Priests full-length album has brought punk-rock back to life. Lead singer Katie Alice Greer greets us with her sassy, raspy voice in the opening track “Appropriate.” This gritty punk-rock song will take you back to the CBGB days in NYC. The song introduces this album just right, with its noisy, cacaphonic mess of industrial sound mixtures—it’s just like a rock party extravaganza. In “Jj,” the beginning backdrop guitar sounds like the theme song of a 70s TV sitcom. This album is definitely a refreshing take on punk-rock with a mix of instrumentals and sounds from different eras. In “Big Bang,” Priests delivers a track that is reminiscent of 60s garage rock, where the guitar riffs are simple and repeated all while Greer raises her voice for justice in today’s society. “Nothing Feels Natural” is the flagship song of the album as Greer’s voice sounds most eloquent here. The album is a great mix of eccentric, high-energy punk- rock tracks with meaningful lyrics.
Kid Koala ft. Emilíana Torrini – Music to Draw to: Satellite (Arts & Crafts, 2017)
Renowned DJ and music producer Kid Koala has collaborated with Icelandic singer-songwriter Emilíana Torrini, and together they have mastered a beautifully sonic and dream-like album. If there was one song destined to be listened to in space, amongst the stars and galaxies, it is the opening track of this album, “The Observable Universe.” It will instantly paint a picture of a deep black sky filled with bright stars and moons, and its soothing instrumentals will let you drift into the abyss. When Torrini’s sultry vocals are heard in “Adrift,” you fall into a hypnosis of calmness and serenity. The song combines percussion, bass and mandolin with soft electronic and turntable sounds. This track’s out-of-this-universe melody is also reflected in the lyrics, when Torrini sings “someday somehow you’ll land, but for now understand. You’ll be adrift until then.” Most songs have poetic lyrics that revolve around love and distance while Kid Koala’s instrumentals takes you to places where no one has ever landed before. This album is destined for all wanderers on a creative mission.
Concordia exchange student releases album based on her experience in Montreal
Sophie Botta, known on stage as Sobie, hails all the way from Sydney, Australia, but is proud to call Montreal a source of musical inspiration. Botta released her album, The Montreal Winter, on Nov. 19, which is dedicated to her semester spent studying in Montreal. The album has a nostalgic, folk-pop sound, accompanied by soothing vocals. Sobie gives voice to our city’s coldest season, making it the ideal album for Montrealers to listen to all winter long. Reminiscent of soft 90s pop, The Montreal Winter will take you on a smooth sailing, sonic joy ride.
In January 2014, Botta came to Montreal for a semester abroad at Concordia. She majored in electroacoustic/audio engineering with a particular focus in sound design. “I wanted to choose North America, and Concordia had all the artistic majors that interested me,” said Botta.
Botta said her passion for music started at a young age. “I use to watch my uncle play drums a lot,” she said. “I couldn’t reach the pedal on the drum kit until I was seven years old.” Botta played in a band called Castle in the Air while she was in high school in Australia, she then played as a session musician for musicals in England. When she arrived to Montreal, she played the drums and guitar in a band with her classmates from Concordia. “For one of my music classes at Concordia, we had to make a band, so I started playing gigs with a few of my classmates.” Botta was the drummer, Faye MacCalman played the saxophone, Ben Brimacombe and Luke Quin played the guitar and Fuat Tuac was on vocals. “The music we played was very experimental,” said Botta. The name of the band was Zürafa, meaning ‘giraffe’ in Turkish—lead singer Tuac is of Turkish descent. Zürafa played a few gigs in Montreal at the Upstairs Jazz Club and at theatre Sainte-Catherine. “My class lecturer asked our band if we wanted to play on morning TV, so we got to play on Global TV’s morning show,” said Botta.
Faye MacCalman on sax, Sophie Botta on vocals and Ben Brimacombe on guitar performing at the Upstairs jazz club. Photo by Alex Dergachev
In July 2014, Botta returned home where she finished her degree and continued playing music as a solo artist under the stage name Sobie. On stage, however, she plays with a backing band. “I am the lead singer of Sobie. I have a backing band of four musicians who play with me at gigs,” said Botta. Members of her backing band include Laura Samperi on keyboards, Jack Quinn on drums, Benji Tomc on guitar and Deeks Knight on bass. Botta released her first solo EP, Lest We Forget, in April 2016.
