarly echoed in ‘That Room,’ where I’m not really all there, and the world around me no longer feels real. It’s the type of track you could just turn on, sit back, and let yourself get completely lost in it.

DIL BRITO FENCES GLIMPSES GLANCES

In most parts of his music, he doesn’t need lyrics; the melodies say it all. The small comforts of this album make it feel incredibly warm and welcoming. It has almost a nostalgic haze type of vibe to it. I think the best part about it is that this isn’t some pretentious ass shit. It’s complex and beautiful, but it still doesn’t feel as though it’s trying to aim too hard for that target audience of ‘snobby hipsters who listen to folk music and probably think that they’re both better than you AND too smart

I think that within his music, there’s also a bit of connection there too. It goes around full circle. There’s a type of weird deja vu throughout the album where you hear a new sound and go, “wait, I think I heard that before” or there’s some musical repetitiveness there, just enough that it seems as though it’s really tying the whole album together in a sense.

Dil Brito’s music overall feels incredibly powerful and poetic. In both the aspects of musical parts and lyrics, I believe that Dil Drito truly does have an incredibly unique and interesting style and sound.

GABRIEL FARS

The album closes with “O Saturn,” a bittersweet conclusion. It wraps up the album well because it sticks to the same space themes. Overall, I think this album is solid, and I look forward to any future releases by the group. In my opinion, it feels like a follow-up is in order, as the album ends a little too soon. Hopefully, they won’t keep me waiting very long.

pieces of phrases and jokes overheard. In short, the movie is profoundly Winnipeg. There is no pretense, only a dogged earnestness. The Saskatoon expat Kitz Willman seems to be tapping into the same stream with his latest release, Grim Errands.

JAKOB SHEPPARD

Not long after moving to Winnipeg, Kitz Willman released the stunning Royal Visit to Uranium City. Royal Visit was a blast of free jazz saxophone, colonial critique, scaegorial nonsense, and punk aesthetic wrapped in a babushka. With Grim Errands, the sonic pallet is streamlined to sinister synths and off-kilter samples but what really stands out is Kitz style of rapping.

In December, I went to see the cult classic Crime Wave at Cinematheque by Winnipeg director John Paizs. Crime Wave is brimming with ideas, freely mixing ideas in a charming, haphazard way. A bit of surrealism, some sardonic and dark prairie humour, a kitschy 50s vibe, bits and

To my ears, there is a lot of stuff that is just straight-up nonsense and free associations. Other lines have clearly been written out. In a way, Kitz is sampling himself, using premeditated lines as a jumping point for improvisation. More than a few times, I could only laugh and shake my head at some of the lines he spits. There are also incredibly biting lines like in Rap Journalist “Doesn’t know how to pronounce Fanon but wants to ask a black rapper about everything that’s going on.”

This one deserves your ears and attention. SCOTT PRICE

GRAHAM KARTNA TOOT TOOT

Toot Toot is the latest album from Hamilton-based electronic musician Graham Kartna. Known by indietronica fans for his collagelike style of incorporating various sound bytes, voice recordings, and the occasional robot voice within his music, Kartna is a unique talent and a prolific artist, having released over 20 albums since 2011.

Toot Toot begins with “Mai Donkey,” a dreamy, cheery, and hopeful instrumental that pleasantly invites the listener in with the sound byte, “Good evening, I like you very much.” “Mai Donkey” is a wonderful introduction

to Kartna’s new album and his brand of music for new and curious listeners. You’ll find Kartna uses a variety of sound clips creatively throughout his songs, and you may even notice the subtle undertone of humour present in his work.

“Only At Your Convenience” is one of the tracks on the album where we find some offbeat vocals describing an awkward, slightly apathetic, slightly neurotic character who knows what’s up but also knows there’s not much anyone can do about it. The lyrics are forgiving, and the overall feeling of Kartna’s music is a sense of not taking oneself too seriously. Be goofy, be quirky, and most importantly, have fun. You get the impression throughout Toot Toot that Kartna is having a lot of fun creating his music. It’s silly, uplifting, uses weird computer synths, and is also incredibly endearing. Songs like “Your Continued Work,” with samples of a young lady saying, “I love you,” and “Night Sweats,” where the lyrics display a certain level of selfacceptance and humbleness.

“Oh Lourd/Toot Toot” is another example of strategically awkward vocals and lyrics sprinkled with

KITZ WILLMAN GRIM ERRANDS

humility. About halfway through the song, we’re giving a delicate and playful instrumental that really perks up the ears and gets you moving.

We’re brought back down to a more baseline and chill-ish walking tune with “Window Shopping,” and we can sense during “Jellystoning” that Kartna is preparing us to depart from his fascinatingly glitchy world. Closing the album with a beautiful arrangement of samples and cuts, “How Can You Tell” says goodbye in good fashion.

The best part about a Graham Kartna album is that you can’t expect where any song will go next, so if you’re someone who enjoys an adventure in electronic compositions–he certainly is the guy for you.

JACLYN WESEEN

CADASTRAL MAPS TIN-EAR

Tin-Eared typically means someone who is insensitive to or lacks the ability to appreciate or make good judgments about music. But I can tell you that

Tin-Ear is anything except that.

This is exactly the type of music you would expect to come out of Prince Edward Island. If you want to listen to something absolutely jazztastic, or music that tastes positively scrumdiddlyumptious, Cadastral Maps is it.

It feels as though, throughout the album, there’s a bit of a journey there. It’s almost as though the lead singer is trying to tell us a story through their lyrics. I think it makes you feel more connected to what they’re trying to say with the music. It makes you want to listen in closer and carefully decipher what they’re trying to say throughout the songs.

“Fling Straw Man” is a track that reminds me of those soft and sweet parts of my childhood. Knowing that it’s over now but looking back sweetly at the memories.

The lyrics and track of “Star Song” solidify the magical and almost fantasylike themes of the album. Especially with all that talk about dragons. The whole album is a journey, and Tin-Ear is just trying to help guide you through it and trying to show you where to go. Cadastral Maps is that perfect blend between fantasylike and child lofi focus type of music. It’s calming but not boring, which is exactly the type of music I’m looking for.

GABRIEL FARS

MATTMAC PERFORMING AT THE WECC ON JANUARY 28 FOR WINTERRUPTION

PHOTO: KEELEY BRAUNSTEIN-BLACK

AVENUE 46 PERFORMING AT THE HANDSOME DAUGHTER JANUARY 8

PHEONIX

PHOTO: KATIE KOLESAR

PHOTO: KATIE KOLESAR

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