Exclaim Magazine is a free bi-monthly Canadian publication that boasts itself as "Canada's Music Authority". It can be found in almost any cafe, pub, club, shop. The paper publication is informative, well written, and text heavy. These are good things. The reviews featured are indepth, critically sharp, and intelligent. They don't focus on any particular genre and the well-rounded analysis can accommodate music lovers of all kinds. The only drawback to the magazine is it's bi-monthly release.
The majority of free publications are released weekly. In order to stay up to date on arts and culture, a speedy turnover is important. Nobody's interested in last weeks trends and happenings. However, because Exclaim is the only comprehensive free music publication in Canada, it can afford the time lapse... probably because it can't afford $$$ not to. Luckily, when Exclaim becomes digital @ www.exclaim.ca it retains it's textual strengths while gaining the advantages of the electronic medium.
The Exclaim website publishes articles, news, and reviews daily. It is visual appealing and has a simple layout. The menu, running horizontally across the top of the page, helps the user to navigate. The cascading structure allows for easy scrolling. But the true strength of the website lies in its embrace of the multimedia.
What else could be more important to a music magazine besides audible music? Besides a variety of playlists that are available on the main page, the site invites users to listen in on "Exlaim Radio" which is a list of podcasts, divided into genres available at the click of you mouse. This is not a feature of the paper version.
The site also has a video menu and a link to "Exclaim TV" which makes video interviews, live performance, music videos, and artist profiles. Three cheers for multimedia!
exclaim.ca allows readers of Exclaim magazine to relieve their frustrations and read up to date journalism about a wide range of musical topics. And if the reader is too lazy to read, they can listen to or watch. Exclaim also avoids printing and distribution costs, which is certainly beneficial to a free publication. I rate this site 4 Mouse Clicks.
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