Top Ten 2016 - Year in Review

1. Regina Spektor – Remember Us to Life

If Bleeding Heart was a promise, then this album is delivery on that promise. Expanding on those pitch-perfect vocals and the magical piano fingers, Ms. Spektor has wrapped them in creative and full production. This album has depth and covers a wide spectrum and it hits on all fronts, from singing to storytelling to grabbing you right in the chest and squeezing very hard. Take Sellers of Flowers alone... Even before her live show made me dizzy with wonder this album had already secured its rightful spot here.

2. Donovan Woods – Hard Settle, Ain't Troubled
Donovan is a wordsmith which is obvious even from each 140 characters out of @donovanwoods but when he pairs this with his guitar picking the synergy carries you off and the strings on this album make it transcendental. A devastating romantic, he can express not just one emotion but an array of inner turmoil in a tangible three minutes. It’s not just skill, it’s masterful.

3. Bon Iver – 22, A Million

Even having guiltily read some of the pre-press reviews of the album and the Eaux Claires Festival live debut I was still unsure upon the first listen. Yet, I was compelled to try again. And again. The challenge quickly paid dividends in being a thoroughly engaging and dynamic record. Boundary busting and all the other terms that have surrounded this release, it is without a doubt a true piece of art. Justin, I’d be happy as hell to stay for tea.

4. Basia Bulat – Good Advice

Basia, your confidence is showing and it’s making you glow. That luxurious voice of yours is in top form and the full band backing that you’ve surrounded it with is making my dreams come true. For all the warm feelings I have for each previous album this is the point where all that potential comes together. It’s a breakthrough and I wish for it to break you through so you can continue to push yourself and deliver the goods for ages to come. Thank you for this Good Advice.

5. Pup – The Dream is Over

After screaming along to the self-titled at as many shows as I could get myself to I was entirely resigned to the sophomore not quite living up. And yet I was completely wrong and feel like a dummy for doubting Stefan and co. for even a moment. From the first time I heard DVP to the millionth time I threatened loved ones with “if this tour doesn’t kill you, I will” and those are just the first two tracks of this blast of a record. All the props these dudes are getting are fully deserved. No pressure on that third album, fellas.

6. Wintersleep – The Great Detachment

With the top tier group of musicians in this band it’s no surprise that their output is so consistently excellent. It’s not that they are doing things that are entirely new but more that they do them so goddamn well. Whether building tension, packing punches, or excising demons they are on top of the game. Circumstances have not yet allowed me to witness The Great Detachment live so for now I will put this album on again and close my eyes.

7. John K. Samson – Winter Wheat

Further building my case that John K. is the best lyricist in this country (even with some stiff competition right here on this list) he takes that and wraps a wonderful musical experience around it. His strongest solo effort to date, surely with thanks to a few of his former rock counterparts who play alongside him here. In this post-Weakerthans world it’s reassuring that John will continue to enthral us with each lyric, each line, transporting us around the country in a perfectly worded phrase. I’ll even forgive the grammar on Postdoc Blue’s “so your presentation went terrible” because you wrapped up Virtute, even if it wrenches my heart.

8. Aidan Knight – Each Other

Delivering the full length follow up to Small Reveal that I was fearful might not be coming. Aidan lays this work out with precision and detail that allows it to whisper right where it should and burst just as it needs to. It is a river ride that washes over and engulfs the listener until you find yourself back on the beach, wet yet warm, full and refreshed.

9. Okkervil River – Away

Moving at the pace that Okkervil wants to move. It’s lovely, from the sweeping music to the poetic lyrics, without even realising the fine points I am compelled to return to it over and over.

10. White Lung – White Lung

A roar from front to back, this album is short and strong. Led by the fierce female vocals and that wandering electric guitar it just surges along with the only complaint being how quickly it finishes so you just flip it on again from the start. A real fresh breath.

Long-List Considerations

Andy Shauf - The Party

Anonhi - Hopelessness

Aqua Alta - Dreamsphere

BadBadNotGood - IV
Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial

Case/Lang/Viers - Case/Lang/Viers

Drake - Views

Kanye West - Life of Pablo

Frightened Rabbit - Painting of a Panic Attack

Jazz Cartier - Hotel Paranoia

Memoryhouse - Soft Hate

Rae Spoon - Armour

Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

River Tiber - Indigo
The Strumbellas - Hope

Tuns - Tuns

Regina Spektor - What We Saw From the Cheap Seats: (Year-End Album Review)

A preview of my forthcoming annual, year-end, favourite albums post. Below is an album that is definitely under consideration - time will tell where it ends up on, or off, the final list.

