John Lost and the Cause – Chamomile

Collette Savard And The Savants – Collette Savard And The Savants

Toronto-based singer-songwriter Savard has released three folk-rooted albums with former partner John Zytaruk, but is now stretching out musically with the highly capable assistance of her seasoned band, the Savants. They include two former Jane Siberry associates — producer/bassist John Switzer and backing vocalist Rebecca Campbell — plus drummer Martin Worthy, guitarist Tim Posgate, and keyboardist Megan Worthy.(Exclaim!)

Corey Gulkin – All the Things I’ll Forget

Corey Gulkin has created an album that feel like a Where The Wild Things Are for love. All The Things I’ll Forget is magical in its approach of relationships’ loss of magic. You simply let Gulkin’s voice hush you while she sings to the many times love left you screaming.(Diandra Reviews)

Danielle Duval – Lose It

Grand Analog – Survival

Canadian rap group Grand Analog have been at it for over a decade, and they’ll release their next project, the Survival EP, on January 26 via their own Grand Analog Music label. Guests include Shad, 2oolman of A Tribe Called Red, Posdnuos of De La Soul, and more, and we’re premiering the video for the Posdnuos collab, “Mutations.” Grand Analog make use of live instruments and there’s a clear throwback vibe to their sound, so they sound totally natural working with a vet like Pos.(BrooklynVegan)

Humans – The Feels

Vancouver’s Humans have been making minimal, expressive synth bangers for the better part of a decade, and their latest EP, The Feels, follows the same path. While the duo are known for their progressive, sparse beats that have often erred on the upbeat, The Feels pushes a darker, hypnotic aesthetic to guide this release.(Exclaim!)

Jim Cuddy – Constellation

Jim Cuddy, co-frontman for Canada’s venerable Blue Rodeo, has rarely sounded better. At 62, his voice remains as uncannily clear, affecting and inviting as it was back in his band’s 1990s heyday. But age has deepened the tones a touch or two, and warmed up the edges; it’s a remarkable, enviable gift, and no small part of what has kept Cuddy in the game for so long. Even on otherwise average material, his vocal work is often astonishingly beautiful.(Exclaim!)

Laila Biali – Laila Biali

Biali has toured with Sting and Chris Botti, and operates in territory those artists have explored. Her intricate arrangements are filled with lovely ornamentation but don’t become busy. George Koller’s bass provides plenty of backbone as part of a supporting cast so extensive the list in promotional material doesn’t even include standout trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, who plays on two cuts.(Washington Post)

Leaving Thomas – Leaving Thomas

Muazana – Epilogue

Ontario born Musician/actress and Degrassi star Ana Golja (Muazana) has just released six tracks prior to the 2018 release of her debut EP Epilogue. The Epilogue Chapters 1-3 are available now via iTunes and Spotify. Canadian Beats had the chance to chat with Ana about her music, writing and even her pet peeves. Check out what Ana had to say below.(Canadian Beats)

OMHOUSE – Eye to Eye

Toronto art rock outfit Omhouse are set to deliver their debut full-length album Eye to Eye at the end of the week, but Exclaim! is giving you the chance to stream it in its entirety right now.(Exclaim!)

The Fugitives – The Promise of Strangers

Beginning with a low-key vibe on the cut “I Have No Words (For Leonard Cohen)”, the band takes their time to build the song, when the chorus drops in with a subtle organ and banjo higher in the mix. By the second chorus, the classic Cohen gospel background vocals come to the fore, and the section is an indication of what’s to come throughout the record: harmonies that hinge on smart chord changes and composition. “See This Winter Out (For Amy)” is closer to The Fugitives’ earlier work, the kind of kick-drum-with-banjo vibe popularized by Mumford & Sons, (which can either be a good thing or a tired cliché, depending who you ask). Indeed, the “whoa” hook abounds throughout the record, at this point well overtired for this era.(BeatRoute)