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Articles by Luke Pearson
Alex Cameron's 'Late to Set' Feels Like Method Acting
Alex Cameron has been inhabiting his absurd and tragic characters for over a decade now, a Grand Theft Auto-style carnivalesque of tawdry magicians, drunk preachers and sex workers, wallowing and thriving in the knowledge that it's just not gonna happen for them. While some of the types and tropes are starting to feel a bit recycled on his fifth full-length, Late to Set, it's always a pleasure to spend time in Cameron's funhouse world.
Colin Stetson Tested the Limits in Ottawa Ottawa Jazz Festival, Ottawa ON, June 30 | Exclaim!
Published Jul 01, 2023 While others will be typing into the night about legendary headliner Herbie Hancock closing the main stage at the Ottawa Jazz Festival's final night, it was drone-master Colin Stetson, playing an early 7:00 set in the NAC's Azrieli Studio, who seemed, sneakily, most interesting. And interesting it was, although perhaps too much so for some.
Brekky Boy Made It Well Worth the Trip Ottawa Jazz Festival, Ottawa ON, June 29 | Exclaim!
Published Jun 30, 2023 Definitely in the running for band who travelled farthest to get here, Sydney, Australia trio Brekky Boy righteously had one of the most well-attended sets at the OLG stage so far. Starting just a tiny bit late (acts have been on schedule almost to the minute so far), they quickly won the crowd over in their skater-dudes who are kinda into NASCAR outfits, synth-player and spokesperson Taylor Davis adding rainy-season beach-bum accents on the left.
Mark Guiliana Brought the Precision and Punctuality Ottawa Jazz Festival, Ottawa ON, June 28 | Exclaim!
Published Jun 29, 2023 Perhaps the most exclusive slot of the festival thus far, it was only with some effort that even the illustrious press were able to make their way into American drummer Mark Guiliana's Wednesday night set at the National Arts Centre's Fourth Stage (the "most sold out" show of the festival so far, according to one gracious volunteer).
Léon Phal Brought Gallic Élan to Ottawa Ottawa Jazz Festival, Ottawa ON, June 28 | Exclaim!
Published Jun 29, 2023 Sponsored by the French Embassy of Canada, Champagne native Léon Phal played the smaller Fourth Stage inside the National Arts Centre on Wednesday night, a classier and more fitting environment for the continental five-piece, free of ugly plastic chairs and flapping tarpaulins — better-stocked bar it seemed also.
Little Animal! Showed Ottawa Their Weirdo-Jazz Bonafides TD Ottawa Jazz Festival, Ottawa ON, June 26 | Exclaim!
Published Jun 27, 2023 Mercifully tented, the OLG stage was the place to be on a stormy Monday night; shielding from the elements, incubating the jazz. The 7:30 slot saw Montreal's Little Animal! make their Ottawa debut, and they shuffled on to the stage like a bunch of scruffy Juilliard dropouts — if you were cool, you were totally here for it.
Borrowed Instruments and Soggy Skies Couldn't Keep the Mary Ancheta Quartet Down in Ottawa TD Ottawa Jazz Festival, Ottawa ON, June 25 | Exclaim!
Published Jun 27, 2023 Battling less-than-great air quality and some frankly unpredictable weather at the festival's 6:30 pm main stage slot, we were greeted by the announcer as the "hardcore Ottawa jazz community," and there were some grim nods under the hoods and ponchos. The downtown core had been battered by a serious storm (complete with hail — and apparently a tornado warning?) just a few hours before, and there was clearly more to come.
TEKE::TEKE TD Ottawa Jazz Festival, Ottawa ON, June 24 | Exclaim!
Published Jun 25, 2023 TEKE::TEKE was the tip for day two of the Ottawa Jazz Festival. Hot off the release of their second album Hagata, the Montreal-based seven-piece plays a mix of Japanese folk, psychedelia, and Brazilian surf music, with a debt to eleki, an obscure sub-genre of Japanese soft rock that should quicken the pulse of any music nerd.
Feist TD Ottawa Jazz Festival, Ottawa ON, June 23
Published Jun 24, 2023 Festival season has officially started here in Ottawa, with both its eponymous Jazz Festival and Escapade kicking off this weekend — the muffled thumping of the latter carried on the breeze from time to time to Confederation Park, where the jazz be a-flowing. Leslie Feist was the household name last night, although the arguably cooler 10:30 "after dark" slot was given over to progressive rock orchestra the NYChillharmonic.
des hume Broadcasts a Strong Signal on 'FM.era' | Exclaim!
