Hottest Bands in Canada 2008
Oh hello blog. You thought I forgot about you, didn't you? Sure, I may have been devoting my attention elsewhere, but you still hold a special place in my heart. And I promise to pay more attention to you in the next little while.
Helping me break the silence was another round of the Hottest Bands in Canada poll. For those who didn't follow my post last year, iheart music - an insightful and perceptive Canadian music blog - releases a yearly list of the "Hottest Bands in Canada". It's actually a meta-list, since iheart solicits lists from dozens of bloggers coast-to-coast. Everyone sends in their top ten hottest bands (with the definition of "hot" and "canadian" up to the individual blogger) and iheart compiles the result into a 33-band round-up.
Like the bloggers it polls, the list is a tad biased towards English indie rock (especially from Eastern Canada), but it's a pretty decent snapshot of what's happening in Canadian music this year. We could debate who made the cut (or who didn't), but ultimately the list is more useful when used as a way to discover a few talented domestic acts that may have escaped our ears this year.
The full list is here and well worth a read (as is the list of bands who got votes but didn't make the top 33).
And finally, here's my top ten, with honourable mentions.
Honourable Mentions (i.e. bands that were hot but I didn't pay enough attention to: Radio Radio, tUNE yARDS, Two Hours Traffic, Black Hat Brigade, and Holy Fuck)
10. Céline Dion
Between Carl Wilson's book (Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste) and the big Quebec City anniversary bash, it's hard to keep Céline off this list. Although it goes against any kind of indie aesthetic the "Hottest Bands in Canada" list may be trying to cultivate, starting off with Céline is probably ok now that Wilson has explained our culture's troubled relationship with her. And hey, maybe mainstream is the new indie.
9. Mother Mother
I had heard snippets from this West-coast crew's debut album, but it wasn't until seeing them live at this year's Pop Montreal festival (promoting their follow-up) that I felt they deserved a spot on this prestigious list. Great energy, great harmonies and a batch of songs that stick in your head like gum.
8. Women
Women's debut album took me a while to get into. In fact, I thought I hated it for the bulk of 2008. I'm glad I stuck with it though. There's some insane guitar work in their tunes and the lo-fi production on it actually makes Women sound different than a lot of current Canadian indie-rock.
7. Shad
Rapping about being broke and otherwise inadequate is awesome. Other people have tried it (Andy Samberg, Jon Lajoie I'm looking at you) but Shad nails it.
6. Tokyo Police Club
As far as critical acclaim goes, TPC weren't hot this year. Their album was tepidly received at best, frigidly at worst. Despite being pumped about their previous EP, journalists and bloggers turned on TPC faster than Sarah Palin can say the word "maverick". People wanted TPC to be the next great saviours of rock. But what got lost in the midst of all the talk about how they weren't is the fact that Elephant Shell is a damn good, tight rock album.
5. Karkwa
Karkwa - who walked away with 3 GAMIQ awards this year - are usually referred to as the French Radiohead. I think that's just what Anglos say to convince other Anglos that it's ok to listen to francophone music. Take two or three listens to their beautiful Le Volume du Vent and you'll realize that they don't need to be compared to anything to convince you they are worth the time.
4. Born Ruffians
The opening notes and words of this album make me immensely happy. I start marching around the house, singing the national anthem of a country that only exists in my imagination. I thought this band was a one-trick pony; I owe them a beer for my mistake.
3. Land of Talk
This vote may reflect a bit of recency effect, since Some Are Lakes was just released. Still, I can't stop singing the title track. The other songs on the CD aren't as sing-a-ble, but producer Bon Iver has helped LOT craft an honest, straight-up exercise in no-bullshit rock.
2. Chad Van Gaalen
Chad Van Gaalen is a weird dude. I doubt his latest album will change that perception, since Soft Airplane is obsessed with death and other depressing and odd topics. Still, the album is one of his most complex to date; a lonely trip into Chad's head and basement studio.
1. Plants and Animals
Fuck Caribou. Not really. I mean, you shouldn't do that to animals and Andorra is actually a decent disc. I just don't think it deserved the Polaris. Parc Avenue, on the other hand, did. I can barely count the number of times I listened to this album this year.
