Canadian Hip-Hop: A Bright New Day (Pt. VI)

Welcome to PART 6, the home stretch of Canadian Hip-Hop: A Bright New Day. This Special Feature originated as my final research paper for the World Pop Music class at UBC.

Don't forget to check out:
Part I: Canadian music context, research sources
Part II: influences on Canadian hip hop, especially from our neighbours to the South
Part III: history of Canadian hip hop as well as the 4 major styles
Part IV: the frustrations and roadblocks that rap artists face and how they've adapted.
Part V: explorations in Aboriginal and francophone rap.
There's also a corresponding playlist to go along with the feature, which you can listen to here on CBC Radio 3.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think by leaving a comment!
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International influence of Canadian hip hop

Drake (photo: Billboard.com)

Kulawick’s words, that the next big step for Canadian hip hop scene is “to break a Canadian hip-hop act in America," have been prophetic, as the mega success of two Canadian hip hop artists have directed international attention on their home nation (qtd. in Krewen). As Maestro Fresh Wes states in an interview, there’s finally a “light at the end of the tunnel... [though it’s been] a long ass tunnel” (National Post Staff). National Post has recently declared it the “golden age” of Canadian hip hop, as signified by the meteoric rise of rappers Drake and K’naan (Medley). Aubrey “Drake” Graham is a 24-year-old Toronto rapper, whose 2010 album Thank Me Later sold 447,000 records in its first week, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (“Drake (Entertainer)”). After starting his acting career in 2001, Graham began rapping in 2006, releasing several mix tapes and an EP. His music tends to lean heavily in the “party rap” style, often addressing specific girls and his feelings for them. Drake’s music caught the ears of major players in the American rap scene, including Kanye West and Eminem, leading to collaborations and a bidding war by record labels. In April 2010, his EP won the Juno for Best Rap Recording, which is notable especially since at that time, Graham had yet to release a full-length (“Drake (Entertainer)”). In other words, Drake has cracked the border.

K'naan (photo: thestar.com)

The other notable Canadian rapper with international sway is K’naan, born Keinan Abdi Warsame. The style of K'naan’s music tends to be reality rap and jazz/bohemian rap, especially due to the focus of his music on his tumultuous childhood growing up in war-torn Somalia, as well as struggles with the educational system and law enforcement in North America. In his own words, he describes his style as “an outcome of my personal experiences, travels and musical tastes. It’s also born out of the struggles and beauties that I remember from our ancient culture” (qtd. in Mitchell and Pennycook 31). Musically, he lists the influences of African artists such as Youssou N’Dour, traditional Somali music and Ethiopian jazz (“K’naan”). On top of rapping, K’naan also plays the traditional African drum, djembe, and tours with a full live band (Mitchell and Pennycook 31). K’naan’s music gained international attention when the anthemic single “Wavin’ Flag” from his second album Troubadour was played prominently during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, as well as picked as the Coca-Cola anthem for the 2010 World Cup.

As a final, optimistic note wraps up this necessarily brief vignette on Canadian hip hop, Andrew DuBois comments in Medley’s piece for the National Post, declaring a bright new age for rappers up north:

The international and States-side success of K’naan and Drake is important for Canadian hip-hop not just because those two artists have finally ‘made it big’ elsewhere, but because their success will activate interest in what is already (and has been for some time) a diverse and genuinely robust national scene.

In that sense, even if K’naan and Drake are outliers in terms of market share and media attention, they do represent something about how Canada (not just in hip-hop, but indeed as a country) represents itself to the world — namely, their national and ethnic identities are mixed and culturally interesting. (Dubois, qtd. in Medley)

Indeed, the successes of Drake and K’naan stateside and worldwide illuminates a plain and simple truth, that although diverse and eclectic, the world is interested in whatever “Canadian hip hop” is, that there is a distinctive sound to our nation’s rap that is viable and desirable. In short, the world is listening.


