Music
Exploration of indie rock’s history, from scrappy DIY recordings to lifestyle brands, hits all the right notes
4 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT‘I hear that you and your band have sold your guitars and bought turntables. I hear that you and your band have sold your turntables and bought guitars.”
American music critic Chris DeVille quotes this LCD Soundsystem lyric twice in his ambitious debut book Such Great Heights. It’s a lyric that skewers the cyclical nature of cultural trends, and the desire — shared by musicians and listeners alike — to be the first to adopt a certain sound or aesthetic, and the first to discard it once it becomes uncool.
DeVille is a self-described “elder millennial” and the managing editor of Stereogum, an independently owned website that publishes music news, album reviews, artist interviews and trend thinkpieces.
He defines indie rock as “music released on independent music labels — i.e., companies not associated with the ‘big three’ major labels Warner, Sony, and Universal — or self-released without label support at all.” However, he quickly complicates that definition, showing how “indie” was always a fluid term, “less a defined musical style than a container for a particular audience’s evolving tastes.”
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Local music industry players win WCMAs
1 minute read Monday, Sep. 29, 2025Those working behind the scenes in Manitoba’s music industry were recognized with Western Canadian Music Awards over the weekend.
Organizers of the Sakihiwe festival, which hosts national and local Indigenous artists in Winnipeg each summer, received the community excellence award.
Paquin Artists Agency won the impact in artist development and impact in live music categories.
And Birthday Cake Records took home the impact in music marketing award.
Trio of’ Tobans honoured by Western Canadian Music Awards
2 minute read Preview Monday, Sep. 22, 2025Band leader embraces musical reputation as ‘old man’
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5 minute read Preview Wednesday, Sep. 17, 2025Photographer focuses on finding the whimsical
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6 minute read Preview Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025Making the music seen
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6 minute read Preview Friday, Aug. 8, 2025Winnipeg’s Propagandhi in running for Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize
2 minute read Friday, Aug. 8, 2025It’s never too late to get your roses: Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes, the 2001 album from Winnipeg punk outfit Propagandhi, is one of 12 albums up for the Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize.
A companion award to the annual Polaris Music Prize, which honours Canadian albums of artistic distinction without regard to sales, genre or affiliation, the Heritage prize recognizes deserving Canadian albums that were released before the prize began in 2006.
Two of this year’s nominated albums will receive a Heritage Prize designation. One album will be chosen by the public; the other will be selected by the Heritage Prize jury, which is composed of music media and music historians.
Propagandhi’s third studio album is the only Winnipeg entry on the list, which includes other Canadian classics as rapper Choclair’s 1999 debut Ice Cold, singer/songwriter Jane Siberry’s 1985 album The Speckless Sky and Montreal pop-punk outfit Doughboys’ 1993 major-label debut Crush.
Fringe at its gut-clutching best when it layers on the cringe
7 minute read Preview Saturday, Jul. 26, 2025Winnipeg singer-guitarist gets his own signature Fender Stratocaster
3 minute read Preview Friday, Jul. 25, 2025Nurse wants paramedics stationed at folk fest in wake of asthma attack
4 minute read Preview Friday, Jul. 18, 2025LOAD MORE