Bright & Vivid by Kathryn Calder

Written and recorded in a relatively short amount of time, Bright and Vividis a masterfully refined piece of work that illustrates a maturation that can only come from intense growth and change. Somefolks break when too much happens in a short period of time, yet Calder reached deep within and manifested it into a striking gift for listeners. The first thing you will notice from the onset of the first track One, Two, Three is that the production level is massive with layers upon layers of different shades of sound that continues to unfold with each listen. Not only is the production expansive, but the performances are precise. Kathryn is backed this go round by a newly minted band consisting of Lane Arndt, Stefan Bozenick and Marek Tyler. Additional parts were provided by friends and fans of Kathryn, including: Jon Wurster (Superchunk,Mountain Goats), Dean Tzenos (Odonis, Odonis), Jesse Zubot, Barry Mirochnik and Paul Rigby (Neko Case) and Ford Pier. Fans expecting a straight ahead pop album will instead discover songs that are remarkably complex. The endlessly singable hooks are supported by intelligent songwriting and complex arrangements. Calder sums it up best….I didn’t want to give those songs away too easily, I wanted people to wonder what was coming next, where the song was going. This album defies ANY comparisons to Kathryn’s current association with The New Pornographers as well as her past history with Immaculate Machine. Kathryn has found her own beautifully unique voice… one that is best summed up by the title that she chose for her sophmore release, Bright and Vivid.

Centerfold by Darcys

Toronto’s beloved alt pop duo Darcys unveiled their first new music in two years, the bright, summery album, Centerfold, which was produced by recent Grammy and JUNO-Award winner Shawn Everett (Alabama Shakes, Julian Casablancas).

Centerfold was recorded at Red Bull Studios in Auckland, New Zealand, and is the Arts & Crafts’ recording artists’ first commercial release since 2013’s Polaris and JUNO-nominated album Warring.

The album, mixed by Matty Green (The Weeknd, TV On The Radio) and mastered by Emily Lazar (Vampire Weekend, Haim), sees the band – consisting of Jason Couse and Wes Marskell – exploring its pop ambitions and drawing from long-standing influences like Prince, The Killers, MGMT, and Chromeo.

Cow Palace 1986 by Neil Young

By the time Neil Young played The Cow Palace in San Francisco on the evening of 21st November, 1986 as part of his Live in a Rusted Garage with Crazy Horse tour, he had already released 16 solo albums, three more with Buffalo Springfield and another three with Crosby, Stills & Nash or members thereof. And while across this staggering body of work, amassed by the time this troubadour of troubadours had reached only his 40th year, there were highs and lows, the overall quality and influence of his work by this juncture in his career was unsurpassed in the world of contemporary music. This spectacular show was caught in all its magnificence by KLOS FM, and broadcast across the airwaves for all to witness. At well over two hours long, and boasting impeccable sound quality, Young draws from his full catalogue of work for this momentous concert. In a boisterous yet jovial mood, and displaying so much of his unique guitar work, plus forays with harmonica, vocoder and even a telephone, this performance illustrates perfectly – if anyone is still in doubt – what all the fuss is about .

Enregistrements 1958-1963 by Marcel Martel & Noëlla Therrien

Marcel Martel est une des figures les plus connues et respectées de la scène country du Québec. Il était temps qu’une anthologie lui soit consacrée. Les plus grands succès sont tous disponibles sur le coffret. Un livret de 32 pages documenté avec textes et photos vient compléter le corpus de 3 cd. L’anthologie propose un survol des années 1958 à 1965, et on y trouve aussi les premiers enregistrements de Noëlla Therrien, épouse de Marcel et mère de Renée Martel. Un must à posséder pour les collectionneurs et amoureux de la chanson québécoise. Renée a activement participé à la réalisation du coffret.

