The Year in Canadian Rock

The Year in Canadian Rock
After suffering the stings and narrows of Loverboy and Bryan Adams, then Sum 41 and Nickleback, Canadians can finally take pride in non-embarrassing domestic talent. All at once, international audiences and critics have awoken to the stirring sounds of this unassuming nation of coureurs des bois. In 2003 and 2004 people wondered, “shit, what’s going on up there?” — and now, in 2005, that promise is being backed up. The new era in rock music begins in Canada. Forget post-punk revisionism and the New York City sound of the early ’00s. The sound of this decade is being cobbled together by witch doctor rock collectives in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. So please excuse the intensity, we are ecstatic. And as our enthusiasm spreads so does the range of talent. And as the novelty inevitably wears off, what will remain is a shitload of great bands.

The Best Live in Canada…
Liam Colle
In the wake of last year’s awesome breakthrough, Canadian artists sustained an impressive assault throughout 2005. The following five bands, a massive at least 30 strong, brought their best on the stage.

FIVE > Wolf Parade
Forget the hype — when they aren’t fucking up, their live show is maniacal and completely absorbing.

FOUR > The New Pornographers
This year Destroyer and Neko Case joined the live show, and the unreal vocal games and powerful songs were unstoppable.

THREE > The Deadly Snakes
Toronto’s resident band of carpenters matches the depth of their songwriting with a legitimately fierce rock show.

TWO > Constantines
It’s not a lie when they say, “you have to see them live.” Blood, sweat, and fears erased. They’re the biggest band in the world in the world I want to live in.

ONE > Arcade Fire
Have some respect. They can even play the shit out of an award show. Their live show is transcendent and attendance is mandatory.

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Five reasons why Montreal Kicked Ass in 2005
Erik Leijon
So you’re probably sick of hearing about it already. But there’s no denying this city’s profusion of interesting music. From the garage riot rock of the Sunday Sinners and Demon’s Claw to the arty noise of Belle Orchestre or We Are Wolves, Montreal is unleashing some serious might in the rock world. And now in handy list form is some rationale for the asskickingness. Take a number.

FIVE > Band Names
Sure there are plenty of “the” based names, but what about AIDSWolf, or CPC Gangbangs? There were a lot of wolf-based names, and wolves are cool animals. French band names like Malajube are also great since nobody in Toronto can pronounce them properly.

FOUR > Chromeo
Is there any album that will cause as much ass-shaking as She’s in Control? Unlikely. Also of note, the video for “Needy Girl” is the greatest bit of Quebec filmmaking since the original Elvis Gratton.

THREE > Hype Without Actual Music
Islands, the new project from ex-Unicorns J’aime Tambeur and Nick Diamonds have yet to release an album, or even secure a record deal in America. Considering the press they’ve already gathered, you’d think they found the cure for Avian flu.

TWO > La Belle Ville’s First Family
The Wainright/McGarrigle gene pool is so musically potent, right now the family dog is prepping his own collection of neo-psychedelic folk. Everybody has already fallen in love with Rufus; Kate and Anne are still music’s best sister act, and Louden is… well… brooding as always. But this year we were introduced to Rufus’s sister Martha, who gave us a stellar debut.

ONE > Pop Montreal
Not the most organized festival, but there’s no criticizing the amazing collection of bands at this year’s festival. In a city with probably too many festivals as it is, Pop Montreal is emerging as a favourite. Give it a couple of years and maybe it will eclipse F1 weekend? OK, probably not.

2005’s Canadian Anthems

2005’s Canadian Anthems
Liam Colle
Whether we admit it or not, Canadians are nearly deafened by our insecurity. We are standing in the shadows of the United States of America. And as evidenced the world over, it’s impossible to just plug your ears and avoid American culture. For us, our coping strategy demands we underplay our love and dependence, while we make sure to overplay our distinctiveness. And as we keep scratching and clawing for a defined national character, that tireless grit is becoming it. Our once trembling voices are amplified and the songs are more urgent and lumbering than ever.

THREE > Arcade Fire — “Wake Up”
Whenever the hell this album came out, its songs are still reaching far and wide. This one is a choral wrecking ball.

TWO > Constantines — “Draw Us Lines”
The drums alone will break your back, never mind the weight of one of the most visceral voices in rock.

ONE > Wolf Parade — “I’ll Believe in Anything”
No matter what you might first think of the silly-intense vocals, this song is the best of the year. (that’s a period)

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The Best of Canadian Metal
Adrien Begrand
Contrary to popular opinion, it isn’t just indie rock collectives and bar band hosers up here. In fact, the heavier side of Canadian music is stronger than ever before — the music sounding as extreme as the weather. The best of this year’s bunch show just how diverse the homegrown metal has become.

FIVE > Buried Inside — Chronoclast [Relapse]
A concept album about the grip of time, Chronoclast merges the expansive guitars of Neurosis with the more progressive sounds of the Dillinger Escape Plan.

