Latest news with #Propagandhi
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg's Propagandhi in running for Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize
It'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. Cash Crop, the 1997 album from hip hop group Rascalz, is back on the list, having been previously nominated in 2022, while indie rock band Constantines picks up its fourth Heritage Prize nomination, this time for their 2001 self-titled debut. Forty-one albums have received Heritage Prize designation since it was introduced for Polaris's 10th anniversary in 2015. Winners will be announced Sept. 16 at an awards gala at Toronto's Massey Hall. — staff Jen ZorattiColumnist Jen Zoratti is a columnist and feature writer working in the Arts & Life department, as well as the author of the weekly newsletter NEXT. A National Newspaper Award finalist for arts and entertainment writing, Jen is a graduate of the Creative Communications program at RRC Polytech and was a music writer before joining the Free Press in 2013. Read more about Jen. Every piece of reporting Jen produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print – part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
New music: Propagandhi, Miley Cyrus, Marius Neset, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Propagandhi At Peace (Epitaph) In the eight years since Propagandhi released its 2017 masterpiece, Victory Lap, the world has experienced a global pandemic; horrific wars in Africa, the Middle East and Ukraine; noisy, wilful ignorance giving rise to neofascist populism; and the impending cataclysm of climate change. It's not a pretty picture, and Winnipeg's favourite punk/metal/progressive/thrash outfit pulls no punches in its latest collection of 13 tracks, all of which wrestle in some way with the notion of how to go on while everything around us goes to hell. Bassist Todd Kowalski's songs (he sings five) explore the bankruptcy of spiritual longing in the midst of horror (Guiding Light, God of Avarice), decry the pillage of the natural world (Fire Season), and lament the desperation of those who must flee one oppressive circumstance for another (Day by Day). Guitarist-vocalist Chris Hannah, meanwhile, offers up satirical juxtapositions, such as asking, on Cat Guy, what you'd do if faced with the choice of saving only one of a drowning baby Hitler or your drowning family dog; or setting a first date at an amusement park about to be obliterated by nuclear apocalypse, as on Prismatic Spray (The Tinder Date). When he's not holding a funhouse mirror up to the world, Hannah injects several wry asides into his withering criticisms, but as ridiculous as modern living might be, he's not without hope. On Something Needs to Die but Maybe It's Not You, he issues the ultimate challenge: 'But you were sent here with a gift. What will you do with it?' As ever, the band's exceptional musicianship amplifies, underlines and accentuates the scorched earth of the lyrics. Hannah, Kowalski, guitarist Sulynn Hago and drummer Jord Samolesky are a virtuosic unit, capable of roiling, Sabbath-esque riffs, pummelling, explosive thrash metal, Tipton-and-Downing guitar interplay, and expressive, dramatic dynamics which, on this record, are accentuated by tempos that aren't always full-on. ★★★★ out of five Stream: At Peace; Rented P.A.; Day by Day — John Kendle Miley Cyrus Something Beautiful (LABEL) For longtime Miley Cyrus fans, her ninth studio album is bound to live up to its name. It truly is Something Beautiful. Over the years, the Grammy winner has demonstrated that she is unequivocally a pop star. She's also a dedicated student of contemporary music history and various genres, something she's made clear through her love of performing cover songs and across her diverse discography. On Something Beautiful, Cyrus proves that she is most in her element musically when firmly holding onto those myriad identities, weaving together an inventive tapestry of pop, rock, electronic, disco and even funk — such as on the album's soulful, heartache anthem, Easy Lover. Most of Cyrus's album comprises ABBA-channeling earworms; End of the World has a piano riff that screams Dancing Queen, but she balances '70s nostalgia with belting vocals and wide-ranging instrumentation throughout. Something Beautiful is accompanied by a musical film of the same name, which will première this month at the Tribeca Film Festival. The aptly named first track, Prelude, is a narrated introduction, which gives the wrong impression that the album only serves as a score to the film. It stands on its own. That's because most of the 13 tracks reflect Cyrus's work over the past two decades. More to Lose, for example, is a big-hearted ballad that sounds like it could have been featured on a Hannah Montana soundtrack, though her vocals and musical sensibilities have matured. Walk of Fame — her upbeat collaboration with Brittany Howard — also harks back to her early discography. In many ways, the record is a return to form for the 32-year-old, whose pop reputation has always been in tension with her interest in other genres. But she also demonstrates how her sound has evolved and expanded over time. ★★★★ out of five Stream: More to Lose; End of the World — Krysta Fauria, The Associated Press Marius Neset Cabaret (Act) Norwegian saxophonist Marius Neset is a major force in the jazz world. He has albums that cover a wide spectrum, especially his genre-crossing work with several symphony orchestras. Cabaret is a departure from recent releases in using the quintet format to express a sometimes hard-edged fusion sound described in notes as 'boisterous.' The band has Elliot Galvin on keyboards, Magnus Hjorth on piano, Conor Chaplin on electric bass and Anton Eger on drums. Things get a bit more complex as Neset also plays EWI (electric wind instrument), which is not widely used these days, although years ago several artists such as Michael Brecker increased its popularity for a while. It expands the saxophone sound with a synthesizer effect that is quite powerful. The album starts with a bang with the title track and a tune called Hyp3Rsonic Cabar3T. This is flat-out driving punk/fusion reminiscent of Weather Report or Brecker's past works. When coupled with