According to Botta, Montreal influenced her musically, which is why she decided her next album would be about her experiences there. “From the day I arrived to Montreal, the city was always so alive with arts and culture. It is very hard for a creative person to not be creative there. There is always so much music being played,” said Botta. She said she felt very inspired by the city and wanted to reflect that in a piece of art.“Even before I left Montreal, I wanted to write an album about the different experiences and people I met,” said Botta. Most of the songs on The Montreal Winter were written in Montreal. A girl Botta met at a bar in Ottawa wrote the lyrics for her track “Valentine.” “It was a poem she wrote for her boyfriend. She asked me if I could put some music into her poem—she had sent me her poem by text message. I came back to Montreal, recorded it, sent it to her and she loved it,” said Botta.
Sobie’s band live on stage. Photo by Kawshi Manisegaran
While in Montreal, Botta also traveled to New Orleans with friends, which inspired a few songs on the album as well. When it comes to songwriting, Botta said she always starts with the lyrics. “It’s usually inspired by an event. My inspiration factor to a song is 99 per cent [of the time] always the lyrics, and then I start to see how it can fit with something,” said Botta. Her favourite song to play live from The Montreal Winter is “Silhouette.” “We start playing it and everyone locks into the groove. We jam together and have fun,” said Botta. One of Botta’s biggest musical dreams would be to collaborate with Ed Sheeran or Adele. “If I were to make a song with Ed Sheeran, it would probably be something funny. I’d call our song ‘Like a Koala Hug,’” said Botta.
According to Botta, the music scene in Sydney is a lot different from the music scene in Montreal. “Montreal is a lot more open. Sydney has a lot of gigs going on as well but I feel like Montreal has more places and opportunities to play,” she said. Botta will be returning to Montreal in October and hopes to continue playing gigs at the Upstairs Jazz Club. In the meantime, warm up to the soulful and heartfelt music in The Montreal Winter.
Dropkick Murphys – 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory (Born & Bred, 2017)
If they sound unfamiliar, Dropkick Murphys is an American Celtic punk band. The album’s opening track, “The Lonesome Boatman,” features traditional folk rhythms while they all chant in unison. “Rebels with a Cause” is the song you’ll hear at your local Irish pub. It has this rockish, feel-good sound that makes you want to have a good time while sipping on some Guinness. In “Blood,” you hear the sounds of a traditional Celtic accordion and heavy guitar riffs. Dropkick Murphys also have more playful tracks, including “Sandlot” which features rock and roll rhythms that have a youthful and joyful vibe. “First Class Loser” is the main Celtic song of the album—you can hear the banjos and mandolins while the band chants in unison. Overall, this album is the perfect playlist for all the local Irish pubs in town. If you’re a fan of folk rock, chances are you’ll dig 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory.
The women’s team played well all game, keeping McGill at bay in the fourth quarter. Photos by Ana Hernandez.
Concordia’s basketball teams kicked off the Shoot for the Cure weekend with a bang
Women’s Basketball
The Concordia Stingers women’s basketball team played a high-energy game on Jan. 19, defeating the McGill Martlets 69-65.
The Stingers started off slow as McGill took the lead for the first few minutes of the first quarter. That was until the Stingers scored two consecutive three-point shots. Both teams stayed close all quarter, ending the first quarter with a tie at 20-20.
In the second quarter, the Martlets regained the lead but the Stingers struck back with some strong offensive play. Stingers guard Richelle Grégoire scored 12 points in the first half and helped give the team their 34-32 lead at halftime.
At the start of the third quarter, the game got heated when the Martlets tied the game at 34-34. Grégoire continued her offensive play and struck back with a three-pointer. The game continued to go back and forth until Stingers guard Aurélie d’Anjou Drouin scored two free throws and Grégoire added a lay-up. The Stingers jumped out to a 46-40 lead at this point and kept scoring.