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Thanks for reading!

10 Hottest Canadian Acts of '10

This is a list of the artists that topped my list for 2010, which of course required too much trimming and more than a bit of twitter participation. Compiled for i(heart)music's annual Top 100 list, which should be released within the next week. The list is in descending order.

Who were your top 10 in '10?

10. K’naan - The only reason K’naan is not number 1 on this list is because his album was released in Canada in early 2009, where it’s already had its run. But with “Wavin’ Flag” as the official Coca-Cola anthem of the World Cup, as well as getting major airplay during the 2010 Olympics, it’s hard to deny the influence and massive growth this Somali-Canadian emcee has had on the international market this past year.

9. Hannah Georgas - After being declared best new artist for the CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards in 2009, Georgas has only built on that buzz by releasing an excellent debut full-length This Is Good, touring cross-Canada numerously and representing BC for the latest CBC Radio 2 SongQuest. Not to mention she’s been heralded as the new Feist.

8. Hollerado - I mean, you’ve seen this video, right? These four childhood friends also put on one of my favourite festival shows of this past year.

7. Black Mountain - If you don’t think the Vancouver psych stoner rock outfit deserves to be on this list, you probably haven’t heard their latest Wilderness Heart yet. Amber Webber’s warble deserves to be on this list by itself.

6. Broken Social Scene - A hotly anticipated album, a movie, international tour dates, and a slimmer but no less potent line-up all happened during 2010. Broken Social Scene is an institution in Canadian music and is far from running out of steam.

5. Dan Mangan - Vancouver’s own bearded bard has done a great (dis)service in the eyes of humankind by getting (sold out) audiences across Canada to pre-emptively declare allegiance to our robot overlords.

4. The Wooden Sky - The winner of North by East West’s Shadow Polaris Prize for 2010, Wooden Sky’s latest sleepy and haunting release If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone. truly epitomizes the power of the album format. I’m still kicking myself for having missed their latest cross-Canada tour with Yukon Blonde.

3. Diamond Rings - I’m smitten with John O.’s solo project, who has met raving critical acclaim way before he’s released his debut album Special Affections. This is what I wrote a little while back about Diamond Rings: “his persona, which is captured in its nascent stages in the ‘All Yr Songs’ video, is one of unabashed and colourfully exuberant androgyny. In a culture where androgyny is often portrayed as sex-less and dominated by masculine females, the lanky O'Regan dances confidently with both the guys and gals, looking every bit as comfortable in a basketball jersey or a pair of zebra print tights. The ‘Baby One More Time’-esque dance moves in ‘Show Me Your Stuff’ warrants viewing in contemporary gender studies classes for its unashamed celebration of the kinetic male body.” In a word, wow.

2. Shad - The Vancouver-based rapper hailing originally from London, Ontario drops insightful and spiritual tracks delivered with a sharp tongue and mischievous glint to his eye. Shad has recently been named Canada’s best rapper by the National Post. Whether you agree with that designation or not, Shad has had an undeniably successful year, seeing his third album TSOL short-listed for the Polaris Music Prize and touring with fellow heavyweights K’naan and K-Os.

1. Arcade Fire - 2010 was the year of the Montreal octet. Whenever they went out to the corner store to buy a jug of milk, it became top news on Pitchfork. With the release of their third highly anticipated full-length, The Suburbs, AF has officially secured their title as the biggest indie band in the world, including sold out arena shows across North America and having their show at Madison Square Garden broadcasted live via YouTube.

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Not a part of the list, although they were definitely hot for this past year, is my vote for Unluckiest Canadian Act of 2010 - Library Voices.

The Big Time Out Festival in Cumberland, BC to feature major star power

Two heavy-weight acts are landing in Cumberland on August 14 and 15. K’naan and Broken Social Scene are this year’s headliners at The Big Time Out.

Toronto's Broken Social Scene are making Cumberland their only Canadian stop this summer before heading on tour in the US.

