The dedicated group of writers at Music-Critic.ca have compiled their lists – each one has picked their five favourite records of 2011, and selected the one the proved to be their biggest disappointment. As usual, the diversity of the choices is staggering.
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Reviewer: Nathan Atnikov |
I feel like I watched Mother Mother grow up. The first time I saw them perform was as the opening band on a four-band bill, in a club that holds a few hundred people. » Read More
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Rating: 3 / 5 Reviewer: Cam Hoff |
Abel Tesfaye is the one man R&B wrecking crew performing under the moniker of The Weeknd. I say this because Echoes of Silence is his third album of the 2011 calendar year, marking the final chapter of a thematic trilogy of mixtapes. When the first album, House of Balloons, was released, Tesfaye’s identity was shrouded in mystery. » Read More
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Rating: 3 / 5 Reviewer: Nathan Atnikov |
Depending on your perspective, Common is either a hip-hop renaissance man or a conflicted emcee, trying to be a little of everything to everyone. There’s Common the actor, appearing on TV and in the movies. And there’s Common the poet, performing duets with Maya Angelou and being invited to readings at The White House. » Read More
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Rating: 4 / 5 Reviewer: Michelle Kennedy |
Somehow—and likely this is a larger question of music history in general—the blues seem to transcend trend and popularity, bringing The Black Keys with them. It further seems that no matter the state of pop music, no matter what is crazy, popular and floating all over the internet, The Black Keys continue to rise above it » Read More
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Rating: 4 / 5 Reviewer: Cam Hoff |
The tenth studio album from “The Greatest Band in Late Night” is billed as a concept album, the death to life story of a drug pusher, Redford Stephens. But honestly I didn’t really follow the narrative through this album, and it isn’t pushing any conceptual boundaries for a hip-hop outfit to rhyme about the life and death of a dope dealer. That aside, this album is still a fairly solid collection of songs from one of the best bands in any genre. » Read More
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Reviewer: Michelle Kennedy |
“We had a different name. It was Sparrow and then it was Oh Sparrow but then we […] just couldn’t use it and I was in my dad’s basement looking at book titles and I saw one that was called “Imaginary Beings” and one that said “Invisible Cities” and we liked the way it sounded so we just put them together…” » Read More
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Rating: 4 / 5 Reviewer: Michelle Kennedy |
For me, good hip hop has always existed at the intersection between genuine satire and a genuine commitment to the genre’s form and tropes. Donald Glover’s project, Childhood Gambino, seems to fall squarely and securely at that intersection. So squarely at that intersection in fact that it is almost impossible to tell which side he stands on. » Read More
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Rating: 3 / 5 Reviewer: Trent Depue |
For The UK’s James Morrison, his third release The Awakening is an attempt at something of a personal re-emergence. Following the recent passing of his father, the subject matter revolves largely around that topic. » Read More
