Toronto's Best Albums of 2009

When I started compiling my year end list and trying to rank everything, it became exceedingly clear to me that comparing local Toronto band X to Jay-Z just wasn't going to work. Not that I haven't done that in the past, my top three albums last year were Chad VanGaalen's Soft Airplane, Ketch Harbour Wolves' Dead Calm Horizon, and Kanye West's 808s and Heartbreaks, but it just seemed like this year, there was going to be such a weird grouping of albums that it didn't really make sense to do a single list. So, sadly (or not, I suppose) you're going to have to wade through a series of 4/5 lists... or not...


10. Sunparlour Players Wave North
[mp3] Sunparlour Players - Battle of '77
Elsewhere: Pick of the Week #19, Live @ the Theatre Centre Aug. 14. 2009
One of my favourite bands in the city, one of the best groups to see live in the city, and, I think, one of the best albums to come out of the city as well. There's still the moments of unbridled energy on this album that we saw on Hymns for the Happy, but the story telling "Battle of '77" and "Point Pelee" is something new, and something that makes me really want to hear them put together some type of concept album - i.e. like Sufjan did w/ Michigan, Illinois... I smell an album about Tomato country!


9. Howie Beck How to Fall Down in Public
[mp3] Howie Beck - Flashover
Elsewhere: Pick of the Week #21
If I were to be completely honest, after seeing Howie Beck open for Hayden once, possibly a couple of times, I would've bet very strongly against me endorsing one of his albums. At the time I think I probably felt like he was just another song-writer. This album shows a lot more depth and breadth than I was expecting, and is just a generally well put together singer-songwriter album.


8. Hayden The Place Where We Lived
[mp3] Hayden - Let's Break Up
Elsewhere: Pick of the Week #24
I'm not sure whether I'm more surprised that Hayden turned around and put out two albums in two years or that neither album featured some type of grizzly murder scene, but either way another Hayden record is always a good thing. He's never going to put out anything that'll bowl you over (though "Trees Lounge", the lead song to the Steve Bushemi movie of the same name, was one of my favourite songs ever), but you can always count on him to write songs that mean something. There's never any waste, never anything half-hearted, and I'm just about worked up enough right now to proclaim him the greatest Canadian song-writer ever (I'm not that far off, am I?).
Q1: Can anyone confirm deny that Hayden leaves his house more/less than once per week? I have this vision of him being like the Sean Connery character in Finding Forrester.




7. Timber Timbre Timber Timbre
[mp3] Timber Timbre - Demon Host
Elsewhere: n/a
After Taylor Kirk was good enough to send me Medicinals, his debut album recorded under the pseudonym Timber Timbre, I was good enough to take about 11 months to write about it. It was nothing personal, it was just a record that, while incredibly good (review here), requires that the listener is in a certain frame of mind to listen to. It's just like, you don't flip on a movie like, Schindler's List, when you want something to watch. Similarly, I haven't written anything about Taylor's new(ish) s/t record since I just haven't been in the right frame of mind to write about it. That said, if you can get yourself to that place, wherever that is, it's a great, haunting, record.


6. Ohbijou Beacons
[mp3] Ohbijou - Black Ice
Elsewhere: Pick of the Week #27
Ohbijou has been one of the most blogged bands here since the BM's inception in 2007, so I'm not going to beat a dead horse, but this album is beautiful. And beautiful in a sort of Grace Kelly, Mrs. Don Draper, you're worried if you touch it you might break it, sort of way.



5. Bruce Peninsula A Mountain is a Mouth
[mp3] Bruce Peninsula - Inside/Outside
Elsewhere: Pick of the Week #4, Live @ the Horseshoe Jan. 31. 2009
Initially, I had this album pegged as one of the best of the year, but with no slight directed toward the band, there were a few others (below) that were just that much better. That, and BP fell prey to the dreaded Liz effect, whereby the band doesn't get played in my house b/c Liz is not a fan -- oh, if you could see her face everytime BP comes up on iTunes shuffle. Still, a great, almost movement of an album.


