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The city of Montreal is about to lose around 500 beds from its public-sector nursing homes.

According to the Gazette, Montreal and Quebec city have an excess amount of nursing home beds compared to the rest of the province.

Quebec Health Minister Réjean Hébert said that Montreal currently has 4.2 long-term beds per 100 elderly people. Roughly 2.2 beds more than elsewhere in Quebec.

The majority of the bed cuts will be in nursing homes with four or more people per room, whittling them down to double or single occupancy rooms.

The Montreal Health and Social Services Agency assistant director of services for the elderly Lydia Ingenito calls it a transformation rather than a closure.

She says patients will be discharged from the hospital to their own homes, with good home care support, until a bed becomes available in facility of their choice.

The National assembly did table a bill last week that would cover senior services needed for support at home.

But critics say it has yet to be adopted, meaning anyone sent home will have to pay out of pocket or fend for themselves until the financial resources become available. 

There's something to be said for control, especially when you're making a full length record. In the case of Tamaryn's new release Tender New Signs, there is a very noticeable amount of deliberate choices made, adding up to a pleasant and varied experience for the listener.

For the record, I have not heard the first album from the band, so most of my experiences with it will not be informed by a comparison to previous work (aside from seeing them live in Montreal earlier in the fall). Also, for context, my most recent listen and the writing of this review is taking place in a luxury cabin in the woods. It is mid day, the snow is gently falling outside and I have not been this relaxed in months...

Let's move on, shall we?

The record (like any good short story) seems to start in the middle and then spend the rest of the time filling in the beginning and end. The opener, "I'm Gone" plucks away with reverb-infused guitar, and waits for you to be ready before it takes off, maintaining the speed limit on the road at all times. Tamaryn's breathy vocals throughout the album invoke early '90s Madonna (before she went Electronica Religious Fad British Mom on the world). The guitar sounds on the record really push the notion of control the furthest with not a trace of feedback or crunch to be found. There are a lot of bent notes played in a long hallway here, and it sounds absolutely dreamy. The bass and drums are holding things down admirably, keeping it all in mid tempo, playing just loud enough in the mix; never standing out, but in a good way.

The record's most enjoyable use of control is in the sequencing. The songs are laid out in the perfect way for the listener to enjoy, with some nice uses of changing pace. The transition from "No Exits" (sleep) to "Prizma" (the ensuing dream) to "The Garden" (the next morning) stands out in my mind as a shining example of how well this story is being told. It's also the middle of the album/story, where sometimes a record loses you if they've front-loaded all of their strongest songs at the beginning. And Tender New Signs does start strong, making you want more of their shoegaze from start to finish. Some songs evoke Spaghetti Western vibes ("While You're Sleeping, I'm Dreaming"), while others transport you to the dramatic moments in a John Hughes movie ("Heavenly Bodies" sounds like a depressed "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds—if they actually DID forget about them). The ending song "Violet's in a Pool" plays us off with a certain measure of sober minor key reflection with the full admission: "This is it. The sound is moving in." You can hear the guitar finally start to scream, finally unchained just as the song (and the album itself) is fading to black. It's all very well directed and leaves you wanting for more and in that way it is perfect.

All that to say, it does feel a bit safe and too controlled at times, but the sum of all of the parts here are very strong and worth your time. Like some of my favourite albums, this one is short at nine tracks and just above 40 minutes in length. Anyone out there putting together an album of their own should listen to this, if for no other reason, to make notes on how to put all of the pieces together. When I got to meet Tamaryn herself after they finished playing that night in Montreal, she remarked that she was nervous about playing without their own live sound engineer. They sounded great, but I guess there is something to be said for control. 

-- Denis A. hosts Dirty Work, Thursdays 4-6 PM on CJLO

Album review by CJLO Magazine contributor Chelsea Woodhouse

A slow car ride into a happier time?

Press play, and the debut album by Scottish electro-pop sensation Chvrches, mastered by Rich Costey of Sigur Rós and TV on the Radio fame, sounds like ambient candy. The Bones of What You Believe pushed my temples with its sharp, catchy rhythms. I kept saying, "I'm not sure if this is my thing, but I don't want stop listening to it." 

Unsure as how to proceed with some sort of objective evaluation, I asked my roommate, "What do you think of this Chvrches album?" to which he replied, "I hate it, turn it off."

Days later, around the 1st of December, in MacArthur Mall in Norfolk, Virginia I heard their lead single, "The Mother We Share", playing through the sound system at Forever XXI. When you give this album a chance you're surrounded with pastel and gossamer.

Final grade: B

Hosted by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi

Stories by: Marilla Steuter-Martin, Saturn de Los Angeles and John Toohey

Produced by: John Toohey