Like BSS, Somali-Canadian hip hop artist and poet K’naan has earned a pair of Juno awards and drawn glowing reviews for both his music and his message. With his "Waving Flag" as FIFA’s anthem for the South Africa World Cup, he traveled on an 86-country world tour alongside the biggest sporting event of the world.

For a village of only 2000 people mid-way up an out-of-the-way island, Cumberland’s The Big Time Out draws some serious star power. “We’ve worked hard to create a really special place for artists and music lovers,” says Vig Schulman, the show’s producer. “The word has gotten out among artists, agents and the whole music community that Cumberland is a great place to play, even worth making a big detour from a busy world tour.“


K’naan and Broken Social Scene will be joined by Winter Gloves, Hannah Georgas, Ohbjou, The Acorn and more on August 14 and 15 in Cumberland Village Park. Weekend passes can be purchased at thebigtimeout.com.

Young Artists for Haiti

Young Artists for Haiti is a group of Canadian musicians who have come together to record an alternate version of K'naan's track "Wavin' Flag" (off of his latest Troubadour) in order to raise funds in relief of the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake. All proceeds from the single and video sales go toward War Child Canada, Free the Children and World Vision. Download link HERE.

Here is a full list of all the artists who participated. As you can tell, there are plenty of Canadian indie talent represented. Can you find them all?

K'naan
Nelly Furtado
Avril Lavigne
Sam Roberts
Pierre Bouvier (Simple Plan)
Tyler Connolly (Theory Of A Deadman)
Kardinal Offishall
Jully Black
Josh Ramsay (Marianas Trench)
Jay Malinowski (Bedouin Soundclash)
Chin Injeti
Jacob Hoggard (Hedley)
Red 1
Lights
Derek Whibley (Sum 41)
Serena Ryder
Emily Haines (Metric)
James Shaw (Metric)
Hawksley Workman
Drake
Ima
Elisapie
Pierre Lapointe
Esthero
Corb Lund
Fefe Dobson
Jim Creegan (Barenaked Ladies)
Tom Cochrane
Kevin Parent
Lamar Ashe
Colin James
Nikki Yanofsky
Suzie McNeil
Stephan Moccio
Aoin Clarke
Kathleen Edwards
Jim Cuddy
Shiloh
Stacey McKitrick
Jessie Farrell
Colin MacDonald
Justin Nozuka
Hayley Sales
Matt Mays
City & Colour
Arkells (and Max with the CBC Radio 3 toque!)
Pat Kordyback (Stereos)
Dave Faber
Brandon Lehti
The Canadian Tenors
Justin Bieber
Torquil Campbell (Stars)
Broken Social Scene

http://www.facebook.com/youngartistsforhaiti

http://twitter.com/yaforhaiti

Top Albums & Live Shows for 2009

As 2009 is coming to a close, let's wrap up a formidable year in (Canadian independent) music by listing my personal highlights. Feel free to disagree and point me in the direction of your personal favourites!

Top Albums of 2009

Ha, it's not until I researched a bit deeper that I realized a good chunk of my current favourite albums are actually from late 2008! Nevertheless, 2009 saw some strong releases in both full-length and EP categories. Some are Polaris-nominated and some, well, should be.

Honourable Mentions (EPs):  
Zeus - Sounds Like Zeus
J.Period & K'naan - The Messengers EP


7. Metric - Fantasies
6. Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms
5. Rose Cousins - The Send Off
4. The Swell Season - Strict Joy*
**1. You Say Party! We Say Die! - XXXX
**1. Joel Plaskett - Three
**1. Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels
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*note: The Swell Season are not Canadian.
** These 3 albums are virtually tied and are in alphabetical order.