4. The Wooden Sky If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone
[mp3] The Wooden Sky - Something Hiding For Us in the Night
Elsewhere: Pick of the Week #30
This album, more than any other this year, really surprised me. I didn't really know the Wooden Sky prior to this album, and I listened to the album a few times and it gradually dawned on me that IIDCHYKIG is a really great album. I'm not sure why it took so long, but I think I started to really become more affected after seeing the video for "The Late King Henry". The video, resembling something of a religious revival ("save me/take me to the river and bathe me"), had enough soul(?) to make me think about getting baptized... or something... it's early... forgive me...


1(T). Black Hat Brigade Fathers
[mp3] Black Hat Brigade - Zombie City Shake (Basement Sessions)
Elsewhere: Pick of the Week #20, Exchanging emails with... the Black Hat Brigade
The BHB have been one of my favourite bands, not just in Toronto but anywhere, since they release of their first s/t EP last year. Given that the band has, you know, jobs, we haven't exactly seen albums at a Ryan Adamseque clip, but what they have released (the Fathers EP) and a video for "Zombie City Shake" has been extraodinary. Here's to hoping that we get a full length next year...


1(T). Evening Hymns Spirit Guides
[mp3] Evening Hymns - Broken Rifle
Elsewhere: Pick of the Week #48, Live @ the Tranzac Dec. 4. 2009
I've talked about E.H. and the album S.G. alot in the past weeks, so, suffice to say I'm definitely not sick of it! I bought the vinyl last week and that's pretty awesome too.


1(T). The Wilderness of Manitoba Hymns of Love & Spirits
[mp3] The Wilderness of Manitoba - Evening
Elsewhere: Pick of the Week #36, Live @ the Garrison Oct. 29. 2009
So, I guess this is a lesson to bands who are interested in getting written up on the BM, write an album about spirits. I'll be sure to enjoy it. But seriously, Hymns of Love and Spirits is probably my most listened to album of the year, and an album that not enough people have heard, yet. This is a band to expect big things from in 2010.

Summerworks Festival: Sunparlour Players w/ Josh Reichmann Oracle Band @ the Theatre Centre. Aug. 14. 2009

... man I shouldn't have had so much to drink the other night...

The Josh Reichmann Oracle Band, which, last night at least, was Josh Reichmann (presumably) and a back-up (interpretive) dancer wasn't exactly what I was expecting as an opener for the SPP. Reichmann sang over his electro-beats backing track and, I think in a different, clubbier, context it would've been pretty cool. In the theatre setting opening for the Sunparlour Players, something was off. That said, I certainly think that there's something there, and I'm making a mental note to investigate JROB further...

The Sunparlour Players who followed - very quickly, I might add, so kudos to the show organizers - were pretty spectacular. This is probably not news to people that are familiar with the band, their music, and their live show. Their set consisted of a mix of their old (Hymns for the Happy) and their new (Wave North) material, and culminated with an encore performance of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck", which is always a good time.

This is probably the 6 or 7th time I've seen the SPP in their various incarnations, and, while I see a fair number of shows, I've seen them more than I've seen any other musical act (except for my buddy Donny, new album coming!). That, I think, is in part a location thing (they often play in places close to where I have lived), but the other part is that they are probably the best live act around (in the city of Toronto). I keep tabs on when/where they're playing shows, and I make it out to them, because they're fun, energetic, and the character in Andrew Penner's voice live really brings the songs from the record to life.

I'm kind of curious where they go from here... they've got a pretty loyal following here in TO, but, with all of the uncertainty in the music industry its hard to see how they're going to make a living (unless they somehow strike it rich with their mustard recipe). Although, really, you could say that about virtually every band that I write about, and not everyone puts on a live show like they do...

[mp3] Sunparlour Players - Talk it to Death (live @ the Theatre Centre)
[mp3] Sunparlour Players - Battle of '77 (live @ the Theatre Centre)

A very cool video...




Josh Reichmann Oracle Band






The Sunparlour Players

Best Albums of 2009... the first half...

In part because ranking things is fun (particularly things that are un-rankable), and in part because I feel as though its important that I beat you all over the head with the stuff that I really like, I've come up with my 10 favourite albums (so far) of 2009.

There was no real attempt at making this a thorough, scientific, list, or anything other than a snap-shot of what I think is good at the moment. There's approximately a 100% possibility that my year end list will not resemble this list in the slightest, but that's just because I have the attention span (particularly with music) of a puppy with ADD.