Regina Spektor has yet to miss and she isn't about to start on What We Saw from the Cheap Seats. The album showcases her skills in a variety of ways. Off the top there are a few plucky songs that are filled out nicely with a variety of instrumentation and even some well-used brass. Later on she gets to the sentimental piano ballads featuring her light fingers and poetic lyrics, as well as a few darker, more brooding - and effective - piano based songs too. All the Rowboats has a seriousness too it as well and it pulses through with foreboding background to the pointed piano lines - it really is a tremendous feat. Thankfully she closes out on a lighter note, employing her dynamic voice for effect on The Party with the phenomenal line "You're like a big parade through town. You leave such a mess, but you're so fun" before closing with light guitar and lyrics.

Feel free to check out last year's list or my Top Albums lists dating back to 2002 on my previous Vernacular blog.

Regina Spektor, Only Son (Sony Centre, Oct 11/12)

Once her band had assembled on the large Sony Centre stage Regina Spektor came out under the spotlight. With nothing more than a smile she launched into a beautiful a cappella song, using just her fingers tapping on the mic to create the song's backbone. Special from the beginning.

Seating herself at the black piano where she would be much of the night, she began the stream of songs with her band that would garner an outpouring of love from the rapt Toronto crowd. Following the first number she played Far opener The Calculation into On the Radio - upbeat numbers to get us all on her side and allowed her to mix things up throughout the night. With or without the excellent percussion, cello and keyboardist (each would abstain from the occasional song, sometimes leaving Regina on her own) they recreated Regina's piano pop masterpieces magnificently. Her voice must be mentioned now and throughout this review as it truly is an amazing instrument. It isn't necessarily the most fundamentally perfect voice but her range, flexibility and creativity are what drives her wonderfully eclectic music. In fact, coming into this gig I had little knowledge of Regina as an artist, besides knowing that I loved each album that she released, and was thoroughly impressed as I watched her perform parts of the music with her mouth that I had been sure were produced by a wide array of other instruments from weird percussion to the kazoo. Engaging stuff.

The band, with help from the lighting crew, could really set a mood for a song as well. From the drama of new single All the Rowboats and its red lighting, the adamant Blue Lips, the range of love and love-lost emotions of Ode to Divorce and How, to the fun and nearly wild Dance Anthem of the 80's which had her up and playing the keyboard off to the side. Another time she was up out of her seat was when opener Only Son joined her to play his acoustic guitar on a duet they wrote together. New music from Cheap Seats was well represented and sailed well, including the sprightly Ne Me Quitte Pas that was translated easier than the solo song she played by her favourite Russian composer. However earlier material also garnered rousing responses.

Banter was kept to a minimum which was unfortunate because she seems so quirky - like there was potential for a few laughs to be had. (It was curious that she seemed to be speaking with someone backstage, or perhaps her drummer, between songs but not with us.) The crowd thought they'd make up for a lack of banter by shouting out inane things and even trying to converse with her in Russian. On two separate occasions, including the first song on the piano, she slipped up and had to restart the tunes but absolutely no love was lost. During this airing of the grievances paragraph I'll have to voice disappointment in the lack of That Time and Laughing With - perhaps incentive to see her again.

Following a prolonged pause for an encore she came back with the band to sing Hotel Song standing, sans piano and excellent. They came through with a couple more piano hits including Fidelity. As a fitting closer she brought it by herself for the much anticipated Samson that hit its mark, as did the entire show.

Only Son

Coming into Only Son partway through his set, and having listened to some of his music in preparation, I was intrigued and letdown to find he was just one man. Playing guitar over prerecorded tracks, from drum, keys to crickets, he had a decent voice and the music was alright but somehow I felt shorted. Things did pick up when he swapped acoustic for electric and played a couple songs I was relatively familiar with from his latest release, including Magic however I was still somewhat underwhelmed. Others in the audience seemed to be enjoying it, especially his banter - though that could have just been uncomfortable laughs as he was basically just narrating.

Songs I believe I remember hearing Regina play...

What We Saw from the Cheap Seats

Small Town Moon

Oh Marcello

Don't Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)

All the Rowboats

Firewood

How

Ballad of a Politician

Open

The Party

Far

The Calculation

Eet?

Blue Lips

Dance Anthems of the 80's

Begin To Hope

Fidelity

Better

Samson

On the Radio

Hotel Song

Soviet Kitsch

Us

Ode to Divorce