Top Shows of 2009

This past year saw the beginning of my infatuation, now full-blown love with attending live shows. It began in January with the Sam Roberts Band and The Stills at the Orpheum, and ended with Patrick Watson and Aidan Knight**. I've both gone to huge stadium shows (U2, Coldplay) and witnessed small, inattentive crowds in bars (Matthew Barber). 2009 also saw the Junos descend upon Vancouver, and early 2010 will see the Olympics with its associated Cultural Olympiad. I was also able to attend festivals, new (Rifflandia) and old (Vancouver Folk Fest). Who stood out? Keep reading!

Honourable Mention: Hey Rosetta! at Rifflandia -- the set was just way too short.


10. Mother Mother at UBC Pit Pub
Being in the crowd for this fanatic-making show was "like watching Rock Band live," according to the reviewer for the Ubyssey (UBC campus paper). No casual fan left without feeling fanatic and extremely impassioned about this talented Vancouver band.

9. Champion at Rifflandia
His feverish conducting of his team of guitarists and bassists stirred the large crowd into the most rhythmic, hypnotized mosh pit that I've ever witnessed.

8. Hannah Georgas opening for Said The Whale at St. James Hall
This winner of the 2009 CBC Radio 3 Bucky Award for Best New Artist showcased her whimsical lyrics, her playful voice and her chops on guitar with a full backing band consisting of members from Said The Whale.

7. Rose Cousins opening for Royal Wood at the Media Club
I'm not just biased from playing shaker egg for her; it was a phenomenal show. Hilarious and tight knit, musically and personally engaging. Voice like an angel. Upstaged her headliner Royal Wood.

6. Great Lake Swimmers (backed by members of The Breakmen and Rock Plaza Central) at Vancouver Folk Music Festival
Imagine lying in the hot July sun by Vancouver's waterfront, dragonflies flitting above while listening to the angelic melodies of GLS compositions. Tony Dekker's voice surely haunts the halls of heaven.

5. Dan Mangan CD Release for Nice, Nice, Very Nice at the Cultch
There's a drawback to this excellent show; since hearing his material live, I've had a hard time listening to Dan's album. It's hard to capture the raw energy of the band and of Dan's voice that made him so feverishly popular with audiences across Canada and abroad.

4. Joel Plaskett Emergency at the Surrey Fusion Festival
This seemingly impromptu concert, held in one of the most surprising of locales (a relatively far away suburb of Vancouver), was free of charge in a large field in the middle of the city. That didn't stop JPE from putting on an impassioned show filled with favourites from their long career, including from their latest album Three. Peter Elkas singing the back up parts in lieu of Ana Egge and Rose Cousins was the cherry on top.

3. The Swell Season at the Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
The romance of The Swell Season continues to seduce audiences. To borrow Glen Hansard's phrase, this concert has only made the love for their music "more buoyant." No matter if Hansard or Marketa Irglova was on stage solo, with one another or backed by The Frames, they filled the large theatre with earnest love songs soaked in passion and the grittiness of Hansard's voice.

2. Patrick Watson at the Vogue Theatre
What an inventive, musically satisfying night. Patrick Watson and his band had all ears from the second they took the stage as well as when they left the stage to play through the audience (yes, with the megaphone pack that he sported at the Polaris gala). The delicate, intricate compositions of his latest Wooden Arms came to roaring life in his live show. The audience forgot to breathe and saliva was everywhere from dropped jaws.

1. Joel Plaskett w/ Family and Friends at the Vogue Theatre
A 3-set, 3 hour show from the most personable, lyrically gifted singer-songwriter that Canada has to offer, backed by his father Bill Plaskett, who's an admirable songwriter in his own right, as well as Ana Egge and Rose Cousins, established singer-songwriters with their own critically acclaimed careers. Each artist supported one another and was given their own chance to shine and impress with their personal material, giving the audience a true taste of what the music community should be like.

(Joel Plaskett Emergency, shot at Surrey Fusion Fest)

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** or possibly will end with the NYE party at the Media Club known as One Night Stand, featuring Hannah Georgas, Laura Smith, and members of Said The Whale, The Painted Birds, Elias, Bend Sinister, & The Gentle Infidels. For more details ... here!

