A much-needed distraction from lockdown blues
As its name would suggest, Six-Foot Citrus is a band with a handle on absurdity — an instrument-swapping lineup with a constantly rotating frontperson, the…
music
Musical chemistry found in a most unexpected place
The internet was supposed to make our lives better. The reality of that naive dream is a little more complicated and a whole lot scarier,…
Kiwi Jr. — ‘Cooler Returns,’ 4/5
With song titles like “Maid Marian’s Toast” and “Only Here For A Haircut,” Toronto band Kiwi Jr.’s Cooler Returns taps into a particular strain of…
Arlo Parks — ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams,’ 4/5
For each new musical form, there will be those who embody it and those who pick up whatever scraps are left. Every supernova lets a…
Whitney K — ‘Two Years,’ 4/5
Whitney K, the drifter alter ego of Whitehorse, Yukon songwriter Konner Whitney, is a keen interpreter of rock music’s dingier corners. His debut record, the…
Grimes — ‘Miss Anthropocene (Rave Edition),’ 3/5
Claire “Grimes” Boucher is no longer a person. She is a pile of money, a series of angry articles, a class traitor, a problem and…
Julien’s Daughter — ‘The Static That Carries Over,’ 4.5/5
There are some bands that spring to life fully formed, like Athena from the head of Zeus or one of those sweet tents that just…
PETRIC — ‘Flashbacks,’ 3/5
PETRIC’s Flashbacks is airtight nearly to the point of airlessness, the dusty corners of country music sandblasted until even the shadows are gone, every instrument…
’Toban tracks
In a year that felt like an endless series of rugs being pulled out from under us, the one thing you could always rely on…
JR Charron — ‘Impression,’ 3/5
What do you say about a record like JR Charron’s Impression? Its instant familiarity and country-radio soundalike style is part of the appeal, its lack…