Alex's Staff Picks

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  Exclaim!'s Staff Picks: illuminati hotties' "Truck" Is a Sugar-Sweet Road Song

  PUBLISHED Jul 26, 2023

  My favourite illuminati hotties mode is freaky, when singer Sarah Tudzin cuts loose with unhinged yelps and skronky riffs. The new single "...

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  Exclaim!'s Staff Picks: the Drums Continue to Outstrip Their Peers on "Better"

  PUBLISHED Jul 18, 2023

  Of all the blog buzz bands that I loved in 2009, the Drums have remained far more successful than nearly any of their peers, with monthly S...

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  Exclaim!'s Staff Picks: Metric's "Just the Once" Is a Giddy Reprieve from Modern Malaise

  PUBLISHED Jul 12, 2023

  Dance rock is back, haven't you heard? Two decades since their debut, Metric are as groovy as ever — except, rather than the spiky post-pun...

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  Exclaim!'s Staff Picks: Jeremy Dutcher Takes an Exciting New Direction with "Ancestors Too Young"

  PUBLISHED Jul 4, 2023

  "Ancestors Too Young" is not only the first English-language song Jeremy Dutcher has ever released, it's also the first one he ever wrote —...

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  Exclaim!'s Staff Picks:​ On 'MICHAEL,' Killer Mike Is a Braggadocios Blast

  PUBLISHED Jun 27, 2023

  In an interview with Exclaim!, Killer Mike named MICHAEL the "album of the year, unquestionably." I'm not quite sure I agree with him — not...

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  Exclaim!'s Staff Picks: Avalon Emerson's '& the Charm' Is Clear-Eyed Reflection from a Consummate Party-Starter

  PUBLISHED Jun 13, 2023

  American-born, Berlin-based dance DJ Avalon Emerson evidently absorbed a lot of influences during her time behind the decks, as her debut a...

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  Exclaim!'s Staff Picks: Helena Deland Ponders the Season on "Spring Bug"

  PUBLISHED May 31, 2023

  With a jaunty drum groove and latticework of acoustic arpeggios, Montreal singer-songwriter Helena Deland sweetly evokes the pastoral calm...

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  Exclaim!'s Staff Picks:​ Colin Stetson's 'When we were that what wept for the sea' Is a Cinematic Experience

  PUBLISHED May 23, 2023

  Colin Stetson has been releasing dizzying sax albums for a decade and a half, but I still don't fully understand how he makes such visceral...