For the high-brow music crowd, video game scores rarely make their regular listening rotation, but these video games buck the trend. We've sifted through hours of video game soundtracks to find the ones that really stand out. Some are surprisingly simple, providing the perfect backdrop to a quiet gaming session; others are dramatic, amplifying the experience and taking it to new heights. My personal favourites are the ones who had to delve deep into archive footage to bring history to life. So, if you're ready to add some video game songs to your playlist, let's get started.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Composed by Jeremy Soule, this Nordic masterpiece encapsulates the beauty of the world that the Skyrim developers have created. If you're not familiar with the game, then understand that it's an enormous open world, based on the Nordic landscape, but with the addition of dragons. It's magical, mystical, and staggeringly beautiful, just like the soundtrack.

Subversives - The History Of The Lowest Of The Low is available at select retailers and all Sunrise Records locations in Canada, The film is also now available to stream or buy on Apple TV.

WEST OF THE LOW is a Canadian band that has been together for over 30 years. They held the record for most albums sold until Barenaked Ladies outsold them in the early 1990's. This is the story of how a band that stuck to their guns flying the "indy flag" until the major labels came calling in the mid-nineties.

It's a story of tenacity and the will to create art without the corporate fingers in the pudding. This film was funded by Simon Head with some contributions from fans of the band. The making of the film parallels the band's ethics and beliefs regarding art & commerce.

Blu-ray Extras:
Shakespeare My Butt Song For Song
Brown Hawkins Stanley - City Full Of Cowards
Don't Call Me A Sellout
Fights Nazis And Other Delights
Greg Broke A String
Lazy Days
Life Imitating Art
Toronto And Buffalo Fans

Latin Music Festival that will be taking place this June 15 in the heart of Toronto, at Luminato in the Square. Lula Lounge is coming outside and heating up the Square with legendary Peruvian cumbia band Los Mirlos plus artists from Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Cuba and more.

All free, all outside and for all ages, Lulu World is a partnership between west-end Toronto music venue Lula Lounge and luminatofestival.com/. The day will also feature delicious Latin-inspired food and drink available for purchase.

Free Music:
DJ Sonic Sancocho
Juno-winning vocalist Dayme Arocena
Rio de Janeiro’s Forróçacana (presented in collaboration with local community Uma Nota Culture and Showzaço

Free Dance Classes:
Cuban indie jazz, rumba, forró, samba reggae, Latin pop and more. Bring the whole family to dance to the rhythms of Colombia, Brazil and Cuba with beginner workshops taught by local and international instructors.

You probably know Gord Downie as the greatly missed frontman of Canadian rock legends The Tragically Hip. You may even know that he, along with his bandmates, was made a member of the Order of Canada before his untimely passing from cancer in 2017. But did you know that he also enjoyed a prolific parallel career as a solo artist that continues to this day via posthumous releases?

Sunglasses have been an indispensable accessory for decades, both for protection against the elements and for spicing up an outfit. They’ve also long been intertwined with the music industry, worn on the faces of musicians or the subject of songs. For instance, Corey Hart’s ‘80s hit ‘Sunglasses at Night’ is a timeless classic, highlighting how a simple pair of shades can be a major focus for a tumultuous love affair set to a passionate new wave synth-pop hard rock sound or a dance-pop rendition like Heidi Klum’s version. But beyond trying to look away from a lover’s unfaithfulness, sunglasses have a variety of functions musicians use to their advantage. Here’s a look into the deep connection between sunglasses and music:

Style and image

This week our column will be a little different.

We usually write about upcoming Swedish independent bands we crossed paths with but this week we will designate our column to two legends! But with a twist!

Some of you might be curious wondering who we are behind the column "Knock! Knock!"

Well, our names are Malin Östh and Jonas Tancred. We are musicians and have been for most of our respective lives. We are the international touring CrockPop band "Bara Jonson And Free".

For our international readers (outside Sweden) it can be a vital piece of information to know that we also run a festival, deep in the south of Sweden, Lilla By Festivalen.

Our festival is a Hybrid festival, something in-between a music festival and a showcase. So this edition of Lilla By Festivalen 2024, we are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of ABBA.

Canadian Music Week is pleased to announce legendary musician Tom Wilson will receive the 2024 CMW Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award during a special presentation at the 23rd Anniversary Jim Beam® INDIE Awards, on June 6, 2024 Danforth Music Hall in Toronto. Tickets are currently on sale and can purchased at the following link: ticketmaster.ca/event/10006056D8592BE7

The CMW Allan Slaight Humanitarian Award is presented annually to a Canadian artist, duo or group, in recognition of their social activism and benevolent support of humanitarian interests and causes.

The 2024 Jim Beam® INDIE Awards will feature a diverse array of Canadian artists, celebrating the spectrum of talent within the independent music scene across 19 categories. Hosted by Jamar McNeil of CHUM FM, the Jim Beam® INDIE Awards will include performances by: Tim Hicks, nominated for Country Artist/Group or Duo of the Year; Finger Eleven, nominated for Rock Artist/Group or Duo of the Year; the winner of the 2024 Jim Beam National Talent Search; and more to be announced soon.

We would of course love to say that it all began 2021 at Lilla By Festivalen, our own little festival in the south of Sweden. But that wouldn't be the truth.

The band had already started in 2019 when the members met at Stockholm's Aesthetic High School and formed the band MISU. The band consists of Lin Björk on guitar and Eje Adevik (Charlie Mango) on bass, who both do vocals, as well as Victor Holmström on drums.

