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Felix Cartal
Different Faces
By Alan Ranta

Turning his magic bag of tricks inside out, Felix Cartal is set to catapult himself into the upper echelon of Canadian electronic music with his sophomore album. Where his debut, Popular Music, mined the straight-up electro house vein for all it was worth, Different Faces delivers what its title would have you assume, showcasing the Vancouver producer's more diverse approach to the genre, as well as his vastly improved skills in the studio. At nearly opposite ends of the spectrum, the Mighty Ducks-referencing "Triple Deke" gets…

Sun 18 Mar – The Magnetic Fields
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The Magnetic Fields / Holcombe Waller
Vogue, Vancouver BC March 18
By Alan Ranta

The penetrating lyrics of Portland's Holcombe Waller were matched only by the ecstatic sonority of his voice. Performing his brand of contemplative baroque pop and indie folk with a violinist, cellist and multi-instrumentalist, who alternately provided piano, violin and guitar, Waller's pained and heartfelt voice blossomed like a mushroom cloud in slow motion. Among many stirring selections from his latest album Into the Dark Unknown, his cover of Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Qu'Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan…

Sat 10 Mar – Memoryhouse, Seapony
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Memoryhouse / Seapony
Waldorf Hotel, Vancouver BC March 10
By Alan Ranta

Seattle's Seapony swim in the simplistic lo-fi/twee end of the indie rock pool. With long black hair trimmed for thick bangs, lead singer and rhythm guitarist Jen Weidl marked their sound with her tastefully underpowered vocals, a little on the flat side as is suitable to their style. Danny Rowland, looking geek chic in black glasses and a V-neck sweater over a button-up shirt, provided the most excitement on lead guitar, with a little surf rock twang mixed…

Wed 7 Mar – Cloud Nothings, Mr. Dream
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Cloud Nothings / Mr. Dream
Media Club, Vancouver BC March 7
By Alan Ranta

Brooklyn power trio Mr. Dream clearly have a sense of humour about themselves. A couple tracks in, lead guitarist/vocalist Adam Moerder said, "Thank you. We're System of a Down." Mr. Dream played loud and loose, with a tinny guitar sound and sharp bass, performed with a reckless abandon that took them over the top. Their face-melting swagger built the band up to something like a less math-obsessed Bastro or a less anthemic Pixies…

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Locrian & Mamiffer
Bless Them That Curse You
By Alan Ranta

On their own, Locrian and Mamiffer have a great deal going for them. Mamiffer's 2008 debut album came out on American underground behemoth Hydra Head, giving them instant cred, while Locrian have developed their sound and skill over a dozen or so releases since 2005. After years of mutual respect, they joined forces. With six musicians in the mix, meeting in Chicago's Electrical Audio studios with renowned producer Greg Norman, and little in the way of plans, the half-dozen tracks on Bless Them…

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USRNM
Instant Message EP
By Alan Ranta

Upon hearing British producer Stuart Bowditch’s debut release under the name USRNM (pronounced “username”), it’s clear the man is educated. With years of experience and training both as a sound designer and as a DJ under his belt, Instant Message EP satisfies on both intellectual and practical levels.

Thematically, the album deals with Bowditch’s distaste for the isolating, obscured meanings of digital communication, with each of the tracks taking its name from Internet chat lingo. Yet, as these Orwellian newspeak terms are paired with Bowditch’s precise, minimal compositions, they…

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Masaki Batoh
Brain Pulse Music
By Alan Ranta

Things don't always turn out the way we want them to, but that can push us in creative new directions. Case in point, acupuncturist Masaki Batoh had planned on creating a highly experimental album entirely from the sounds of brainwaves. However, during construction, the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 occurred. Many lives were lost or irrevocably altered and, thanks to the subsequent power loss and radioactive contamination, Batoh was forced to leave Tokyo. Since then, Batoh has treated an increasing numbers of patients for anxiety. This altered…

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WhoMadeWho
Brighter
By Alan Ranta

When most people think disco, hazy scenes of ingrained clichés spring to mind, namely white guys in leisure suits on illuminated dance floors pointing fingers at rakish angles in the vicinity of a mirror balls while chubby DJs plays saccharine chart fodder with a 4/4 beats. Apparently, the perception of disco is changing in Copenhagen, as Danish power trio WhoMadeWho rip down the scaffolding of nostalgic naivety and present the bloody nosed, grabby hands, garbage bags full of cash, handguns-at-knife-fights side of disco house. Their aesthetic contains the spark of ingenuity…

Sat 18 Feb – Grimes, Born Gold
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Grimes / Born Gold
Fortune Sound Club, Vancouver BC February 18
By Alan Ranta

Edmonton-based electro freak pop act Born Gold blasted the dank Fortune Sound with heavy yet glitchy beats, and red, blue, white and green flashing lights so belligerent, they should have required patrons to sign a waver at the door. In less epileptic moments, the light show attached to lead freak Cecil Frena was quite a sight, though, with strings of white lights running down each arm that were sequentially illuminated along with MIDI effects, as…

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Pepe Deluxé
Queen of the Wave
Asthmatic Kitty Records/Catskills
By Alan Ranta

An epic pop opera surf rock concept album of such grandiose ambition and intricate execution that it washes away all other contemporary attempts at character and fidelity. This is a "Beatles on Ed Sullivan" moment for the modern age…
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Track Listing:
01. Queenswave
02. A Night and a Day
03. Go Supersonic
04. Temple of Unfed Fire
05. Contain Thyself
06. Hesperus Garden
07. Grave Prophecy
08. In The Cave
09. My Flaming Thirst
10. Iron Giant
11. The Storm
12. Riders…