Once again, I was honoured to be asked to participate in i(heart)music's annual "Hottest Bands in Canada" poll. Within the loose parameters given,1 I scanned through my past year's blatherings and pulled out my yarrow stalks and came up with the list below.
Just a note on method: As with last year, I basically was totally subjective with my list. I didn't construe "hotness" as the bands that have generated the most buzz or popularity. Instead, I had two key qualifications for my list: a live show that moved me and a 2010 release of consequence. I guess I was thinking about bands that felt, to me, to be really in their moment, which is why their live presence was probably the most clinching factor. I have seen all of the bands on my list live in 2010 — and almost all of them more than once. So that was the highly unscientific ordering principle I was using.
So anyway, without further ado, my list as sent to Matthew. For each artist, I've tossed in one of my recordings from the band's recent work to bolster my argument. #1 is the top and working down from there:
1. Anagram
Anagram aren't going to go out of their way to please you. Like a maniac sitting in the corner giving you a look, their music will sit in one brooding spot — like that guy staring at you until you start to wince. And then there's a spasm of action. And then there's blood on the floor. Purveyors of a low-slung post-punk frenzy, you're as likely to find them playing under a bridge or in someone's basement as in a formal venue, but now with the release of Majewski, their third full-length, you can really get a taste of their raw power.
Listen! Anagram - What a Mess
2. Diamond Rings
Has it only been a year? From the outset John O'Regan's alter ego impressed with his ace 80's flavoured dance-pop singles, but he's managed to expand the persona without diluting his fierce impact. It risks sounding like empty hype or crass flattery to suggest that the trajectory seems ever-upward, but O'Regan keeps bringing more confidence and swagger to his sets, which in turn give him the room to lay out more depth and vulnerability in his songs. With the release of the full-length Special Affections serving as the culmination of this last year's effort, it feels like the next stage in O'Regan's world domination plan (main weapons: rainbows, unicorns) has begun.
Listen! Diamond Rings - It's Not my Party
3. The Hoa Hoa's
One of Toronto's best live bands is staying on top of their game by never resting on their laurels. Even with their latest album Pop/Drone/Pedals less than a year old, the band keeps unveiling new songs at their shows, and a new release should be forthcoming in early '11. The standard-bearers of the Optical Sounds record label/scene are playing increasingly far-flung gigs, and every time they take a trip it causes a net increase in the number of psychedelic journeys wherever they play.
Listen! The Hoa Hoa's - Falling
4. Forest City Lovers
The ever-delightful Kat Burns has put together her strongest set of tunes (on this year's Carriage) and the strongest lineup of the band to date. Live, the band can bring a powerful rock'n'roll energy when required, but never too much to distract from the shy smile at the centre of it all.
Listen! Forest City Lovers - Constellation
5. Hooded Fang
Hooded Fang are a positive force, whether in the bright pop tunes that they deliver on their debut full-length, or in the many community-spirited projects the members have going on the side. And at the same time, they've really managed to get things right musically. What could have been a too-giddy, overstuffed sound has been confidently modulated — mature, but not too grown up.
Listen! Hooded Fang - Laughing
6. Bonjay
Dance-based music is kinda out of my sweet spot, and I don't know from dancehall, but I know kick-ass star quality when I see it. Alanna Stuart brings an electric presence to the stage, but it wouldn't mean much without songs to back it up. Along with beat provider Pho, Stewart does just that on the pair's new EP Broughtupsy, making them as appealing to listen to in their recorded incarnation as they are live.
Listen! Bonjay - Frawdulent
7. The Sadies
Well, what can I add about The Sadies that isn't already widely known? Famed for their powerhouse live shows, the country-surf-twang purveyors have taken longer to get respect for their recorded output, but this year's Polaris-shortlisted Darker Circles seems to have answered that. The Sadies have slowly become an institution, but with their work ethic they don't have a gear where they could just cruise on their rep, meaning that this powerful engine is gonna rev onwards.
Listen! The Sadies - Strange Birds
8. Daniel Romano
This slot could have gone almost as easily to Daniel, Fred and Julie, the folk-revivalist trio that Romano founded with friends Julie Doiron and Fred Squire. But I'm going to take some of the praise I have for that group and add it to this nod to the understated Romano, who has put out of the year's finest albums. His Workin' For The Music Man is filled with been-wronged anger and lonesome yearning, but he won't write a losin' song about it. Instead, he's put on his troubadour hat and headed out into that ever-loving world. Bonus points for his work with You've Changed Records, which has quietly been putting out a string of winning albums.
Listen! Daniel Romano - She Was the World to Me
9. P.S. I Love You
Singer/guitarist Paul Saulnier of Kingston duo PS I Love You fills the stage with guitar and bass (courtesy of foot pedals), bringing a hard-edged rock attack with DOR attitude, suitable for those who want to hoist their beers up in the air but not alienating those who want to dance. The full-length Meet Me at the Muster Station captures the sonic onslaught in a tidy package.
Listen! P.S. I Love You - Facelove
10. Minotaurs
I thought I knew what to expect from Nathan Lawr, once the original drummer for the seminal Royal City, who on his own had crafted three albums of likable, well-written rootsy pop-rock. But as "Nathan Lawr and the Minotaurs" has slid into just Minotaurs, the band is now not just a vehicle to present some well-hewn songs so much as a fearsome groove machine, powered with afrobeat horns and percussion. Pretty good as heard on the new album The Thing, but you gotta see these guys live to feel the project's full force.
Listen! Minotaurs - Pink Floyd
Those interested in checking out the results of the whole exercise can see the big list here. And just to wrap up some loose ends, here's some bonus list action:
Honourable mentions:
- Lisa Bozikovic
- Broken Social Scene
- Eiyn Sof
- Fucked Up
- Mantler
- Owen Pallett
- Rat Tail
- Maylee Todd
Keeping an eye out for:
I've seen all of these bands put on kick-ass shows in the past year — now I'm waiting for an album to go with it.
- Action Makes
- Canadian Wildlife
- Castlemusic
- Deloro
- Doldrums
- Ethio Stars Band
- METZ
- Snowblink
- $100
- Ostrich Tuning
No thanks:
Released a dud album and/or played concerts priced out of my range
- Arcade Fire
- Caribou
- Stars
1 The guiding principles were:
The only criteria to follow in making your list are
1) the bands/artists must be Canadian (however you want to define that); and
2) you feel the bands/artists were "hot" in 2010 (however you want to define that).
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