The third quarter ended with a score of 51-42 for the Stingers.
The Stingers started off strong in the fourth quarter. However, halfway through, the Martlets caught up and scored some key baskets to bring the score to 56-52 in favour of the Stingers. With only three minutes left in the game, Stingers guard Marilyse Roy-Viau scored, increasing the Stingers’ lead. The last few minutes of this heated game were the most intense.
With only 40 seconds left in the game, McGill scored two free throws, leaving only one point of difference between both teams. However, Grégoire and Stingers guard Caroline Task scored free throws which solidified the Stingers win. The Stingers won 69-65.
According to Stingers head coach Tenicha Gittens, the key to the team’s offense was aggressiveness.
“In the past games, we weren’t aggressive enough, we couldn’t close our games,” said Gittens. “We got to defend and attack. It’s all about execution, having patience and creating something out of nothing.”
For the next games, Gittens is expecting the team to do a better job when it comes to rebounds and defense.
“We’ve got to regain position,” she said. “We have to match with the opponent’s size and be physical.”
Men’s Basketball
This was an intense game for the Stingers as they played their biggest rivals, the McGill Redmen. Starting off the game with high-powered energy, the Stingers scored two consecutive three-pointers.
The Redmen scored their first basket seconds later and came back until the score was tied at 7-7. The Stingers struggled to make shots and the Redmen led at the end of the first quarter by a score of 18-14.
The men’s team avenged themselves after an embarrassing loss to McGill the last time they played.
In the second quarter, the Redmen scored the first basket. The second quarter was a back-and-forth, quarrelsome game with both teams showing strong offense and defense. With only a few minutes left in the second quarter, Stingers centre Michael Fosu scored and gave the Stingers a 27-25 lead. The Stingers kept scoring until the last few seconds of the half, finishing the second quarter with a 32-28 lead.
The third quarter saw both teams up their energy levels. McGill started off strong and once again took the lead at 33-32. Halfway through the third quarter, the Stingers caught up when guard Henderson Charles and forward Ahmadu-Tijani Umar joined forces to score and tie up the game at 36-36.
For the rest of the quarter, the Stingers went on a scoring binge as Umar and guard Cedrick Bryan Coriolan scored, giving the Stingers a 47-41 lead. The third quarter ended with a seven-point lead for the Stingers at 48-41.
The Stingers had great offense in the last quarter, as the team extended their lead thanks to point guard Ricardo Monge and guard Ken Beaulieu. With two minutes left in the game, the score was 60-51 for the Stingers. In the last few minutes, the Stingers made free-throws and kept on scoring, winning the game by 10 points, 66-56.
According to Stingers head coach Rastko Popovic, the team did a great job on defense.
“We had a good week of practice, we got TJ Umar back in the game after his concussion and I thought he was fantastic tonight. The whole defense was great and, with our aggressiveness and intensity, we were able to recover from our mistakes,” said Popovic. “It was an important win for us. I told the guys to celebrate tonight, have a bit of fun but be ready, preparation starts Saturday.”
The house DJ performed at Igloofest’s opening weekend
Igloofest brings thousands of people together to dance in the ice-cold winter to the beats of the world’s best DJs. The festival kicked off on Thursday, Jan. 12 and will be going on until Feb 19. On Saturday, Jan. 14, Amir Javasoul, a house DJ based in Montreal, closed the Videotron stage from 10 p.m. until midnight. His high energy techno beats kept the crowd warm throughout the night. The audience danced enthusiastically to his European style techno sounds until the very last minute. Javasoul has been Djing at Igloofest for the past 10 years and is known for performing at other festivals and clubs in the city, including Piknic Electronik and Stereo. “Igloofest is something unique. I can’t think of any other festival in the world that brings over 10,000 people to dance in the cold,” said Javasoul. According to the Igloofest website, 2016 welcomed 79,000 people to the festival, 25,000 of which attended the opening weekend last year.
A computer engineer by day and a renowned DJ by night, Javasoul began spinning vinyl 20 years ago. Growing up in Montreal, he started going to clubs which, he said sparked his passion for electronic music. “I just really liked the complexity of electronic music,” he said. “At the time, most people were listening to rock or pop. Techno and house was a new type of music that had endless possibilities.”
