Post Junos post 2013

I much prefer the Junos to the Grammys, mostly because of the all Canadian focus (I'm a total sucker for Canadian music and culture), plus the Junos tend to be a lot more adventurous than the Grammys.

The major awards were pretty predictable, but they usually are. Carly Rae Jepsen runs away with it for her breakout single, Leonard Cohen tops a ho-hum group of solo artists, Rush takes group of the year. All pretty standard. It's in the less prestigious categories that fun happens.

I was surprised to see The Weeknd take Breakout Artist over Grimes, and even more surprised to see him take R&B album of the year over Shawn Desman and Jully Black. The Weeknd already has a good following in alt-rap circles in the US and his start is definitely rising here in Canada too!

Some interesting picks in the jazz categories too, Joel Miller for contemporary jazz album of the year, and Pugs and Crows for instrumental album. I like Joel Miller's work, tasteful and understated. Pugs and Crows I felt had a weak year with Fantastic Pictures, but the group is wildly talented and has a penchant for experimentation.

Grimes won electronic album of the year over a very strong crowd of nominees, including Crystal Castles, Daphni, Purity Ring and Trust. I loved all five of those albums this year. It speaks to the amazing talent we have in Canada for electronic music.

There are few Canadian musicians more deserving than k.d. lang for the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Her career has been wildly eclectic, from her early years as a oddball country singer, to her modern career as a torchy pop song crooner. Plus, she's an amazing spokesperson for Canada in general. We're lucky to have her representing Canadian music!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqaKhKJHQRc

Best of 2012 Honourable Mentions

Touching on three releases I really liked but didn't make my Top 10 for 2012:

Dirty Ghosts - Metal Moon (Last Gang)

Allyson Barker is Canadian born and bred, but has been based out of San Francisco lately. Their music is noisy rock, with some new wave and psychedelic influences. I liked this album a lot, I was impressed by the loose, noisy rock side of it paired with a more melodic, catchy end. It's a nice mix of offbeat and accessible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZQXmmHb920


Men Without Hats - Love in the Age of War (Independent)

Montreal's Men Without Hats will always have a special place in my heart. During high school,  Folk of the 80s (Part III) got my through some rough times, and it still stands up as one of the best synth-pop albums ever recorded. This is the band's first album since 2003's poorly received No Hats Beyond This Point, and it's a solid synth-pop album with a classic sound. Granted, this style of music hasn't aged well, but this is a fine effort. The title track was very evocative for me; when I first heard it, I was struggling through a confusing relationship break up. It resonated well for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7zYQQA1Cwk


Grimes - Visions (Arbutus)

I'd be very remiss to not mention Grimes' meteoric rise this past year. Grimes, the Montreal-based Claire Boucher, has a breakout year on the hot, hot, hot record label Arbutus this year. Her voice is babyish and naive, the music is creepy, deep and gothy. Montreal has been the centre of artsy and strange music in Canada, and Grimes fits into that scene well. She should explode internationally in the coming years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FH-q0I1fJY

Best of 2012: #1 - Eight and a Half - S/T (Arts and Crafts)

Yes, I suck at numbering these things.. I should go back and renumber the last one, I will... eventually.

My favourite album of 2012 was a super-group of sorts. Eight and a Half's debut album was actually an album by three veterans of the Canadian indy rock scene: Justin Peroff of Broken Social Scene, and Dave Hamelin gna Liam O'Neil of The Stills. You'd expect the band to do some accessible indy rock, but they go off in a different direction here. Eight and a Half are deeply rooted in oddball synth-pop. While there's an indy rock style to what they're doing, most of the album is loopy, playful synths. This album was a very pleasant surprise when I first heard it, and it continued to get better with repeated listens.

Next up, a couple of honourable mentions...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsywCBZ7myI

Best of 2012: #1 - PS I Love You - Death Dreams (Paper Bag)

PS I Love You really stepped up their game for their second album, Death Dreams. Their first, Meet Me at the Muster Station, was a solid piece of noise-pop. The follow up amped up the noise and fuzzed out the music, adding a solid vibe of psychedelics into the mix as well. And, importantly, this album is all Canadian. PS I Love You hail from my birth-town of Kingston, ON. I'd hard to believe such a full-sounding noise was made by just two people. No album was better at noise-rock this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcDLLRXDadQ

Guest blog: Foam Lake - Force and Matter

RMD Music Blog just posted my review of Canadian indy rock/new wave act Foam Lake's new album Force and Matter.

http://rmdmusicblog.com/2013/02/28/album-review-foam-lake-force-and-matter-indie-rock/#

 

Latest Earshot Reviews: Feb 2013

Ron Davis - Blue Modules

Claude Munson and the Storm Outside - The Storm Outside

Best of 2012 #3: Shrouded Strangers - Lost Forever (Izniz)

I heard this album very early in the spring of 2012 and I immediately thought it would definitely be in my Top 10 albums of the year. And boy did it grow on me as the year went on. I've discovered that I have a solid love for noisy psychedelic rock and this album captured the sound I love very well. Shrouded Strangers are a relatively new and young band from California, with only one other album under their belts. This album was released pretty much as an independent release too. It was a good year for psychedelic rock, with Tame Impala and Ringo Deathstarr already on my list. This was  the best psychedelic album I heard this year.

http://youtu.be/IdvzcrF_rHo