While listening to this record, a funny feeling began brewing in my chest. I realized that Sheer Will feels more like a catalogue of life experiences than an album, with each song capturing a specific feeling and preserving those moments in time.

Our city has a fascinating history of local shipbuilding that is not as well known as it should be. A new book by Barbara Yurkoski brings this story to life and while reading it, I was quite struck by the ingenuity and vision of the early entrepreneurs who both built and repaired these massive vessels right here.

I am so incredibly impressed with this album. The 16 songs off Fabricated Worlds feel like an epic journey that explores a new sound with each track, traversing genres you’d never have expected to hear.

With its loft parties, soundtrack, and La Fin du Monde six-packs, the film does an excellent job of capturing the youthful energy of Montreal’s heyday, but, like most bildungsroman romantic comedies, it falls victim to the genre’s tropes.

Throughout the album, the lead guitars navigate their way from a distinctly country sound, with southern twang and intricate picking, to a more classic rock crunch, masterfully blending the two genres.

This band is too much their own beast to hide behind the songs of others; each of these 10 new tracks is an unapologetic party made to dominate local stages, with a flurry of breakneck riffs, howled vocals, and clattering drums.

For those who were fortunate enough to catch the PUP show at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium in December, I seriously envy you. For those who weren't able to be there, Megacity Madness (Official Live Recordings) is a chance to listen to their music in a way the studio recording just can’t replicate.

Kenzie B is a man of many bands of many genres, but it is really in his solo projects where the full extent of his characteristic chaos is unleashed.

Local singer-songwriter Phil Drost returns with a ray of sunshine for his fifth collection of songs, In This World.

In these (musical) notes from the underground, Asphyxiation embodies the collective frustration with “the system” and transmutes this anger into powerful prose that galvanizes the listener away from political despair and into action.

Beefcakes’ debut album, Goin’ Postal, is nine tracks of musical absurdism, in the best way. It’s got all the instrumental prowess of Primus and all the irony of Viagra Boys mixed into one post-punk, thought-provoking, experimental playthrough.

Director Laura-Lynn Petrick’s Lempo brings a chilling and intimate story to life on familiar northern waters. Childhood friends Shaun and Annie reconnect at neighbouring cabins, only to be forced to confront an ominous figure tied to Annie’s family history.

‘Tis the season for festivals, fun, and folk music, and Mt. Joy’s fourth LP, Hope We Have Fun, boasts 13 tracks that sound as good in headphones as they do on a festival stage.

Many of you may know Lights from her 2000s emo pop era; now, while we all may be ready to leave the extreme side bangs behind (if you know, you know), Lights’s new album A6 shows that she is ready to enter a new musical chapter.