Cultural Olympiad in Vancouver - Stars, K'Naan, Veda Hille, and more

No matter what your opinion is regarding the Olympics itself, its effect on its host cities and the inhabitants, its tendency to plunge cities into decades-long debt, or its direct and indirect victims in terms of budget re-allocations... all those heated opinions aside, the Cultural Olympiad of 2010 is bringing some of the best acts in Canada into Vancouver and the international spotlight.

Below are a few of the many ticketed and non-ticketed (i.e. free) events going on in Vancouver and Whistler BC in January to March, 2010.

Stars with Hey Rosetta!
K'naan with Tinariwen
Feist (misspelled Fiest on the website. C'mon; really?)
City and Colour
Malajube
Chromeo w/ Team Canada DJs
Corb Lund
Joel Plaskett (w/ Steve Earle)
Blue Rodeo
Veda Hille Trio

For a full list of music and other artistic events, visit the Cultural Olympiad website here.

Spirituality/Faith, Indie Cred & Musical Influence

Last night, myself, a couple of fellow CBC Radio 3 listeners and host Grant Lawrence were chatting about various aspects of broadcasting life. The topic then came upon the segment Grant did Thursday, featuring songs from You Say Party! We Say Die!'s latest album XXXX, as well as interviews with various members of the band. Grant mentioned how YSPWSD were on a long hiatus, and during that time, lead singer Becky Ninkovic had found God (cringe nose here, uncomfortable chuckles all around table). He went on to say that during the interview, Becky was saying things like, "God is love," "God is divine," and various things that made both her band mate and Grant extremely uncomfortable and awkward and oh-no-make-her-stop.

In Canada, the kind of spirituality that's hip and appropriate for public chit-chat involve yoga and taking long walks thinking about your life. Or the derisive smirk and nod when someone from the American political far-right says something extremely stupid and stamps it with God™. CBC, especially Radio 3, has an unspoken (or maybe spoken) mandate as a public-private institution to be neutral to matters of religion and faith, and since there are no neutral stances in matters of spirituality, adopts a secular viewpoint. We touched up on all these points during our conversation, and while I pointed out that the (generally left-wing) indie arts community and Christian faith, in this case, are not mutually exclusive, we agreed that it is uncommon to hear an open endorsement of God in Canadian independent music.

Grant opined that YSPWSD stand to possibly lose a good chunk of their "indie cred," and there are several possible reasons for this. He reasoned that their demographic does not want to hear about God. That may be partially true, but we must consider that the percentage of our youth/young adults who are agnostic are quite high. I think that by identifying with an organized religion (as in, not the yoga-practicing, self-actualizing kind of "I am my own god" God), there are some easy heuristics/labels that people attach to an artist:
1. conservative (i.e. not edgy, not original, no new ideas, not inclusive-- big Canadian no-no)
2. brainwashed (i.e. not free-thinking, tricked/stupid, not speaking from own p.o.v., "will try to convert them")
3. ... just not cool. Rock stars are supposed to be happily, wildly and excessively pagan until they're old and worry about what happens after they die.
And thus, their music will be bland. and inoffensive. and about how Jesus wants to hug everyone. and generally not worth listening to anymore.

However, as I listen to some of my favourite artists, I hear their perception of the beauty of God, I tremble from the questions of anger and tears and longing, and I feel the inspiration of something greater than their own volition. Frankly, I couldn't listen to music if I didn't sense these things. In fact, one of the reasons I started listening to independent music was because of the lack of genuine doubt, joy and professions of faith that mainstream music on the whole (including contemporary Christian rock) offers. Joel Plaskett's Non-Believer, Two Hour Traffic's Sing A Little Hymn, anything by K'naan... to just scratch the surface, can challenge my own faith and at once enliven it more than many sermons I've sat through.

