Choice
      Cuts)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Album:
      Songs
      in
      Red
      and
      Grey
     
     
      Artist:
      Suzanne
      Vega
     
     
      Label:
      A&M
      Records
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Suzanne
      Vega
      is
      your
      classic
     
     
      songstress.
      Though
      her
      voice
      lacks
      the
     
     
      same
      power
      that
      Sarah
      MacLaughlin
      or
     
     
      Celine
      Dion’s
      hold,
      it
      is
      still
      sweet,
      soft
     
     
      and
      gentle.
     
    

    
     
      The
      real
      flavour
      on
      this
      CD
      is
     
     
      in
      the
      instrumentals,
      with
      beautiful
      gui-
     
     
      tar
      riffs
      and
      a
      whole
      lot
      of
      mandolin
      in
     
     
      the
      background.
      This
      CD
      is
      total
      soft
     
     
      rock,
      and
      is
      meant
      for
      those
      whose
     
     
      tastes
      include
      Amy
      Sky,
      Natalie
     
     
      Imbruglia
      and
      Holly
      Cole.
      It’s
      full
      of
     
     
      haunting
      rhythms,
      great
      instrumentals
     
     
      and
      deep,
      metaphor-laden
      lyrics.
     
    

    
     
      Vega
      may
      have
      striven
      to
      write
     
     
      songs
      in
      red
      and
      grey,
      but
      this
      CD
      is
      all
     
     
      pink
      and
      mauve
      with
      a
      dash
      of
      blue.
     
    

    
     
      -Mariéve
      MACGREGOR
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Book:
      Speaking
      with
      the
      Angel
     
     
      Editor:
      Nick
      Hornby
     
     
      Publisher:
      Riverhead
      Books
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Speaking
      with
      the
      Angel
      is
      an
     
     
      excellent
      anthology
      of
      short
      stories
     
     
      edited
      by
      Nick
      Hornby
      (High
      Fidelity,
     
     
      Fever
      Pitch).
      The
      stories
      within
      are
      all
     
     
      first
      person
      narratives
      -
      the
      only
      con-
     
     
      ceit,
      other
      than
      consistently
      good
      writ-
     
     
      ing
      (Irvine
      Welsh’s
      tedious
      and
      foul-
     
     
      mouthed
      moral
      play
      “Catholic
      Guilt”
     
     
      aside)
      which
      holds
      the
      book
      together.
     
    

    
     
      There
      are
      connections,
      howev-
     
     
      er;
      in
      Roddy
      Doyle’s
      “The
      Slave,”
      a
     
     
      father’s
      discovery
      of
      a
      dead
      rat
      in
      his
     
     
      kitchen
      awakens
      him
      to
      the
      feeling
      of
     
     
      being
      trapped
      within
      middle
      age
      and
      a
     
     
      mundane
      existence.
      Trapped
      too
      are
      the
     
     
      narrators
      of
      John
      O’Farrell’s
      “Walking
     
     
      Into
      The
      Wind”
      and
      Nick
      Horby’s
     
     
      “Nipplejesus,”
      a
      delusional
      and
      unsuc-
     
     
      cessful
      professional
      mime,
      and
      a
      securi-
     
     
      ty
      guard
      hired
      to
      guard
      a
      collage
      por-
     
     
      trait
      of
      Jesus
      made
      of
      magazine
      photos
     
     
      of
      women’s
      nipples,
      respectively.
     
    

    
     
      The
      warmth
      of
      humour
      in
      these
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Reviews
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      stories
      is
      another
      common
      thread
      that
     
     
      links
      these
      stories;
      that
      is
      certainly
      the
     
     
      case
      with
      Dave
      Eggers’s
      “After
      I
      Was
     
     
      Thrown
      Into
      The
      River
      And
      Before
      I
     
     
      Drowned.”
      The
      story
      is
      melancholy,
     
     
      though
      told
      with
      amazing
      exuberance
     
     
      and
      directness,
      all
      from
      the
      point
      of
      a
     
     
      view
      of
      a
      dog.
      It
      works
      almost
      perfect-
     
     
      ly,
      as
      does
      the
      rest
      of
      the
      book.
     