totally current harmonic and rhythmic effects, wonderful solos and overwhelming energy the enjoyment is solid. Neset's solo on Quantum Dance is simply spectacular. P11 is a beat-driven bit of cheek that confirms the fun these guys are having. Then there are the counter tunes. They are beautiful melodies such as Song for Maja and Forgotten Ballet, building from gentle openings into complex tunes that display the breadth of the talent. The Ocean is an evocative tone poem appropriately named in mood and execution. It builds and flows wonderfully. Neset recently got married, and the final track Wedding in Geiranger is a very cool commentary on an important event. Beginning with solo piano it builds to a triumphal conclusion — a terrific end for a terrific album. This is a joyous reflection of a major talent with major help saying very clearly, 'Here is some heartfelt happy music for you. Hope you like it.' We do. ★★★★★ out of five Stream: Lizarb, Song for Maja — Keith Black London Philharmonic Orchestra Rachmaninov: The Bells & Symphonic Dances (LPO) The London Philharmonic Orchestra kicks off its 20th anniversary celebrations with the first of three recordings being released May and June: Rachmaninov: The Bells and Symphonic Dances, with the venerated ensemble led by principal conductor Edward Gardner. Its first offering features a live recording of the Russian composer's orchestral suite Symphonic Dances, Op. 45, his final major composition, dated 1940 and written entirely while living in the United States. Gardner's crisp direction infuses the opening movement, I. Non Allegro, with rhythmic acuity, with the striking alto saxophone theme further heightening the work's fundamentally Russian soul. Another highlight is the subsequent II. Andante con moto, its initially halting waltz with shifting metres growing increasingly more agitated until its final, scampering wind and string motives. The more sombre finale, III. Lento assai — Allegro vivace, including excerpts from the Russian Orthodox liturgy, and Dies Irae, medieval chant for the dead, roils with dynamic and timbral contrasts. Also included is choral symphony The Bells, Op. 35 inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's poetry and featuring soprano Kristina Mkhitaryan, tenor Dmytro Popov and bass-baritone Kostas Smoriginas joined by the London Philharmonic Choir. It offers another opportunity to hear the composer's well-crafted orchestration, as during the opening I. Allegro ma non tanto, with crisp harp, piano, celeste and glockenspiel effects conjuring 'silver sleigh-bells.' Other highlights include the more darkly hewn III. Presto ('The loud alarum bells') with its long steady crescendo while the finale, IV. Lento Lugubre ('The mournful iron bells') — including a final, soaring flute solo — ultimately delivers repose and comfort from Poe's 'quiet of the tomb.' ★★★★½ out of five Stream: Symphonic Dances, I. Non Allegro; The Bells, I. Allegro ma non tanto — Holly Harris
CBC
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Propagandhi remains calm inside the storm
Exclusive CBC Manitoba interview shows a band finding peace in today's world They've been heralded as one of Canada's most prolific and outspoken punk bands. After 30 years and on the eve of their first album in eight years, 'At Peace' -- Winnipeg's Propagandhi have decided to slow down these days. Albeit, just sonically. Actively involved from the start At the forefront of the 90s punk explosion, Propagandhi stood out. Sure, the band had the aggression and angst commonly associated with the genre but at the time there was no other band as socially conscious and politically charged as these three young musicians from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Today, their 1993 debut album How to Clean Everything has been heralded as, not only, the sound that defined the label that released it, Fat Wreck Chords but a wake up call in the minds of many middle-aged adults who first discovered them as teens. With handouts, speeches and information behind important local causes their live shows were as equally as educational as they were entertaining. This approach however wouldn't appeal to all of their new found fans. Those who had heard them and fell in love with their fast, melodic punk rock would soon realize that they stood for much more and became vocally uncomfortable with their approach. This would lead the band to releasing a sophomore album aptly titled, Less Talk, More Rock. A response to anyone in the audience who had demanded they worry less about social and political issues of the time and just focus on the music. The band would further display their stance by putting the words, Pro-feminist, animal-friendly, animal-friendly, gay-positive on the album's artwork. As time went on the band continued to champion causes important to them but through each album would start to delve more into the thrash metal style that they adored. Opening the door even further to a larger and more dedicated fan base. Fans so dedicated that a podcast would eventually be created for analyzing their songs and lyrics as they became recognized for decades around the world not just as one of punk rocks strongest advocates for change but a band that could shred too. At peace, these days On March 10, after eight years of silence, the band woke their fans up from their slumber with the surprise release of At Peace. The lead single of off the album with the same name out on Epitaph Records on May 2, At Peace didn't just include their signature riffs and insightful and poignant lyrics. It also seemed to convey a sense of being in the right place at the right time as the news becomes increasingly more anxiety inducing day after day. Surprisingly, however, on this song lead singer Chris Hannah proclaims,"I am at peace, though presently convulsed with grief, I am at peace". Words seldom spoken by a band who had always been vocal on what mattered to them while championing to change things for the better. Understanding the importance of these words, CBC's Jim Agapito sat down with Propagandhi for their first-ever band interview with CBC (less guitarist Sulynn Hago) to discuss the new single, new album, today's political climate and why they've decided to slow down through it all.
