Music

Every tired fetishist for the recent musical past owns a Sub Pop shirt, and yes, Sub Pop did some stuff that will remain forever tattooed in half-cut conversations with your beer league hockey team about CDs lost to old roommates. However, watch a person in their late teens or early twenties explore that time in non-chart pop music*, and eagerly await them falling into the magnificent sinkhole that is Matador, just so you can gain back that experience for a second.

 “The Safe Word (Is Don’t)" is the debut single from brand new Vancouver pop duo, and sweethearts, The Charm Offensive. All heavy synths and crushing bass drum, the band, comprised of Hatch Benedict (of local phenoms Sex With Strangers) and Trish Kelly, has thrown back to the glitz and glamour reminiscent of 80’s club hits. Benedict holds down the verses with a macho swagger while Kelly takes centre stage delivering the chorus in a beautiful falsetto.

"Hitchhiker" singer and Thunder Bay native Bobby Curtola had his death announced Sunday. Although perhaps not as well known as some of his country's contemporaries such as Paul Anka or Andy Kim, Curtola was the recipient of 25 gold records, and 12 gold singles in Canada. Best known for his mildly noir single "Hitchhiker", Bobby Curtola was the owner of the Order of Canada, was the first Canadian to sign a long-term performing contract in Las Vegas, and was beloved by many of his fans.

Even a short glance at the music charts in the 1980s brings a realization that the decade was full of glamour and opulence and general all-around silly experimentation. Chicago DJ/producer Farley "Jackmaster" Funk had a mild hit in 1986 with "Love Can't Turn Around" and is an example of how that decade changed the us from listening to music, to seeing it. The video clip has the recruited vocalist Darryl Pandy Cheshire Cat grinning around a city backdrop, while showcasing his shoulder shaking abilities that would make even Pat Benatar envious.

It’s been 15 years since The Strokes changed the popular musical landscape with the release of their debut album Is This It? Prior to the album’s release, and subsequent explosion, radio and music video television -- remember this is all prior to the internet being a music delivery system -- was littered with ‘legacy’ Can Con acts, and American soft rock and ‘Alternative’ groups like Incubus and Sugar Ray.

Hollywood mainstay and occasional Friends character Giovanni Ribisi has taken up the task of directing a video for macabre ION favourites, The Kills, with their new video for "Siberian Nights". The video does what a good video is supposed to in 2016: it looks slick and it represents the band/music well.

Welsh singer Cate Le Bon is gaining converts almost daily. If you've ever been to one of her shows, you will notice her demographic is hard to pin down. From 50 year old record store clerks, to 19 year old girls disenfranchised with the pop charts, to metal heads, Cate the Great has somehow appealed to almost all types. This might be confusing after a first listen.

 Yeasayer are back in another album cycle, and the biggest concern is whether or not they waited too long to capitalize on their popularity. When they first reached a level of success that was probably the highest tier in music without having to be forced to feature Pitbull on your radio edits, the landscape was quite different.