January 11, 2023—Elly Hannon In my ears: Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You (Big Thief), Big Time (Angel Olsen), And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow (Weyes Blood), Pre Pleasure (Julia Jacklin) + revisiting: High in the Minuses (Charlotte Cornfield), Case/Lang/Viers, Wednesday Morning 3A.M. (Simon/Garfunkel). Live Music: I was lucky to catch these four intimate shows at Sourwood (my place of work) — JOYFULTALK & Cousins (December), Michael Feuerstack in the…
January 10, 2023—“beautiful” – CBC Music “enchanting and bewildering” – Cast the Dice“Heavenly…gorgeous…reminiscent of Aldous Harding or Grouper.” – CLASH Magazine Nico Paulo‘s new single, “Now or Never” arrives as a stunning introduction to the forthcoming record, fusing deftly strummed guitar with Nico’s glowing vocals that course atop, sounding somewhat reminiscent of the current change in season and turn to fall. In an effort to fully understand how things end and why, “Now or Never” looks to unpack…
September 5, 2022—After release shows across Canada, Motherhood are taking their latest LP Winded across the pond for a series of European and UK dates. The tour will take the band through several countries for the first time – Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Belgium, and Germany – and see them return to England for shows in Brighton, Ramsgate,…
September 2, 2022—“Beau et déstabilisant” – Le Devoir“Stunning and futuristic” – Broadway World To coincide with the release of his new album Desiderata, released in partnership with Joyful Noise Records, Canadian composer/songwriter Ben Shemie shared an incredible animated video created by Montreal-based artist Brandon Blommaert for two of the album tracks. – watch video for ‘The Mirror’ + ‘The Future Indefinite’ –“While Shemie’s image of a faraway universe is equal parts inspiring and chaotic, he…
September 1, 2022—“Atlantic Canada’s next big thing” – Complex“Comforting, effervescent, intoxicating” – CBC Music Listening to Aquakultre’s Don’t Trip is like stepping into a Halifax house party in full swing. Throughout 12 jam-packed songs, the award-winning rapper and neo-soul songwriter Lance Sampson is joined by over 20 guests from locations spanning the globe. – listen // order Don’t Trip on LP/CD/CASS/DIG –“Don’t Trip hits the bloodstream…
September 1, 2022—“tighter and more dynamic than ever.” – CBC Music“a whole new level of discomforting genius” – God Is In The TV It’s been two months since Motherhood’s newest LP, Winded, arrived into the world, diving headlong into a narrative that explores the natural world as it mirrors human suffering. With their home province of New Brunswick’s dramatic vistas as a…
April 20, 2022—“uplifting, reflective, and spiritual” – Bandcamp“an alchemist of sound” – Backseat Mafia Composer/producer Jay Crocker turns to exuberant noise-tinged polychrome electronic avant-jazz on his third JOYFULTALK album for Constellation Records, Familiar Science. The first single, Take It To The Grave, is “powered from a foundry of scorching locomotive beats that wrestle with Crocker’s lithesome harmolodic guitar” (Backseat Mafia). – watch ‘Ballad in 9’ video // listen // pre-order Familair Science on…
April 19, 2022—“The Maritimes’ most promising young MC” – Complex“one of this country’s most promising young rappers.” – CBC Music It’s all coming up Wolf Castle. After releasing his latest album in August, the rapper and producer from Pabineau First Nation has been getting a steady stream of well-deserved praise and has now dropped an incredible new video for the first track on the record. – watch video // read the Complex feature // read the CBC feature – “I grew up…
January 2, 2022—Nick SchofieldPaintings by Jeff Bierk and Darby Milbrath Music by: Shabason, Krgovich & Harris – Florence (instrumentals from Philadelphia) The Weather Station – IgnoranceBell Orchestre – House Music Jennah Barry1. Sharon van Etten & Angel Olsen – Like I Used To2. Bridgewater Value Village, just for the heck of it.3. As usual: the internet4. Weed…
September 22, 2021—The stimulating, fluid sonic blends and forthright, open-hearted lyrics throughout Hang Time, the new LP from Cedric Noel, finds the Tio’tiá:ke/Montreal-based artist untangling complex realities, and ultimately landing with a stunning sense of surety and self. – Order Hang Time on LP/CD/CASS // listen to his interview on the Joyful Noise Radio Hour – Written during a period of intense self-reflection, his eighth…
August 8, 2021—On his fourth EP Da Vinci’s Inquest, Mi’kmaq rapper/singer/producer Wolf Castle writes the epilogue for one story and the opening chapters of his own destiny. The record marks the death of Da Vinci—a vicious, ambitious Mr. Hyde alter-ego—and the birth of the true Wolf Castle. – Listen to Da Vinci’s Inquest // Watch video for ‘Welfman’ – Over three previous EPs, Da…
August 6, 2021—Nova Scotia’s Jennah Barry melted hearts and captivated everyone that came across her critically-acclaimed sophomore album Holiday last year. Now she’s back with a new single that marks another glorious take on 70’s-inspired Americana. – Listen to Venus In Heat – Again produced by Colin Nealis (Foxwarren, Andy Shauf), ‘Venus in Heat’ maintains all of the woozy, intimate indie-folk synonymous with Barry’s sound; gentle piano, swooning lap…
June 23, 2021—“une voix de laquelle se dégage une émotion sincère où perce une certaine fragilité, un vulnérabilité. Quelque chose de parfaitement imparfait” – Les Méconnus “effortless tenor and a gently strummed electric guitar. I was sucked in as well, won over in seconds” – Brooklyn Vegan Cedric Noel has spent the past decade creating soul-stirring pieces that muse on identity, Black…
June 23, 2021—Wolf Castle, the solo project of the New Brunswick Indigenous rapper/producer Tristan Grant, has announced his upcoming EP, Da Vinci’s Inquest, and is sharing the new single ‘Welfman’ following the track ‘Gunna’ earlier this year. “Welfman is a de-colonial, working-class banger all about being dope, stylish and intelligent,” says Grant. “Doesn’t matter if I came from a rough spot, all of us are…
June 23, 2021—“a total blast” – Vancouver Sun“a contagious sense of joy” – Louder Than War“wailing guitars and celebratory instrumentals” – Indie88 Century Egg is a band of escape artists. On their new EP, the Halifax four-piece blaze through basement pop jams carefully crafted with the desires of the listener at the front of their minds – the desire to move, to dance, to…
April 25, 2021—We’re holding a silent auction for the original collage by artist Paul Henderson created for Michael Feuerstack’s latest album Harmonize the Moon to benefit the Mile End Mission in Montreal. The winner will receive the framed original piece, graciously donated by the artist and shipped at our expense, with all proceeds will be donated to…
April 8, 2021—We’re so excited to start working with two of Canada’s most exciting new musical projects. Though they differ in genre, both Wolf Castle and Century Egg share a DIY ethos and have been steadily releasing a string of EPs over the past few years. After working with both artists on separate editions of Songs of the City, it was a natural…
April 6, 2021—“hypnotic sonic tension” – With Guitars“ascendant musical magic” – Beats Per Minute“tender and beautifully orchestrated” – Folk Radio UK In September 2019, Paper Beat Scissors released the tender and beautifully orchestrated Parallel Line, exploring the fragility, complexity, and fundamental importance of human connection, a theme that has obviously taken on more and more resonance in the past year as we all grapple with…