Top 5 Canadian albums of 2010

An earlier version of this article was previously published in The Omega.

The start of a new year and top ten lists seem to go hand in hand.  It allows us to look back on the year that just passed and sum up what we liked and didn’t like about it.  Whether it is movies, or books, or music, we can then decide whether it was a good, bad, or mediocre year. 

 Looking back on the past year of Canadian music made me realize how rewarding of a year it has been for Canadian music.  It was exceedingly difficult to pick my top five albums of the year, mostly because there was so much great music to choose from. 

 

5. Caribou – Swim

Daniel Snaith, the man behind Caribou, has often been commended for his chameleon-like ability to change styles and inhabit multiple genres.  Because of this, describing his music can be challenging.  Swim sounds almost like being a DJs pet goldfish because the music sounds like dance music filtered through water. His mixture of 60’s pop and electronica ripple and warp to make something more soothing than danceable.  

 

4. Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record

Broken Social Scene is so ubiquitous in other forms that it’s easy to forget that they haven’t released anything for five years.  But with current and former members (including Fiest, Emily Haines of Metric, Stars, Jason Collet, and many more) constantly releasing their own material, it almost feels like Broken Social Scene is always creating music.  Forgiveness Rock Record isn’t a perfect album, and it isn’t the bands best either—but even some of the albums duds sound better than most bands at their best.  Broken Social Scene is often described as Canadian indie-rock royalty, and here they certainly live up to that moniker.  

 

3. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles(II)

Crystal Castles is surprisingly still around.  After they released their first album there was meltdowns on stage, they sometimes didn’t show up for gigs, and then they were sued for stealing artwork. Their new album, however, is easily one of the year’s best.  While the sound is still harsh and distorted, II is surprisingly melodic.  The best songs such as Celestica or Suffocation have pop melodies that have an almost soothing quality to them, but at the same time, they are still full of the duo’s signature fuzz and distortion.  The album can be a challenging listen at times, but it is always a satisfying one.

2. Shad – Tsol

Tsol is not only a great hip hop album, but it is a distinctly Canadian style of hip hop.  Whether he is fighting for the empowerment of women, preaching tolerance, swinging imaginary punches at Glenn Beck, or shaking his head in disgust at the religious fundamentalists, it all seems very Canadian.  But that’s not the only reason to love this album, Shad’s ability to weave together pop culture, political, and biblical references into complex word play is astounding, and sometimes only reveals its brilliance after a couple listens.  

1. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

Arcade Fire’s success, not only in Canada, but across the border isn’t surprising.  Heavily influenced by the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, their music has always had a distinct American sound to it.  The Suburbs is not only arguably their best and most successful album yet, but it also wears its influences the most candidly.  It is over top of this classic style that Arcade Fire tries to come to terms with growing up.  One second they are musing about their teenage fantasies of rebellion and the boredom of growing up in the suburbs, and the next they are trying to reconcile it with their own life goals of family and stability.  Suburbia is often a place that bands use to relive teenage anger, but Arcade Fire, whether they are searching for old friends or having children, have used suburbia as a place to grow up.  It is a beautiful and bittersweet album that will haunt you long after you have listened to it .