Arts

Photographer Diana Thorneycroft never played with dolls as a kid, but as an adult she’s made a successful career mutilating and photographing a collection of dolls and figurines in a series of mysterious explorations. Now, Victorians can see her work as part of Madrona Gallery’s Pulp & Process IV exhibit, running in February and March. […]

It’s been 10 years since Victoria-based musicians Carl Molinari and Ian Johnson last performed together, but now the two are returning in the lengthily named alternative rock band In the Future They’ll Be Birds. The band just released their debut album, Scalebor Park; the 10 tracks weave together as one cohesive unit that portrays the […]

Kaleidoscope Theatre is gearing up to mount the Canadian stage premiere of The Giver. Based on the dystopian novel of the same name by Lois Lowry, it centres around Jonas, a young boy assigned with holding the memories and secrets of his community. The book is incredibly dark and disturbing; however, that’s part of what […]

OGRE and Dallas CampbellAll Hallows’ II(Independent)4/5 The fourth collaboration between the UK’s OGRE and West Virginia’s Dallas Campbell is a synth soundtrack to a non-existent horror film, and it’s quite the interesting experience. The release comes with a booklet that details the events of the would-be movie. Combined with the excellent synth-based sound it creates […]

Good FuckGood Fuck(Joyful Noise Recordings)1/5 Tim Kinsella and Jenny Pulse describe their debut LP collaborating as Good Fuck as an “erotic exploration of experimental literary techniques” in the press material accompanying this album and mention that they’ve “consummated their love on disc” here. Sure, but to me the first word that came to mind as […]

Living HourSofter Faces(Kanine Records)4.5/5 Honey vocals with a dreamy marriage of trombone, guitar, Organelle, bass, trumpet, and drums blend into the perfect ambiance for sinking deeply into the moment—Softer Faces is Winnipeg dreampop quintet Living Hour’s third album, and, clearly, they’re doing something right. I’ve played this while commuting, doing yoga, studying, reading, cooking, and […]

Shad isn’t trying to comfort his listeners this time. On his latest album, A Short Story About a War, the Toronto hip-hop artist (full name: Shadrach Kabango) portrays a world much like our own, a world of vulnerability and rage, of fear and rationalization. Even though this album is a departure from Shad’s love for […]

Until Sunday, February 24One way to learn Italian!Pacific Opera Victoria is presenting La Traviata at Royal Theatre; the opera inspired the films Moulin Rouge! and Pretty Woman. Pre-performance lectures take place in the theatre lobby one hour prior to each show. Tickets are between $27 and $144, and are available from the Royal box office […]

CrowsSilver Tongues (Balley Records)4/5  Silver Tongues is the debut album from London’s Crows. The band plays a fusion between hard-hitting post-punk and hostile shoegaze, and they do a great job of it here. This album throws you into the soundscape of a dive bar with its first track, “Silver Tongues,” which furnishes your eardrums with its […]