Just because Spring totally sucks it doesn’t mean your music has to! Over the next few months greatness is headed to a record/itunes store nearest you, but with the plethora of EPS, 7″, 12″, soundtracks, compilations and reissues from Bright Eyes, My Bloody Valentine and just about every single Blur album, some releases get looked over.

I’ve put together a list (in order of release date) of some of the most anticipated indie rock, electronic, hip hop and R&B albums that will be released over the next few months and under each artist/album you’ll find a player with a single from the album – unless otherwise indicated. Happy listening!

It’s the forth Friday of the month and that means TX Productions is back to bring you another night in the Fuck U Fridays series that you shouldn’t miss. CJ Sleez will be guest DJ’ing and the night of erotic cabaret fun.

Fan Art is one of the most beautiful ways someone can show how much they appreciate someone else’s art, and how you can tell that the artist(s) has such a loyal fan base. Meet Wendy Ding, 27 years old specializing in digital illustration, her love of MGMT made her spend 3 months in between contract work  at home listening to (D U H) MGMT over and over again, making sure everything was perfect right down to the opacity of the triangles, to the print of the paisley shirt. The final product captures the colourful world that the youth of MGMT live in, and completely embodies MGMT’s “kaleidoscopically psychedelic” sound (minus the heroin).

Coming to Toronto, on May 15 2012, the dynamic songstress, Santigold, will be pleasuring viewers with a live show at Kool Haus.

No stranger to the music scene, Santi White a.k.a. Santigold has also collaborated with a number of great artists including, MIA and Pharrell Williams. She’s written for Lily Allen and been featured in Kanye West’s track “Brooklyn Go Hard”. Needless to say, the girl knows her shit.

Dear Mica,

I’ve been besties with my friend since we were little kids and we’ve agreed on everything. But lately, her appreciation of Rob Ford’s policies is starting to dominate every conversation and I just want to punch her in the face (let’s just say he’s not my faveourite). It’s usually ended in a fight and us sitting angrily until the other pours a glass or two of wine. Ideas on how I can either make it clear to her that I think he sucks and/or just stop talking about him in general?

TEINT IDOLE ULTRA 24H

I’m usually not one for endorsing products, BUT it seems that Lancôme Canada has won me over. I was asked to take the new TEINT IDOLE ULTRA 24H out for a test drive and I feel in LOVE… and became a Lancôme | Teint Idole!! At first I was very iffy especially with the matching of shades (c’mon I am a black girl), I was pleasantly surprised that the shade matched perfectly and even more impressed with the light, smooth texture. Be sure to check out my portrait by Shane Turner and my full review on Lancôme Canada… here’s a sneak peek!!

There is a new face in town over at Grace Restaurant (503 College Street) and for foodies throughout Toronto, his name may sound a bit familiar.  The name is Chef Kevin Castonguay, fresh off a stint at Dave Haman’s Woodlot. After husband and wife team Leslie Gibson and Chris Hoffman (owners of Grace Restaurant) received rave reviews and recommendations from their former head chef Dustin Gallagher (of Top Chef Canada fame) regarding Castonguay, the decision was simple and easy to bring him on.

When Vancouver cannabis activist and Cannabis Culture Magazine creator Marc Emery started 4/20, did he know the event would become an annual, global tradition? Today, Emery is serving the better part of a five year sentence for  illegal possession and trafficking of marijuana seeds. He was extradited to the United States in 2010. Emery being behind bars hasn’t stopped his  fellow activists from demanding reforms of current North American legislation on Marijuana possession. Political activists and casual smokers have been gathering on April 20 to defiantly smoke up since the early nineties when the tradition began.

4/20 is recognized as a global day of celebration by dozens of cities in North America, The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland and New Zealand. Today, a high profile, free event gives a global population of activists, pot smokers and music lovers a chance to do something special.  Toronto is one of many locations around the world to hold a memorial for musician Bob Marley. At 4:20 p.m. today, people will gather at Younge and Dundas Square to sing “One Love” and celebrate Marley’s contribution to activism and music. Marley’s name is almost synonymous with  reggae, guitars and activism. The event, hosted by Universal Music in Canada, is meant to celebrate his life work as well as new documentary “Marley“, directed by Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, State of Play).

Canada is only part of the global activist movement to stop the criminalization of pot. While still incarcerated, Emery writes the aptly named Mark Emery Prison Blog for Cannabis Culture. In a recent post he brags about the enormity of this year’s celebration, noting that certain schools closed down for the day, predicting 4/20 absences. Some people may not know how to feel about education giving way to kids getting stoned. Its no mystery that opinions on this subject are as numerous as genetic stains of the plant in question. Yet,  4/20 celebrations have become engrained in the culture of Canadian cities and this year’s global, spring  celebrations are not limited to the usual rallies and marches.

I kind of have problems with food blogs. But mostly food bloggers. I really couldn’t give less of a shit that you ate some fancy shiz at a fancy restaurant, mostly because you just ruined the whole experience for the rest of the world by taking pictures. Some video came out saying “If you didn’t tweet it you didn’t eat it’’. And I wonder, do people actually do this? I’ll bitch slap that camera out of your hands so hard it would hit a wall and boomerang back into your fish taco filled faced.

Happy 4.20 to all you beautiful degenerates

To celebrate this illustrious day, highly esteemed by Canadian’s everywhere, Snoop Dogg is sending everyone a very special message brought to you by Vice and Noisey.

#Snoop420 Baby!

Launching tonight is one of the best Friday Night 19+ event series held at the most quintessentially entertaining venue space possible, the Royal Ontario Museum! As the first child in Ottawa to request for their birthday party to be help at the Museum of Science and Technology and a proud girl-guide who slept at every museum in Ottawa, more than once, it’s safe to say, I’m an avid lover of all things that incorporate knowledge and hands on learning experiences. Now, at 25, I can also add avid party attendee to my list of accomplishments, thus, this event is quite possibly the culmination of all things amazing in my humble opinion. A part of me thinks there is a large section of the community that agrees whole heartedly with this.