Album reviews
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Review: Maggie Rogers's debut album shows she's more than a viral flash in the pan
Album review: Maggie Rogers' Heard It In A Past Life. The singer/songwriter, who notably moved Pharrell Williams to tears, mixes major label pop aspiration with a studious folk-indie sound. Read more
Review: Assume Form is James Blake's most hopeful album yet
Album review: James Blake's Assume Form: With his darkness and paranoia balanced by lovesick optimism, music's favourite sad boy sounds like he's finally ready to be happy – or at least try to be. Read more
Ryan Pfluger
Review: Sharon Van Etten's Remind Me Tomorrow has incredible emotional depth
Album review: Sharon Van Etten's Remind Me Tomorrow. On her fifth album, the singer/songwriter has grown – simultaneously more open, experimental, optimistic and sharp. Read more
Nabil
Review: Zayn grapples with toxic masculinity on Icarus Falls
The moody pop star's second solo album reminds us that sometimes life's lows help us appreciate love's highs Read more
Chris Graham
Review: Andy Shauf re-introduces his hometown band, Foxwarren
Album review: Foxwarren. Wallflower indie pop songwriter Andy Shauf is back in a collaborative mode, and it feels natural and cohesive. Read more
Review: Alessia Cara's The Pains Of Growing is a sophisticated pop coming of age
Album review: Alessia Cara's The Pains Of Growing. The Brampton singer’s sophomore release is wholly dedicated – in a wonderfully genuine way – to the challenging, gratifying and unpredictable world of adulting. Read more
Steven Taylor
Review: Earl Sweatshirt's Some Rap Songs demands heavy replay to figure out
Review: Earl Sweatshirt's Some Rap Songs: The album could be a blueprint for the future sound of hip-hop, but for now, it’s unlikely the avant-garde lyricism will dominate RapCaviar anytime soon. Read more
Review: Toronto's Jesse Crowe finds strange peace on debut Praises album
Album review: In This Year: Ten Of Swords by Praises. The debut full-length solo album by Toronto's Jesse Crowe (also of Beliefs) is melancholic but also meditative, lost in a haze but fully present to it. Read more
Review: Doug Paisley's Starter Home is a gem of an album
Album review: Doug Paisley's Starter Home: The Toronto singer/songwriter's new album is nine simple-but-deep tales about life and love. Read more
Review: Anderson .Paak breaks out of his comfortable groove on Oxnard
Album review: Anderson .Paak's Oxnard: The album is less cohesive and introspective than his modern day classic Malibu, but it's still a freewheeling and occasionally exhilarating ride. Read more
Toronto singer Chloe Charles boldly reinvents herself as ECHLO
Album review: Echolocation, Toronto R&B/soul artist Chloe Charles's first album under her new name, ECHLO, unleashes the full range of her voice and style. Read more
Review: Vince Staples trims the fat on FM!
Album review: Vince Staples's FM! While many new hip-hop albums are full of bloat, Staples packs blunt, clever verses, elastic flows and two solid guest appearances into just 22 minutes. Read more
Review: Tory Lanez finds his perfect balance on Love Me Now
Album review: Tory Lanez's Love Me Now: The Toronto singer/rapper cuts straight to the bone of his strengths – a concise collection of party anthems that demand heavy club play. Read more
Raez Argulla
Review: Kaia Kater's Grenades is so timeless it's unsettling
Album review: on Kaia Kater's Grenades, the Toronto-based singer/songwriter puts the history of folk music into dialogue with her own family history, specifically her father's immigration from Grenada. Read more
Review: Future and Juice WRLD's Wrld On Drugs doesn't live up to its potential
Album review: Wrld On Drugs, the inter-generational collaboration between Future & Juice WRLD, seems like a match made in drug-rap heaven, but it sounds more like a cash-in than the masterpiece it could have been. Read more
Review: Arkells eye the CanRock prize on Rally Cry
Album review: Arkells' Rally Cry: the Hamilton, Ontario band aim for stadium rock status without sacrificing the underdog spirit that makes you root for them. But is that still possible? Read more
Review: Victoria's Art d'Ecco dives deep into the excesses of glam rock on Trespasser
An album review of Art d'Ecco's Trespasser. Whether it revitalizes interest in the genre, it's the sort of rock album we need now, one that asks for inclusivity and acceptance. Read more
Review: Exploded View's Obey couldn't be more timely
Annika Henderson-fronted post-punk trio's second album has a familiar sound that clicks with the current mood of anxiety Read more
Review: Revocation deftly mix death metal and H.P. Lovecraft on The Outer Ones
A review of Revocation's new album The Outer Ones. H.P. Lovecraft is fitting source material for the Boston band, who revel in the confrontation between man and the vastness of the universe. Read more
Review: High On Fire are nostalgic without a wink on Electric Messiah
On their new album Electric Messiah, High On Fire feel like a heavy metal band in the purest sense without stooping to the self-conscious “old metal” revivalism of some of their contemporaries. Read more