k-os | THE TRILL: A Journey So Far

5 Stars

A truly Canadian hip-hop master looks back on a decade of success.

In the over 10 years since he released his first single, Kevin Brereton (aka k-os) has cemented himself as a staple in the hip-hop world. With the incredible tracks on this compilation album, it’s easy to see how the Toronto-born singer/songwriter achieved two platinum albums. From catchy and upbeat faves like Crabbuckit and Born to Run to slower, more thoughtful tracks like Man I Used to Be and The Love Song, k-os’ addictive sound will grab your attention and hold onto it throughout this album.

Sonora's fave track: Sunday Morning

Faber Drive Shares Secrets

Faber Drive is back with the release of their second album, Can’t Keep a Secret. The Mission, BC-based band, now decked out with two new members (Jordan Pritchett and Andrew Stricko), brings forth a brand new sound on this latest project. Blending upbeat electro-synth sounds with the original Faber Drive style, Can’t Keep a Secret has a fresh new feel. Youthink got the chance to sit down with singer/guitarist Dave Faber as he shared some secrets about Faber Drive’s latest project.

YT: How are you feeling about the success of “Can’t Keep a Secret” so far?
DF: We’re feeling really good! The first single is almost double platinum! I’m really excited.

YT: This album channels the original Faber Drive smoothness with a new twist – especially with the electro-synth elements. What brought about the shift?
DF: We’ve always been fans of The Killers and The Cars, so we just wanted to try something different. The funny thing about it is that the first single, G-Get Up and Dance, was actually supposed to be for a side project... I don’t know if I should say this, but I guess I’ll say it... the side project was going to be called Plastic Jacket so it was going to be more of an electro-pop type thing, but we ended up showing our management and label the song and they freaked out about it and they were like, “You guys can’t do this as a side project, you guys gotta release it as Faber Drive.” And we weren’t too sure about that because it doesn’t really sound like Faber Drive, right? And they were like, “Well, let’s just go for it and see if people like it.” And good thing because it seems like a lot of people like it.

YT: Many of the songs seem very nostalgic and personal. How difficult was it to write “By Your Side”?
DF: It was tough, you know? I wrote the song about my dad and he died of stomach cancer, which spread to lung cancer a few years back and it was tough. I can relate to people who have people who are close to them who have passed away from cancer. It’s a very hard thing to go through... having somebody pass away at all, but cancer’s just not fun. It’s a sad song if you look at it in the way that I wrote it, but it’s a happy song if you look at it like that, the people who you love, they’ll never truly be gone, there’ll always be a piece of them with you no matter where you are or what you do. And it was quite tough to write about.

YT: Tracks like “I’ll Be There” and “Never Coming Down” have very optimistic lyrics. Was the album aimed in this positive direction?
DF: We generally write about our life experiences of stuff and we try to be relatable to friends and family, but we generally try to keep our lyrics fairly positive – I mean, all the songs seem to be pretty positive. G-Get Up and Dance is about just partying and having a great time, going out with friends. Never Coming Down is about driving all night, having lots of fun, how when you’re young, your car is your life, you know? It’s what you – especially when you first get your licence – you just love hanging out in your car and doing everything.

YT: The question everyone is dying to ask of the title... what’s the big secret you can’t keep?
DF: Basically, you know, we’ve got lots of secrets, but one of the secrets about the album was the first single, G-Get Up and Dance was actually recorded in my barn at my house.

Taking Dawn: Time to Burn

3 stars

Taking Dawn lights up the sky with debut album.

The dawn is here for the upcoming metal-rock band Taking Dawn with its debut album release, Time to Burn. Although the band is not very well known at the moment, I am sure that Taking Dawn has the potential to sing So Loud and so well that the band’s music will make a strong impression on rock fans everywhere. Time to Burn is a great energy-filled album that includes terrific electric guitar solos, although I do think the album could have benefited from more vocal solos. Nonetheless, Time to Burn is a strong debut album for a band that is on its way to making a name for itself in the rock music scene.

Sunny’s fave track: Endlessly

Sheree Plett: The Road to My Family

3 stars

A candid collection of tunes about life.

The Road to My Family is an album infused with the lyrical storytelling traditions of folk music, and Sheree Plett’s smoke-strained voice sings earnestly about her perception of this beautiful mess called life. Amidst raw instrumentation, Plett weaves tales into haunting tracks like Riverbend, while making insightful observations in tracks like Sixteen Willows. Although The Road to My Family isn’t great for listeners hunting for commercially popular music, it is a good contemplative collection of songs for listeners looking for music with depth and honesty.

