Top Ten 2015 - Year in Review

I've always got an excuse for why my musical consumption wasn't as high as it should have been - this time it was a move to the UK at the end of the summer and no real internet connection since then to listen to a lot of new stuff. Regardless I present the best of what I did hear.

Albums/EPs

1. Young Fathers - White Men are Black Men Too
(Scotland)
Shame rattled in my head from the first play and I just had to seek out the artist. It was bold, unique and came with energy in spades. Sure enough the rest of the album lived up to this introduction and I couldn’t get enough. They seem so unique in their swagger – the closest I could liken is an unhinged TV on the Radio. All the ideas seemed to have been tossed in the pot in the studio and only briefly stirred such that there’s a frenetic rawness that makes it exciting time after time. It was stunning to me that this was not their debut, as it just seems so fresh and new, like adolescents bursting with creativity.

2. Purity Ring - Another Eternity
(Edmonton)
I’ll be honest – I thought that Purity Ring’s last album, Shrines, which nearly landed here in 2012 was lightning in a bottle, not to be repeated. How happy I was to be wrong when Another Eternity proved to not just match but be a step up from this Edmonton crew. Doing electro pop the way it is meant to be this is Canada’s answer to Chvrches and frankly this is better.

3. Hayden - Hey Love
(Toronto)
From the Massey Hall preview that he delivered of a few Hey Love songs (particularly No Happy Birthday with it’s introduction/explanation) it was clear that Hayden wasn’t resting on his laurels. Often singer-songwriters of his ilk will pen a couple great albums early on that will keep people coming back to see them looking for the classics. Not here, not Hayden. He has pushed the envelope with this excellent effort, proving his often introspective songwriting continues to be on point. In terms of pure music he has made a wonderful album, refusing to clutter he manages to stick to the basics but make them sound oh-so-good; an album that continues to give on repeat visits.

4. Allie X - COLLXTION 1 [EP]
(Toronto/LA)
This may not quite be an album at just seven songs and under thirty minutes but regardless it’s going right here on this list (because it’s my list and I do what I want.) I knew her best from her role as vocalist in Dwayne Gretzky (Toronto’s premier cover band) so this incarnation was foreign, strange and amazing because of it. The first tease I had was a live Hillside Festival set where she wore glasses and tights and although slightly hesitant in this popstar incarnation the promise was there. Next was that (still) weird video for Catch and finally this EP which delivers on the anticipation. Pure pop done right - her voice is strong and dynamic, her music catchy and the production slick. Like Diamond Rings before her hopefully the pop god(dess) schtick will take off!

5. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell
(USA)
Carrie and Lowell at first disappointed me, so how did it get onto my top ten? Admittedly I was looking for another Age of Adz which I loved dearly and each of the first seven times I played this it just wasn’t. I even shelved the album for awhile, returning to it on rare occasion when I was feeling mellow. However by perhaps the twelfth time (maybe the time I awoke on a plane to the magic of Blue Buckets of Gold) I began to get it. I’d think “this is actually a really great song” and then the same two tracks later. Before long I would hear a snippet and would crave the rest. So not even a slow burn – more of a roasting, cooling-off period, and now a high temperature broil. It may not be the way to make potatoes but it landed this album right here.

6. Coeur de Pirate - Roses
(Montreal/Paris)
Beatrice came out with a confident pop album, unleashing herself in a big way. Previously her musical profile was primarily ‘lovely Francophone piano chanteuse' but she has blown the doors off of that. Not only is half of the album in english but the tracks have fuller arrangements that boldly embrace the pop realm and thrive because of it. Although her previous releases, including Trauma a disc of english cover songs, were great it seems that this incarnation is what that standout voice was destined for.

7. Peaches - Rub
(Toronto)
Bitch rub! This is the first time that I gave Peaches a chance and have been rewarded. Perhaps I’d written her off as an attention-seeking shock artist which, to be fair, she may be to some degree. But she’s not just that – underneath the onslaught of vulgar language and the graphic X-rated content there are some grimy beats and serious hooks. Refraining from re-recording your voicemail greeting to “can’t talk right now, this chick’s dick is in my mouth” is an ongoing struggle. She challenges everything here and does so in a way that gets tunes jammed deep inside your skull. Killer album that’s going to make me delve into the back catalogue and see what I’ve been missing.

8. Tobias Jesso Jr. - Goon
(Vancouver)
Late to the party on this one – it was all the press after Adele’s release which he co-wrote on that prompted me to finally put this on. Was I happy that I did! Otherwise I’d have missed out on a quiet but strong album full of feelings and keys. Apparently he taught himself the piano for this record out of necessity having left his guitar on the other side of the continent. It would appear that this junior could write a tune with a cereal box and some dental floss. Beautiful, really.

9. Burning Hell - Don't Believe the Hyperreal
(Canada..)
Here Matthias brings his quirky songwriting to the fore in this instrumentally sparse duet album. Along with his partner, Ariel Sharrat, they sing some of the funniest and most charming songs to come out this year. Particularly amusing is the recounting of their first ever meeting in Fuck the Government, I Love You (even the titles are top notch). It may be short but front to back these are catchy and lovely songs. Let me paraphrase a lyric to summarize what you may be thinking: “love songs are dumb… oh yeah? wait til you hear these ones!”

10. Django Django - Born Under Saturn
(UK)
Altogether catchy. This is my upbeat, slightly quirky, indie pop record entry for the year (see Dodos, Vampire Weekend etc.) These United Kingdom fellas jangle and rock with hooks galore. Sure, by the end of thirteen tracks you may have figured out the formula but that doesn’t stop you from putting it back on two days later.

