What: Alternative Pop
Where: Toronto, ON
CM Issue: May – June 2013
Visit: www.christvskrishna.com

Toronto indie rockers Christ vs. Krishna might have a polarizing name, but they have a unifying sound. Their mellow British new wave-influenced indie rock is a sound that’s all too easy to fall in love with.

The band released a self-titled EP in 2009 with their first full-length, Sidewalk Astronomy, following in 2011. They’re back this year with a seven-song EP titled Move and Scale and plan to bring their critically-acclaimed live show across the country to promote it. The band’s hook-ridden and supremely rhythmic songs have all the ingredients necessary to make the band an indie staple alongside acts such as The New Pornographers and Stars. Their songs are easy to get into, at which point the listener discovers the buried melodies and hidden intricacies within tracks such as “Full Circle,” making for an ever-evolving and lasting experience.

What: Reggae
Where: Aylmer, QC
CM Issue: May – June 2013
Visit: www.lesmosquitos.com

Les Mosquitos’ fun fusion of reggae and ska is the perfect blend for the coming summer months. The Aylmer, QC quintet spent 2012 promoting their debut EP, Chasing the Dragon, filming a music video for its lead single “My Muse,” and making waves throughout their region with radio contest winds and sold-out shows.

The songs on Chasing the Dragon are accessible and inviting to would-be partiers who will be filling patios during the summer; think Sublime without the depressing subject matter. They plan on taking some time to write and record new material and may not be on the road too much this summer. In the meantime, hunt down a copy of Chasing the Dragon and turn it up when you’re feeling good or want to feel better.

What: Pop Punk
Where: Toronto, ON
CM Issue: May – June 2013
Visit: www.thegentlementhieves.com

When I was growing up outside of Toronto, I used to venture into the city to check out Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph bands playing some
of the city’s storied music venues. As a suburban kid trying to expand my taste in music, I was often just as impressed with the opening acts,
which were often new to me, than I was with the headliners. My early live music memories are filled with summer nights where I’d pop a new
CD from a new band into the car on the drive home, listening to it with the smells and sounds of a young summer night passing through the
open windows.

The Gentlemen Thieves represent the kind of band I remember from those nights. These guys play a poppier NOFX style of melodic punk that’s unrefined but full of potential. Their Crafting Lies EP brought them across Canada on one tour so far and they will be playing dates across eastern Canada by the time this column goes to print (and after they finish recording a new album), just in time to create memories similar
to mine for a new generation of music fans.

What: Hip-Hop/Rap
Where: Edmonton, AB
CM Issue: March – April 2013
Visit: www.thisisrellik.com

Edmonton’s Rellik is a genre-bending hip-hop group fronted by group namesake Billy “Rellik” Leblanc alongside R&B vocalist Andrew Decorby and DJ Sean Joyner. The eclectic project is sometimes joined live onstage by four-piece backing band 3 Days Per Diem.

Mixing live instruments with classic hip-hop turntablism, crew vocals, and inclusive lyrics, Rellik summons the best parts of ‘90s revivalists Jurassic 5 or Talib Kweli, and has performed alongside the latter. The group’s lyrics also highlight the adversity experienced by Leblanc while growing up native in low income housing and going through a custody battle for his two sons; however, Rellik attempts to be inclusive in his music, saying, “While still in touch with our aboriginal roots, I feel the need to write material that all hip-hop listeners can relate to, regardless of their ethnic background or experiences.”

Rellik released their first album, Mighty Mouth, in 2011 as well as a remix of the album in early 2013 with contributing producers from across Canada. Despite having just one album under their collective belt, Rellik has played hundreds of shows in the Edmonton area and abroad. The upcoming release of Cut From a Different Cloth, the band’s sophomore LP due in late spring 2013, should ensure that the number of pins on the map continues to grow.

What: Avante-Garde Rock
Where: Calgary, AB
CM Issue: March – April 2013
Visit: www.jungpeople.bandcamp.com 

Calgary’s Jung People (that’s “Young People” for those not in the know) are an instrumental rock group that formed just over two years ago. Featuring just two members (Bryan “Octobuss” Buss on synth, lap steel, effects, and eight-string guitar and Giordano W. Bassi on drums, keys, samples, and more), the band crafts deeply textured walls of noise that blur the lines between progressive/indie/post-rock and even metal, folk, jazz, and punk.

However, it’s not all pedal mashing and knob turning, as both Bassi and Octobuss attended Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA. They released their debut EP, Tenterhooks, in December 2011. They dedicated that album to all domestic animals hurt by or lost to “the human path” and have dedicated all future album proceeds to humanitarian causes. But that’s not to say they’re not fun to listen to! While they might be easier to get into for fans of acts such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor, King Crimson, or Explosions in the Sky, they feature some of the musical elements that make such popular acts as Radiohead and Mogwai so beloved.