Liz’s fave track: Travelling

Dommin: Love is Gone

2 stars

Not a lot of love for this metal rock album.

"Dommin is the sound of the broken-hearted," explains front man Kristofer Dommin. But really, Dommin's latest album itself is in complete broken disarray. Dommin, a Gothic-metal band based in LA, claims its new album is about the ups and downs of love, but Love is Gone never really takes off. The songs don't live up to the true metal sound, somehow transitioning instead into a Gothic adolescence sound. A few tracks such as My Heart and I Still Lost are lyrically decent, but the rest of the album is depleted, lost and gone as indicated by the title.

Aman’s fave track: My Heart

Linkin Park: LPU9: Demos

2 stars

Old songs don’t sound as good as they should in exclusive release.

LPU9: Demos is a nine song compilation of unreleased demos by Linkin Park, a nu-metal, rap rock band from California. Eight of the songs are demo versions of the band’s biggest hits, with only one new song in the mix – Across the Line, a dark song with lyrics that deal with suicide and drugs. The demos are generally rougher and rawer than the finished products, but they all still sound very close to their polished counterparts. Although band member Mike Shinoda justifies the launch of this album by saying, “Songs change constantly over the course of the creative process, so we thought it’d be cool to share early versions of familiar tracks,” I don’t really see any point to the release of this album. The demos aren’t as good as the ones already released, so the album really is only for collectors and die-hard fans.

Sarah’s fave track: Drum Song

Scott Cook: This One’s on the House

2 stars

Edmontonian doesn’t come out on top as hoped.

Born and raised in Edmonton, Scott Cook – a kindergarten teacher turned musician – places high on the folk charts. With songs that sound quite monotonous and melodies featuring banjos, accordions and harmonicas, this album isn’t exactly what you would call upbeat and fun. Although singer/songwriter Cook mentions some awesome places throughout Canada in his songs, the lyrics don’t make up for the lack of enthusiasm in This One’s on the House. For his second album, Scott collaborates with many of Edmonton’s best musicians, including Jesse Dee on guitar and Doug Organ on piano. So if you’re open-minded to a variety of music and want to hear some local Edmonton musicians, give This One’s on the House a listen.

Karina’s fave track: This One’s on the House (the Hobo Song)

Yukon Blonde: Yukon Blonde

5 stars

Yukon Blonde leaves rock fans blissful and beaming.

Hailing from Kelowna, British Columbia, Yukon Blonde sounds like a concoction of The Stills and The Clash and the band proves that Canadian rock ‘n’ roll is alive and well. Don’t let these boys fool you with their small city roots; on their self-titled album, you will hear cleverly written songs about everything from broken hearts to dreams almost reached. Trivial Fires and 1000 Years are tunes that are sure to get you swaying and bopping your head. Yukon Blonde is definitely a local band to watch out for.

Niki’s fave track: Babies Don't Like Blue Anymore

Snoop Dogg: Malice N Wonderland

4 stars

Flavourful addition to Snoop Dogg’s collection.

Snoop’s tenth solo release lives up to its paradoxical title by meshing diverse tracks together to create a brilliant mixture. Snoop is the master chef, adding hard gangsta rap, a sprinkle of softer laid-back beats, and a pinch of R&B collaborations to his Malice N Wonderland soup. He keeps it all fresh by teaming up with names like Lil Jon, The-Dream, Pharrell and Soulja Boy. It’s surprising that Malice hasn’t done better on the charts. Despite debuting with low numbers, Malice is a catchy listen from beginning to end. Snoop Dogg is ever evolving, and able to turn his style Upside Down and still keep its hype.

Rheanna’s fave track: Secrets

Priscilla Renea: Jukebox

5 stars

YouTube sensation delivers a sensational album.

"I feel like I'm bringing something new and fresh," says budding star Priscilla Renea in her website’s biography. She does exactly that with her debut album Jukebox, full of quirky lyrical songs and funky mood-lifting beats. Thanks to her high exposure on YouTube, MySpace and MTV's Say What? Karaoke, Renea's developing career is flying straight for success. Her music is the epitome of fun and soul and is meant for just about any ear. From the empowering track, Dollhouse, to the insightful Pretty Girl, Renea delivers a solid collection of songs in Jukebox.

Aman’s fave track: Pretty Girl