The CanCon Catalogue

Unlike Celine, the Juno's aren't taking chances.

Well, the Juno nominees are out today. They're better than they could have been, I suppose, though that doesn't mean much when you look at their track record...

The same names you see every year are there-- you have to wonder whether there's a clause somewhere that says Celine Dion must always be nominated. Bryan Adams is there as artist of the year, as is k.d. lang. I mean, due respect and all that, but it might be nice if we maybe just took a list of these perennial nominees, stuck them in a hall of fame, told them the Juno's love them, they're the greatest of all time, and then made room for some newer artists. Here's my play-by-play of what's wrong and what's right.

Right: Alternative Album of the Year

Really, there's no qualms here. There's lots of worthy choices that aren't on there, but nothing wrong with what is. Black Mountain, Chad VanGaalen, Fucked Up, Plants and Animals, and the Stills all put out potential future classics that have been garnering critical acclaim at home and abroad.

who should win: Chad VanGaalen

Chad VanGaalen- "Willow Tree"



Wrong: Album of the Year

Black Mountain, Chad VanGaalen, Fucked Up, Plants and Animals, and the Stills all put out potential future classics that have been garnering critical acclaim at home and abroad. But in choosing the five albums that represent the ABSOLUTE BEST in Canadian music from the past 365 days, the Juno's have chosen to overlook those in favour of Nickelback, Hedley, and Simple Plan.

The worst part is these look like downright great choices when you take a look at the last two nominees: Sylvain Cossette and the Lost Fingers. Never heard of them? Me neither, til today. Turns out they're both from Quebec, and they are both nominated for-- wait for it-- COVER ALBUMS. That's right: in choosing the five albums nominated for the ABSOLUTE BEST Canadian music has had to offer, the Juno's have chosen an aging pop star doing earnest covers of 70s hits (the album is called 70s: Vol. 2) and a folk-rock trio doing tongue-in-cheek covers of 80s hits (in a remarkable bit of symmetry, the album is called Lost in the 80s).

On top of it all, they don't exactly go out of their way to interpret they're material in ways that haven't already been done a few times before-- Prochaine's "Get Back" sounds almost exactly like the Beatles' "Get Back" while "Tainted Love" by the Lost Fingers is more a cover of a cover (of a cover) as if they knew the Living End version better than Soft Cell's (let alone Gloria Jones'). Don't get me wrong, I like a good cover as much as the next person, and would probably love the Lost Fingers if I saw them in a bar somewhere-- but you don't deserve best album nods just because you can play a decent set of covers.

who should win: no one, but if I had to choose, Nickelback for catching the zeitgeist

Nickelback- Gotta Be Somebdoy


Right: New Group of the Year

We won't get into the debate about what "new" means given the longevity of some of these groups, but once again Plants and Animals deserve it, as do the Stills. I haven't actually listened to Beast so I can't say much, and Cancer Bats kind of surprises me. But the best choice is eaily Crystal Castles, who have taken the world by storm with their agit-pop tunes

who should win: Crystal Castles



Wrong: Juno Fan Choice

Nickelback, Celine Dion, Hedley, the Lost Fingers, and Feist. I mean, I guess it's who the fans like, and I have nothing against liking any of these artists, but then again its a category sponsored by Pepsi, which just cheapens the whole thing.

who should win: the Lost Fingers, because they fit in best with the spirit of an artistic category being sponsored by a soft drink

The Lost Fingers- Tainted Love


And the rest...

Hits:

"Dangerous" by Kardinal Offishal and "Gotta Be Somebody" by Nickelback getting single of the year nods. A single is different from an album, and the more commerical the better.

Tokyo Police Club for group of the year. It's cool to see Great Big Sea there, too, since their new album (produced by Hawksley Workman) is a step forward for them.

Hawksley Workman and Kathleen Edwards in Adult Alternative Album of the Year, though Album of the Year would have been better.

Rock Album of the Year, particularly Matt Mays & El Torpedo and Sam Roberts.

Snacktime! by the Barenaked Ladies for Children's Album of the Year

Auk/Blood by Tanya Tagaq in Aboriginal Recording of the Year

Fred Eaglesmith's Tinderbox and Elliot BROOD's Mountain Meadows for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year, solo and group

Misses

Aside from my complaints about perennial nominees earlier, the ones who were overlooked: Cadence Weapon, Destroyer, the Acorn, Final Fantasy, Attack in Black, Wolf Parade, Shad, Basia Bulat, Holy Fuck, the Constantines, the Weakerthans, Gonzales, the list goes on. I know not everyone can be nominated, but it hurts that much more when great artists like this are being overlooked in favour of Celine Dion compilations. Anyways, that's my thoughts on the whole she-bang, take a listen to the tracks and let me know what you think in the comments.

The good stuff.....

Best Alternative Album: Black Mountain, Fucked Up, Plants and Animals, the Stills


Adult Alternative: Hawksley Workman, Kathleen Edwards


Rock Album: Matt Mays & El Torpedo, Sam Roberts


Children's Album: The Barenaked Ladies


Aboriginal Recording: Tanya Tagaq


Roots and Traditional: Fred Eaglesmith, Elliot BROOD

Further Reading: Juno Oddities via canoe.ca and Exclaim's take on the whole thing