One of the things I enjoy doing in conjunction with listening to a band's music is researching their biography, as to achieve a greater understanding for the band's beginnings and influences. I often find myself undertaking this research while listening to bands whose music I have owned for some time, yet know little about. Today, I found myself listening to Broken Social Scene, a band whose music I have been enjoying for a few months now. While quickly reading their Wikipedia page, (yes I know, wikipedia is frowned upon in academia, but it's so damn convenient!) I discovered that they were based in Toronto, Canada. It then hit me, a good percentage of the bands I listen to are either based or born in America's Northern neighbor, Canada, of course. I thought to myself, "Wow, Justin Beiber, Nickelback, Celine Dion...Canada just keeps producing!" That of course, was sarcasm, and you should read on if you believe that those artists are all that Canadian music has to offer.
It may be my close proximity to the Canadian border and media outlets which has allowed me grow accustomed to it's music through television and radio. I learned a long time ago that Canadians brew fantastic beer, are terrible drivers, pronounce words such as "college" strangely, and adore hockey. Most important of all however, I learned that alternative music to me is popular music to them. Artists in which one who lives in the U.S. may consider "indie" or "alternative" are played on pop radio in Canada. As a fan of that type of music, I wish that pop radio in the U.S. would deliver that same type of quality heard in the country in which I have been constantly referring. Sadly, it does not. Therefore, I feel the need show you what you have missing. So sit back, relax, and allow me give you a crash course in some Canadian music that you should be listening to eh?
For the purpose of this post, I will attempt a quantitative rather than qualitative approach to sharing this worthy music with you.
Arkells
The Arkells are a band formed in Hamilton, Ontario, and currently have only one full length album released, titled Jackson Square. I have recently grown fond of them due to their catchy choruses, upbeat guitar-driven sound, and working man's lyrics. They are the perfect band to listen to while enjoying a happy hour with friends after a hard day's work.
"Ballad of Hugo Chavez":
Currently, my favorite song by them is their track "John Lennon". It is written about a drunken night at bar, something everyone has experienced at one time or another.
Broken Social Scene
As I stated before, Broken Social Scene is an indie band based in Toronto, Ontario. They will remind one of Arcade Fire, another Canadian band which I have previously written a post about. Often labeled as a "supergroup", the band has consisted of anywhere between six and nineteen members from their inception in 1999 to now. Members often participate in other solo and group projects in their time away from Broken Social Scene.
"7/4 (Shoreline)", from their self titled album Broken Social Scene:
One of my favorites from them is a track from their most current album, Forgiveness Rock Record, titled "World Sick":
As I stated before, Broken Social Scene is an indie band based in Toronto, Ontario. They will remind one of Arcade Fire, another Canadian band which I have previously written a post about. Often labeled as a "supergroup", the band has consisted of anywhere between six and nineteen members from their inception in 1999 to now. Members often participate in other solo and group projects in their time away from Broken Social Scene.
"7/4 (Shoreline)", from their self titled album Broken Social Scene:
Tokyo Police Club
Tokyo Police Club is a four piece indie-rock band based in Newmarket, Ontario. Known for their nonsense lyrics and upbeat sound, they prove to be a fun band to listen to. Their most recent album, Champ, has thrusted them from obscurity into the limelight in their native country. Their music is energetic, care free, and from my experience are great to listen to when you find yourself on a long drive.
"Your English is Good", from their debut album Elephant Shell:
My favorite song by the group is their catchy tune from their latest album, titled "Wait Up (Boots of Danger)":
Metric
Formed in Toronto, Ontario, Metric is most widely known for their song "Help, I'm Alive." They are one of the few bands featuring a female singer that I enjoy listening to (I'm not sexist, its just my musical taste). They recently performed in between periods of the NHL Heritage Classic, an outdoor game in Calgary, Alberta. Metric features the use of synths and electronic devices, and many of their songs have an edgy and aggressive sound to them. In my opinion, their latest album, Fantasies, is far and away their best work.
"Stadium Love":
My favorite song from Metric, "Gimme Sympathy":
Hot Hot Heat is a indie-rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, formed in 1999 (good year eh?). I find it difficult to describe their sound in few words, as each song has a slightly different feel and tone. Some sound as though they would be fit for pop radio while others are so obscure they seem strange even in the indie scene. Their songs have been featured in several television shows and video games; the latter is interestingly enough where I first discovered the band.
From their latest album, Future Breeds, the song "21@12" is about coming of age and features a quintessential Hot Hot Heat sound.
As I mentioned before, I first heard Hot Hot Heat in a video game, the song "Pickin' it up" in Madden '06, to be specific. The song features many pop elements and has a very catchy, fast paced sound. It contains some of my favorite lyrics from the band, "I feel like I let them down when I don't wanna trade my sunshine for a cloudy night." I have no idea what specifically it means, I simply enjoy hearing lead singer Steve Bays sing those words.
City and Colour
City and Colour is a side project by Alexisonfire singer/guitarist Dallas Green. Believing it would be pretentious to use his birth name as the name of the project, Dallas settled on City and Colour (Dallas = City, Green = Colo(u)r). In contrast to his work in Alexisonfire, a heavy rock group, City and Colour is acoustic and eclectic. I truly believe that Dallas Green has one of the great voices of the modern era. His songs are frequently written on topics that his audience is able to relate to, such as love and loneliness. Both of his albums Sometimes and Bring Me Your Love are worth a complete listen. I often find myself listening to City and Colour while studying or in bed before I intend to sleep. Green's music has grown into greater popularity in the U.S. than the artists in which I have previously written, and for good reason. His music is truly beautiful and I implore you to listen if you are unfamiliar with his work.
"Comin Home" from his debut album Sometimes:
"Casey's Song", also from Sometimes:
While it is very difficult to pick a favorite from the bunch, my choice song is "Sleeping Sickness", which features a vocal performance from The Tragically Hip's Gordon Downie.
Much has been said on this blog about this band (see here), so I will be brief. I wish to share with you a couple of their vastly unknown songs which prove to contain their most prolific lyrics. Released in 2007, their album Neon Bible does not contain the singles that their new album provides, but holds songs with great meaning and power.
The song "Antichrist Television Blues" was written about parents of child stars who push their children to become famous. The working title of the song was "Joe Simpson", the father of Jessica Simpson. The lyrics admonish this type of behavior from parents and imply that the situation is enough to drive one to insanity. The lyrics "I know you're tired but it's alright, I just need you to sing for me tonight" relays the stress parents place on their children in the drive to become famous. The situation is comparable to a father who wishes that his son would be football star because he, the father, was never able to become one. Have a listen:
Possibly my favorite Arcade Fire song of all time is their tune "My Body is A Cage", also from Neon Bible. The lyrics are powerful and the driving church organs in the background add to the eeriness and intensity of the song. It truly is a work of art.
While this is by no means an exhaustive list of new Canadian artists, I feel it is enough to give one insight into the growing number of talented bands from the country. At a later time, I will surely go into greater detail in describing and analyzing some of the bands I have written about here. Hopefully you, the reader, have realized a greater appreciation for Canadian music and grown to learn that Canada is much more than Justin Beiber and Nickelback.
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