FASHION Magazine

Word: Psychedelicate

Meaning: “Something that is simultaneously psychedelic and tender,” says Urban Dictionary, because every time you think you’ve made something up, Urban Dictionary is there to prove you wrong.

Bon Iver’s gorgeous follow-up to 2007’s For Emma, Forever Ago, simply titled Bon Iver, will be released on June 21, but I got my lucky hands on a copy a couple of weeks ago and it’s been my nightly soundtrack ever since. I’m a huge sucker for a good falsetto, and singer/songwriter Justin Vernon’s angelic […]

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Toronto’s North by Northeast music and film festival lineup can seem unappealing versus its buzzier Austin-based cousin, South by Southwest, but the indie music fest gets bigger, louder, and more fashionable each year. Take style cues from these five ultra-styling must-see bands:

Dum Dum Girls
Though they play rah-rah garage rock, Dum Dum Girls are less dusty, girls-next-door, more enviably editorialized—expect red lips and lots of black.
Lee’s Palace, June 17, 11 P.M.

Just in time for their North American tour, Wills and Kate grace the cover of July’s Vanity Fair. [Fashionista]

CREEP is Brooklyn’s DJ/producer duo Lauren Flax and Lauren Dillard. These two make sleekly haunting music with clean electro beats with enough space for you to fall right into the song’s heart. If you find yourself going through the xx withdrawal like I am, you should check out CREEP’s “Days” which features the xx’s Romy […]

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Everything about Delorean screams summer to me. As I’m writing this on yet another rainy day in Toronto, I’m finding a sunny escape with a recent 3D video produced by Pitchfork for the Spanish four-piece’s track, “Real Love”, off their incredibly fun album Subiza. Subiza was one of my favourite albums of last year and […]

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When it comes to songs, there are few things I love more than a really good sad one. Lykke Li’s “Sadness is a Blessing”, off her latest album “Wounded Rhymes”, is one that I’ve had on repeat and I dare you to watch the video for it and not be moved. Not only is Lykke […]

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To call Frank Ocean, of L.A. hip hop collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, an R&B artist is an understatement. Frank Ocean’s latest album “NOSTALGIA, Ultra” is a mixtape dripping with a ton of heart and soul and displays a remarkable storytelling talent that I seriously can’t wait to see develop into his […]

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I started 2011 by travelling to Copenhagen for a week to shoot another episode of Sharlene Vs. While I was looking for new acts to meet up with, I came across this group of 18 and 19 year-olds called Iceage. Their debut album, New Brigade, comes out June 21st and is a blistering 26 minutes of frenetic raw punk that will knock you out so fast in the best way possible. Iceage’s bio describes them as a mixture of “punk, post-punk, Goth and hardcore as if they invented it.” Check out their lo-fi video for “New Brigade” and see for yourself.

I truly cannot get enough of Toronto’s Austra. Their debut album “Feel It Break” is set to come out May 16th and I guarantee you will become obsessed with Katie Stelmanis‘ seductive hush vocals. When she was 10 years old, Stelmanis joined the Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus and sang regularly for the prestigious Canadian Opera Company. Trust, this girl can sing. Check out Austra’s NSFW video for their hypnotic track, Beat and the Pulse.

Attention music lovers: we’ve got a new gal on the scene (and by scene, we really mean website). Introducing our new contributor, the amazingly cool Sharlene Chiu of MTV. Known for her knack of spotting break out artists (she conducted the first on-air interviews with MGMT and Santigold to name a few) and lately for making Adele cry (in the good way!), the inimitable host will be treating us to some of the new hot bands on her radar every Friday! First up:

New Zealanders The Naked and Famous landed on the coveted BBC Sound of 2011 which started a whirlwind of a year for this five-piece who are often compared to the likes of MGMT and Passion Pit. Their infectiously catchy single “Young Blood” became the first debut single by a Kiwi band to reach #1 in their home country in 16 years! You can’t watch The Naked and Famous live and not leave away with a smile.

Photography by Adrian Corsin

South by Southwest marked the unofficial start to summer music festival season this weekend, with throngs of talent-discovering junkies flocking to Austin, Texas for a few days of wham bam performances from the likes of The Strokes, Bright Eyes, Ariel Pink, Toronto’s own Death from Above 1979 and about a million other bands you’ve never heard of. Naturally, the stylish set⎯including a one miss Mischa Barton⎯can always be found in and amongst a party like this and man-about-Montreal (and former Jak and Jil contributor), Adrian Corsin was there to snap it all up! Here are his best shots from the fest.