-
...or Stars.
Reply, dammit!
First, my buddy Kyle has a blog that you should all consider frequenting. Kyle is a great writer, excellent at recommending TV shows, and horrible at responding to emails - that's right I'm calling you out in front of the 4 people that read this. Well, 4 including you, so maybe its actually 3.
Second, I should explain, better than I did in my earlier post that my criteria for best band was based on material released, any shows I've seen (or possibly pretended I had seen after I heard how good they were), buzz, and a certain je ne sais pas?
Re: the New Pornographers - I liked Challengers, but it just wasn't an album that really impressed me. I listened to it probably a half dozen times, saw them at the Roger's Picnic , but they always seemed a little flat. So, while they're album was good, infinitely accessible - similar to Twin Cinema [2005?] - and I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't heard it, there is simply too much good Canadian music for them to be a top-10 band.
Re: Metric - no new releases this year (as far as I know - I'm pretty sure Grow Up and Blow Away was a re-release). I really like Emily Haines - she is terrific live - although the films she shows during her songs were super creepy, though seeing her solo made me really hope for a new Metric album. Again, very good, I would recommend, probably more than you would Emily Haines and the Soft Skeletons Knives Don't Have Your Back or the follow up EP What is Free to A Good Home.
Re: Stars - not even worth discussing.
I would include the New Pornographers and Emily Haines in a group of bands that were very good, but just weren't outstanding.
Some others would include: The Weakerthans, Wintersleep, Cuff the Duke, Final Fantasy, Jade McNelis, Young Galaxy, The Winks, Cadence Weapon, The Most Serene Republic, Dragonette - I still haven't heard Jenn Grant, or Amos the Transparent - but they are very highly regarded also.
I need to collect my thoughts on the Raps (after a win where Jamario Moon played 22 minutes) before I respond on the Raptors.
Posts
Very cool list. There's definitely some stuff there that I'll need to check out. Two things:
1. It's unfathomable that you don't have The New Pornographers on your list. Challengers might very well be my album of the year. My guess is this was an accident.
2. No love for Metric or Emily Haines? Question: is the band doomed because nothing will ever stack up against "Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?" While I don't lover her solo stuff, it's certainly listenable (if, perhaps, sleep-inducing).