Like the ball drop at Times Squares in New York City, the fireworks igniting from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the annual rite of hundreds of million of people making resolutions they cannot keep, we once again share some of our favorite songs from the past 365 days. The Mega, Mega Playlist of 2018 is another doozy. Specifically, it features […]

As summer approaches in the Southern Hemisphere, the music is getting hotter and the Weekend Showcase 4.44 edition has plenty from Down Under. There are, of course, several other countries represented by the 47 songs that occupy this week’s mega playlist. They are overall: Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Sweden, the United States, and Wales. The […]

Like yesterday, The Matinee ’18 November 9th edition has a strong overseas presence with more than half the songs coming from Australian artists and bands. This is just evidence of how the music scene Down Under is flourishing. The mini-playlist also includes a duo of young teenagers, a super-duo, one of the UK’s best young bands, and one of the […]

The Weekend Showcase 4.39 edition is another stupendous affair that celebrates the best new indie music from around the globe. Forty-two songs are featured this week with artists and bands representing 14 countries. They include: Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, Faroe Islands, France, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, and the United States. The playlist and tracklisting, as usual, […]

The return of one of indie’s greatest singer-songwriters highlights The Matinee ’18 October 4th edition. Following her are eight other outstanding young artists and bands, some of whom have shot to stardom and others on the cusp of it. Sharon Van Etten – “Comeback Kid” (Los Angeles via Brooklyn & New Jersey, USA) RIYL: Siouxsie Sioux, The Knife, Fever Ray […]

This was a sensational week for new music, and, as a result, we were extremely busy. We covered six LPs and one EP, featured three premieres, and had two photo essays. Daily picks for Ottawa’s annual CityFolk were also shared. And of course, we had our daily mini-playlist features. All this coverage has yielded a 59-song long Weekend Showcase 3.36 […]

Another nine songs are on today’s The Matinee September 15th edition. Hopefully this selection will perk up your eyes and pique your interest. We get things started with one of the finest singer-songwriters to arrive on the scene in the past two years.   Julia Jacklin – “Eastwick” (Blue Mountains, Australia) RIYL: Angel Olsen, Big Thief, Nadia Reid Even when […]

A photo essay from Newport Folk Festival 2017 – Day 2. This is just one of four parts. The other articles are: Things we loved – an overview of Newport Folk Festival Day 1 photo essay Day 3 photo essay MORE PHOTOS IN SLIDER

Just like Day 1, the second day of Newpork Folk Festival is filled with conflicts, as is expected. The first half of the day features several international artists, some of whom occupied many of our “Favorites of 2016” lists. The mid-afternoon to evening portions are littered with some of the biggest names in indie, folk, Americana, and alt-country. Oh, there […]

The past week was one of the best of 2017, and the Weekend Showcase 3.23 edition reflects its greatness. A staggering 54 songs are on it, featuring some big-name artists (e.g., Arcade Fire, Fleet Foxes, Chelsea Wolfe, Cigarettes After Sex); rising stars (e.g., Julia Jacklin, Noga Erez, Wolf Alice); established veterans (e.g., Frankie Rose, The Dears, Michael Nau); and, of […]

The Matinee June 13th has a bit of a familiar feel in that many of the artists and bands listed before have been featured before. We kick things off with the return of one of indie rock’s great bands. Wolf Alice – “Yuk Foo” (London, England) RIYL: Siouxsie Sioux, Hole, Dead Kennedys In 2014 and 2015, Wolf Alice was the […]

As is tradition on the last day of the year, we share The Mega, Mega Playlist of 2016. After featuring more than 2,500 songs through The Matinee, Melodic Tonic, Saturday Sampler, album reviews, photo essays, and premieres. We’ve reduced that list to 120 songs just in time for New Year’s Day. These songs aren’t a complete representation of what we’ve […]

We revisit familiar places and names. New destinations and hidden gems are explored and discovered. By the end of it all, the Weekend Showcase 2.40 edition features 56 songs by some of indie music’s best artists and newcomers on the precipice of greatness. These outstanding individuals and bands are representing 13 countries, including: Australia, Canada, England, France, Hungary, India, New […]

Julia Jacklin has always been a daydreamer. At the age of 12, she wanted to be a pop star like Brittany Spears, and then later in life she wanted to be the best social worker on the planet. The dreams would linger, but they started to come to fruition following a trip to South America during her gap year. The […]

CityFolk, the 4 day music festival held in Ottawa, Ontario, was held Sep 15-18th. This marked the second year for the event since re-branding itself and moving to Lansdowne Park. The festival made solid use of three stages: The City Stage on the Great Lawn, the Ravenlaw stage inside the Horticulture Building and the BMO stage inside the Aberdeen Pavillion. A difficulty evident last […]

The cooler evening breezes and earlier setting sun mark the arrival of CityFolk. Though previously housed at other venues, it returns to Ottawa’s Landsdowne Park for its sophomore year. The festival’s main City Stage is on the great lawn; however, there are two other side stages that offer a more intimate and indoor experience. These include both the Ravenlaw stage, […]

As summer comes to a close, every one is cramming in one final getaway, taking a last trip to the cottage, and planning one massive backyard party. Regardless of the occasion, let the Weekend Showcase 2.32 edition be your final summer playlist. On this week’s edition, find XX songs from artists based around the globe. Fourteen countries/regions represented include: Australia, […]

The Matinee August 18th features eight songs that range from the electrifying to sultry. As always, The Matinee spans the globe, featuring artists from Australia, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, England, and the USA.   Honey Lung – “Something” (London, England) RIYL: My Bloody Valentine, Sundara Karma, Wolf Alice The sole group on the list that is not led by a female […]

Happy July 17th everyone! We hope your weekend has been fantastic, and hopefully we can add a bit more flair to this Sunday. Our playlist this week is terrific, featuring a handful of known artists and plenty of rising stars. Specifically, 50 songs occupy the Weekend Showcase 2.27 edition. The artists are originally from 10 countries/regions, including: Australia, Belgium, Canada, […]

Saturday Sampler for July 16th features plenty of musicians and bands that we have huge crushes on ummm… we are huge fans of because their music makes us feel really goooood. There are, of course, several newcomers whose music might also leave you infatuated. We’ll try to keep the musical matchmaking brief so you can enjoy the music.   Andrew Keoghan – “Everything” […]