Look, we’re sorry about Snow. And Celine. And Avril. And we tried to stop Bieber. Really, we did! But the little man is like some indestructible combination of Godzilla and the Lucky Charms leprechaun. Oh, yeah, right, Nickleback. Ok, they were on purpose – it seemed funny at the time. However, that is no reason to assume Canada is a musical wasteland of soul-patches and mirrored sunglasses. There are good Canadian artists. There are, in fact, great Canadian artists. Better, there are many great Canadian artists. A veritable cornucopia of…alright, I’ll stop. But seriously: there’s lots.
Laziguezon has already compiled an excellent primer of Francophone music, so I will say nothing more on that subject except: read it. Read it now, I`ll wait. Done? Good. Let’s go.
The Weakerthans
Out of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and it shows -the prairies and small towns feature prominently in their work. They play a blend folk and punk, sometimes one more than the other, that can be cheerful or melancholy from track to track. So why listen? The lyrics are intelligent, the songs are catchy, and John K Samson, the lead singer, has a way of framing defeats, big and small, that’s instantly relatable. They also have a couple songs from a cat.
The Rural Alberta Advantage
Another Prairie band in the mold of The Weakerthans – mixing folk and punk – with something of a harder edge and a darker tone. The sound is stripped down, just drums, guitar and keyboard , and they sing about failing, leaving, and giving up – or trying not to. Should you care? Sure. They get the blood moving, their themes are universal, if not particularly cheery, and they have a way of getting in your head and not leaving. In a good way.
Dan Mangan
He’s outstanding. Really, that’s all you need to know. If I had a soul, he’d speak to it. He broke through with his album Nice, Nice, Very Nice a few years ago. It was wistful, slightly sad, slightly upbeat, folk-pop that was clever and had one of the best sing-alongs I’ve ever heard. Relentless touring behind the album fed into his next – Oh Fortune. Heavier, more complex in every way, less folk, more brass and crescendos. I’m not asking this time. You want to listen to this.
Royal Wood
Look! A non-folk artist! Variety! Ok, Royal Wood isn’t for everyone. He sings smooth, beautiful, piano driven, songs of love. And he’s serious about it. Ernest, I think, is probably a good way to describe it. Touching. And he has one amazing cover of Pumped Up Kicks.
Hey Ocean
They`re happy. And quirky and peppy and perky and dammit, they’re happy. It’s pop with a good deal of funk and lord knows what else. They make you smile, they make you dance. You can’t help it. You can’t help but love their unselfconscious goofiness. And when they strip it all down to just them and a guitar, they’re just as good; friendly, intimate. Plus, the lead singer is adorable.
Brasstronaut
It’s prog-rock and jazz, it’s smoky, it’s moody, it twists, and turns, and it is so damn good. They are just outstanding, and they don’t stand still. From EP to album to EP, their sound changes. It’s never boring, and I love them for it.
Shad
He. Has. Got it. Shad is a hip-hop artist continually on the verge of breaking through. He’s fast, with incredible flow and a kind of smiling way of delivering each verse. Listen to enough Canadian music and you’ll stumble across him eventually – he’s collaborated with almost everyone. Need another reason to listen? The Fresh Prince-inspired video for The Old Prince Still Lives At Home.
Alright, so my taste tends to run towards depressing, flannel-wearing, indie. But Canada’s a big place, we have variety. Garage rock? The Pack A.D. Motown revival? Chains of Love. Hip-Hop? Grand Analog. Punk? Fucked Up. Electronica? Holy Fuck. Straight up rock? The Dudes. Pop? Said the Whale. Dance punk? You Say Party! Bluegrass? The Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir. Banjo music? Old Man Luedecke. Dubstep?…….yeah, ok, we have that too. I’m partial to Amy Millan, Matthew Barber, Hannah Georgas, Library Voices, and Joel Plaskett as well.
That’s just the surface, there’s a whole world waiting out there. But how do you, the humble American/Brit/Estonian/whatever, get your hands on it? CBC Radio 3 is a good place to start. Pretty much every artist out there has a page with song upon song available to stream, free. My tax dollars at work. You’re welcome.
