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HMV sings its last song

> All 102 stores in Canada closing

Caroline Ho
Arts Editor

 

he proliferation of streaming services

and digital media purchases has
claimed its latest long-stalked victim;
HMV Canada is set to close all of its 102
stores across the nation by April 30.

On Friday, January 27, reports
came in from the Canadian Press
that the Ontario Superior Court of
Justice had approved the Canadian
retail chain’s application to be placed
into receivership, a legal process that
means the company is unable to meet
its financial obligations and must shut
down its stores permanently. HMV
Canada has been struggling with sales
for years and is millions of dollars in
debt. HMV has been in Canada since
1986, although the Canadian chain
has been operating separately from its
parent company in the UK since zou.
It probably doesn’t come as a surprise,

since digital media has cut into a huge
chunk of HMV’s sales, and more and

more consumers opt to purchase online or
stream instead of buying physical copies
of movies or music. Along with CDs and
DVDs, HMV also sells plenty of other
merchandise, including posters, t-shirts
and apparel, and collectibles, but it hasn’t
been enough to keep the company afloat.
There are only six HMV locations left
in the Greater Vancouver Area: Robson
Street, Metropolis at Metrotown in
Burnaby, Coquitlam Centre, Guildford
Town Centre in Surrey, Willowbrook
Centre in Langley, and Tsawwassen
Mills, which only opened this past
October. Perhaps it should have been
taken as an omen that the end was
forthcoming when HMV’s massive
location on Burrard Street in Downtown
Vancouver was closed in 2012 and moved
to the far smaller Robson location.
As momentous and mournful
as it is to see yet another mark of
the changing times, hopefully there
will at least be closing sales as the
company sheds the remainder of its
merchandise by the end of April.

Indie rock band tugs at the
heartstrings 1n sophomore release

> ‘Only The Lonely’ album review

Aaron Guillen
Staff Reporter

kkk

I: almost ironic that when you're
away from family for the first time,
a longing for their presence appears
out of nowhere—yet when they were
right beside you, no similar feeling
existed. This phenomenon of missing
those whom you hold dear to your
heart is what inspires Colony House’s
new album, Only The Lonely.

Colony House has been driving
the road to stardom since 2009 during
their high school days in Tennessee.

In fact, the band’s name comes from
the apartment complex brothers Caleb
and Will Chapman lived in. Their
breakout song, “Silhouettes,” with over
10 million hits on Spotify, brought the
band recognition back in 2014, and they
aren't holding back on the indie rock
vibe in their second full-album release.

In every album, there are songs that
rise to the top as favourites. “You & I,”
“You Know It,’ and “Was It Me” are the
standout songs in Only The Lonely.

“You & |” gives off an ’80s vibe
with a catchy electric guitar hook.
Caleb Chapman, the soloist, switches
between holding back and putting out
strong vocals when needed, a trait of
many talented musicians. Additionally,
“You & I” performs strongly as their

 

first music video of the album.
“You Know It” invigorates the listener
with a fast drum beat from the start
and makes you want to bang your head
around, jump, and dance. The song tells
the story of leaving family for the road and
promising to be back “before you know it”
“Was It Me” presents the band in
the perfect light. The song hits all the
right notes, as a steady and simple beat
transforms into another headbanger.
Asa song about relationships that have
gone uphill and downhill, one person
is trying to remember the things they
said and did before the relationship’s
demise. The chorus is guaranteed to
stick in your head for hours on end.
Though Colony House has proven
their ability to produce an array of
breakout songs, some tracks struggle
to find their footing in this album. The
album opens with “Cannot Do This
Alone,” a song about the struggle between
being independent and dependent during
the journey of life. Unfortunately, the
song is without a catchy chorus, and
lacks the punch to encourage listeners
to continue into the next song.
“Lonely” has a strange mix of
drums, infused with the fact that it is in
a minor key. Though an echo added to
the soloist is used well, the chorus never
catches as it appears infrequently.
“3:20” is perhaps the least appealing
song from the album, though it works
as a strong lead into an interlude. It
seems as though the song was recorded

from a distance, as the instruments are
more prominent compared to the voices.
Notably, “3:20” gives a heavy nod to “2:20,”
a song in their previous album, though
that song wasn't my favourite, either.
While some songs shone and others
lacked lustre, a handful of songs proved
that the lighter side of indie rock can
be lovely. “Where Your Father’s Been”
talks about a parent giving advice to
their child, reminding them to keep
looking forward. “Oh, I wish I could
take it away/Every moment that your

(¥ Punk rock music and feminism go hand

in hand
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announced
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And more!

 

 

heart will break/Just don’t forget the
truth you know/Remember who your
father is/And where you're gonna go.”

Honourable mentions for heart-
tuggers include “Remembered For”
and “This Beautiful Life,” both
heavily acoustic songs that end the
album on a triumphant note.

While Only The Lonely has some
misses, the hits are rich in sound and
creativity and redeem the album as a
whole, ensuring that Colony House is

definitely heading in the right direction.

 

Image via einfogames.com

Image via via Colony House