Heavy Rotation: A Profile of Canadian Indie Music

Digital Journal — Despite all those hand-wringing record company executives and corporate bean-counters with soiled undies touting the end of the music industry (thanks to those evil file-sharing grannies and preteens), the doom and gloom scenarios they foster have no bearing on what the whole thing, ultimately, is all about for you and me — the music.

From that standpoint, last year shaped up to be a stellar year, particularly for Canadian music. An indie-driven renaissance is well under way, generating a steady stream of outstanding releases and critical acclaim from both sides of the pond.

Here are some of the highlights that can keep you at the centre of all the buzz:

Broken Social Scene
You Forgot It in People [Arts & Crafts]

BSS are leading the current charge of Toronto-based indie bands, with Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning forming the nucleus for what has become an ever-morphing collective of some of Canada’s most talented musicians. Their live shows are not to be missed: With their steady stream of rotating guest players and sincere devotion to music, jams can last for hours. Repeated listens only reveal more depth and beauty.

The High Dials
A New Devotion [Rainbow Quartz]

This quasi-concept album is like an easy, breezy summer tour of ’60s influences. The Kinks, Monkees, Beach Boys, Beatles, Who . . . there’s a bit of everything here. The Dials have cleverly distilled the essence of what made music from that period sound so great and appropriated it into their own unique vibe. The Dials (Trevor Anderson, Rishi Dhir, Robbie MacArthur and Robb Surridge) demonstrate amazing musicianship with an impressive arsenal of instruments. Tight, jangly, essential. Dig?

Joel Plaskett Emergency
Truthfully Truthfully [Maple Music/Universal]

Bluenoser Joel Plaskett loaded his musical Mix Master with healthy dollops of rollicking ’70s power pop and soul, a couple slices of the blues, a dash of wit and hit blend . . . and the resulting concoction is a real smoothie. The formidable trio has created a straight-ahead rock ‘n’ roll record with fat, rumbling riffs and a loose, leisurely feel that’s hard to resist. Truthfully.

Young and Sexy
Life Through One Speaker [Mint]

With its impeccably arranged, relaxed style of pop-smithery, young and sexy has emerged as one of the best bands in the country. Keyboards are at the forefront of this acoustic release, with singers Paul Hixon Pittman and Lucy Brain taking advantage of a previous romantic fling to give credibility to the give-and-take jousting of Pittman’s earnest lyrics. Lush melodies and gauzy atmospherics keep things understated most of the time, but there are moments of more raucous, upbeat jamming that some have described as “New Pornographers Lite.” Not surprising since one of the record’s co-producers also moonlights as TNP’s bassist.

Weakerthans
Reconstruction Site [Epitaph]

Definitely one of the highlights of the year, Winnipeg’s folk-punk darlings have crafted a challenging, literate release that is also hugely entertaining and humorous. Central to it are John Samson’s refreshing lyrics, heavily seeded with arcane references to philosophers, explorers and writers. The musings of a disdainful cat deriding its owner on “Plea from a Cat Named Virtue,” or a penguin teaching French to a member of Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition, are examples of the vein of quirky playfulness that runs throughout the songs. Tastefully understated performances by the band run a gamut of moods (melancholy, sweet, quizzical) and musical styles (punk, rock, country, folk). Infectious fun.