Reviews

Read the Review
Mngwa

Read the Review
Andrew Franey

Read the Review
The Shangs

Read the Review
Alex Cuba

Read the Review
Tri Nguyen

Read the Review
Defend The Rhino

Read the Review
Talltale

Read the Review
Kiwi Jr.

Read the Review
Plaster

Read the Review
Hyness

Read the Review
Black Suit Devil

Read the Review
Yamantaka // Sonic Titan

Read the Review
The Pack A.D.

Read the Review
Chad VanGaalen

Read the Review
Potengowski Anna Friederike

Read the Review
Todd Rundgren

Read the Review
Old 97's

Read the Review
Needles//Pins

!earshot picks for 2007


Chris Hibbard

Chris Hibbard

Chris Hibbard, host of The Kitchen Sink;  7:30 - 10:30 p.m. every Sunday night (MST) on CKXU 88.3 FM in Lethbridge, Alberta. An exercise in eclectic listening, The Kitchen Sink's motto is "If you don't like what you're hearing, wait five minutes."

2008 in Review

Top 200 of 2008

As the new year comes in, it time to look back at the musical year that was...

The '2008 Best of...' Playlists

The year-end playlist for friends and family is an annual tradition for many music lovers. !earshot takes a look at what a few of our friends and family from the music obsessed world of c/c radio are cooking up this year.

Weirdoes & Movie Stars: Bazooka Goes Bonkers In the O-EIGHT
By Bruno Mazzotta

Fader in the Key of Simultaneity
By Andrea-Jane Cornell

Meat's Sweet Treats
By Luke Meat

Picks and Pans 2008

Looking back at some of the best, the over-rated, local surprises and more...
New Shit
Jazz Notes with Jim
The Church of Noise
Jazz on the Rocks
I Am Collecting Beautiful Things
Nasty Jag Sound Crew
Canada Post-Rock
The Kitchen Sink

My Top 5 records of the year

Portishead - Third - (Mercury) - www.portishead.co.uk
Finally, after a decade-plus hiatus, these merchants of haunting electro-trip hop have returned, dropping a paranoid album of dark and dreamy landscapes that sounds only, and unmistakably, like a killer Portishead album.

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive - (Vagrant) - www.theholdsteady.com
Screw any references to Bruce Springsteen; or any comparisons to Canada's like-minded Gaslight Anthem - this disc just simply rocks with no easy way to describe why. Stay Positive is catchy as hell, complete with intelligent lyrics and high-quality production value.

The Hold Steady: this disc just simply rocks with no easy way to describe why The Hold Steady

The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia - (SubPop) - www.theguttertwins.com
Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli have worked together before, most notably as the Twilight Singers. With Saturnalia though, they've created a dark, brooding album that would work well as the soundtrack to a funeral procession in hell. Though it may require a number of repeat listens, this album is simply intense.

Kings of Leon - Only By the Night - (RCA) - www.kingsofleon.com
Tennessee's Followill brothers are back, now more mature and wise beyond their years. While the former half of the album is undoubtedly stronger than the latter, the Kings have evolved into becoming one of the warmest, most ambient rock groups out there. They still write about women, wine, and whiskey, but they seem to do it now through a lens of experience; women, wine and whiskey taken in moderation to avoid a bad morning after.  Don't let the title fool you, Only by the Night provides a good listen during  any time of the day, in any mood.

Clinic - Do It! - (Domino) - www.clinicvoot.org/
Granted, the singer takes a little getting used to, but this gang of Brits have continued their trend of 'updating' 60's psychedelic rock; twisting and turning riffs accompanied by bell chimes, fog horns and an ample serving of oddness. Do It! is a stunningly well put together record, which hopefully casts aside all notions of Clinic as 1990's 'schtick' artists. This is enjoyable on a many different levels, and is best listened to cranked way up.

3 most under-rated records of the year

It would seem that few people are even aware of these releases, which is truly a shame. Unusual, unique and in a class of their own, these three discs have been in heavy rotation for me for months now.

ASG - Win Us Over - (Volcom) - www.asgnation.com
Killer stoner rock riffs, psychedelic backgrounds and a deliciously heavy rhythm section, This North Carolina's third album will appeal to all fans of Mastadon, Fu Manchu, Kyuss and the like.

Daedelus - Love to Make Music To - (Ninja Tune) - www.myspace.com/daedelusdarling
Alternating between rump-shaking funk, ambient beauty and experimental hip-hop sound collage, this California producer has a seemingless endless well of creativity.
Recommended for fans of Cut Chemist, the Avalanches and DJ Shadow.

The Aliens - Luna - (Pet Rock Sounds/Independent) - www.thealiens.co.uk
This second album by a Scottish group (consisting of former Beta Band members) is a high-fidelity wonderland, full of complex and unpredictable arrangements, all drenched in sixties-era pop sensibility.

Most over-rated records of the year:

The way that these albums were reviewed and acclaimed by friends, I had very high hopes for each. Upon repeat listens though, I feel disappointed. While all are fine examples of their genre, they failed to meet my expectations and live up to all the hype.

Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane - (Sub Pop)
Russian Circles - Station - (Suicide Squeeze)
Mogwai - The Hawk is Howling -  (Matador)
Juno Reactor - Gods and Monsters - (Metropolis)

Best local releases

Lethbridge's Endangered Ape have released a raw, gritty lo-fi six-song analog EP called Variations on a Theme, that conjures up memories of early 80's garage punk & new wave - Joy Division meets The Stooges. The drawback is that this recording can't hold a candle to their high-energy, borderline-crazy live shows.  -  www.myspace.com/endangeredapewww.myspace.com/endangeredape

Best personal campus/community radio moments or experiences of the year.

Receiving eight phone requests in one show, becoming a part of the CKXU Board of Directors, and volunteering at awesome CKXU-sponsored indie rock shows.

Records you are most anticipating for 2009

I'm waiting patiently and hopefully for new material from Queens of the Stone Age, Massive Attack, The Avalanches, Therapy? and The Weakerthans. A new album by Tool may be asking too much, but a guy can dream can't he?

header bottom