This is not a call for artists to identify themselves (WHICH GOD ARE YOU SINGING FOR?!) but rather a open query: why are we so uncomfortable discussing about the Divine as a common source of inspiration that's so central to so many artists' lives? Can we still be moved by a song whose source of inspiration make us awkward/conflicted/angry/apathetic? Will we label an artist as not worth listening to any further because of whom they profess to love?

(...there goes my indie cred, right?)

Musical Updates From Twitter - Sept 15

To make life a lot simpler and a lot more internet-addiction-free, I'll try to sum up some notable things to save you time and browsing energy. You're welcome!

K'naan and J.Period team up for another collaboration called The Messenger #3, which apparently features Bob Dylan? Download for free here.

Another free download: Chad VanGaalen offers up a free B-Sides EP to complement his Polaris-shortlisted Soft Airplanes.

Joel Plaskett records an iTunes Original Session which is available for purchase here (leads to iTunes Store) and is being broadcast tonight (Sept 15) at 5pm PT / 8pm ET on CBC Radio 3.

Vote for your favourite songwriter at for the ECHO Songwriting Prize. (I think it's pretty obvious whom I've already voted for.)

Nominees -
Joel Plaskett Through & Through & Through,
Sebastien Grainger Love Can Be So Mean,
Timber Timbre Lay Down In The Tall Grass,
Land of Talk Some Are Lakes, and
D-Sisive Nobody With A Notepad

A great piece on Herohill regarding how Metric has to fight both relative obscurity in the global music market and the shunning of the indie crowd.

After tweeting about seeing Immaculate Machine at the Biltmore, Grant Lawrence of CBC Radio 3 informed me via direct message that Kathryn Calder is no longer part of the Victoria band. Not to say that the show was any less enjoyable, but I was a bit disappointed to hear that...

Some upcoming Vancouver concerts on top of what's listed at my sidebar: Corb Lund @ Commodore Ballroom Nov 12/14, The Swell Season @ Vancouver Centre For Performing Arts Nov 5. Mother Mother is opening for Matthew Good for 2 shows at The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts on November 10 and 11.  Tickets start at $32.50 and are on sale this Friday.

And to wrap up the entry, here's my concert and EP review for Vancouver's Char2d2 on NxEW. Below is their single Take & Send.

Tunes of the day - 09/09/09

It's technically past midnight now, but who's complaining?

Below are some songs that I saved in my CBC Radio 3 personal playlist. As I was looking through the playlist and deleting songs that have since been purchased, I came across a few gems. So this is not only for your listening pleasure, but to remind myself to look even more into these artists!

So below are a sampling of songs that have caught my ear over the past couple of months, with short introductions. Enjoy!

P.S. I've turned off the autoplay, which should make things a lot less annoying.


1. Jesse Matheson - The French Song
Can't catch the lyrics? You should've paid attention in French class.




2. Handsome Furs - I'm Confused
Sex appeal oozing Polaris long listers make undeniably danceable track.



3. K'naan - Soobax
An infectious track from the debut album of this twice Polaris short-listed Somalian-Canadian MC.



4. Peaches - Talk To Me
An electro-dance track. Songs that trigger involuntary hip swaying seemed to have grasped me over the past couple of months, apparently.



5. Doug Paisley - Broken In Two
And now, to slow you down after the twitching dancing the past couple of tracks may have induced.

Oh Canada!

Seeing the lineup for Canada Day celebrations on the hill makes me feel quite patriotic.

From the CBC:

Ottawa's National Capital Commission announced the musical lineup Thursday
for the city's July 1, 2009 Canada Day celebrations.

At the top of the bill for the Parliament Hill show are Juno winner
Sarah McLachlan, country singer Shane Yellowbird, and rapper K'Naan. ...

