Bears in Hazenmore – Atlas

“When it comes to releasing its new album, Bears In Hazenmore may have done things a little out of order.

Usually when a band releases an album, a CD release show kicks off a tour in support of the new music. Bears In Hazenmore, who will release Atlas on June 15, did the opposite — a 23-date tour started in late April and will finish Friday night with a performance at The Exchange.”(Leader-Post (Regina))

Ben Caplan – Old Stock

Chaim and Chaya do not meet cute. It’s 1908 Halifax, and these new arrivals — Jews who fled Romania — have been shunted into a line for the sick. He might have contracted typhus; he says it’s just a rash. She might have caught her sister’s tuberculosis; she thinks it’s just a cough. Will these two traumatized kids fall in love? Will immigration let them? Will they live long enough?(The New York Times)

Calpurnia – Scout

I CANNOT be the only one that looks at Calpurnia, and thinks, “What the hell did I do with my childhood?” Releasing their EP, Scout, these kids are REALLY GOOD! Yes, Finn Wolfhard is on Stranger Things, and I am sure that that has influenced people to listen. The thing is, Scout, does not disappoint. On the contrary, it impresses you with 6 guitar driven tracks that hail influences from the Rolling Stones to Mac Demarco.(Diandra Reviews It All)

Dagan Harding – I Learned How

Growing up is hard to do, but there’s always a silver lining. Singer, songwriter and producer, Dagan Harding, reflects on this very idea with his band of indie rockers on their rowdy, new single, “I Learned How.” With an age-defying rock beat, Harding provides matter-of-fact lyrics about how life has changed since his humble musical beginnings. Don’t be fooled tough, this personal and mature look in the mirror is still one you can crank in your car and pump your fist too. Give it a listen below.(Buffablog)

Queer Songbook Orchestra – Anthems & Icons

History books are flawed. The texts we were taught to commit our memories to growing up tend to leave out a lot of names and events, most often excluding minorities in favour of the tales of the majority. So, it has become the task of many who don’t fit the broadly white and heteronormative population to collect, preserve and promote these sometimes buried stories. That is the aim of a collective like the Queer Songbook Orchestra.(CBC Music)

The Slocan Ramblers – Queen City Jubilee

The Slocan Ramblers are driven by the cause of bluegrass, an evocative expression that compels them to find the courage to embrace a deep nook and take certain risks and work damn hard at it. This band of four comes out of Toronto’s musical milieu, and on their third album, Queen City Jubilee, the Slocan Ramblers blend innovative and traditional songs with instrumental tunes, tapping the familiar (and perennially inspiring) vein of Appalachian music; in the process, they’ve exposed a subtler facet of the folk and Americana genres. (No Depression)