Published Jun 21, 2023 9 Teased all the way back in 2021 with a single that didn't even end up on the album (the wholly worthwhile "Shockerbaby"), synth-pop songwriter des hume's sophomore effort FM.era had a bit of a question mark hanging over it, especially after their debut album Bub seemed to barely make it past the finish line.
M83 Reaches for Familiar Heights on the Shimmering 'Fantasy' | Exclaim!
Published Mar 14, 2023 7 Anticipation was high for Fantasy. The first proper artist album from M83 in seven years — a soundtrack for his brother's Knife + Heart filled the gap, as well as an entry in his instrumental Digital Shades series — it was rumoured to be a return to shoegazey form after 2016's gloriously uncool (and polarizing) Junk.
Samia Swings Big on the Sweet, Striving 'Honey' | Exclaim!
Published Jan 25, 2023 8 Nashville-via-NYC songwriter Samia Najimy Finnerty's The Baby was one of 2020's more promising debuts, fitting in nicely with similar alternative folk-pop releases that spanned the decade's end from the likes of Clairo, Phoebe Bridgers, Faye Webster — and of course Taylor Swift, whose Folklore loomed over everything that year.
Junior Boys' 'Waiting Game' Pays Off | Exclaim!
Published Oct 24, 2022 7 Hamilton electro-funk duo Junior Boys have carried the torch of Canadian sub-mainstream electronic music steadily, if sometimes unspectacularly, for some years now, having first made waves in 2003. Although they came up alongside fellow Canadian Caribou (known as Manitoba back then) and the similarly funky Chromeo, it was often the darkly florid work of Norwegian duo Röyksopp that the Boys resembled most.
Patrick Holland Finds a New Voice Under an Old Name on 'You're the Boss' | Exclaim!
Published Jul 27, 2022 7 Previously known as Project Pablo — purveyor of reliably solid, jazz-inflected ambient house tracks — Patrick Holland began releasing music under his given name a few years ago, after the appropriative nature of his previous moniker was brought to his attention. It's worth noting, as the Montreal-based artist (originally from Vancouver, which lent his early music a sunny, alpine vibe) has now reinvented himself further.
Superorganism's 'World Wide Pop' Is a Party and Everyone Is Invited
Published Jul 12, 2022 7 Superorganism seemed to have arrived from another dimension in 2018 with their wacky, hyper-collagist self-titled debut, full of woozy hooks and splice-happy soundbites.
Soccer Mommy Is Timeless on 'Sometimes, Forever'
Published Jun 20, 2022 9 Gracing many a year-end best-of list, color theory, Sophie Allison's sophomore album as Soccer Mommy, was hard to avoid at the end of 2020 — not that anyone would want to. A decisive step forward from 2018's already notable Clean, it established the NYC-based artist as a talented songwriter apart from the already burgeoning wave of newcomers exploring (and sometimes just retreading) '90s grunge and alternative sounds.
Montreal's Mitch Davis Brings Vintage Funk Back to Life on 'The Haunt'
Published Apr 29, 2022 7 Montreal's Mitch Davis, the one-man-band from Montreal f.k.a. Edmonton rapper Mitchmatic, waves amiably from the 1970s on this likable debut. Compact and well-crafted, as if aiming for some kind of vintage radio sweet spot, he delivers a well-curated mix of jazz, soul, and funk on The Haunt, all guided by solid pop instincts.
Kellarissa Crafts Stirring Electric Hymnals on 'Voice Leading'
Published Mar 31, 2022 8 The English translation of Vancouverite Larissa Loyva's solo moniker Kellarissa — Finnish for "in the basement" — has proven a fitting one. While less obvious and front-facing than a foyer full of household names, the basement is necessary, foundational, and may extend further than you know. If there's a party, it's where the cool people hang out, the regulars who know what's up.
Ghostly Kisses Offers Haunting Pop Drama on 'Heaven, Wait'
Published Jan 27, 2022 7 Up-and-coming Quebec City-based artist Margaux Sauvé (working professionally here as Ghostly Kisses) has released makes her precocious and often beautiful debut with Heaven, Wait. Immaculately produced to bring her breathy, up-close vocal right into your ear, there's a lot to like here — especially if tags like "sophisticated," "avant-garde" or "minimalistic" are wont to auto-fill your search bar.
