Oct 03, 2010
Live
Divan Orange is the site of Pop Montreal’s afternoon shows, but in my now-daily three-step process (recover, report, refuel), I missed No Joy, aka Laura Lloyd and Jasamine White-Gluz. Formerly of Bad Flirt (White-Gluz’s longtime labour of love, which expanded from a solo project to a rock quintet that released a pretty hot LP in ’08), the ladies have whole-heartedly joined the shoegazing revival, submerging their pop tunes and black-angel vocals in dense, creaky noise. More
Oct 01, 2010
Live
Web Exclusive
Like clockwork. With Pop Montreal comes the first of the season’s crap weather, and so the festival’s first full-on day was marred by a massive downpour. I was as happy as the expanding hole in my ceiling as I left the (relative) shelter of home to hit the Pop BBQ, which wasn’t much of a BBQ, having moved from the terrace of Pop’s HQ, Notman House, to Barfly, one of St. Laurent Blvd.’s tiniest, grubbiest dives. Barfly is ace, of course, but would I want to eat there? More
Oct 01, 2010
Cinema
Web Exclusive
There’s an almost overwhelming inclination to pit one’s appreciation for this remake against the merits of the original Swedish film, Let the Right One In, but the truth is that the two films are so similar that any comparison will simply boil down to a matter of preference. More
Oct 01, 2010
Live
Web Exclusive
Although autumn had officially hit several days earlier, one would have been hard pressed to find any signs of the new season at Vampire Weekend’s unseasonably hot Hollywood Bowl debut Sunday night. Also making their sweat-drenched bowl debuts were African/Swedish band The Very Best, and Baltimore, Maryland’s Beach House. More
Oct 01, 2010
TV
Web Exclusive
In the first seconds of this new IFC comedy, the character Todd Margaret looks thoroughly beaten as he sits, shackled, in a British courtroom while his charges are being read: “Funding a terrorist organization, possession of biological weapons, blackmail, possession of child pornography with the intent to distribute…” More
Oct 01, 2010
Music
Web Exclusive
The past few years have seen Mark Ronson skyrocket into the higher echelon of producer/DJ/soul/dance music pioneers. More
Sep 30, 2010
Live
From topless men in tutus to a standout gig by one of the city's best bands, the first day of Pop Montreal—slight on the programming front, as always, to ease festival goers into the fray—was visually and sonically stellar. Here's a recap of day one, including The Dears performing their next album from start to finish. More
Sep 30, 2010
Live
Web Exclusive
Phoenix kicked off the mild-weather evening with their most recognizable song, "Lisztomania"-accompanied vociferously by the 17,000-strong crowd who drowned out vocalist Thomas Mars' spirited, if nervous, performance. More
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Sep 30, 2010
TV
Web Exclusive
Most longtime fans of The Simpsons believe the show is past its prime after being on the air for 22 seasons. Haziness comes when the topic of "when" the decline started comes up. All things considered, season 13 is a tipping point that can't be ignored. More
Sep 30, 2010
Music
Web Exclusive
With at least a half-dozen "best of" compilations dedicated to collecting Dick Dale's red hot guitar licks, do we need another? Probably not, but I certainly welcome any chance to reacquaint myself with one of the most incredible and influential guitarists of all time. More