During their last year, the band released their first EP "Songs for a pretty smoker". They also managed to do one gig before the whole world closed down for the pandemic.

Linn who writes the songs together with Eje has also been doing backing vocals for the well renowned popular Swedish band, Bob Hund and performed with them at Allsång på Skansen, TV4, Gröna Lund, Propahgandafestivalen, Kulturnatten, and more.

Lost and Found is the new video off the album Walking Through the Fire by Sultans of String. Ts’msyen Elder Shannon Thunderbird wrote and sings the song. She is originally from the Pacific Northwest coast of British Columbia: Gilut'sau Band of the Royal House of Niis'gumiik, Gispudwada (Orca) Clan. The music is arranged and supported by Sultans of String, and the epic strings of the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

“On May 27, 2021, the bones of 215 Indigenous children were found in a mass grave on the grounds of a former residential school in Kamloops, BC” says Shannon. “I wrote 'Lost and Found' several days later to acknowledge the fact that with tangible evidence Canadians could no longer deny what we have been saying for over a century”

The wind raced through the trees,
Dying children on their knees
Where have you gone, I love you,
Please come home to me.

Author David Junk, former CEO of Universal Music Russia, reveals never-before told stories about signing Alsou and t.A.T.u. and taking them to Eurovision

Plus: Alla Pugacheva, Philipp Kirkorov, Verka Serduchka, Sergey Lazarev, Tina Karol, ABBA, Tvorchi and Mumiy Troll

Available at Amazon and Indigo

Rockin’ The Kremlin: My Incredible True Story of Gangsters, Oligarchs, and Pop Stars in Putin's Russia (Rowman & Littlefield; July 2), the new book by David Junk with Fred Bronson that details Junk’s exciting and dangerous time in Moscow, would not be coming out on July 2 if it were not for the Eurovision Song Contest.

I first met Meredith Moon about seven years ago when we shared a stage at a fundraiser in downtown Toronto, Ontario. As she sat there picking on a banjo I was instantly drawn to her authenticity and her connection to roots music. It was refreshing to see someone so young keeping that music alive.

At that time i had no idea that her Dad was Gordon Lightfoot, not that it made a difference to her obvious talent, but the music lineage was being carried on in fine fashion.

I asked Meredith how she got into Appalachian banjo music she said, “I was really drawn to that music with it’s raw honesty and generic sound. During the Folk revival I went down the rabbit hole and started getting into the origins of this music and was captivated by it. I started listening to Odetta and Elizabeth Cotton and all those field recordings. I’d been playing guitar since I was about 14 and at around 20 I decided to teach myself banjo and got into that whole Appalachian roots feel.”

Winterfolk Music Festival is proud to announce its inaugural Spring Edition event taking place on June 8th, 2024 at Toronto's historic Redwood Theatre, 1300 Gerrard Street E. This special edition of the festival promises to be a celebration of local talent, culture, and community, showcasing the incredible diversity and creativity of Toronto's music scene.

For more than 20 years, Winterfolk has been a February staple, but they’re now adding a spring edition to the mix. This lively event continues to celebrate folk, roots, blues, and world music. From its inception, Winterfolk has been dedicated to showcasing local talent and fostering a robust mostly local musical community across different generations. Over time, the festival has contributed over $750,000 to its performers, with more than 80% of its revenue directly supporting the artists.

WALK OFF THE EARTH, TESTPILOT, CHARLOTTE DAY WILSON, DALLAS SMITH, JAUZ, FINGER ELEVEN and more

We are thrilled to announce the programming for our 42nd festival. Scheduled for June 1-8, 2024, the festival promises a dynamic range of music with over 250+ acts in over 25 venues in Toronto. Tickets and wristbands are on sale now.

Celebrating more than four decades of musical innovation and showcasing, CMW 2024 will blend iconic and groundbreaking headliners with fresh, emerging talent, continuing its legacy as a launchpad for the next generation of stars.

2024 Canadian Music Week headliners include:

Universally-acclaimed singer/songwriter/guitarist Bruce Cockburn continues his worldwide tour in support of his latest album, O Sun O Moon,with the upcoming announcement of a new series of dates in the U.S. throughout the month of November. The new dates will be announced May 6th, with tickets going on sale May 10th.

Check out “Us All: on YouTube here:

In other Bruce Cockburn news, the master musician will be getting yet another new Honorary Doctorate of Music Degree on June 14. More information on that here.

Richard Todd, singer/songwriter/guitarist for Toronto band Redpath Traffic, accepted a Community Service Award in the Arts & Culture Leaders category for spearheading his ensemble project, Artists Against Homelessness. The award was presented by Chris Glover, MPP, Spadina Fort-York, at his annual Community Recognition Ceremony. 

“This award acknowledges the work we’re doing to help end homelessness in our communities,” Todd says. “But it also underscores how much work there is still to do.”

At the center of the project is Todd’s song, “The Forgotten Homeless”, which tells the heart-wrenching stories of people struggling while living on the street. Twelve all-star indie singers appear with Todd on this “We are the World”-style production, including Anna Goldsmith, Shari Tallon, Chris Birkett, David Moses, Michael Quattro, Sarah Siddiqui, Luciana Santaguida, Chatrisse Dolabaille, and Signe Miranda, along with singers Osaze Dolabaille, Esmaeel Abofakher, and Rahaf Alakbani. Watch it on YouTube here: