I (Heart) Music's Hottest Bands in Canada (2009 Edition)

Over at I (Heart) Music Matthew has a list of the 'Hottest' bands in Canada as voted by the people Matthew asked. It's a good list of folks. I wonder though if I perhaps didn't understand how to rate hotness - it appears that at least some people simply chose the bands they liked the most at the moment - which is cool. I struggled with how to even define hotness. Some of the bands who scored well are indeed very good bands but if how widely known the bands are enters into it (it did with me) I have to wonder at some of the choices. I can't, for example, consider Fucked Up hot. Polaris win or not hardcore appeals primarily to a subset of the the people who are into punk. I don't think the audience for hard core will ever be big enough for a hard core band to be 'one of the hottest in the country'. Rural Alberta Advantage is certainly a great band but I don't think that a ton of people know that yet. The RAA is really just getting going.

The full list that I submitted (Matthew asked for 10 - I sent him 100) is below.

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This has been a painful process for me. These things always are. There are 500+ Canadian bands that I like on some level and new ones are being added to the list constantly so being asked to Choose between them, or rate them is always difficult. If that wasn't challenging enough I was asked for the '10 Hottest Bands in Canada' based on whatever criteria I decided to use. How do you define hot? Critical acclaim x commercial success / je ne sais qua + stage presence?

Ultimately I decided a couple of things that would help get me started. First that there are some bands that I simply cannot think of in terms of Hot and Cold. Broken Social Scene, Stars, the Arcade Fire, the Hidden Cameras, Feist, the Weakerthans, Sarah Harmer, Ron Sexsmith, Kathleen Edwards, Patrick Watson, Tegan and Sara, and the Dears have graduated from hot and cold (in my mind anyway), they have enough of a following to sell albums and fill venues for many years to come - even if they didn't do anything spectacular in the future. Also, if people didn't graduate this list would be largely the same every year.

The second thing I decided was top 10 was just too small. So, I'll provide Matthew his top 10. But I'll also include an 11-25 (without notes) and three more lists who I won't rate. Since I haven't been asked for a 'top 10' there is no point in pitting them against one another:

Not Quite Yet but Could Have a Breakout in 2010

: This is pretty self explanatory. These are bands that are doing really, really well but aren't quite hottest in Canada yet. They are bands on the cusp.

Red Hot But Not Enough People Have Heard About Them Yet

- Amazing bands, generating good buzz and reviews but the word isn't out enough yet, once enough people find out about these folks watch out.

Hot But in a Less Visible Way

- Two roads diverged in a wood... These are great people, great musicians, but they don't seem particularly interested in being 'buzz bands' they do things their own way - touring, playing on other people's albums and growing their audience a little bit at a time. People who know Canadian music will know them and respect them but the chances of them being showcased on MTV are slim.

I don't know if Matthew will publish all of it, but if he doesn't I'll post it on NxEW.ca.

So, without any further ado...

Hottest Bands

1) Joel Plaskett - Joel surely belongs on the "graduated" list above and I seriously contemplated putting him there but 2009 has been, I think, the biggest year of his career to date. He has taken it to a whole other level. He has been nominated for the Polaris Music Prize (again), as well as just about every award for which he qualifies. He also played nearly every festival, large and small, anywhere in Canada oh ... and there was the triple album. It would be silly to do this list and not include him because he was very well known before.

2) Metric - It's possible that some of the haters bumped them up some on my list. Fantasies isn't my favorite Metric album (I'm more partial to Old World Underground ... but that takes nothing away from them. People have short memories and narrow world views. If you are really into Canadian Indie Music you knew who metric was a year ago - but that doesn't necessarily equal financial success. Metric worked hard for 10+ years and with (self-released) Fantasies they have broken out in a way that goes beyond the Canadian indie audience. They have had huge tours of Canada (and many other parts of the world) and I have nothing but respect for them for it. If I'm asked to make another one of these lists next year they'll be in the graduated category - and they've earned it.

3) Dan Mangan it's hard to believe that "Nice, Nice, Very Nice" just came out in August and that it's only Mangan's second full length. His first "Postcards and Daydreaming" was a full four years ago (it was re-released in 2007). Already Dan has taken the XM Verge Artist of the Year and has had a hugely successful tour (minus a few days on his back with the flu.) But those of us who heard things like this on Postcards and Daydreaming knew that Dan was pure talent and that he was destined for great things.

