‘Starboy’ shoots for the stars but misses the mark December 15, 2016December 14, 2016 Emmett Robinson Smith He’s back, ladies and gentlemen. The Weeknd, or should I say Starboy, has swooped from his Toronto high-rise and laid his new album, Starboy, at our collective doorsteps, its cover...
Frank Ocean’s Blonde unparalleled in its ambition September 8, 2016September 7, 2016 Emmett Robinson Smith Frank Ocean has always had an air of mystery surrounding him — a reserved cool, a magnetic solitude. Watch him stand off to the side, eyes down while he sips on an...
‘It’s a good time to be a Canadian artist,’ says Young Empires frontman June 8, 2016June 8, 2016 Emmett Robinson Smith Toronto band Young Empires just finished their extensive U.S. tour following the release of their debut album The Gates — a trek that included a stop in Victoria on May 18. The...
‘Views’ in review: Drake marks his hip-hop ascension May 17, 2016 Emmett Robinson Smith When Drake first came into the spotlight, it was on the back of his single “Best I Ever Had.” The song, which reached Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100,...
Macklemore, could you please explain this unruly mess you’ve made? March 24, 2016 Emmett Robinson Smith I was rooting for you, Macklemore. When you won Best Rap Album at the Grammys over Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city, Drake’s Nothing Was the Same, Kanye West’s Yeezus...
The flawed genius of Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo March 3, 2016March 2, 2016 Emmett Robinson Smith Kanye West, perpetual source of controversy and brilliant music, occupies a desirable position in pop culture: as his commercial potency goes down, his relevance — and notoriety — go up. His influence on music...
Hip Hop Karaoke turns up at Lucky Bar January 21, 2016January 20, 2016 Emmett Robinson Smith The room is dim, loud and packed. Bartenders work in a blurred frenzy. Some people sit. Others stand. Most dance. Onstage, two skinny white dudes in V-necks and Birkenstocks give...
Back to basics for Finger Eleven November 5, 2015November 5, 2015 Emmett Robinson Smith Finger Eleven is back. The band formerly known as Rainbow Butt Monkeys played at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney on Oct. 31 in support of their new album Five...
Disclosure’s pop takeover October 7, 2015October 8, 2015 Emmett Robinson Smith Disclosure’s story is an unlikely one. Two brothers, Howard and Guy Lawrence, break into Top 40 radio, dominating the airwaves with a song called “Latch” that rewrites the soundscape of...
Rifflandia: Nothing’s stopping Joey Bada$$ September 26, 2015 Emmett Robinson Smith Compared to his Victoria fanbase, Joey Bada$$ stands in stark relief. Raised in Brooklyn, amidst a street culture different from anything on Vancouver Island, he was shaped by fellow New...
