My Top 5 Canadian Albums of 2004

So here is my original submission for Aaron's(of pop(all love)) poll of some local Canadian music bloggers and journalists of our Top 5 Canadian Albums of 2004. Ok, so I cheated and included a couple of e.p.'s. Also, I must admit that I only recently purchased Stars' "Set Yourself On Fire", Arcade Fire's "Funeral" and Junior Boys' "Last Exit", which would have all made my top 5 list had I been polled later on. But for fairness sake, I'm only considering those CD's I've had a sufficient amount of time to absorb over the last year. And my picks are(drumroll please):

controller.controller History (ep) [1] What can I say? I've seen 'em live more than any other band this year and they never fail to rock the crowd. This e.p. is only a teaser and they mentioned at their Hamilton[ON] show recently that they should be releasing an album this coming March. Woot!	The Organ Grab That Gun [2] Wonderful all-girl band from Vancouver, BC whose debut album is chock full of catchy post-punk pop tunes that harken back to the days of The Smiths. The lead vocals are decidely stark and distinct and the melodies are utterly infectious.
Feist Let It Die [3] Feist is crazy, sexy, cool and she can do no wrong. My biggest regret this year was missing her recent show at the Phoenix in Toronto. Until next time, I only have my recollections of her all-too-brief NXNE set this year.	Sarah Harmer All Of Our Names [4] Somehow, this album seems to have been forgotten in everyone's year-end lists. Maybe not as immediately grabbing as Ms. Harmer's debut, her sophmore album has grown on me over the months, and repeated listenings have definitely revealed a wealth of beautiful melodies.
City Field Authentic City (ep) [5] This is definitely the dark horse of this list. Matt Murphy(of The Super Friendz and The Flashing Lights) has recruited some Haligonian friends and formed this new band whose e.p. is a wonderful set of tunes with echoes of pop, post-punk, country and glam. Schizophrenic? Maybe. Fun? Totally. [for further info read my previous blurb on the band]

Honourable Mentions:

Uncut - "Those Who Were Hung Hang Here" (just barely missed my top 5)

The Hidden Cameras - "Mississauga Goddam"

King Cobb Steelie - "Destroy All Codes"

Lal - "Warm Belly High Power"

Pony Up/Ben Lee - split 7"

Death From Above 1979 - "You're a woman, I'm a machine"

The Heavy Blinkers - "The Night And I are still so young"