4) Chad Van Gaalen - How it is possible for someone to be that prolific and consistently produce quality I have no idea. In 2008 there was Soft Airplane, then the Soft Airplane EP, then an electronic album under the moniker Black Mold then the (free) Soft Airplane B-Sides - brining the total to 5 full length albums and 3 EPs since 2004 and he's reportedly hard at work on the follow up to Soft Airplane. And we haven't even touched on his visual art or video work.

5) Elliott Brood are frequently nominated for things but rarely seem to win. That said, nearly everyone agrees that their album is brilliant and if I were booking a venue - an Elliott Brood show would be like Christmas. First of all you get the country, alt. country, roots and indie rock audiences all at once for a show that everyone agrees is amazing and that encourages drinking, dancing and banging on kitchen utensils that have outlived their usefulness in the kitchen and are enjoying a second life as percussion instruments. The Brood has arrived and will be with us for a long, long time.

6) Julie Doiron and isn't it about time. When NxEW.ca ran our Shadow Polaris this year and asked people what should win (in a free vote open to everyone) - Julie took it home for "I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day" an album that didn't even make the Polaris Long List. Julie has been quietly building her reputation among critics and fans for almost two decades now and just seems to get better with age. I also can't think of another artist who generates more praise from other artists.

7) Hey Rosetta! - Gets love from all over. At the Polaris Music Prize gala Emily Haines felt compelled to interrupt an interview between Radio 3 and Hey Rosetta just to express her newfound love for the band. Everyone would have already heard alot more about Hey Rosetta! if they had been from Toronto or Montreal, but the band is good enough to overcome even that. In 2007 they were were taking MusicNL and East Coast Music Awards, and a Galaxie Rising Star award, In 2008 they took the XM Verge Album of the Year and in 2009 were shortlisted for Polaris. Just wait until 2010 and 11!

8) Great Lake Swimmers are another band that has done the slow climb rather than the big splash. Now with a Polaris Short List nod under their belt the national media is paying a bit more attention to Tony Dekker's band which is good for the media. Your grandchildren will be listening to people play Great Lake Swimmers covers in bars many years from now.

9) Justin Rutledge - CBC Radio's Amanda Putz has referred to Justin as our new Leonard Cohen, in the City Sonic video about Justin and the Cameron House, Blue Rodeo bassist Bazil Donavan refers to him as the new Ron Sexsmith. I personally just think of him as the current Justin Rutledge and again (as I said when discussing Elliott Brood) if I was booking a venue - he is rapidly gaining popularity amoung both country and 'indie' audiences and at 31 there is alot more to come.

10) Timber Timbre - he's hot enough that Arts & Crafts made a distribution deal with Out of This Spark to add him to the A & C roster. I also heard more complaints about the Timber Timbre not being on the Polaris list than any other artist. He may not be a household name yet but the whispering campaign is pretty deafening at this point.

11-25 in no particular order because rating one artist against another is painful for me: the Arkells, Two Hours Traffic, Holy Fuck, the Constantines, Gentleman Reg, Said the Whale, Amy Millan, the Most Serene Republic, Handsome Furs, Jill Barber, Cour de Pirate, Hannah Georgas, Ohbijou, Matthew Barber, Jenn Grant.

Not quite there but could have a breakout in 2010 These are people who could easily make this list next year. There are immensely talented people who are becoming more and more well known who are on the verge of national success - again I won't rate them, but will include a few notes:

Bruce Peninsula - Another band that generated alot of grumbling when they were omitted from the Polaris Short List. Everyone who sees them live is converted.

Forest City Lovers - Now that Out of This Spark is working with Arts & Crafts this band will get bigger fast. They have a new album coming in 2010 and are so talented it's stupid. If you like Ohbijou you'll like Forest City Lovers.

Will Currie and the Country French - I've been following this band for a few years now on the strength of a handful of songs. If they're full length debut shows even a fraction of the talent they have they'll get huge, fast.

Grand Analog - I'm hardly an expert on hip hop but of what I've heard I love Grant Analog the most, the blend of hip hop, funk, soul, jazz and ska has got to get some serious attention sooner or later.

Hot Panda Full disclosure, I do Hot Panda's web site so I may be biased but their debut full length 'Volcano, Bloody Volcano' and their live shows got extremely positive reviews and if their follow up is as good as I'm hearing it will be they may finally get the attention they deserve. This is another band I think you would have heard more about already if they were from Toronto, Montreal or even Vancouver rather than Edmonton.