Helping me break the silence was another round of the Hottest Bands in Canada poll. For those who didn't follow my post last year, iheart music - an insightful and perceptive Canadian music blog - releases a yearly list of the "Hottest Bands in Canada". It's actually a meta-list, since iheart solicits lists from dozens of bloggers coast-to-coast. Everyone sends in their top ten hottest bands (with the definition of "hot" and "canadian" up to the individual blogger) and iheart compiles the result into a 33-band round-up.
Like the bloggers it polls, the list is a tad biased towards English indie rock (especially from Eastern Canada), but it's a pretty decent snapshot of what's happening in Canadian music this year. We could debate who made the cut (or who didn't), but ultimately the list is more useful when used as a way to discover a few talented domestic acts that may have escaped our ears this year.
The full list is here and well worth a read (as is the list of bands who got votes but didn't make the top 33).
And finally, here's my top ten, with honourable mentions.
Honourable Mentions (i.e. bands that were hot but I didn't pay enough attention to: Radio Radio, tUNE yARDS, Two Hours Traffic, Black Hat Brigade, and Holy Fuck)
10. Céline Dion
Between Carl Wilson's book (Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste) and the big Quebec City anniversary bash, it's hard to keep Céline off this list. Although it goes against any kind of indie aesthetic the "Hottest Bands in Canada" list may be trying to cultivate, starting off with Céline is probably ok now that Wilson has explained our culture's troubled relationship with her. And hey, maybe mainstream is the new indie.
9. Mother Mother
I had heard snippets from this West-coast crew's debut album, but it wasn't until seeing them live at this year's Pop Montreal festival (promoting their follow-up) that I felt they deserved a spot on this prestigious list. Great energy, great harmonies and a batch of songs that stick in your head like gum.
8. Women
Women's debut album took me a while to get into. In fact, I thought I hated it for the bulk of 2008. I'm glad I stuck with it though. There's some insane guitar work in their tunes and the lo-fi production on it actually makes Women sound different than a lot of current Canadian indie-rock.
7. Shad
Rapping about being broke and otherwise inadequate is awesome. Other people have tried it (Andy Samberg, Jon Lajoie I'm looking at you) but Shad nails it.
6. Tokyo Police Club
As far as critical acclaim goes, TPC weren't hot this year. Their album was tepidly received at best, frigidly at worst. Despite being pumped about their previous EP, journalists and bloggers turned on TPC faster than Sarah Palin can say the word "maverick". People wanted TPC to be the next great saviours of rock. But what got lost in the midst of all the talk about how they weren't is the fact that Elephant Shell is a damn good, tight rock album.
5. Karkwa
Karkwa - who walked away with 3 GAMIQ awards this year - are usually referred to as the French Radiohead. I think that's just what Anglos say to convince other Anglos that it's ok to listen to francophone music. Take two or three listens to their beautiful Le Volume du Vent and you'll realize that they don't need to be compared to anything to convince you they are worth the time.
4. Born Ruffians
The opening notes and words of this album make me immensely happy. I start marching around the house, singing the national anthem of a country that only exists in my imagination. I thought this band was a one-trick pony; I owe them a beer for my mistake.
3. Land of Talk
This vote may reflect a bit of recency effect, since Some Are Lakes was just released. Still, I can't stop singing the title track. The other songs on the CD aren't as sing-a-ble, but producer Bon Iver has helped LOT craft an honest, straight-up exercise in no-bullshit rock.
2. Chad Van Gaalen
Chad Van Gaalen is a weird dude. I doubt his latest album will change that perception, since Soft Airplane is obsessed with death and other depressing and odd topics. Still, the album is one of his most complex to date; a lonely trip into Chad's head and basement studio.
1. Plants and Animals
Fuck Caribou. Not really. I mean, you shouldn't do that to animals and Andorra is actually a decent disc. I just don't think it deserved the Polaris. Parc Avenue, on the other hand, did. I can barely count the number of times I listened to this album this year.
Labels: Hottest Canadian Bands, Polls
posted by wade at 10:33 AM
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