This is an excellent music zine that has the tendency to get a bit wordy in the many reviews and band profiles. Reminds me of undergrad essayists in first year Philosophy desperately trying to reach the required word count. Other than that… wait a second. This zine is from Canada? Coulda fooled me. Other than a singular ad from Toronto based Teenage USA records (how ironic!), the entire issue is dedicated to American bands (with a couple reviews tossed across the Atlantic). I had to keep checking the address for clarification. I looked for any sort of editorial explanation. There was nothing to explain why this zine towed the Amer-indie rock line so religiously. I’m not one to be dogmatic about content, but I found it disheartening that someone who obviously spent so much time and effort on a music publication couldn’t spend a couple pages on the fine Can-indie rock canon. Again, I’m not one to be evangelical about indigenous talent (and not having seen the first four issues of Train Wreck, maybe I’m shooting my mouth off prematurely), but even a seen-it-all cynic like myself knows a handful of Canucks who hold their own against associates of Pavement or Guided by Voices. Geez Michael, at least listen to Brave New Waves. Patti will point you in the right direction. If I’m misjudging you, I’m sorry. But if you’re going to send your zine to Broken Pencil with a note attached stating, “Thank BP for keeping Canada cultured,” [sic] then you’d better walk the walk. (TD)
zine, #5, $2, 48 pgs, Michael B. McLeod, PO Box 652, Sydney, NS, B1P 6H7, [email protected]