Distilling a year’s worth of great music to a shortlist is no easy task-also keep in mind that this is an extremely subjective tally (please, no e-mails whining that your favourite band wasn’t included). Confidential to those wankers that have Broken Social Scene on their year-end lists: as much as we adore them, that record came out last year, people-try jumping on the bandwagon a little earlier next time. The Scene’s deep roots managed to snake their way through our list regardless, with several members of BSS’ extended musical family (Stars, Metric, Brown & Fenner) responsible for some of the must-hear CDs of the past 12 months. Even more notable is that over half of these picks are homegrown-yes, Virginia, Toronto is the new Seattle.
Stars – Heart (PaperBag)
PaperBag Records got the ball rolling by giving us Broken Social Scene, but it was Broken’s Montreal/Toronto synth-pop pals Stars that they really had their eye on. Good thinking-the swoony quintet is much more immediately accessible than their art-rock counterparts, and Heart (their second full-length) revealed a band coming into their own unique sound. With fiery frontman Torquil Campbell playing Cupid to Amy Millan’s cooler-headed guitar goddess, it all added up to perfect, polished pop that sounded like falling in love.Metric – Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? (Last Gang)
You just gotta cheer when the underdog comes out on top. After years of doing the endless industry dance, a debut album that never saw the light of day due to label issues, and living through 9/11 in NYC, Toronto nomads Metric finally released their first full-length, and it proved to be well worth the wait. Led by the most dynamic frontwoman in rock (pint-sized Emily Haines, the singer of Broken Social Scene fave “Anthems for a 17-Year-Old Girl”, is like a ferocious cross between Elastica’s Justine Frischmann and Debbie Harry), the quartet beefed up their electro-pop sound with angular New Wave guitars and a rhythm section to be reckoned with. Even better, Haines sings of war as indelibly as she does of love. Metric seems to understand: when the world is coming to an end, all you can really do is just dance, dance, dance.Manitoba – Up in Flames (Domino)
Electronic music has always defied easy categorization, but these days it’s getting even harder to tell the laptop wizards from the indie rockers. Dan Snaith’s dreamy Start Breaking My Heart debut two years ago inspired the term “folktronica” for its blend of low-key beats and shimmering melodies. But the Dundas, Ontario composer/producer (and U of T Math grad) always hated the tag himself, and never wore the IDM (intelligent dance music) mantle easily. With Up In Flames, which draws as much from ’70s psychedelic pop (including soaring choruses built around his own vocals) as it does his beloved hip-hop (the beats are ever-inventive and tricky), Snaith torches what went before, and creates a completely new, brilliantly different sound from the ashes.Kate Fenner – Horses and Burning Cars (B-Music)Toronto soul-folk duo Chris Brown and Kate Fenner are two halves of one whole-imagining one without the other just doesn’t work. So when word came that the two would release solo albums this fall, it was an odd thing to contemplate. But not surprisingly, it was a case of ‘together apart’, as both played on-and clearly influenced-the other’s record. On this subdued, largely acoustic effort, Fenner reveals herself to be a writer of great depth and feeling, something she’s conveyed through her astonishing, rich voice in the past. As she takes us on a journey through the post-9/11 city of New York that she now calls home, she evokes the ghosts of Joni and Nico. Norah Jones calls Fenner her favourite singer in New York-we are blessed to call her our own.
Chris Brown – Burden of Belief (B-Music)Brown’s record is even more unadorned than Fenner’s, recorded in mono with usually little more than guitar and voice. It’s good to hear Brown sing all the way through an album, something he usually leaves up to his vocally gifted partner on their duo albums. Rustic, folky, and steeped in personal and political poetry, it’s a quiet, unassuming collection of beautifully written songs that packs quite the wallop. With friends like Sarah Harmer, Luther Wright and the Wrongs, and the ubiquitous Broken Social Scene lending a hand, it’s like listening to a jam session around Brown’s kitchen table.
Constantines – Shine A Light (Three Gut/Sub Pop)We city-slickers may love to make fun of Guelph, but as long as it continues to be a feeder for some of the most vital local bands of our time, we’d do well to admit that this mockery is tinged with more than a little envy. Living up to the hype doesn’t seem to be a problem for the Cons-it’s an understatement to say that the Guelph/T.O. soul-punkers had a good 2003, signing to Sub Pop and released their second full-length on the revered U.S. indie imprint. Sophomore slump? Fugghedaboutit. Their debut may have come with a matchstick attached to the cover, but it’s the follow-up that really smokes.
Outkast – Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (Arista/BMG) Thank goodness for Outkast. Just when you think hip-hop can’t get any worse (hello and goodbye, Chingy), along comes Atlanta’s finest with a mindblowing double-disc that reminds us that ‘hip-hop artist’ isn’t a contradictory term. Granted, what Andre 3000’s doing these days is pretty far removed from hip-hop, but in true mad scientist style, he threw everything he could think of into the musical blender and came up with the song of the year (“Hey Ya”). Dude’s like the new Brian Wilson, no joke. Still throwing it down ghetto-style was partner Big Boi, serving up some equally potent singles (“Ghettomusik”, “The Way You Move”). Let all the doubters proclaim the duo’s imminent split-here’s predicting that as long as these two cats continue to make music, they’ll be feeding off each other’s unique style, whatever it happens to be at any given time.
Radiohead – Hail to the Thief (Parlophone/EMI)Admitting that you never really ‘got’ Radiohead is enough to get one killed in certain indie-rock circles, so let’s just say that we have seen the light. Funny that our conversion would come with this seriously strange, dark, difficult, if you will, outing from the Oxford quintet. Still, it’s difficult not to be slowly lured by this record-Thom Yorke’s voice is as compelling as always, and the band builds layers and layers of creepy noise around it, underscoring the uneasy political theme at play here. While Yorke is far too clever to wear his ideas on his sleeve a la Coldplay’s Chris Martin, he manages to shed some light on the dark days we find ourselves in.
Lamb – Between Darkness and Wonder (Universal/Mercury)New albums from the UK drum+bass duo of Andy Barlow and Louise Robinson are a brief respite from sighing over the fact that it seems they will never return to North American shores (maybe in ’04? A girl can dream). The portentous title aside, their fourth full-length sees the duo expanding on the dreamy soundscapes of 2001’s What Sound-the d&b is still there, but there’s more emphasis on melody and vocal. And that’s a good thing-Robinson’s ethereal, otherworldly voice is the perfect foil to Barlow’s intricate production. If there’s music in heaven, it probably sounds a little something like this.
Various Artists – Required Listening (Do Right!)
With all the attention given the local indie rock scene this year, other genres seemed to slip off the radar. But that doesn’t mean things haven’t been moving steadily forward in the rest of the underground. Luckily, Toronto DJ/promoter John Kong put together a mix CD of the soul, funk, and dance sounds bubbling up this past year from some of the best local talents on the verge of breaking big, including soul siren Ivana Santilli, DJ/producer Moonstarr, and hip-hop crew Circle Research. Because turntables and laptops are just as important in today’s T.O. as electric guitars.