The Darkness Rev Up Their Humorous Rock on 'Motorheart'
Published Nov 16, 2021 8 One sometimes gets the sneaking suspicion that North America has largely slept on British arena rockers the Darkness. After being briefly catapulted into the spotlight in 2003 on the strength of singer Justin Hawkins's arresting falsetto in "I Believe in A Thing Called Love," the band struggled to stick the landing with their sophomore album, 2005's undeniably weak One Way Ticket to Hell… and Back.
MUNYA Struts into Outer Space on 'Voyage to Mars'
Published Nov 02, 2021 7 Those with an ear for new releases have likely already fallen in love with Montreal-based artist MUNYA's cover of the Smashing Pumpkins' "Tonight Tonight." Forgoing (perhaps sadly) the original's gorgeous finger-picking in favour of a dusky, Parisian after-party vibe, and replacing (perhaps not so sadly) Corgan's famously nasal delivery with her own breathy tones, MUNYA (real name Josie Boivin) has come up with something truly special here: a proper reinterpretation...
Andrew W.K.'s 'God Is Partying' Features Very Little Partying (but Some God)
Published Sep 10, 2021 8 After receiving somewhat mixed reviews for 2018's You're Not Alone (an enjoyable but patchy comeback album that arrived after more than a decade spent wandering the commercial fringes), party guru and goodwill magnet Andrew W.K. has returned relatively quickly with his superior follow-up, the ambitious God Is Partying.
cleopatrick Give Drums-and-Guitar Rock a Hip-Hop Twist on 'BUMMER'
Published Jun 02, 2021 7 Hailing from what is described self-deprecatingly as Nowheretown in their press release, we feel it our patriotic duty to inform you that promising drums-and-guitar duo cleopatrick's debut LP was actually cooked up in the quiet town of Cobourg, ON.
fanclubwallet's Specifics Are Personal but the Vibes Are Relatable on 'Hurt Is Boring' EP
Published May 12, 2021 8 Written during and about the pandemic (with the added stress of a 10-month recovery from an unrelated health flare-up), fanclubwallet's debut EP, Hurt Is Boring, is a testament to the creative benefits of enforced solitude.
CFCF Pays Homage to the Heady Years of Y2K on 'Memoryland'
Published Apr 05, 2021 8 Here is another quality electronic release setting out to explore a specific musical era. Last month, British producer Danny L. Harle mined '90s rave styles to excellent effect on his debut LP, Harlecore, and now, Canadian producer CFCF (Mike Silver) has delivered Memoryland, a fun and highly evocative trip through the heady years of Y2K.
Danny L Harle Is Here to Save '90s Rave with 'Harlecore'
Published Feb 24, 2021 8 Popular music has been borrowing '80s synth sounds for what seems like a while now, both in the Top 40 and otherwise, with some examples sounding almost parodic at this point. (The Weeknd's wildly popular "Blinding Lights" comes to mind.) But what about the '90s? Love Inc., Vengaboys, Aqua, and Eiffel 65 are seemingly muse to few in 2021.
'Anne at 13,000 ft' Is an Enigmatic Portrait of a Quiet Breakdown Directed by Kazik Radwanski
Starring Deragh Campbell, Matt Johnson, Lawrene Denkers, Dorothea Paas Published Feb 17, 2021 7 After a string of well-received short films in the mid-2000s, Toronto's Kazik Radwanski returns with his third feature, the final entry in a character-driven thematic trilogy centred on social outsiders.
John Carpenter Brings Irony-Free Confidence to Loveable Horror Cheese on 'Lost Themes III: Alive After Death'
Published Feb 03, 2021 7 Continuing his late-career resurgence as a creative musical force, famed horror director/composer John Carpenter has released his third album of free-standing original music, Lost Themes III: Alive After Death.
Bicep's Trance Formula Works Most of the Time on 'Isles'
Published Jan 19, 2021 7 Irish duo Bicep debuted strongly in 2017 with their self-titled album — a confident mix of continental trance melodicism and urban grit that earned them many an accolade. Inspired by their relocation to London and its cultural diversity, their second outing, Isles, offers a slicker, more ambitious version of their debut — more layers, more vocals, more focus, and crisper, harder-hitting production.
'Mank' Is a Beautiful Requiem for Depression-Era Hollywood Directed by David Fincher
Starring Gary Oldman, Tom Burke, Arliss Howard, Amanda Seyfried, Charles Dance Published Nov 23, 2020 9 With the exceptions of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and possibly The Social Network, David Fincher has spent much of his feature film career in various seedy underworlds, most often amongst serial killers and those who chase them, and probably most famously with Tyler Durden's regressive anarchist cult in Fight Club.
