Rating: NNN
Toronto’s weirdo music scene doesn’t always get as much attention internationally as Montreal’s, but if you want a crash course on a big chunk of the strange, experimental music being made here in intimate DIY venues, this 80-minute mega-compilation tape by Healing Power is a good entry point.
It features 19 songs by 18 artists (Bile Sister makes two appearances), and there’s a wide range of approaches, from the skronky punk free jazz of Margarita Night to the off-kilter country folk of Jennifer Castle to lots of cosmic electronic explorations. Some of it is annoyingly silly (Toblerone Boys’ Nugget Vacancy), but other moments are hauntingly beautiful (the Cluttertones’ Bison). Given the breadth and the length, it’s unlikely that any listener will love all of it, but anyone can be sure to hear something they haven’t imagined before.
Top track: Propaganda by Petra Glynt
Colin Fisher performs at the Healing Party Bizarre on Sunday (November 2) at Double Double Land.