According to Javasoul, It was Derrick Carter, a legendary Chicago house DJ and producer, who first inspired him to take on the art of mastering house and electro beats. Javasoul said there are three cities that are important in house music: New York, Detroit and Chicago. New York house was a by-product of disco. Detroit experimented more with new technology and machinery—it was more industrial and techno-oriented. Chicago was in between, combining elements of house and techno.“Usually, people who started Djing back in the days, they connect to these original sounds. I connect most with Chicago house, ” said Javasoul.
Photo Courtesy of Amir Javasoul.
It can be easy to confuse house and techno music. “House music has a more organic sound to it. It derives from disco, and when you listen to a house track you hear more instruments, baselines and percussions,” said Javasoul. “Techno is much more linear. It is more industrialized and computerized.” According to Javasoul, today’s technology makes it easier to mix a lot of different sounds and genres together. “There is less of a need to distinguish between house and techno,” said Javasoul. “You can create a beat that has both elements combined. We can simply start to call all of it electronic music.” He said technology has also taken away the actual need to know how to mix records. Today, a computer software can do it all for you. “When I started, it was about mixing vinyl records together. You learned the real craft of mixing records,” said Javasoul.
Whether Javasoul plays at Igloofest for 10,000 people or at Stereo for 1000 people, he said he needs to adapt his music to the crowd’s ambiance. “I never plan in advance. It’s always on the fly,” he said. “I get there, I feel the crowd, I test some tracks here and there to see how the reaction goes. It’s always been an impulsive process.” He said his number one rule about Djing is to never program a set—it’s what makes electronic music different from all other genres of music. “You have the liberty of creating on stage. DJs can play live sets and create beats right on the spot,” said Javasoul.
In 2001, Javasoul moved to Paris, where his musical career bloomed. He got to try out his music with a completely different crowd and was able to gain experience Djing around Europe. “I got to play in many cities such as Paris, Berlin, London and Ibiza,” he said. “I was in France for 10 years and it was the most important years of my DJ career.” He played in renowned clubs such as Queen, Studio 287, The End, Ministry of Sound, Pacha Ibiza, Crystal Istanbul and Fabric.
Amir Javasoul Djing live in Fabric, London. Photo by Nick Ensing Photography.
In January 2015, Javasoul played in the main room of club Fabric in London alongside Craig Richards and Ricardo Villalobos who are both renowned DJs in the underground scene. DJ Ricardo Villalobos also came to Montreal for the MUTEK festival in 2014. “Fabric was the most important gig of my life,” said Javasoul. “I played with the two best DJs in the world in one of the best clubs in the world.” Javasoul has also performed at the Burning Man festival and multiple times for Piknic Electronik. “Piknic Electronik and Igloofest organizers are the same crew. They love to showcase local and international talent and they find a good way to blend both together,” said Javasoul.
It’s Javasoul’s interaction with the audience and sharing his love for music that makes the experience of performing most worth it, he said.“The best part is when you get the reactions of the people you play for. Being an international DJ has also made me a lot of friends from around the world. You become friends because of the music and then your friendship grows” said Javasoul. Recently, Javasoul has been working on a collaboration called “Creatures of Habit” with DJ producer Maher Daniel. Together, they released a vinyl record last month. Stay tuned for Javasoul’s upcoming shows, where his house beats will send you running to the dance floor.
You Me At Six – Night People (Infectious People, 2017)
If you’ve missed the classic, sweet sound of pop-rock, Night People has got you covered. The album opens up with “Night People,” a track that will get that adrenaline pumping with its high energy. It has a feel-good, edgy but sweet sound and raspy vocals. You can tell this track would be killer to watch live. The party keeps on rolling with “Plus One,” where the high-energy guitar riffs and loud singing continues. The first few songs on the album are reminiscent of past hits from The Killers. In “Heavy Soul” and “Brand New,” the tempo lowers down to a soft, rockish interlude that could easily be played on any afternoon. It has a nostalgic feel of 90s pop rock. It’s easy to listen to and just as easy to enjoy. When “Swear” hits the speakers, they bring back high-energy and intensity on guitars. The last few songs feature cool guitar riffs and rhythms that are instantly appealing and memorable.