A final note of interest before we move ahead... after I put together this list it occurred to me that this list is made almost entirely of Canadian artists. I'm not sure what that says/means. Well, obviously, that I like and have been listening to a lot of Canadian music. But, also, possibly that I need to open my ears a little bit to stuff that's going on around the world; so perhaps you'll see a little bit more of a global flavour to the year end list.



10. Glasvegas Glasvegas
Why I like it: because they sound like U2 would sound like if (blasphemy alert) they wrote anything good these days. Plus, their Scottish accents are super cool.
[mp3] Glasvegas - Geraldine



9. Timber Timbre Timber Timbre
Why I like it: I'm not sure its quite as haunting as TT's debut Medicinals, but I think the song writing has improved. This album is more than just a haunting, debilitating, trip to the salt mines...
[mp3] Timber Timbre - Demon Host


8. Pink Mountaintops Outside Love
Why I like it: one, because I really didn't expect to; and two, because the album channels old school 70s stoner rock with a more new school indie pop vibe with impressive results.... that, and 'Axis the Thrones of Love' is possibly the most compelling opening track of the year...
[mp3] Pink Mountaintops - Axis Thrones of Love


7. Patrick Watson Wooden Arms
Why I like it: because its every bit as good, maybe better, than the Polaris winning Close to Paradise...
[mp3] Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms


6. Hayden The Place Where We Lived
Why I like it: because its Hayden, my favourite singer-songwriter of all time. Sure, its different than his earlier stuff, but he's maintained the kind of (cliche alert) honesty that has made him such a compelling songwriter over the last 15 years. That said, I kind of think its surprising that this album in particular was as solid as it is, given how great a departure it is from his debut, Everything I Long For [1995].
[mp3] Hayden - Let's Break Up



5. Sunparlour Players Wave North
Why I like it: because their follow up to the outstanding Hymns for the Happy is close to as good as their live show (which has got to be one of the best around - the GTA at least). Plus, the song writing, the production, and the story telling have also 'kicked it up a notch'...
[mp3] Sunparlour Players - Battle of '77


4. Various Artists Dark was the Night
Why I like it: Normally I wouldn't included a compilation (because its kind of cheating), but this album is so absolutely stacked and includes at least a few of my favourite songs this year: Arcade Fire "Lenin", Antony w/ Bryce Dessner "I Was Young When I Left Home", and ...
[mp3] The New Pornographers - Hey, Snow White


3. Black Hat Brigade Fathers
Why I like it: because, much like the SPP, the BHB have taken a step forward with their follow up to their extremely awesome self titled debut (#5 of 2008). Their album is broader, more polished, and something you should listen to if... you have ears... but even if you don't, you should watch people listen to it...
[mp3] Black Hat Brigade - Lost Boys


2. Bruce Peninsula A Mountain is a Mouth
Why I like it: because, while this album is definitely not for everyone (BP are not going to be featured on MTV anytime soon), but the band is an absolute force of nature and this album, simply put, is an epic experience...
[mp3] Bruce Peninsula - Steamroller



1. TOR/Sufjan Stevens Illinoize
Why I like it: because as far as mash-ups go, this is probably the best mash-up album I've ever heard. It doesn't hurt that I love Sufjan Stevens and all the hip-hop artists featured, but, I think it goes without saying, that that wouldn't mean anything if the execution wasn't there - thankfully, it is... in spades... and its available for free download here...
[mp3] TOR/Sufjan Stevens - The Tallest Man/I Like It ft. Grand Puba

Polaris Picks, or, If I Were More Important...

Not familiar with the Polaris Prize? They're like the Grammy's, except Canadian, and the jury is made up of people who like and care about music, and there's only one category, and the winner gets a cash prize. So, in another far more accurate way, they're the opposite of the Grammy's....

Despite being the editor/owner/president of this here prestigious blog I was not selected to the Polaris Jury. I know, I'm shocked too. But, luckily, you all still get to hear my thoughts on the Polaris process through my contribution to the NxEW "shadow polaris prize", which is an idea so good I wish I had thought of it myself and here...