Extra Danza 3 by Dominique Hudson

Grâce à ses rythmes chauds sur des airs pop, Dominique Hudson continue de plus belle à nous faire danser avec son troisième opus de son projet Danza. Depuis Quand je vois tes yeux, une dizaine de titres dont Danza, Hasta Luego, Sous les sunlights des tropiques, Comme avant et On bouge, ont été de gros hits radios chez les pop adulte. Le nouvel extrait, Alicia, commence déjà à tourner partout au Québec. Depuis que Dominique Hudson a fait son premier spectacle Extra Danza avec ses dix (10) musiciens et ses quatre (4) danseurs à l’Olympia de Montréal à guichet fermé, les dates de spectacles ne cessent de s’ajouter et son bassin d’admirateurs ne cesse de grandir! Avec le nouvel album, Dominique Hudson nous concocte un nouveau spectacle encore plus captivant et dynamique que jamais.Plus de 30 dates sont à l’horaire de l’artiste pour la prochaine année et le tout commencera le 17 novembre prochain au Club Dix30. Fait à noter : En octobre prochain, Dominique présentera son spectacle Extra Danza à Holguin (Cuba). Il sera d’ailleurs le premier Québécois invitépar le gouvernement cubain à se produire au festival « Iberoamericano ». Extra Danza 3 est encore plus festif et transpire le bonheur. L’artiste et ses collaborateurs ont mis l’emphase sur les rythmes et l’inspiration latine. Ce nouvel album sera sans contredit le complice de tous vos partys.

Five Roses by Miracle Fortress

Five Roses was the first album by Miracle Fortress. Originally released on May 22, 2007, it made the shortlist for the Polaris Music Prize alongside such other acts as Arcade Fire, Julie Doiron, and Chad VanGaalen.

Kathryn Calder by Kathryn Calder

It’s easy to forget that Kathryn Calder is a music industry veteran. From her first band Immaculate Machine, to the New Pornographers and her solo works Kathryn has released 10 albums over the last 10 years, toured around the world, and solidified herself a career in music before she was thirty. She recorded her first solo album, Are You My Mother in her family home while she was taking care of her mother as she lost her fight with ALS. Shortly before the release of her sophomore record, Bright and Vivid her father suddenly passed away. This bittersweet whirlwind of success and tragedy is certainly reflected in her first two albums and presumably could have provided several more albums worth of material. Yet rather than jump into writing after touring Bright and Vivid, Kathryn stopped to finally take a moment and take stock of her life. I love being on the road, she says, but there’s a side of me that is definitely a homebody and I was ready to settle into a solid base free of trauma and drama. After some unwinding and reflection she found herself coming back to the same thought, How am I going to approach my life seeing as how it’s so short? Part of the answer was to write songs that had a sense of authenticity. It wasn’t until she found herself experimenting with synths that she found the spark and began to write, except this time from a producers chair. Each song began not with lyric or melody,but with an atmosphere built from manipulating synths and loops. From these soundscapes arose the ten songs of Kathryn Calder. A collection striving to be both vulnerable and timeless, the album ranges from the get up and move of Take a Little Time and Only Armour to the delicateness of Song and Cm and Arm and Arm. Kathryn Calder demonstrates Kathryn’s limitless creative potential as she transitions from a songwriter reacting to the world to one who can capture her own moments and create one.

Les grands duos de Noël by Various Artists

Les classiques de Noël en duos avec Robert Charlebois et Roch Voisine, Marie-Élaine Thibert et Grégory Charles, Marie-Eve Janvier et Jean-François Breau, Mario Pelchat et Cindy Daniel, Paul Daraîche et Marie-Michèle Desrosiers, Robert Charlebois et Daniel Lavoie, Michaël et Bruno Pelletier, Judi Richards et Jean-Pierre Ferland, Brigitte Boisjoli et Marc Hervieux ainsi que Marie-Denis Pelletier et Sylvie Tremblay. Le premier single interprété par Raffy et King Melrose, un hit assuré pour les fêtes!