Five years ago, The xx released their hit album, Coexist. They are now back with I See You, where their distinct smooth electro and dreamy pop ballads resurface. The opening track, “Dangerous,” mixes an electro, upbeat tempo with soft-spoken vocals—something The xx has always known how to perfectly combine. “Say Something Loving” continues with upbeat, romantic sounds and words—it sounds just like a love poem turned into a melodious pop fairytale. “Lips” has beautiful electro rhythms—it’s the song to put you in a relaxing trance of gentle electro euphoria. The last few songs are sad, emotional and deeply moving. If you have an interest for sorrowful melodies, you’ll enjoy them. “A Violent Noise,” the last track on the album, plays with both high and low tempos. The track fuels different moods throughout, making it an interesting listen.
Nine Inch Nails – Not the Actual Events (EP) – (The Null Corporation, 2016)
Nine Inch Nails’ Not the Actual Events has industrial electro rock sounds. It is a dark, mysterious collection of electro and gritty rock tracks—definitely not something you’ll hear playing on Top 40. Just one listen to its opening track, “Branches/Bones” can turn your mood into an electro rage. “Dear World” is the track to play at an after-hour rave, as it seems appropriate to fill the dark hours of the night with its sound. It has less rock rhythms than the EP’s other tracks and more of a high-energy, linear techno beat. “She’s Gone Away” begins with the sound of heavy breathing through a telephone along with spooky wind noises. It is the gloomiest track on the album—the deep voices and fearsome sounds are spine-chilling. “The Idea of You” begins with heavy, rock guitar riffs with deep, indistinguishable, whispering voices, which make it all the more baffling. Not The Actual Events has a unique dark electro rock flavour that deserves a listen.
This album is not only for your eyes—J Cole’s raw, gripping voice along with his genius rhymes are a blessing to your ears, mind and heart. The intro begins with the sound of a cassette tape being inserted as “For Whom The Bells Tolls” sets a gritty intense mood. The lyrics of this song can touch a deep emotional spot for all of us as its message is one of universal struggle. Throughout this album, Cole brings issues of everyday life forth. For instance, in “Immortal,” he raps about young black men caught in the drug war. “Numb the pain cause it’s hard for a felon/In my mind I been cryin’, know it’s wrong, but I’m sellin.’” 4 Your Eyez Only has mellow, trap music beats with powerful words. In “She’s Mine, Pt. 2” he raps about his daughter, saying that “he’s never felt so alive” and asking if he is worthy of this beautiful gift. One thing is certain—this album is worthy of your time.
Agustin Mukdisi from the Montreal-based band Blank Sonna discusses new EP and future projects
After a year and a half of hard work performing at venues and local bars, such as Metropolis and Le Petit Campus, Montreal-based indie band Blank Sonna released their first self-titled EP on Dec 15. It is difficult to characterize this band’s genre, as their music combines a wide variety of beautifully executed sounds. From soft, acoustic rock to classic 80s background melodies, their sound is reminiscent of bands like Radiohead and Arcade Fire.
Blank Sonna’s lineup consists of singer-songwriter Agustin Nicolas Mukdisi, his sister Camila Mukdisi on vocals and keyboards, bassist Remi Baracat, guitarist Simon Tardif and drummer Jordan Markov. There is a strong sense of multiculturalism within the band, as they each come from different parts of the world. “We blend various influences such as Argentinian, Arabic, Bulgarian and Québécois music,” said Camila.
Agustin said travelling has always influenced the band’s music. As the songwriter of the quintet, he has written most of the song lyrics while on the road. “The landscapes I see when I travel, I hear them in the music,” Agustin said. “Travelling has played an important role in our music as it gave us experiences that are different from everyday life.”
