 By: TJ Liebgott
February 2, 2009
Half Past Four's debut album Rabbit In The Vestibule is a deep, thoughtful album filled with musicianship and great talent. Fans of Prog rockers King Crimson, Rush and Robert Fripp will most likely be foaming at the mouth after listening to this musical journey.
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 By: Sheena Lyonnais
January 29, 2009
The Artist Life's sophomore EP Let's Start A Riot has dropped the eerie hospital imagery and upped the homage to their central Ontario punk rock roots. Comprised of ex-members of Jersey, At the Mercy of Inspiration, the Fullblast and Always Outnumbered, it's no surprised this is one solid pop punk explosion.
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 By: Sheena Lyonnais
January 29, 2009
Prior to recording the Garage Sessions, Jane's Party set off in a van to embark on an East Coast busking tour. Despite hailing from Toronto, Jane's Party has a very Oceanside folk-pop sound that is wonderfully chill with just enough pizzazz. A busking tour was probably the most appropriate thing this band could have done. With their country flair and use of harmonicas, songs like "Her Pain," "Into the Wild" and "Please!" are summer standouts that immediately make me yearn for July.
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 By: TJ Liebgott
January 23, 2009
Its always disappointing when an artist goes solo just to release an album that's a carbon copy of the band they are trying to "grow" from. With Sarah Blackwood's debut release Way Back Home this is hardly the case. Way Back Home is exactly as it sounds, a CD of Blackwood visiting her early roots of country and working class folk heroes like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.
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 By: Sheena Lyonnais
Jan 23, 2009
In Between The Lines Saint Alvia drops the Cartel but ups the ante. TMS caught up with vocalist Benjamin Rispin this past summer and he promised a smörgåsbord of dance hall inspired tracks, Russian waltz, Motown and some good ol' fashion punk rock. Rispin certainly isn't a liar, because this follow up to their 2007 self-titled debut incorporates a vast array of influences yet managers to unify them with that rough Saint Alvia flair.
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 By: Sheena Lyonnais
January 16, 2009
Wendy Leung's third release Stop/Start is a sweet, melodic record packed with a lot of heart. She is an ambitious classically trained pianist/singer/songwriter whose music borders a little on the coffee shop side yet boasts admirable originality worthy of music festival Lilith Fair. The album is refreshingly packaged, complete with images and partial lyrics inside a lovely artistic little insert. It's a pleasant additional element to an already pretty parcel.
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 By: TJ Liebgott
January 9, 2009
WARNING: Repeated listening of Surefire Machine's self-titled album may lead you to drink whiskey, get your girlfriend pregnant and rebel against every aspect of society.
With their crunchy, grooving guitar riffs and songs about drugs, cars and hot leaded women, Surefire Machine is that perfect combination of punk and metal (back before people started putting a "NÜ" in front) with just a hint of southern twang.
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 By: TJ Liebgott
January 8, 2009
With songs like "Hell Is Heaven (For Those Who Rock N' Roll)," "Workout, Rock Out, Pass Out (TGIF)" and "Drink 'Til I Die," itis safe to say you can pretty much figure out how Poisonous Glass's album Greatest Tits: The Breast Of will sound.
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 By: Sheena Lyonnais
January 8, 2009
Coal Mine Canaries latest release the Greatest Hits Volume 3 screams high school garage band meets generic bar band, probably not the review they were hoping for since their ages fall somewhere in the middle. "Don't Cry Angel" and "Cheater" are actually pretty guitar driven tracks that probably rock live, yet quickly turn into background music thanks to their passive deliverance on this record.
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 By: TJ Liebgott
January 7, 2009
The best way to describe the sound of Fleece Elves debut EP The Dreams is its as if Scott Weiland went and scoped out The Horseshoe and The Silver Dollar Room looking for the perfect backing band. Although lead singer Jason Adolph doesn't sound like a Weiland wannabe, his voice becomes eerily similar in songs like "Full of Empty" and "All The Colours You See."
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 By: Lynn Muscat
December 16, 2008
Whitby based rock band Bury the Bully are really in touch with their inner Zen masters. Drummer Cala’s warm smile and polite demeanour supports the hippie-esque perspective BtB portrays. From the flower, fire and water album artwork, to the album name Life, Death & Wonder, to their love, peace, faith and freedom influences listed on Myspace, BtB emanates strong positive energy.
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 By: Tanya Bailey
December 17, 2008
Grand Analog is fronted by Odario G. Williams, whose music fuses hip-hop, funk, reggae and rock and roll. I had the pleasure of chatting with Williams recently and here’s what he had to say.
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 By: Sheena Lyonnais
Dec 08, 2008
Those of you who have marveled at Andy Warhol’s Factory footage may want to check out Semi Precious Weapons’ next show. The Brooklyn-based quartet serve as an epic dialogue into the underrated current glamour scene, complete with boys who dress like girls, intense sexuality, dazzling diamonds, balls to the wall rock and roll and two emaciated fashion darlings that follow them on tour.
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 By: Sheena Lyonnais
December 3, 2008
Matt Sims and Max Tremblay, better known as the party throwing and DJing duo Matt and Maxx (also as Dopplehertz), have another huge gig tonight to add to their ever-growing roster of massive hipster parties in Toronto.
To date they’ve opened for Flosstradamus, hosted Crystal Castles at Circa, Djed with the Misshapes and tonight they’re bringing Celebrity DJ Samantha Ronson (and possibly gal pal Lindsay Lohan) to the Courthouse on Adelaide.
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 By: TJ Liebgott
November 30, 2008
From the opening guitar riff of Hail Destroyer, its clear that Cancer Bats sophomore release will have pubescent teenage boys around the country salivating uncontrollably.
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 By: Sheena Lyonnais
November 27, 2008
Toronto punk band Rehab For Quitters may be forced to move to New Jersey if bassist Richie Bones doesn’t make enough money to pay Canadian immigration fees by the end of January.
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 By: Sheena Lyonnais
November 20, 2008
Combine in a large mixing bowl four parts punk rock attitude, two parts semi-matching blonde spiked hair, several servings of catchy punk rock riffs, several dedicated moshers, a stellar live show, one hot high school teacher, pop music to taste and ex-members of Jersey, At the Mercy of Inspiration, the Fullblast and Always Outnumbered, and you’ve got yourself the mixings for one lean mean takeover machine.
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 By: Ala Serafin
November 18, 2008
The boys from Newmarket are all grown up. In their spring release of debut LP Elephant Shell, Tokyo Police Club’s sound has evolved from the youthful tunes of A Lesson in Crime to a more mature vocabulary; though perhaps sometimes overdone with words like australopithecine, the focus of the chorus in “Listen to the Math.” Still, the music is undeniably impressive with its more sophisticated arrangements.
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 By: Sheena Lyonnais
November 11, 2008
In an era where iTunes and Myspace are taking over HMV and record stores, album art seems at risk of going the way of Atlantis and becoming a lost form. Toronto artist-turned-musician-turned-artist Gregory Serpanchy is trying to fight that with his unique indie art.
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 By: Sheena Lyonnais
October 28, 2008
Toronto-based Joe MacLeod is better known for investigating hauntings on YTV’s Gemini Award winning show Ghost Trackers and playing the bassist on MTV’s Kaya than he is for his bone-chilling solo music, but that is all about to change.
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