Over a Decade Since Their Last Collab, Lindstrøm and Prins Thomas Are as Compatible as Ever on 'III'
Published Nov 16, 2020 8 Norway's leading post-techno explorers, Lindstrøm and Prins Thomas have reunited again, following up 2009's II with the unsurprisingly titled III. Their latest collaboration finds them in fine form, blending a rich array of styles into a complex but natural-sounding mix that always feels effortlessly conjured.
Mat Zo Gives the 'Illusion of Depth' with Turn-of-the-Millennium Electronic Sounds
Published Oct 08, 2020 8 After two successful albums — 2013's Damage Control even earned a Grammy nomination — London DJ/producer Mat Zo has returned with Illusion of Depth, an energetic and (as usual) stylistically eclectic tour, this time through the landscape of late '90s and early '00s electronic music.
Surfer Blood Stick to the Basics on 'Carefree Theatre'
Published Sep 28, 2020 7 With the ten-year anniversary of Surfer Blood's debut, Astro Coast, having just passed, and with principal songwriter John Paul Pitts having moved back to his Florida hometown after a decade of touring with the band, there's a full-circle sense of homecoming and back-to-basics that's apparent on their latest, Carefree Theatre.
A. G. Cook's 'Apple' Is the Most Fully Realized Version of PC Music's Iconoclastic Pop
Published Sep 16, 2020 9 Having become known for a certain insouciance and challenging of conventions, it was perhaps not shocking that 7G, producer and PC Music head A. G. Cook's recent 2020 debut full-length, turned out to be a 49-track concept album with sections organized by instrument — a bold choice to say the least.
Even with Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson, 'The Devil All the Time' Still Feels Cheap Directed by Antonio Campos
Starring Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Jason Clarke, Riley Keough, Bill Skarsgård, Mia Wasikowska Published Sep 15, 2020 6 One of the more authentic voices of the so-called hillbilly lit movement of the last decade or so, Donald Ray Pollock worked in a paper mill near his Ohio hometown for most of his adult life before his first short story collection was published in 2008 at age 50, having finally soaked up enough of the region's astringent culture to set it ablaze in his tough-as-nails...
'Wendy Carlos: A Biography' Is a Comprehensive Tribute to the Synth Pioneer
Published Aug 31, 2020 8 Electronic music fans with a particular interest in audio engineering are likely familiar with the name Wendy Carlos. Film buffs with a predilection for soundtracks may be as well (she scored Stanley Kubrick's The Shining and A Clockwork Orange, as well as the original 1982 TRON). Or perhaps your cool audiophile uncle or musicology professor has proudly proffered an original pressing of her breakthrough Switched-On Bach from 1968, urging you to handle it with care.
BT Returns to Trance on 'The Lost Art of Longing' and Proves Why He's One of the Best
Published Aug 13, 2020 8 Few trance artists have crossed over into mainstream professional respectability as thoroughly as BT (Brian Transeau). Movie and videogame soundtracks, audio plugins (his patented "stutter edit" technique can be heard in Star Wars, apparently), soundscapes for Tomorrowland at Shanghai Disney — it's a varied and impressive résumé.
Black Water: Abyss Is a Serviceable Croc Movie Without Much Bite Directed by Andrew Traucki
Starring Jessica McNamee, Luke Mitchell Published Aug 10, 2020 6 Since settling long ago into the comfortable swamp of B movie and made-for-TV content, killer crocodiles have enjoyed a steady relationship with horror fans who savour the specific snap that only their mighty jaws can make. The last 20 years alone have seen no less than five sequels to the original Lake Placid, for instance, among countless other offerings before and after.
Val Kilmer's Bone-Headed 'Paydirt' Is a Throwaway to Tide You Over Until 'Top Gun' Directed by Christian Sesma
Starring Val Kilmer, Luke Gross, Mike Hatton, Paul Sloan Published Aug 06, 2020 5 The world is about to get reacquainted with Val Kilmer in a big way with the release of Top Gun: Maverick in 2021, where he'll reprise his iconic Iceman role alongside Tom Cruise's lead flyboy.
Grand Soleil's Restless House Tracks on 'Réalité' Marks Them as One to Watch
Published Jul 09, 2020 7 Having generated some decent buzz via a handful of EPs over the last few years, French duo Grand Soleil have returned with another set of likeable house tracks ahead of their full-length Human Error, due later this fall. In terms of general focus and fidelity, Réalité is definitely a step up from these early releases, and while there's nothing groundbreaking happening here, it's fresh and fun, and bodes well for more substantial releases down the road.
