This year Spencer and I will be tackling the best 25 songs and albums of the last 365 days. We choose 25 because it is a manageable number for the two us to write and it lets us still have a life. Throughout the course of the week we will be posting 5 songs/albums a day until we count down to the best songs and album of the year. We hope you enjoy!
Remember year end lists are a tricky thing to do, everyone has their own opinion - these are our choices.
#25
"Emerald Isle" - Whitehorse
Kicking off our list is the Canadian duo Whitehorse with their song Emerald Isle from their debut album. I first heard this song during the morning commute on CBC Radio 2 and immediately made a post when I got to the nearest computer. This pop tune may just be the start of something big for Whitehorse and it shows the talent that Canadian music has to offer. Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet have great harmony throughout the song and both of these artists have proved in their individual careers that they have what it takes.
Look for Whitehorse in the coming years.
#24
"Cruel" - St. Vincent
St. Vincent AKA Annie Erin Clark released Cruel as part of her third studio release Strange Mercy. St. Vincent has received critical acclaim for all of her albums and has established herself as a force among the indie rock scene. When listening to St. Vincent's Cruel, the music suggests that the song should be happy, however, the way she sings makes me feel like there's a darkness there too. That's the mystery of St. Vincent.
Beatrice Martin of Coeur de Pirate has quickly established herself as Canada's francophone darling. Singing in both English and French in many of her songs she closes the language gap so prominent in Canada and attracts listeners from both sides. Some people may not like the language barrier, but in all honestly I don't know what half the indie artists are singing about these days anyways. Coeur de Pirate is a true Canadian artist and she sure puts out some great tracks.
#22
"Time is Right" - Cuff the Duke
Blue Rodeo has dominated the Canadian alt-country scene for the better part of the last 15 years and no one is more fit than Cuff the Duke to fill those shoes. This band has proven album after album that they can write good songs and in some ways are a lot more relevant than a lot of bands are right now in Canada. Country music has a place in Canada - Cuff the Duke just makes it sound a lot better.
Time is Right comes from their album Morning Comes and is a catchy tune that that is sure to have you tapping your foot to. Listen for yourself.
#21
"Lose It" - Austra
Getting your album shortlisted for Polaris Music Prize is no small feat, never mind doing it on your first release. This electronic group from Toronto released their single Lose It and they got lots of love from all around the blogosphere.
I find this song both haunting and uplifting at the same time. The vocals are piercing and I love the melodies throughout the song. I expect big things from Austra in the years to come!
We would like to apologize for the delay on releasing the remainder of year end lists. We have been busy with various holiday activities. But with out further ado here is there rest of the top 25 track of 2011. (Sorry for the reduced track descriptions, they take a long time and 2011 ends in mere 12 hours).
#20
"Lonely Boy" - The Black Keys
Ps. If we had list for top video of the year this would be number one!
#19
"Montana" - Youth Lagoon
An ambient and epic song!
#18
"Video Games" - Lana Del Rey
Expect very big things from Lana Del Rey and her forthcoming album Born To Die in 2012.
#17
"Kiss Cam" - Arkells
Great rock song from a great Canadian band.
#16
"Calgary" - Bon Iver
The first single from Bon Iver, Bon Iver that set the mood for a uplifting, optimistic and spiritual album from Bon Iver.
A late Bluesloth discovery in 2011 but just an incredible song that builds throughout leaving you satisfied.
#12
"I Feel You" - Sam Roberts
Does much need to be said about Sam Roberts, one of Canada most consistent songwriters and musicians and "I Feel You" is no exception to his brilliance.
#11
"Killer Crane" - TV On The Radio
One of the most uplifting and beautiful songs of 2011, I still find myself listening to song when I need a little pick me up.
#10
"Don't Carry It All" - The Decemberists
A fantastic song from a fantastic album. The Decemberists are at the top of their game here.
#9
"It" - Rich Aucoin
Rich Aucoin established a name for himself with "It", a shout out loud anthem with a epic video as well, second only to The Black Keys "Lonely Boy" video.
#8
"Someone Like You" - Adele
Undeniably the biggest song of 2011, it showcases her amazing songwriting and incredible, heart-piercing voice. This song is absolutely epic!
"Helplessness Blues" gives a sense of direction in world where we all feel lost at times, and almost helps to come to terms with it. Robin Pecknold has developed more depth in his songwriting, didn't know that was possible.
#3
"Fuck This Place" - Frightened Rabbit
Frightened Rabbit went in a different direction with their third album Winter of Mixed Drinks but have returned to heart-wrenching songwriting and Scottish raw emotion with "Fuck This Place" from their short three song EP this year. Stay tune for details on what is likely to be a new Frightened Rabbit album in 2012.
#2
"Holocene" - Bon Iver
Watch the video for "Holocene", you will feel like you can tackle anything alone and be happy about it. Justin Vernon is in a better place and it comes across here.
Well there it is, the top song of 2011. We don't want to say much about it, just listen and enjoy. Dan Mangan has grown as songwriter since Nice, Nice, Very Nice and it very evident here. And the drums in song are amazing.
That is the top 25 tracks of 2011, I hope you enjoy these song as much as we have and we can't to see what we will have for you next year. Happy New Year everyone.
Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia Jon Mckiel's brand of folk-rock is in my opinion refreshing. Every time a new song comes on from his album I don't know what to expect... the guitars have a heavy sound but the songs maintain catchy melodies. He recently released a new album entitled Tonka War Cloud which features 10 songs. Jon has toured across Canada several times and will no doubt be touring again sometime in the near future.
