Friday Fast-Fix: Terry Lynn

Because it's turkey weekend and I'm pressed for time, this week's Friday Five will be demoted to a single artist. Lucky for you, it's an effing amazing one.

Terry Lynn is socially conscious, angry and undoubtedly tough. Her MySpace photos boast a variety of firearm glamourshots, and her aggressive lyrics are wrapped in a heavy Jamaican accent. I only have one word to describe her sound: powerful.

With her debut Kingstonlogic 2.0, this Last Gang prodigy raises awareness of her country's social issues with intensity and riddim. Her first-person accounts of life in Jamaica's most impoverished regions add substance to her art, taking her way beyond the usual dancehall sound.

If I had more time, I would love to tell you more. But I don't, nor do I think you'll need much convincing.

Move over, MIA.

"You don't need tricks, you don't need treats, you don't need Halloween"

Last night, I was finally able to catch Vancouver based Mother Mother at a free open air show in the heart of downtown Victoria. They offered their talents for the kick-off party of the Victoria Fringe Festival, which celebrates music, theatre, and art. For those unfamiliar with the group, the band is essentially a unique three piece, which I dare to describe as indie-folk rock, whose sound is brought to its fullest by the vocals and harmonics of the two female members, Molly Guldemond, sister to guitarist Ryan, and Debra-Jean Creelman. Their performance in no way fell short of what we have come to expect from other members of the Last Gang Records family. Beginning with Touch Up's opening track, 'Dirty Town', they quickly moved into some of the best material from their debut album: 'Polynesia' and 'Verbatim'. It was clear that with the immediate release of their catchiest and most well known tracks to the audience, the band had something up their sleeve. This, of course, consisted of a slew of new material. Songs like 'Ghostin' are some of the best I have yet heard from this band and demonstrate an evolution in their original sound as they build more upon the particular bits of goodness that worked for them in their previous album. Mother Mother's follow-up album, which seems imminent soon after their current touring schedule, is something I will definitely be looking forward to. And me without my camera! Sorry gang...my bad.

Matty B.

Mother Mother - Polynesia
Mother Mother - Verbatim
Mother Mother - Legs Away
Mother Mother - Dirty Town