Inspired by Information Leafblower's recent Top 40 Bands in America Today - 2005 Edition list for which he polled a select group of music bloggers for(including Canadian music blogger Chromewaves), i(heart)music has conducted his own poll amongst Canadian music bloggers to come up with a list of the 33 hottest bands in Canada. Thanks to i(heart)music for including me in the poll. My ranked list is below with their final ranking in parentheses. My reasons for what made each artist below 'hot' in 2005 differed from artist to artist but it was another stellar year for the Canadian music scene overall.1. The New Pornographers (6)
They released one of my favourite Canadian albums of the year, "Twin Cinema", toured the heck out of it, and played one of my favourite shows in Toronto of the year(with Neko Case and Dan Bejar!). And no single this year, Canadian or otherwise, surpasses the greatness of "The Bleeding Heart Show".
2. Broken Social Scene (2)
They released one of the most anticipated indie albums of the year, their self-titled third album. While not as immediate as it's predecessors, their new album's melodic, chaotic beauty reveals itslef each time I listen to it. Speaking of hot, their label Arts and Crafts has been growing steadily this year with the inclusion, for the first time, of non-BSS related artists including The Most Serene Republic, The American Analog Set and New Buffalo. I only managed to catch BSS live once this year when they played a free show at Dundas Square as part the Celebrate Toronto Festival but BSS have been on the road constantly and still have managed to play the Greater Toronto Area no less than three times this year. And they're coming back in January at the Kool Haus for a two night stint.
3. The Constantines (9)
They are another touring machine who quietly released their new album "Tournament of Hearts" this year. Sadly, I believe it was the last release for Three Gut Records who quietly closed shops after 5 years of releasing quality indie rock. With their new album they add some stellar tracks to their catalogue including the fantastic soul-punk of "Love in Fear" and the whispered acoustic folk of "Windy Road".
4. Cuff The Duke (16)
Their self-titled second album, released this year, is full of confident songs that straddle the line between twang and pop. They pulled off a stellar instore performance at Soundscapes in Toronto this past summer, even with the intolerable heat in the store. They also packed Lee's Palace for a fantastic CD Release show.
5. Stars (7)
Even though their record "Set Yourself On Fire" came out last year, I thought they deserved to be mentioned on this list, 'cause they've been blowing up all over the world in 2005!
6. Jon-Rae Fletcher and The River (15)
Of the countless times he's played Toronto this year, I've seen him twice and his live show is a must see. Well, more of a a must-hear. From acoustic traditionals, to twangy soulful rompers, to Neil Young-ish guitar rock, Jon-Rae has injected a gospel-like intensity into the somewhat stale alt-country/No Depression/American scene. If you manage to catch the configuration of Jon-Rae and The Choir - an up-to-17 members choir - count yourself fortunate. His music is joyous.
7. Final Fantasy (4)
I probably should have included The Arcade Fire on this list since they had a banner year, but I figured their awesomness was just an extension from the previous year. However, frequent Arcade Fire contributor, violinist Owen Pallet has been making leaps and bounds with his own project aka Final Fantasy. He released his excellent debut album called "Has A Good Home" full of wonderful chamber pop gems and he also released a terrific video(filmed at The Boat in Toronto) for his song "This is the Dream of Win and Regine". Oh, and "This Is The Dream of Win and Regine" is one of my favourite songs of the year. Add to the list that his cover of Bloc Party's "This Modern Love" has been all the rage in the music blog community, and yes, Mr. Pallett has had one hot year.
8. Jason Collett (27)
Mr. Collett has been making a name for himself this year outside of his work with Broken Social Scene. I think he has succeeded well with his new album "Idols of Exile" which is full of summery pop-rock tunes.
9. The Fembots (19)
Leaving behind the sound gimmickery(like tape loops and sound effects) of past albums, The Fembot's most recent album "The City" is musically more straightforward and the end result is a much more satifsying effort.
10. Bella (didn't make the final list)
2005 was only the beginning for this young Vancouver foursome. They released a great EP "Pretty Mess" full of bright synth-pop and indie-pop tunes at a time when I thought those genres had been just about played out. They only played live in Toronto once this year(at The Drake Hotel as part of NXNE for which they got a rave review from chartattack) and are long-overdue for another Toronto show. Let's see them hit their stride in 2006.
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