I suggest you head over to his Bandcamp Page and stream the new album in it's entirety. Some of my favorites are: Ice Man, Confidence Lodge and several others.
A while back I posted A Frightened Rabbit's EP, featuring three new songs from my favorite Scottish band Frightened Rabbit. Today, they released more free music in the spirit of Christmas. The song is titled "Cheap Gold" and you can listen to it and download from the soundcloud embed below. Also check out a cover of a melancholy Christmas classic "Walking In The Air". Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
Hey everyone, hope all of your Christmas preparations are coming along!
The Arcade Fire recently released a video for their song Sprawl II and they also made an interactive video for it. You can check out the interactive video at http://www.sprawl2.com/ and the regular video below.
In October of 2011, Vancouver's Kathryn Calder of The New Pornographers released a solo album titled Bright and Vivid. It is her first solo LP and I am surprised it took this long for this amazing singer/songwriter to venture on her own. I suggest you check out Bright and Vivid, however, if your short on time at the moment, listen to "Who Are You?" to start.
A while back Bryce posted Youth Lagoon's epic "Montana" from the album The Year of Hibernation and since then I have become a big fan of their sound. The gentlemen of Youth Lagoon recently were at the Sirius XMU studios and played John Denver's Classic "Goodbye Again". Check out this awesome performance below.
I saw this trailer a while ago, but I'm sure some of you haven't. Say what you want about The Kings of Leon, but they sure are successful... can't deny that. Hope you enjoy the trailer which gives an inside look at The Kings of Leon.
The movie was released on November 1st of this year.
Even though this song is old and Serena covered it a couple years ago, I felt like posting it anyways. I heard a live version last night on CBC 2 Canada Live and it sounded great.
When Miike Snow's debut album was released in 2009 the group was quickly being blogged about around the world. The single Animal off the album was big and the trio earned a loyal following.
Miike Snow is now back with a new track called Devil's Work. You can check out the video and the Mp3 below.
On November 29, 2011 the band announced via Facebook that their new album is complete, the videos are being shot, the artwork is being finished, and the tour dates are being planned.
As the year is coming to an end I look back and we definitely ventured into more rap and hip-hop (i.e., Childish Gambino, Kayne West, Lupe Fiasco) with our posts on BlueSloth then I expected we would. And recently, thanks to our banner designer Nathan, I picked up on some tracks from Common's forthcoming album The Dreamer/The Believer. The album is out on December 20th, and with the first two tracks "The Believer" (feat. John Legend) and "Blue Sky" and not to mention his new show AMC's Hell on Wheels it seems like there is nothing Common can't do. Check out the two tracks and track listing below, you won't be disappointed.
The Dreamer/The Believer:
1. The Dreamer (feat. Maya Angelou) 2. Ghetto Dreams (feat. Nas) 3. Blue Sky 4. Sweet
5. Gold
6. Lovin’ I Lost
7. Raw (How You Like It)
8. Cloth
9. Celebrate 10. Windows
11. The Believer (feat. John Legend) 12. Pop’s Belief
A while back I posted "Wapusk" by Kathleen Edwards (feat. Bon Iver), a song that she and Justin Vernon created for the Canadian National Park Project. The song will not be featured on her new album, Voyageur to be released on January 17 of the new year. The album was co-produced by Justin Vernon and will feature 10 tracks. Check out the album teaser trailer, the video for the first single "Change the Sheets", the track listing, as well as "Sidecar" all below. Tune in for more on Voyageur as this is sure to be a great album.
Montreal's Islands are set to return with their follow up to Vapours in early 2012, on Valentine's Day to be exact. The new LP is titled A Sleep & A Forgetting and the album artwork is featured above with the first single being "This Is Not a Song". Check out "This Is Not a Song" below and the track list is as follows:
A Sleep & A Forgetting:
01 In a Dream It Seemed Real 02 This Is Not a Song 03 Never Go Solo 04 No Crying 05 Hallways 06 Can't Feel My Face 07 Lonely Love 08 Oh Maria 09 Cold Again 10 Don't I Love You 11 Same Thing
Check in for more details on the A Sleep & A Forgetting including singles and tour dates. And in the mean time, I'm gonna find a girlfriend to buy me the new record on Valentine's Day.
The Christmas season means a lot of good things like eggnog, World Junior hockey, Christmas parties, and music (I recommend A Very She and Him Christmas). Also, it is the season of year end lists for albums of the year. I would like to share with you the first one I have came across from American Songwriter Magazine. Keep in mind the albums in this list were judged primarily on the songwriting abilities of the artists. You may be surprised by where artists like Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and Feist ended up and where one of my recent discoveries, a band called Dawes were featured. Head over to American Songwriter Magazine to check out the list.
Oh ya, I couldn't just mention a new band without giving you a song to check out, so here is "A Little Bit Of Everything" from the Dawes album Nothing is Wrong.
Today The Black Keys were on Q with Jian Ghomeshi on CBC Radio 1. The Ohio duo is set to release El Camino in the coming days and Jian had a chance to sit down with Dan and Patrick. You can head over to the Q Website and listen to the stream at your leisure.
Also, check out The Keys on the topic of Selling Out below.
I will leave you with this great quote from Patrick Carney on the topic of selling their tracks for use on commercials and the like.
"Where else are they gonna hear it? Would you rather be surrounded by Nickleback and Fergie or whatever? If you're gonna have to be exposed to music randomly, I would rather it be our music" - Patrick Carney