     
      -Matthew
      DORRELL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Zine:
      Zeitgeist
      the
      Canary
      #5
     
     
      Author:
      Liane
      Morrissete
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      zine
      is
      brilliant,
      adorable,
     
     
      and
      hilarious.
      I
      have
      no
      idea
      who
      Liane
     
     
      Morissette
      is
      (short
      of
      that
      she
      lives
     
     
      somewhere
      in
      Halifax),
      but
      she
      is
      a
     
     
      genius
      and
      I
      love
      her.
      Zeitgeist
      the
     
     
      Canary
      is
      an
      independent
      comic
      strip
     
     
      about
      a
      canary
      (and
      a
      handful
      of
      other
     
     
      household
      pets)
      doing
      little
      more
      than
     
     
      being
      damn
      funny.
      The
      artwork
      is
      crisp
     
     
      and
      simple,
      and
      the
      comic
      strip
      consists
     
     
      for
      the
      most
      part
      of
      the
      same
      panels
     
     
      reproduced
      over
      and
      over
      again
      with
     
     
      different
      word
      bubbles
      and
      minor
      alter-
     
     
      ations.
      While
      normally
      one
      might
     
     
      expect
      such
      an
      approach
      to
      leave
      the
     
     
      comic
      strip
      feeling
      stagnant,
      perhaps
     
     
      implying
      the
      artist’s
      laziness,
      but
      here
      it
     
     
      works.
      beautifully.
      Remember
      back
     
     
      when
      Garfield
      was
      funny?
      Well,
      this
     
     
      isn’t
      much
      like
      that,
      cos
      you
      know,
      if
     
     
      you
      really
      think
      about
      it,
      Garfield
      was
     
     
      never
      that
      funny,
      but
      this
      shit,
      my
     
     
      friend,
      is
      funny.
     
    

    
     
      (For
      copies,
      send
      three
      bucks
      to
     
     
      Zeitgeist
      the
      Canary
      c/o
      Liane
     
     
      Morissette,
      2323
      Agricola
      St.
      Halifax,
     
     
      NS.
      B3K
      4B5.
      Canada)
     
    

    
     
      -Jonah
      CAMPBELL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Artist:
      The
      Pocket
      Dwellers
     
     
      Venue:
      The
      Barn
     
     
      Date:
      Friday
      28th
      2001
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Pocket
      Dwellers
      rocked
     
     
      the
      barn
      on
      Friday
      night
      to
      a
      sparse
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Everything
     
    
   
   
    
     
      crowd.
      This
      did
      not
      discourage
      the
     
     
      Dwellers,
      who
      returned
      to
      the
      Island
     
     
      with
      their
      mix
      of
      funk,
      jazz
      and
      hip
      hop.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Pocket
      Dwellers’
      ability
      to
     
     
      infuse
      an
      MC
      with
      a
      live
      band
      and
      DJ
     
     
      kept
      things
      hype.
      The
      only
      thing
      that
     
     
      they
      can
      be
      compared
      to
      musically
      is
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      Roots,
      but
      even
      that
      is
      a
      stretch
     
    
   
   
    
     
      because
      the
      Dwellers
      use
      more
      of
      a
      jazz
     
     
      sound
      and
      are
      a
      lot
      more
      upbeat.
     
    

    
     
      By
      the
      end
      of
      the
      night,
      they
     
     
      even
      had
      soccer
      players
      up
      on
      the
      dance
     
     
      floor.
      A
      great
      show,
      but
      hopefully
      next
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      time
      they
      come
      to
      UPEI
      the
      attendance
     
     
      will
      equal
      the
      level
      of
      the
      performance.
     
     
      -Marc
      MACDONALD
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Album:
      Strange
      Little
      Girls
     
     
      Artist:
      Tori
      Amos
     
     
      Label:
      Warner
      Music,
      2001
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Tori
      Amos’
      album
      Strange
     
     
      Little
      Girls
      is
      her
      sixth
      since
      her
      1991
     
     
      debut,
      Little
      Earthquakes.
      Unlike
      her
     
     
      previous
      five
      albums,
      Strange
      Little
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Pocket
      Dwellers.
     
    
   
   
    
     
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