DMA's Continue Their Liam Gallagher-Approved Britpop Formula on 'The Glow'
Published Jul 08, 2020 7 With Twitter kudos and tour opportunities from none other than Liam Gallagher fresh in the rear-view, now would probably not be the right time for Australian Britpop acolytes DMA's to abandon the bold font '90s approach that's brought them so much early success — or maybe it is?
The Beths Are Ready for Big-Time Success on 'Jump Rope Gazers'
Published Jul 07, 2020 8 It's been a formative and fruitful couple of years for New Zealand indie rockers the Beths. Plucked from the cozy Auckland indie scene for a far-flung international tour after the surprise critical success of their 2018 debut, Future Me Hates Me, the band returned to the studio shortly after, with principal songwriter Elizabeth Stokes having already penned much of 2020's Jump Rope Gazers during the months away from home.
Fakear's 'Everything Will Grow Again' Is an Exercise in Excess - Mostly in a Good Way
Published Jun 25, 2020 7 Contributing once again to the burgeoning sub-genre of what can only be called forest techno, French artist Théo Le Vigoureux (known professionally as Fakear) has delivered his third album of richly textured and deeply rooted electronica, the strings- and flute-laden Everything Will Grow Again.
Baauer's Party Beats on 'Planet's Mad' Feel Lonely Without Enough Collaborators
Published Jun 04, 2020 7 It was a bit of a surprise when Baauer followed up "Harlem Shake" (a somewhat gimmicky collection of trap and bass clichés mostly remembered for the endless supply of user-generated videos it spawned in early 2013) with Aa, his excellent 2016 debut. Full of slamming beats and distinctive found sound details, the album proved far subtler than the big dumb drop that everybody and their grandma was sharing for a few months.
'Space Force' Just Might Be the Jim to Netflix's Pam
Starring Steve Carell, John Malkovich, Lisa Kudrow, Diana Silvers, Ben Schwartz Published May 25, 2020 7 Is there anyone who doesn't have The Office in their 'recently watched' queue? Its evergreen popularity on Netflix in the seven years since it ended is something of a phenomenon, one the big red N must be sorry to see end come January 2021, when NBC's Peacock acquires the rights.
Choir Boy Embrace Their '80s Stylings on 'Gathering Swans'
Published May 07, 2020 7 After 2016 debut Passive with Desire, Salt Lake City's Choir Boy (Adam Klopp) has returned with Gathering Swans, another set of melancholic '80s jams that hover somewhere between goth pop, new wave, and post-punk. It's an appealing mix that sounds even better now backed by a committed full-time band, with some especially good synth and sax work from Jeff Kleinman.
Ricky Gervais Abandons Caustic Wit for Cloying Sentimentality in 'After Life' Season 2 Directed by Ricky Gervais
Starring Ricky Gervais, Ashley Jensen, David Bradley, Joe Wilkinson, Paul Kaye Published Apr 27, 2020 6 Ricky Gervais returns to Netflix this month with his life-affirming and fitfully amusing second season of After Life.
Vril Bad Manners 4
Published Apr 13, 2020 8 German producer Vril's reputation as a purveyor of atmospheric, hard-hitting techno has been growing over the course of a few EPs now, after his debut album Torus unexpectedly dropped like a pallet of steel from two storeys in 2014. A relative unknown at the time, his productions have been featured by Berlin's tastemakers ever since, from whose ranks Marcel Dettmann has emerged with Vril's latest on his newly-minted Bad Manners label.
Baronhawk Poitier Temperado Tornado
Published Apr 09, 2020 7 A well-known figure in the Washington, DC party scene, DJ, promoter/organizer, and freestyle dance master Baronhawk Poitier has recently begun dipping his nimble toes into the original production game. His latest, the brief but wide-ranging Temperado Tornado EP is a great mission statement for his community-oriented brand, a welcoming fusion of deep house, techno funk, and party thrills.
Luttrell Lucky Ones
Published Mar 10, 2020 6 Capitalizing on the goodwill that his early 2019 debut garnered from the likes of Tycho and Moby, San Francisco's Eric Luttrell (known professionally by his last name) certainly wasted no time getting his sophomore effort out the door. Lucky Ones arrives barely a year after its predecessor, and unsurprisingly, sounds very similar.
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