Zaki Ibrahim – The Secret Life of Planets

Zaki Ibrahim operates in her own quiet pocket of the universe, and The Secret Life of Planets — her first since 2012’s Polaris Prize-nominated Every Opposite — exists in its own orbit. That the record title recalls Stevie Wonder’s Journey Through “The Secret Life of Plants” is perhaps intentional; her record mines pop, disco, house and hip-hip elements, and supports an atmosphere of experimental “sci-fi” soul, beholden to emotional intent and aural mysticism.(Exclaim!)

The Confabulation – Tunnels and Visions

Bassist and multi-instrumentalist David Woodhead is one of the most accomplished and truly original musicians in Canada, and his whimsical and rambunctious musical group Confabulation is a thrill-ride for players and audiences alike. On February 2, Woodhead celebrates his most recent CD release: Tunnels and Visions with co-Confabulators Doug Wilde, Colleen Allen, Anne Lindsay, Bob Cohen and Rich Greenspoon.(blogTO)

Ellen Doty – Come Fall

Emma Cook – Living Proof

Produced and mixed by Dean Drouillard (Royal Wood), the album was recorded at Lincoln County Social Club and sees Emma’s evolution from her folk roots, into an edgier pop sensibility. Her stunning vocals are showcased beautifully over synths and melodic indie-pop styles.(The Kingston Herald)

Galaxie – Super Lynx Deluxe

Trois ans après Zulu, la formation Galaxie, du guitariste Olivier Langevin, présente Super lynx deluxe, son cinquième album. Il suffit de lancer la chanson-titre, la première du disque, pour se rendre compte rapidement que le groupe frappe encore très fort.(ICI Musique)

Hillsburn – The Wilder Beyond

The town of Hillsburn is a tiny dot on the Bay of Fundy, outside Annapolis Royal, between two coves, Parkers and Delaps. Paul Aarntzen calls it “a little stretch of road” and it’s where he lived, “by myself with my dog for three years with no furniture,” after a wandering stretch in the US, living in a van. “You can only wake up in a Walmart parking lot so many mornings,” he says, “before you realize this On the Road, Jack Kerouac dream is not that.”(The Coast)

Milk & Bone – Deception Bay

As Milk & Bone, Camille Poliquin and Laurence Lafond-Beaulne possess a rarefied ability to reconstruct your innermost sentiments out of an array of synths, drums, programming and voice, all while keeping the deepest layers intact and affecting.(Exclaim!)

Rhye – Blood

Rhye is mood music. Los Angeles (by way of Toronto) producer, musician and vocalist Mike Milosh augers Blood in an orgy of analogue keys, sensual strings, plaintive percussion and a cooing contralto. Much of the mystery behind the movement that was 2013’s Woman has lifted; in its place, contentment. Initially a collaboration between Milosh and Danish producer Robin Hannibal, the latter was contractually obligated elsewhere, leaving Milosh to tour without him and further imprint Rhye as his own brainchild in the process. The time between albums was due to a mix of personal and label-related issues — a divorce, a new relationship and new label situation later, Rhye has returned with a near-perfect record.(Exclaim!)

WTCHDR – Failed Ambition

The Sheepdogs – Changing Colours

THE SHEEPDOGS–the Canadian-based five-piece guitar-driven rock band–are gearing up for the Friday, February 2 digital release of CHANGING COLOURS, their sixth full-length album, via Dine Alone Records (in the U.S.), and Warner Music (in Canada), with the physical release coming in late February (exact date TBA).The four-time JUNO Award-winninggroup, who graced the cover of Rolling Stone in 2011 when they made history as the first unsigned band to appear on the cover of the famed magazine by beating out 15 other artists in the Choose the Cover contest (Issue 1137), haveexpanded their sound on CHANGING COLOURS, encompassing more styles and hues to enhance their trademark beef-and-boogie twin-axe riffs, hooks, shuffles and long-haired aesthetic.(Blues Rock Review)