If I were a juror I'd vote for...
Sunparlour Players - Wave North
Why? Because, despite the fact that this isn't the best album, the SPP are easily the best live act in the GTA and they deserve much more recognition than they get...
[mp3] Sunparlour Players - Battle of '77

Bruce Peninsula - A Mountain is a Mouth
Why? Because they are, for lack of a better description, an absolute force of nature, a serious Polaris contender, and the front-runners for album of the year (on the prestigious BM blog)...
[mp3] Bruce Peninsula - Steamroller

Black Hat Brigade - Fathers
Why? I dunno, because I really like it.... you can hear almost all of it (I think) streaming on their myspace...
[mp3] Black Hat Brigade - Zombie City Shake

Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane
Why? Because I'm a front runner, and this has got to be the odds-on favourite for the big prize. Also, its a tremendous, creepy, and terribly haunting singer-songwriter album, which, if selected, will force CVG to leave his basement and play some songs...
[mp3] Chad VanGaalen - Willow Tree

Pink Mountaintops - Outside Love
Why? Because, even though I was determined to not like this album, the love-in that is Outside Love is like a hazy weekend that you can't remember, but you know you had a good time...
[mp3] Pink Mountaintops - Axis Thrones of Love

Excellent Albums that Deserve Recognition
Pick of the Week #2: Rah Rah Going Steady
Pick of the Week #21: Howie Beck How to Fall Down in Public
Pick of the Week #13: Timber Timbre Timber Timbre

Albums that I haven't listened to enough, are definitely 'Long-List Worthy' and are definitely going to suffer b/c their release date is too close to the end of the Polaris Period.

Ohbijou - Beacons
Hayden - The Place Where We Lived

Pick of the Week #19: Sunparlour Players - Wave North

The Sunparlour Players are probably my favourite band. And their my favourite for a variety of reasons: they're small enough that they don't play huge venues, they're from Toronto so I can see them frequently enough, and they put on a hell of a live show. I've seen them, in their various incarnations, I'd guess at least a half dozen times (many of which pre-dated this blog), and so my expectations for their album were extraordinarily high. So high, in fact, that I may have made an off-hand prediction that this would be my album of the year.

After spending the last week with the album, I'm awfully impressed. Not just because the album is a sonic step up, the album sounds much 'fuller', the instrumentation is a little more varied (note: it might not actually be, but it feels like it); as the guys from Herohill said, its a step forward. But I think the biggest leap for the SPP is their ability to put the listener in Tomato country (Leamington, On), and to tell stories about the area/the town/whatever (before they were, as HH points out either a bundle of energy or quiet and folky). Songs like "Battle of '77" and "Point Pelee is the Place to Be!" have a kind of Sufjan-esque quality to them, in their ability to create a kind of narrative around people and places, but they do it their own SPP kind of way.

Of course, the most exciting thing about Wave North (available on Tues., May 19.2009) is that having this library to draw on (although fans - not unlike myself - will recognize a number of these songs they've been playing live for the last few years) is that it'll add another dimension to their live show. The shows have always been mind blowingly energetic, but I think adding in the more narrative character in a few of their songs will make the raging foot stomping and gentle picking on the steel guitar stand out that much more... although I hope they'll still leave room for their "Thunderstruck" and "In the Air Tonight" covers...

CD release show Friday, June 26 @ the Horseshoe in Toronto and you can check their myspace for other Ontario tour dates in May/June along with the summer festival sched. through July and August.

[mp3] Sunparlour Players - Battle of '77
[mp3] Sunparlour Players - North (live CBC Radio 2/3?)

"Thunderstruck"


Pick of the Week #1: Ketch Harbour Wolves
Pick of the Week #2: Rah Rah
Pick of the Week #3: Glasvegas/Animal Collective
Pick of the Week #4: Bruce Peninsula
Pick of the Week #5: The Antlers
Pick of the Week #6: The Darcys
Pick of the Week #7: Ohbijou
Pick of the Week #8: Gentlemen Husbands
Pick of the Week #9: Chris Whitley
Pick of the Week #10: Alela Diane
Pick of the Week #11: K'naan
Pick of the Week #12: TOR/Sufjan Stevens
Pick of the Week #13: Timber Timbre
Pick of the Week #14: Justis
Pick of the Week #15: Hibiscus & Rosehips Compilation
Pick of the Week #16: Patrick Watson
Pick of the Week #17: Olenka and the Autumn Lovers
Pick of the Week #18: The Liptonians