Here's a list of when the musicians from across the country will perform in Ottawa:
(a few notable indie acts will be in bold)

Parliament Hill — noon show (begins at 12 p.m. ET)
Sarah McLachlan (British Columbia).
Shane Yellowbird (Alberta).
Gregory Charles (Quebec).
Les Respectables (Quebec) with Gordie Johnson (Manitoba).
Marie-Jo Therio (New Brunswick).
Marie-Mai (Quebec).
Hannah Georgas (Ontario) and Said the Whale (British Columbia).
DRUM! (Nova Scotia).

Parliament Hill — evening show (begins at 7:30 p.m. ET)
Sarah McLachlan (British Columbia) — pop.
Chic Gamine (Manitoba).
Shane Yellowbird (Alberta) and Cassiopee (Quebec) — country.
Les Respectables (Quebec) with Gordie Johnson (Manitoba) — rock.
Marie-Jo Therio (New Brunswick) — pop.
Marie-Mai (Quebec) — rock.
K'Naan (Ontario) — hip hop/world music.
Said the Whale (British Columbia) with Hannah Georgas (Ontario) — indie pop.
Cirque Fantastic Concept (Quebec) — circus arts.
Nico Archambault (Quebec) — dance.
Alex Wells (British Columbia) — hoop dancer.
Cassiopée (Quebec) — soprano soloist.
Chic Gamine (Man.) — Roots.
The Canadian Tenors (Ontario) — Classical and contemporary pop.

Major's Hill Park — noon show (from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET)
Caridad Cruz (Quebec).
David Myles (New Brunswick).
DRUM! (Nova Scotia) – world rhythms.
The CBC Songwriter Circle featuring the Six String Nation Guitar.
Julie Doiron (New Brunswick).
Justin Rutledge (Ontario).
The Sojourners (British Columbia).
Maybe Smith (Saskatchewan).

Major's Hill Park — evening show (from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET)
The Sojourners (British Columbia) — roots.
Dominique Reynolds (Manitoba) — pop.
Alex Cuba (British Columbia) — Latin, pop, soul.
Ellen McIlwain (Alberta) — blues.
DRUM! (Nova Scotia) — world rhythms.

Jacques-Cartier Park (from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET)
IMA (Quebec) — pop.
Radio Radio (New Brunswick) — Acadian hip hop.
David Jalbert (Quebec) folk, pop.
Beast (Quebec) — electronic.
Julie Doiron (New Brunswick) — folk, pop.
Marie-Pierre Arthur (Quebec) — folk, rock.

Confederation Park (Ottawa Jazz Festival) (daytime)
Amanda Tosoff (British Columbia).
Michael Kaeshammer (Alberta).
Bell Orchestre (Quebec).
Gypsophilia (Nova Scotia).
Carmen Souza (Ontario).
Coeur de Pirate (Quebec).
The Worst Pop Band Ever (Ontario and Quebec).
Jazz Youth Summit.

Who Should Win Polaris?

RE: NxEW's poll!

I'm always tentative to answer these questions, especially since I feel like I have to listen to every single Canadian album released before I can put forward an opinion. And gosh, win? I'm still trying to establish a short list. But I'm just going to put myself out there and vouch for a couple of albums that I've loved this past year. If you've even scanned briefly through this blog, you'll notice that most of these choices have already been mentioned to death, so I'll keep my nominations short.

Metric "Fantasies"
I agree they don't need the recognition, but the album is astounding and deserves any that goes its way.

Joel Plaskett "Three"
IMO it doesn't take even his live performances to hear his skills in stringing concepts and themes throughout his ambitious, thoroughly enjoyable and consistent triple (!!!) record. But, his show definitely sealed the deal for me.

Mother Mother "O My Heart"
Vancouver love!

K'naan "Troubadour"
Generally not a huge fan of hip hop. This was an excellent album though.


Maybes
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Arkells "Jackson Square"
Although I love this album, it wasn't as consistently strong as the others I've mentioned...