Hooded Fang might be the best unsigned band in Toronto. It's dancey pop but with complex interesting lyrics and horns and who can forget their tribute to Stephen Harper's Arts Cuts? The full length is coming!

Kate Maki - The Sudbury school teacher has already been tapped to tour with John Doe and the Great Lake Swimmers. She has a 4th full length on the way and I think that she'll be in Sarah Harmer/Kathleen Edwards territory sooner rather than later.

Library Voices - How Library Voices aren't bigger than they are already I have no idea. They get nothing but good reviews for what they've recorded, for their live performances and as people - saying something negative about their hair styles would lose you friends (at least among the people I talk to.) There is a new album that should be done any minute now - maybe this will be the one to put them over the top.

Evening Hymns - A I've really heard are the songs on his Myspace but those are amazing. Evening Hymns first full length is coming out on Out of This Spark shortly and it's safe to say that he'll be the Timber Timbre of 2010, there is a kids on Christmas morning level of excitement about this one from some very musically knowledgeable people.

the Beauties - Built up a loyal following as the Sunday Night house band at the Dakota Tavern before signing to ("life is too short to listen to shitty music") Six Shooter - The live show is pretty amazing. I think this bunch is going to rise very quickly.

Also:
Bahamas, Volcanoless in Canada, Green Go, Great Bloomers, Bell Orchestre, Basia Bulat (sophomore album is coming, 'nuff said), Rural Alberta Advantage, Wintersleep, Schomberg Fair, Rah Rah, the Wooden Sky, Bend Sinister, One Hundred Dollars, Zeus, Woodpigeon.

Hot But In a Less Visible Way - Conventional wisdom says that if you're going to be successful in music now you have to think long term, diversify your income sources and build your fan base one person at a time. This list is for the people who do that and do it well, some of them have been doing it since before there was a Myspace, some of them since before Napster. They may not get magazine covers, top bills at festivals etc., but they are true artists (the kind of folks I originally thought Polaris was for) They are also (or are on the path to being) professional, career musicians. Again - no ranking, but a few comments.

Final Fantasy (a.k.a. Owen Pallett) - I should start with the exception to the rule. FF does occasionally grab magazine covers, headline festivals and took the first Polaris Music Prize (which helped cause my initial confusion). I still think of his fan base as a cult following though and Owen definitely does his own thing in his own way. This year his stock went up pretty sharply when he refused to leave a stage at Hillside during an electrical storm - I almost put Final Fantasy in the "top 10 hottest" list but decided he fit better over here even if the cult is becoming a religion.

Danny Michel - I know that Danny is tired of being "Canada's best kept secret" and "the most underrated musician in Canada." He's been both for a long time and put out one brilliant album after another but he's still going and still brilliant and that's what counts - the number of people who don't know is shrinking by the day.

Bob Wiseman - Ex-Blue Rodeo, Ex-Hidden Camera, First recipient of CBC Radio 3's Lifetime Achievement Award (then called 'Old But Awesome'), Bob also has the distinction of having his first (big label) solo album destroyed for political reasons. Bob currently makes video/multimedia presentations to go with his songs, plays on other people's albums, does music for theatre, spends as much time with comedians as musicians, tried to adopt the name Prince when Prince became the artist formerly known as... and generally serves as the poster boy for marching to the beat of your own drummer.

Jim Bryson When Kathleen Edwards, the Weakerthans or the Tragically Hip tour they call on Jim Bryson. His solo work is equally impressive (that's what gets him the gigs with the others).

Do Make Say Think - should be bigger than they are. I guess gorgeous, orchestral ten minute instrumentals aren't for everyone but the audience grows every year. Aficionados of prog rock and indie rock agree a Do Make Say Think show is pretty hard to beat.

Laura Barrett - If I could have given this year's Polaris Award to anyone it would have gone to Laura for Victory Garden. She also playes with the Hidden Cameras, Henri Faberge and the Adorable and does frequent guest spots on other albums. Rebekah Higgs said of Laura that she'd never met anyone who was so "completely herself all the time" - That's laura, and why she is in this category - Oh..she was also voted Canada's Sexiest Musician at last year's CBC R3 Bucky Award!

Rock Plaza Central - Write complex music with intense, thoughtful lyrics (front man Chris Eaton also writes books). It seems to take years for each new album to be fully appreciated but they are always, eventually, determined to be masterpieces and even added to school curriculums. Genius isn't always rewarded immediately.