What I did Yesterday/Upcoming Shows

As many of you know I have the attention span of a 6 year old and this blog is a fun outlet for me to try out new stuff. Some stuff lasts (see: my pick of the week), some doesn't (see: virtually everything else), and its hard to tell what's going to happen with this, but I had a lot of fun creating these posters this (Sunday) afternoon. If you're in a band and saying to yourself, "GAWD, I wish I could get the R.O.B. to make me a poster" just ask, I can't imagine I'm going to be that busy...

Without further ado, I give you Concert Posters by the R.O.B....

Note: Some details may or may not be accurate... I didn't realize you couldn't edit these after you made them into .jpegs.

Not going to be able to make this one since I already have Patrick Watson tickets, but, if you don't have anything else going on, go check out Dog is Blue @ the Tranzac next Saturday.
[mp3] Dog is Blue - Grandma


This may not be the actual cost, I just made that up and I have no idea who they're playing with, but Rah Rah's going steady (pick of the week #2) is an excellent, excellent, record. Also, in addition to playing at the Boat on the 11th, they're playing at El Mocambo on the 12th (I have dodgeball that night).
[mp3] Rah Rah - the Betrayal pt.1


I've said heaps of good things about the BHB before (email exchange, show review, etc, etc.) so there's no reason to go on any longer... oh yeah, and the new EP, Fathers, is pretty excellent. Expect it to show up as a pick of the week soon...
[mp3] Black Hat Brigade - Zombie City Shake


It would be a little disingenuous to announce that the Sunparlour Players have released the record of the year without ever hearing it, but I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't carving out a place for it at the top of this year's list. But, I think I've heard enough of them to know that their songs, album, and show release are going to be ... wait for it... wait for it... lengendary.
[mp3] Sunparlour Players - Wave North (live @ the Horseshoe Tavern)

Sunparlour Players @ the Dakota Tavern - Dec. 6, 2008

Rob shows Liz photos from the concert last night.
Liz: Did you ever watch that TV show "Breaker High"?
Rob: (pause... thinking) ... what if I say yes?
Liz: Uhh... nothing... I just thought that guy (lead singer of the SPP Andrew Penner) looks a lot like Jimmy...
Rob: OMG Yes!

I'd never been to the Dakota Tavern before, and, I've gotta say, it was a little like going to a concert in my Grandmother's basement... the wood paneling on the walls, the bizarre paintings with the extravagant frames, and the furniture that looks like it was made by, well, where ever people used to shop before there was Ikea. At any rate, it was just about a perfect - albeit small based on the number of people that want to see the SPP - venue for what has to be one of my favourite bands.

As for the show itself - I just hung in there for the first (of two) set - mostly because they got going late, and if I had stayed any later I would've missed the TTC home. What I did get to hear was a lot of new stuff, which - from what I understand - should be recorded later this month for an album next year. So, really looking forward to what should be a stellar new record in '09.

Those who are familiar with the SPP may have heard their cover of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck"... and while I didn't see that, the highlight of the night had to be another cover, Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" - you know, the song with the drumming gorilla - which led into their own, "John had a Bell and a Whistle".

Oh, and to Rosie, B, or Scott, if you mention how much I had to drink I will throw a dodgeball at your head on Tuesday.

The Polaris Music Prize 2008 - My Top 5

From www.polarismusicprize.ca:

The Long List consists of the top 40 full-length Canadian records released from June 1, 2007 to May 31, 2008, selected by the 185 members of the Polaris Music Prize jury:

