Zine Obscura
Fanzine, Tim Lidster, 24 pages, LabelObscura.com
For Torontos Label Obscura, what could be covered off in a Facebook page or blog is crammed into a 100% hard copy zine. Thats not a bad thing. Its a good thing. Label Obscura is an indie music label based in Toronto and its eponymous zine is basically a deep dive (or “peek inside” as they call it) into some of the labels artists and artists in similar circles to the labels artists. The Burdocks and Manon Meurt get the feature treatment and otherwise, a small handful of contributors share some bonus first-person content. In terms of the latter, its pretty personal with remembrances of dead and dying artists plus a pretty kick-ass list of top five albums of 1991. The old and the new mesh well, and it reads like a zine created with heart and love and a legit degree of reverence for music of all kinds. Truth be told, this zine may well most appeal to “men and women of a certain age” since it does feel like a bit of a ‘90s time capsule. But again, the sheer spirit of the words and enthusiasm for the music should endear Label Obscura to anybody who makes the effort. (Cam Gordon)