Blank Sonna is a quintet indie band with members from around the world. Photo by Alex Dimitrovici
For instance, Agustin wrote the song “Rescuer” during a trip to Brazil to see Argentina play in the World Cup two years ago. “I went to Brazil with a friend to see the game but we didn’t have any money. All we had was an acoustic guitar and a Peruvian cajón,” a box-shaped percussion instrument, said Agustin. He and his friend decided to play on the streets of Brazil for money. “On the first few days, we started feeling low. We weren’t motivated because we weren’t making enough money and I got sick,” Agustin said. “Out of nowhere, a girl who was walking by stopped to hear us play and we became friends. She took us to a hostel and paid for everything and took us out to dinner.” She motivated them again, said Agustin. They continued to play on the streets and ended up making enough money to go to the game. “Based on this experience, I wrote the song ’Rescuer’ because I felt that she rescued us that day,” said Agustin.
Currently, Agustin is in the mountain village Villa General Belgrano in Córdoba, Argentina. It is the hometown of Sofia Bursi, the artist who drew Blank Sonna’s EP cover album. “We spoke together about the album cover, I told her about the idea we had of having a mirror, because one of our songs is called “Reflection” and we wanted a reflection of a soul on the cover,” said Agustin. The reflection is staring at a mirror that leads the way to a colourful forest in contrast to the black and white background. Agustin said what he loves most about the drawing is that it represents all four songs of the album.
When it comes to songwriting, for Blank Sonna, the instrumentation comes first. “The music is always more important to me,” he said. “The words must fit the music, not the other way around. The song lyrics and titles come last.” Agustin said he will not force himself to write a song. He will start off by playing around with an instrument and naturally sing along.“There is no formula for songwriting,” he said. “Do whatever works best for you, but never try to imitate anyone.” To remain original, he said it’s important to forget everyone’s music and to do whatever your voice wants to do. “Get carried away and just go with it.”
Agustin Mukdisi performing live. Photo by Pedro Luiz Freire Cardadeiro
Blank Sonna performed at Metropolis last spring as part of the Emergenza Battles of the Bands Festival. From now on, however, the band has decided to avoid competitive shows and only perform for fun. “It was great to play at Metropolis but we didn’t enjoy the competitive aspect of the Emergenza Festival, where we had pressure to sell many tickets to get to the next round. I felt it got in the way of the performance,” said Agustin. Blank Sonna then performed at Le Petit Campus, along with another band from the Emergenza Festival, North of the Border. “The show was completely free of any pressure. We realized how much more fun we had by ourselves and that’s how we will do our next show,” said Agustin. Agustin said he believes Blank Sonna’s chemistry has improved thanks to all the live performances. “The shows helped us grow as a band,” he said. “There is a definite stronger feeling of togetherness. We’re more on the same page and have a defined sense as to where we are all headed musically.”
Agustin will be heading to Buenos Aires at the end of January to start recording his first solo album. “I have songs that I didn’t think would work with the sound of Blank Sonna,” Agustin said. “I do not want it to sound like the band. I want it to be different. It’s going to be much more electronic and it won’t have an acoustic drum set.” He will be working alongside music producer Shaw, who also worked on mastering Blank Sonna’s EP. Agustin said he will return to Montreal by the end of February. “We want to do a show to promote the EP upon my return, and our goal as a band would be to add new songs to our album to eventually release an LP when we are ready,” said Agustin.
Ping Pong is a great blend of fun, sun and rock ’n’ roll. The Jacuzzi Boys will have you jumping and dancing around with songs like “Boys like Blood” blasting through your speakers. It’s the kind of jam you would play while getting ready for a beach party. The upbeat guitar riffs will lighten even the worst of moods. “Refrigeration” is another happy-go-lucky alternative rock tune, the kind you would hear on a teenage TV show or at a frat party. It will make you want to party like a rockstar. “Easy Motion” has a more relaxed and lower tempo sound, yet it remains light and playful nonetheless. This group’s typical alternative rock band melodies are nostalgic and will remind you of your favourite indie band of the early 2000s. The Jacuzzi Boys sound like an upbeat version of Death Cab for Cutie. If you’re searching for a playlist to jam along to on a road trip, Ping Pong has got you covered. This album will be the perfect soundtrack for all your fun.
