2009 Hottest Bands in Canada (My Top 10)

Its the time of the year that i(heart)music does the Hottest Bands in Canada.
Click here for the full results.
This is their fifth year while this is my second time doing this.
Here is my top 10 form 2008.

For those that want to cheer or jeer. Please make a comment.
Here is my top 10 for 2009 who is considered the hottest.

1. Basia Bulat



2. Joel Plaskett



3. Bruce Peninsula



4. Handsome Furs



5. Said The Whale



6. The Ghost Is Dancing



7. Japandroids



8. The Rural Alberta Advantage



9. The Balconies



10. Green Go

I have to say that seven of the nominees was in the Top 30.
It was also a hard decision on who I wanted to put down in my Top 10.
Someone wanted me to put down Dog Day (who I never heard and seen live) which I changed to The Rural Alberta Advantage.
Overall I am surprised to who is #1 in the Hottest Bands in Canada this year.

Show Review: Flotilla

This is post #300!!!
For a Friday night, I decided to take a alternative route and see this band from Montreal.
While other things were happening or people were getting away from the city due to Labor Day weekend.
This was my third time seeing them and wanted to show my support.
First time being at Irene’s Pub.
The band is Flotilla and they are from Montreal.
But the lead singer Veronica is from Ottawa too.
It was sort of a CD Release show since they released their album called “One Hundred Words for Water”.

Also playing was Brian Simms and Lisa Poushinsky.

Brian Simms was a last minute replacement for dUTERVIL.
I saw him at a houseshow like last year.
Very roots/blues/folk music.
Just him solo with a guitar.

After his set was done, he help play with Lisa.
Her music is acoustic pop.
Had some blues into too.
Such a lovely singer.

Both musicians had a nice intimate feel to their music.
Kind of suited well with that venue.

Finally Flotilla played with their blend of indie pop/alternative msuic.
They sounded great probably last time I saw them was at a house show and of course you can’t be too loud to play at a house show.
It was great for them to play at that venue.
Surprised on one track that Veronica the lead singer played a kalimba which was interesting.

Anyways it was a nice night of music and a great atmosphere for the genre of music.

Photos will be up soon.

Timber Timbre – Demon Host

One of the biggest surprise for 2009 in Canadian Indie music.
Has to be when Timber Timbre got signed/picked up by Arts & Crafts.
Happy enough to see him live at Zaphod Beeblebrox when he opened for Bruce Peninsula.
Lucky to get his self-titled album before getting re-released on Arts & Crafts.
Check out the music video for Demon Host.
The song is very haunting and creepy, even the music is dark and scary.
Gives me chills down my spine.
I see good things coming from Timber Timbre for the future.

Metric – Fantasies (Review)

Finally the long awaited album Metric is out for the public.
Came out on March 31, 2009 on iTunes, way ahead of schedule.
The physical release will be April 7, 2009.
Its been about four years since they released Live It Out.
During the four years, Miss Emily Haines released a solo record which is different.
Mostly at their live shows, mostly sang one or two songs.

Fantasies has more a indie rock/pop feel to it.
I feel like its missing the whole new wave rock sound from their debut album Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
At least there are two tracks that still has that Metric pop new wave sound IE one being Gimme Sympathy.
But doesn’t matter, just glad they have a new album out for everyone to enjoy.

The beginning track is the leading single Help I’m Alive, which I prefer the album than the radio edit that CBC Radio 3 plays.
Sick Muse has that high energy.
In Satellite Mind,  Emily drops the F-Bomb alot (If it is the f-word I hear).
Mellow tracks in Collect Call and Blindness.

Lyrically is great and easy to sing.

Its a great album that every Metric fan will love.
Will this album get them the success in the USA?
Since Front Row was played on a episode of Grey’s Anatomy (Sort of good to get some exposure but you could not hear the song very well because they made the song so low to hear while the characters were talking during a scene.)
Time will tell.

Best tracks:

• Help I’m Alive
• Satellite Mind
• Gimme Sympathy
• Front Row
• Blindness
• Stadium Love

Love this video because you see every member not just Emily.

Joel Plaskett – 3 (Volume 2 Review)

Now on to Volume 2 of Joel Plaskett’s epic 3 album.
This time the album goes slower, mellow and acoustic.
More conceptual in this album since it has that East Coast feel to it.
Its the Joel Plaskett we are known to love with his softer side and nice lyrical melodies.
Beginning track “Safe In Your Arms” is a softer mellow sound.
More like you need to be someone.

Its has more of a traditional Maritimes/East Coast sound like in Shine On, Shine On, Shine, Sailor Eyes, Demons and New Scotland Blues.

Raw emotions in Heartless, Heartless, Heartless.
So powerful just hearing him with just his guitar.

Haven’t been dissappointed in Volume 2 and its great listening to him sing whatever style.