The Acorn - Glory Hope Mountain
Attack In Black - Marriage
Black Mountain - In The Future
Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow and Blue
Buck 65 - Situation
Basia Bulat - Oh, My Darling
Cadence Weapon - Afterparty Babies
Cancer Bats - Hail Destroyer
Caribou - Andorra
City And Colour - Bring Me Your Love
Constantines - Kensington Heights
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
Destroyer - Trouble In Dreams
Fred Eaglesmith - Tinderbox
Kathleen Edwards - Asking For Flowers
Christine Fellows - Nevertheless
Gatineau - Gatineau
Hayden - In Field And Town
Veda Hille - This Riot Life
HILOTRONS - Happymatic
Holy Fuck - LP
Islands - Arm's Way
Karkwa - Le volume du vent
Corb Lund - Horse Solider! Horse Soldier!
The New Pornographers - Challengers
Pas Chic Chic - Au Contraire
Sandro Perri - Tiny Mirrors
Plants And Animals - Parc Avenue
Ghislain Poirier - No Ground Under
Protest The Hero - Fortress
Justin Rutledge - Man Descending
Sadies - New Seasons
Shad - The Old Prince
Socalled - Ghetto Blaster
Stars - In Our Bedroom After The War
Tegan And Sara - The Con
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band – 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons
Two Hours Traffic - Little Jabs
The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour
Wintersleep - Welcome To The Night Sky

Now, I haven't heard everything on the list, but my top 5 is:

Shad The Old Prince
[mp3] I don't really like to

Plants and Animals Parc Avenue
[mp3] Good Friend

Hayden In Field & Town
[mp3] In Field & Town

The Acorn Hope Glory Mountain
[mp3] The Flood pt.1

Sunparlour Players Hymns for the Happy *not sure how come this isn't on the list.
[mp3] Point Pelee is the Place to Be

There really isn't an album on that list that really stands out as a heads and shoulders favourite to me, but, as I've said before, with Secret City's track record its hard to believe that Plants and Animals won't be sitting in the winners circle...

Tales of Interest, Thursday Edition: Good News, Bad News

Bad News

• Atmosphere's When Life Gives You Lemons... kind of sounds like he decided to make a Will Smith album. I liked him a lot better when he was angry.

• I came across Mike Doughty via the Interface and his acoustic set with his buddy Andrew 'Scrap' Livingston on the cello. It was a really cool upbeat performance, but unfortunately his album is horribly, horribly, over produced to the point where it in no way resembles what he did on the interface.

Good News

• Wolf Parade's At Mount Zoomer is a month away (June 17). A lot of people are going to be more excited about this than me, but I'm still very interested to hear the finished product.

• As you may be able to tell, I spent some time catching up on my interface videos ... I really enjoyed the one by 19 year old soul singer Adele. View it here.

• Matthew from i(heart)music has a Sunparlour Players CBC Radio 2 performance.

• Allan forwarded me a CD from Frightened Rabbit called Midnight Organ Fight... both Allan and Charles from Heartache with Hardwork are saying its their favourite of the year so far.

If Bands Were Ballers....

Last week, I wrote a post on my new favourite band of the moment, the Golden Hands Before God. In the post, I compared them to UCLA forward Kevin Love, and Black Mountain to Gilbert Arenas. I was quickly corrected by Bryan of Herohill, who suggested that a better comparison for Black Mountain was probably Dirk Nowitzki (a big stats guy, who pretends to have an edge - Dirk's infamous scowl). And while I thought I was being particularly original, apparently I wasn't, since, when I emailed them to get an opinion on my comparisons - they gave me some helpful feedback and sent me the text of their June 2007 post.

Either way, here goes my best shot at picking out some of the best comparisons I can think of, with some sort of explanation where possible. This was the best I could do, but would be interested if there are other suggestions out there....

Kobe Bryant is Kanye West.

Both are hands down the best (shooting gaurd and rap producer) around, get a lot of attention and deservedly so, but they both know how good they are and carry themselves thusly.

Chris Paul is Feist.

It took a little while for people to figure out how good they actually are, and even if they don't/didn't win the prize (NBA Championship/Grammy) at the end of the year - they certainly demonstrated that the attention is well deserved.

Ron Artest is Amy Winehouse.

Because you could hear just about anything about either of them, and you'd believe it was true.

Dikembe Mutumbo is the Besnard Lakes.

They both look a little too old to be doing what they've been doing, but lately, they've been awesome.

Joakim Noah is the Sunparlour Players.

Energy, intensity, and passion. Just getting their grounding, but both will be very successful in their own ways.

And, as always, Chris Bosh is the Toronto Raptor.