Other Considerations

Evening Hymns - Quiet Energies
(Ontario)
A very good album perhaps hampered only by my lofty expectations for Jonas. The amplification over previous works – more drums and less ambient swirlings – move him away from the signature sound I adore him for. Not that this is bad by any stretch.

Chilly Gonzales - Chambers
(Canada/Germany)
This album with the Kaiser Quartet is an excellent work that I listen to often. Honestly though, I really enjoy Chilly’s rapping and am disappointed that it’s instrumental (besides Myth Me.)

Grimes - Art Angels
(Vancouver)
"Has Grimes given up her grime and simply gone pop?" I wondered about a few of these tracks on first play (California in particular.)  But as the disc grows it becomes clear that Claire is still instilling her own vibe.

Les Jupes - Some Kind of Family
(Winnipeg)
This prairie band gets little love but they’re doing their thing so well. They’ve carved out a signature sound and press on with it which is by no means me complaining – quite the opposite, in fact.
[Update: Just read the announcement that the band has broken up]

Albert Hammond Jr. - Momentary Masters
(UK)
Knowing he had a gig coming up I decided to give this a spin and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it…and kept coming back to it. Well-written and catchy, it may not be the best release of the year but it’s worth listening to.

Wavves X Cloud Nothings - Wavves X Cloud Nothings
(USA)
Frankly Cloud Nothings can drum with anyone and I’m probably going to put it on the list.

Last Minute Shoutout

In the new year I discovered Loon Choir's Alway Golden and have been smitten with it leading me to the rest of the album All This and Everything Else which isn't half bad either (and nearly leading me to quit my job.)
(Ottawa)

Canada Day Roundup (Ottawa, July 1, 2011)

What more fitting place to begin the day than on Parliament Hill. Unfortunately this is where absolutely everyone else wanted to be too - something to do with a couple that are famous for being born and marrying someone who was born. But I digress..

Jenn Grant was upbeat and perky as always early in the show with Getchya Good. The best part of her shows is usually the awkward yet amusing banter however under the circumstances she didn't have much of a chance for this.

Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans stayed patriotic (and likely sweltering in their black long sleeved cowboy get up) with a fun rendition of Long Gone to Saskatchewan.

Dan Mangan in all his bearded glory looked tickled to be playing this show. Dropping a percussion section altogether he went big brass alongside his acoustic guitar for a mighty fine take on Sold. Upright bass plucking and a strong clapalong rounded out the tune, bringing us to the next act - Harper and the Economics.

Ohbijou have come a long way from Casey's solo beginnings as not only was she joined by her violin playing sister but also had a bodyless, seated, standup bass player, plus bass, drum and guitar. The songs are primarily pretty and lush with a focus on her soft voice but at times during this show they pulled out some stronger instrumentation (even an effect pedal on the up and down new closer). Black Ice and St. Francis remain favourites and were taken in by members of The Acorn as well. Another highlight was the Nathan Lawr cover mixed into this pleasant, sunny afternoon set. 

Coeur de Pirate was on the Jazz festival's mainstage and had a captive audience seated in the grass. He set was remarkably similar to last Friday's FrancoFete show in Toronto, right down to the half Armistice song during the encore. Beatrice may have spoken even less English but still managed to get us all on our feet for the Commes Des Enfants finale. 

The second Parliament Hill show of the day had a much looser vibe than the first and saw Dan Mangan climb out into the crowd to encourage the "very serious, for Canada" singalong to the chorus of Robots (while backed by a few lovely female violinists). This time around I also caught Mr. Sam Roberts though with the muffled sound from my vantage point I only recognized Brother Down despite this not seeming like the place to pull out two new songs from the very recently released new album. 

All in all it was a splendid day topped off with the dependably awe inspiring fireworks display. Logistic of moving around, and being trapped on the wrong side of the road for a couple hours in order to wait for some nobodies to wave out the window of a Suburban at us prevented more musical intake (two hours traffic, grumble*) but altogether it was still pretty great. And topped off in a patriotic fashion with beers at Sir John A's place. 

Coeur De Pirate (Harbourfront, June 24, 2011)

In the distance a roar subsided into Ensemble. As we wound our way up the aisle of the full (but not BSS full) Harbourfront stage, Beatrice was front and centre at her keyboard. With confidence she led us through a bubbly set that intermingled songs from her lovely self-titled debut with those from her forthcoming September release. Her four piece all-male band are no slouches either, swapping synths for violins, acoustic for electric, bass for cello, and drums for xylo, respectively. (Guess I haven't got a shot of infiltrating the talented band to spend long hours with the endlessly endearing leading lady.) 


Beatrice addressed the audience primarily in French, as this was the FrancoFete, but did so with charm and a smile that tided us anglophones over. Besides the music spoke for itself, especially the slightly darker Fondu au Noir, which did away with the drums and showcased the violin and her splendid voice. There were lighter moments as well such as the new Danse et Danse that saw Coeur de Pirate on her feet for a predictably dancey number. Ava, another new song was on the lighter side too and hit the mark, as did the uke on Printemps.

Despite her mining for cover ideas on Twitter, she did not include any, barring a song with the music written by Jay Malinowski, her partner in Armistice.  From this project she played half a song of on this night, solo, in encore. In closing was the song that had been noticeably missing from the set and as her bandmates resumed their positions we were asked to sing along to Commes Des Enfants. We did and continued to cheer as they lined up to take their bow.