Tracks on Volume 2:

• Safe in Your Arms
• Shine On, Shine, On, Shine On
• Sailors Eyes
• Heartless, Heartless, Heartless
• In the Blue Moonlight
• Down, Down, Down
• Beyond, Beyond, Beyond
• Demons
• New Scotland Blues

Best Tracks:

• Safe in your Arms
• Shine On, Shine On, Shine On
• Sailors Eyes
• Heartless, Heartless, Heartless
• Beyond, Beyond, Beyond

Volume 2 is great for those who love his acoustic materials.

Joel Plaskett – 3 (Volume 1 Review)

I got the anticipated new album by Joel Plaskett simple titled 3.
Just to be different I am going to separate the three volumes into different reviews.
So it won’t be too long drawn with the reading.

After his critically acclaim album “Ashtray Rock” with his band The Emergency.
He follows up with a three and to our surprise is a three disc album with 27 tracks.
Titles of the tracks are either a single word or word repeated three times.

The track listings in Volume 1 are:

• Every Time You Leave
• Through & Though & Through
• You Let Me Down
• Pine, Pine, Pine
• Wait, Wait, Wait
• Drifters Raus
• Gone, Gone, Gone
• Wishful Thinking
• Run, Run, Run

Have to say Volume 1 has more a experimental poppy rock fun feel to it.
Hearing the beginning track and Wishful Thinking, surprise to hear a drum machine. Kind of surprising that he is trying to be experimental with that synth sound.
There is the usual guitar riffing sound.
Of course hearing the leading single “Through & Through & Through” is always fun to listen to.
From tracks 1-6 are short tracks but the last two are the best ones and it goes epic from there.
Best tracks:

• Every Time You Leave
• Wait, Wait, Wait
• Gone, Gone, Gone
• Wishful Thinking
• Run, Run, Run
• Through & Through & Through

Volume 2 will follow very soon.
For enjoyment check out the music video for Through & Through & Through

Show Review: The City Above and Louise Gloor

Last night seemed like a quaint and lovely considering the few nights of shows I’ve attended lately IE Handsome Furs and Malajube.
So I decided to go to Zaphods on a Sunday night to check out three acts.
They were Louise Gloor, The City Above and Dog Day.

Show Review: Josh Reichmann Oracle Band

Last night, I attended this show at Zaphod Beeblebrox.
The headliner was Toronto’s Josh Reichmann Oracle Band, while the two openers were New Teeth and Glenn Nuotio, and hail from Ottawa.
I missed out on the first band, New Teeth, and was told that their set was great. Got there in time to see Glenn Nuotio’s set.
His music is melodramatic, pop-cabaret style.
He sang:

• Drape Me
• City Lights 
• Bay Street Fire Escapes

The set was fun and wild.

Finally Josh Reichmann went on stage.
Very lively set.
I was not familiar with his music.
He had that 1960s rock pop sound, live.
It’s very different from when you listen to his tracks on CD or Myspace.
Missing was the synths….. He had some lovely banters, one being “I will do a Daft Punk cover of One More Time”. Which he didn’t do.
His band consisted of a drummer, guitarist and trumpet player.
The audience was dancing and having a great time to his music.
It was an alright night of music at Zaphod Beeblebrox.

Show Review: Four bands at Zaphods

Monday is always a fuzzy night considering people blowing lots of money during the weekend.
Since I’ve been into the “indie” scene, Monday and Tuesday are probably the hardest nights to pull people into the city.
Anyways, I went to Zaphods for Free Monday Music Night and it was also a CBC Radio 2 taping for an audition to choose which of the four bands to be featured on Canada Live.
Bands were:

• The Sunjet 
• The Urban Aesthetics 
• That’s The Spirit 
• The Polytones

Of course all four bands are from good ol’ Ottawa.
Just want to say hi to Jenny, Luca, Gilda, Sean, and whoever is reading this.
Interesting enough I got all four CDs by each band. Now I get to check out each CDs and review them.

Searchlight Top 10

Feb 18th CBC Radio 3’s Searchlight contest for the best music venues in Canada just narrowed down to their Top 10.
Gone is The Black Sheep Inn
But Zaphod’s and Phog Lounge (Hi Tom!) is still in.

Here is the Top 10

• Aeolian Hall, London ON
• Amigo’s Cantina, Saskatoon SK
• Baba’s Lounge, Charlottetown PE
• Call The Office, London ON
• The Capital Bar, Fredericton NB
• George’s Fabulous Roadhouse, Sackville NB
• The Grad Club, Kingston ON
• Phog Lounge, Windsor ON
• Starlight Social Club, Waterloo ON
• Zaphod Beeblebrox, Ottawa ON

So go on to their website and vote for your favorites.

The winner will be announed on Feb 25th

Gotta love CBC Radio 3