Mon Noël country by Véronique Labbé

En nomination au prochain Gala de l’Adisq pour le Félix de l’Album country de l’année en plus d’être en nomination à 7 reprises au prochain Gala de la Musique Country 2016, Véronique Labbé célèbre cette année son 20ième anniversaire de carrière en nous offrant un album de Noël incluant certains des plus grands succès de Noël et un medley qui saura faire danser les familles durant tout le temps des fêtes.

Needs by Needs

NEEDS bassist Glenn Alderson has a picture hanging on his fridge of vocalist Sean Orr lying shirtless on the floor, screaming into a microphone propped up in shoe. The photo was taken at the explosive final show for Orr’raquo;s last band, which Alderson saw as the beginning of his new band. After getting guitarist Derek Adam (You Say Party) on-board, he got Orr back on the mic. Guitarist Colin Spensley and drummer Devin O’raquo;Rourke witnessed the early NEEDS performances and took no convincing to join the orchestra for Orr’raquo;s performance piece, in which nothing he can get his hands on is safe. RIP pineapples and pint glasses. ‘raquo;Sean is a very sensitive man,’raquo; Alderson says. While he may display a certain feral numbness live, it’raquo;s merely a presentation of the anger from the many worldly thorns in his paw. In fact, the first new song written for the record, ‘raquo;Clowns to the Left of Me, Dzhokars to the Right,’raquo; was written the day after the Boston Bombing. Once they had an album’raquo;s worth of material they retreated about as far from civilization as you can get; the Noise Floor Studios on Gabriola Island with producer Jordan Koop (You Say Party!, The Courtneys, Needles//Pins). While this was their third time recording with Koop, the previous sessions were all done live off the floor to capture the band’s live energy. But according to Spensley, ‘raquo;this time we decided to go track by track and really polish these songs, letting every part stand on its own.’raquo; A risky maneuver for a band whose unpredictable live shows have earned them spots on bills alongside Fucked Up, Perfect Pussy, Trash Talk, Single Mothers and White Lung. The resulting record, mastered by Paul Gold at Salt Mastering (Viet Cong, Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear), is a presentation of cohesive chaos; the bass and drums set you in your place while the guitars have an angular chat around you.

Opus neige Grégory Charles et ses virtuoses by Various artists

Gregory Charles and his team of talented young musicians (Virtuose, Season 1, aired on Radio-Canada during the Winter 2015 season) interpret beautiful songs we enjoy hearing from the arrival of the first snowflakes all through the Christmas season. An album of gentle music from the best of our young talent.

Gregory Charles et ses virtuoses (Émission Virtuose, saison 1, diffusée sur les ondes de Radio-Canada à l’hiver 2015) nous interprètent des airs magnifiques qu’on aime écouter non seulement durant la période de Noël mais dès l’apparition des premiers flocons de neige. Un album tout en douceur de nos jeunes talents d’ici.

Pastel Moods by Oscar Peterson

Reissue of his 1956 album

SCAVENGER by KROY

SCAVENGER is a collection of songs that were written in the wee hours, when the musician returned home alone after bibulous parties. The album takes us to a mysterious universe where hearts broken by unrequited love can be heard beating. As Nina Simone once sang, “For love that cannot live yet never dies.” KROY makes this idea her own with her enwrapping melancholy tinted with sensual hints of trip hop, through which shine a few rays of light—catchy pop melodies, dancy rhythms, unifying choruses. Rather than wallowing in self-pity, KROY holds her head up high.

Les Temps Sauvages by Alexandre Poulin

Trois ans après Le mouvement des marées, l’auteur-compositeur et artiste d’exception Alexandre Poulin est de retour avec Les temps sauvages, son nouvel album à paraître le 4 novembre prochain. Enregistré à Montréal et réalisé par Guido Del Fabbro, Mathieu Perreault et Alexandre Poulin, cet album réunira 10 chansons. Le premier extrait Nos cœurs qui battent est d’une synchro parfaite entre la mélodie et le groove, enrobant adroitement une histoire d’espoir de renaissance amoureuse. 3 minutes 40 de pop accrocheuse, restant aux coffins de la folk moderne qui a fait la renommée d’Alexandre Poulin.