FOUR > Despised Icon — The Healing Process [Century Media]
The sheer versatility of this band bodes very well for the future. The young French-Canadian grindcore phenoms display the requisite expertise in churning, controlled chaos. But it’s the unexpected breakdowns and tempo changes that produce such an enjoyably unnerving sound.

THREE > Strapping Young Lad — Alien [Century Media]
A brutally loud exercise in over-the-top rage. During the masterfully psychotic “Shitstorm”, British Columbia’s resident madman is dead-on with his proposition, “If you want fucking crazy, I’ll show you how to be crazy.”

TWO > Cursed — Two [Goodfellow]
Combining the stoner-sludge of early Mastodon with the more abrasive, hardcore sound of Converge, Hamilton’s Cursed are gigantic. Tragically overlooked both in Canada and the States, it’s one of the year’s hidden gems.

ONE > Cryptopsy — Once Was Not [Century Media]
Canadian metal album of the year. Consisting of lightning-fast arrangements that fly off in every conceivable direction, it all centers around the spectacular drumming of Flo Mounier. Death metal at its most technical, not to mention exhilarating.

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Best Broken Social Scene Spin-Off That Nobody’s Talking About
Adrien Begrand
I’m not sure if that’s an oxymoron or a paradox. But while Feist, Metric, Stars, and Apostle of Hustle attract the media’s eye, guitarist Jason Collett quietly pulled off an album of alt-country that is typically weary, yet somehow bright.

ONE > Jason Collett Idols of Exile [Arts and Crafts]
An antidote to the dense tones of the sophomoric Broken Social Scene album, this laconic, country tinged rock record has Collett sounding like a well-adjusted Jeff Tweedy.

Welcome to Winnipeg

2005’s Canadian Anthems
Adrien Begrand
“Five stones in our hand and the Battle of 1812 in our hearts”… Welcome to Winnipeg Considering a population of only 600,000, it’s surprising that the Manitoba capital is so seriously tempting the collective gaze away from Montreal and Toronto. The Weakerthans, Greg MacPherson, Telepathic Butterflies, The Waking Eyes, Paper Moon, and The Paperbacks are making sure people don’t pass by the Prairies. And Smallman Records continues to cement its reputation as one of the coolest labels in the country, boasting such notable young Canadian bands like Sylvie, Ghosts of Modern Man, and Comeback Kid. However, two releases in particular solidified Winnipeg’s significance in 2005.

TWO > Novillero — Aim Right For the Holes in Their Lives[Mint]
They combine the creative indie pop that Canadian bands have perfected over the last five years with a more muscular garage rock feel. They sound like a band unafraid to brave a ferocious Prairie winter, as opposed to fey Vancouverites dodging raindrops.

ONE > Propagandhi — Potemkin City Limits[Fat Wreck Chords]
Well-read, ferocious, and anarchist to the core, this album injects life into a genre many are losing hope in. An unflinching opus that quickly renders Green Day’s American Idiot pointless. The punk album of the year.

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Reasons Why C’est Seulement La Premiere Vague…
Liam Colle
This isn’t the end. Arcade Fire got shit started, but shit’s not about to die out. The Toronto and Montreal communities alone, are still knocking together some maddeningly good music. Musicians are generally thrilled about what’s going on in Canada, and as opportunities expand, so will the range of talent. As these amazing bands continue to scratch the surface of the underground, all signs point to resonance.

SIX > Lenin I Shumov [www.blocksblocksblocks.com]
Pummeling percussion tagged with Eugene Slonimerov’s Russian vocal histrionics makes for unforgettable and entertaining catharsis. Another weapon in Blocks Recording Club’s arsenal of spiky genius.

FIVE > The Diableros [www.thediableros.tv]
The neglected lovechild of Arcade Fire and Ride, they just released their debut, You Can’t Break the Strings of Our Olympic Hearts, and it somehow lives up to its title.

FOUR > The Hot Springs [www.the-hot-springs.com]
The next shit — all hot and heavy in the aftermath of the birth of a “scene”. Rough and foxy female vocals raise this guitar band above the average rockpunk hit-makers. Expect a darker, and somehow catchier, sound on their forthcoming full-length than the dancepunk focus of 2005’s Rock Partouze.

THREE > They Shoot Horses Don’t They? [www.theyshoothorses.org]
With their debut LP slated for the winter, these left coast mosaicists will have music scribes reaching for the pipe to properly describe their cacophonic revelry.

TWO > Anagram [www.deadastronaut.com/anagram]
Drawing comparisons to Spaceman 3 and Joy Division, this band actually sounds like the Stooges in a cold sweat. After Dark drops in December so prepare for propulsion.

ONE > The Creeping Nobodies [www.thecreepingnobodies.com]
Holy crap. It’s bands like this that remind us why music is damn exciting in the first place. Provocative and evocative, it’s punk and art — both done well. Their untitled opus, recorded with Sonic Youth producer Wharton Tiers, is bound for renown in 2006.