Every once in a while, the Mixtape team likes to give you a little glimpse into what our crew has been loving lately. We’re a group of music lovers from across the country, constantly absorbing the best of Canadian music. Here’s a look at what we’ve been listening to the past couple weeks.
Jane Caulfield
Contributing editor
@Janecaulfield
I went to high school with Caribou (aka Dan Snaith). I’m fairly certain he wouldn’t remember me, and if he does, it’s a fuzzy memory. I was the grade nine trumpet player who somehow managed to make it into the senior band. I was out of my element, awkward and didn’t say much. He was this larger-than-life, humble and amazingly talented dude who had a captivating and positive energy that could fill any room.
That same energy oozes out of his latest album, Our Love, and is just as captivating. It’s an infectious energy making me, a strict non-dancer, want to dance uncontrollably as if I was celebrating something awesome. It melts my worries away and is now a necessary part of my daily life.
Jane Caulfield is currently cultivating grey hairs while planning MoSo, an awesome tech conference and music festival in Saskatoon.
Erin MacKinnon
Contributor
Viet Cong’s new self-titled album is not for the faint of heart. The album’s hollow guitar strums are constantly slicing through relentless pounding of drums, leaving you feeling as if you’ve been sprinting through all seven songs. That is not to say, however, the post-punk band from Calgary doesn’t leave you with time to catch your breath. With each heavy anxiety-inducing surge the band will suddenly retreat, lulling it’s avid listener into a false sense of security, before coming in with the punch. The album is raw and disarming and undoubtedly one of the best things that has come out of Canada in 2015. Listen with a hard drink and the knowledge that this album will emotionally rip you to shreds (in a good way).
Erin MacKinnon is from Vancouver and writes academic papers about moshing.
Matias Munoz
Contributor
@OttawaShowBox
Nearly 15 years later, Mike Dubue is the only remaining original member of Hilotrons, but he’s shown no signs of slowing down. For the most recent album To Trip with Terpsichore (pron. “terp-sick-ree”), the latest incarnation of Hilotrons includes a cast of some of the most talented and boundary-pushing artists in the Ottawa-Gatineau region, such as members of Scattered Clouds and the seemingly unstoppable Adam Saikaley. Dubue’s ingenious musical style is reminiscent of David Byrne; it transcends genres, takes risks, and maintains raw and minimalist qualities while ultimately delivering music that can make you move. I love this new record because it is chaotic but funky as hell – from poppy synth layerings to throwback moments of ‘70s Jamaican dub music and Black Market Clash. Dubue never wants the listener to be fully comfortable with his music, and that’s what makes it so evocative.
(Note, To Trip with Terpsichore is available for free with options to buy a physical copy or digital edition with additional tracks)
Matias Munoz knows what show you should go to in Ottawa. He’s one of the people behind the blog Ottawa Showbox.
Jonathan Briggins
Editor-in-chief
@mixtape_editor
Perhaps it’s because Halifax has been trapped in a perpetual state of winter with no end in sight, but I’ve been listening to the title track from Jennifer Castle’s Pink City on repeat. She took a swing through the Maritimes last week, playfully taunting us by singing about spring and informing us spring has begun in other parts of the world. “But you’re the first to see the sun in the morning, you can’t have everything,” she told the crowd at the Company House in Halifax. Castle has a voice that demands your attention, not wasting a guitar strum, piano note or breath. “Pink City” is a beautiful song, one that paints a picture of the place I want to visit right now, transporting me through the mesmerizing saxophone.
Jonathan Briggins loves sports and music, but not the music they play at sports events.