Salin, Gloin, Michael Scott Dawson, and Antenna93

Written By Jeff MacCallum

Salin - Rammana

Salin Cheewapansri is a Thai percussionist currently based in Montreal. Her latest album, Rammana, is a jazz triumph that fuses sounds of Northeast Thailand with the psychedelic soul of 1970s West Africa. It’s a testament to what jazz can be when other influences are woven through this iconic genre. Rammana has a true danceable quality on funky afro-beat tracks like “Ma'at” or “Current”. It also has moving, soulful songs like “Painted Lady” but to get a true representation of the impeccable song craft of Salin, be sure to check out the penultimate track, “Puaj”.

Gloin - All of your anger is actually shame (and I bet that makes you angry)

The new album from Gloin chugs along with an urgent ferocity. Post-punk guitar meets work-out beats, synthetic noise stabs, and a bombastic quality I recognize from their live show but didn’t strike me as a focal point on their past releases. This is easily their best work to date and much deserving of their nomination to the Polaris Prize Long List. I especially love the spaghetti western guitar riff on “Bucket Of Blood” and the massive drum and synth-noise breakdown on “controlfreak69”. J'aime aussi qu'ils nous aient donné une version française de cette chanson. Magnifique!

Michael Scott Dawson - Guitar, Solo

Saskatchewan sound artist and producer, Michael Scott Dawson returns with another meditative release of gorgeous field recordings and intricate tape loops. This time around, as the title would suggest, the album puts the guitar front and centre as the primary instrument. It’s a beautiful work that is said to be a sister album to 2022s Music For Listening. Sparse textures allow the gentle guitar to breathe and make for a relaxing experience that will help to calm an anxious filled day or another anger inducing news cycle.

Antenna93 - Industrial Kitchen

Antenna93 is a relatively new trio from Montreal. On their second EP, Industrial Kitchen, the band delivers a noisy six tracks of adventurous meanderings from one loud genre to another. “The Ladder” opens the album with post-punk aesthetics and a rip-roaring saxophone foray into a universe of existential dread. Two tracks later, they offer a radio-ready experience on “Spine”. The EP ends with a masterful noise-punk uppercut on “FBRM” and your left dazed as feedback and squeals carry you away. Definitely a band to watch.

Jeff MacCallum

Jeff MacCallum is our founder. He created Cups N Cakes simply because he had a love of local music. Soon the platform grew beyond the confines of his scene in Edmonton to include all of Canada.

"I did it all very DIY. Everything you see was me learning on the fly. I'm a carpenter not a musician, or a journalist, or a publicist... I'm a carpenter and a weird crazy music fan that thought he could do something fun that might benefit something I care about"

Over the years, MacCallum's commitment to elevating Canadian music earned him a spot as a Polaris Prize Juror, a WCMA Juror, a consultant for music festival curation, and a dear friend to independent music in Canada.

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Blue Youth, Propagandhi, G.I. Jinx, and Fauxcils