Henry Svec doesn't just make albums, he invents personas, back-stories and concepts and bundles it all into a project. Whether it's Peter Mansbridge and the CBCs, the Boy from ET, the CFL Sessions or whatever he's up to next. I don't know if changing personalities and band names annually is a good route to long term success but it will be fun to watch and see.

the Pack A.D. - They have been compared to the White Stripes but I don't see it really. They are an old school blues band and being old school they tour all the time. I haven't counted but I'm guessing they played 150 + shows in 2009 (maybe 200). If you play in front of people just about every day you'll find enough of a fan base to keep you in business.

the Acorn - If it weren't for Danny Michel the Acorn would probably be the most underrated musician in Canada (although he's starting to get some attention in the UK and if he keeps touring with Ohbijou people are bound to notice how amazing the music is sooner or later, right?


Also: Andy Swan, Ruth Minnikin and Her Bandwagon, Kyrie Kristmanson, Shotgun Jimmie, Kids on TV, Peter Elkas, Charles Spearin, Great Aunt Ida, Andre Ethier, BA Johnston, the Hylozoists, Hank Pine and Lily Fawn, Jenny Omnichord, Nathan Lawr, Carolyn Mark.


Red Hot But People Haven't Heard Enough About Them

the Burning Hell - might be Canada's best live band. Go see them, seriously! Sadly the effect of a Burning Hell live show has yet to be captured in a recorded medium. The Burning Hell will be big, but not until enough people have seen the live show.

Sunparlour Players - like the Burning Hell, Sunparlour Players have to be seen live to be fully appreciated. Only after that can you get the full effect of the albums. Amazing amounts of talent but the full measure of their success will take some time.

Olenka and the Autumn Lovers - It's only a matter of time. They've been peppered with good reviews, they've had tours, made friends and have made strong showings at North by North East, Pop Montreal and the Halifax Pop Explosion. It's only a matter of time.

Pick A Piper seems to be everyone's new favorite band this year. The buzz about them after the Pitter Patter festival was deafening and they won more people over at North by North East. Think of them as a more acoustic and more percussive version of Holy Fuck and/or a really tight drum circle that eveolved into a band.

Rebekah Higgs / Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees - Her solo work is haunting and angelic, her dance band oozes energy and, if she was serious when she was doing her Sobama Radio Show she's working on other bands with different sounds. She is definitely going down the path of diversity. Is it possible to be successful with multiple projects? Of course it is, ask Brian Borcherdt - but it may take a little longer.

Julie Fader is amazing, she is pure talent. Her audience isn't huge yet but it's a good and influential audience and includes people like Sarah Harmer, Ron Sexsmith, Chad VanGaalen, Holy Fuck, the Great Lake Swimmers, Matthew and Jill Barber, Justin Rutledge, and others. Julie is going to do very well, but her album came out in late summer (after most of the big summer fests were over) and she hasn't gotten the attention she deserves (yet).

Kara Keith - People who like Metric should love Kara Keith. She is an amazing performer, with smart lyrics, danceable music and a sense of drama to her music that makes you think at times that she's plucked the songs from a musical. The move from Calgary to Montreal should help but, last I heard, she's still unsigned, has no distribution and her latest album is available on digital only.

the Magic - a whole lot of people fell in love with the Magic this year on the strength of an EP and a handful of dates. If they are serious, if the Magic is going to be an ongoing thing they're off to a blazing start. If it's a one off, side project, just for fun thing - then it's nearly over. Wait and see I guess.

Laura Smith - Laura used to be the keyboard player for Said the Whale, she's now the touring keyboard player for Dan Mangan - she has an impressive solo repertoire given all of her talent and the talent of the people she surrounds herself with it seems impossible that Laura isn't going places, it just takes time.

Wilderness of Manitoba - are amazing. At this point not alot of people have noticed the amazingness but the people who have (that I've talked to) are people who have great taste and they are getting good press from places like BlogTO, the Line of Best Fit, Now and Herohill. This is a band you are going to hear alot more about, starting very soon.

Also: Cam Malcolm, Black Hat Brigade, Construction & Destruction, Jason Bajada, Whale Tooth, the Olympic Symphonium, Dog is Blue, the Mountains & the Trees, Mark Berube, Share, Christa Couture, Slow Down, Molasses, the Gertrudes, Acres and Acres, the Racoon Wedding.

I would once again like to point out that this was very difficult for me. I could easily have gone on to 200, 300, 400 artists but I've already streched 10 into 100 - we'll see if I get away with that.