The CanCon Catalogue

Help me decide the 110 Best Things About Canadian Music Over the Last 10 Years

If you want to know the rules, click here.

Like many music lovers, I'm one of those people who enjoys lists. I'm not High-Fidelity compulsive about it, but at the very least I use the month of December to review the year in music and compile a list of what I think was the best to come out of the last 365 days, usually in the form of an iPod playlist.

Lately, though, the spark has been gone. There's only so many times you can see the "Greatest Artists" or "Greatest Albums" be topped by the usual suspects-- the Beatles, the Stones, Dylan, Presley, et al, before becoming bored with the whole thing. What catches my interest these days are the ones that enforce different limitations on who qualifies. You can do this by making time limits, as in Blender's 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born (ie 1980) or sorting by nationality, such as Bob Merseau's Top 100 Canadian Albums. Both of these are great because they (mostly) get rid of the names that everyone knows and allow the spotlight to be turned on to some other artists who are (arguably) just as or more worthy than the usual suspects (who are for the most part British and American artists from the 60s and 70s).

Which brings me to today's post. I've decided that with 2010 fast approaching, we should start looking back on the last decade of Canadian music. I genuinely believe that we are living in what will one day be considered Canada's classical period, when the musical scene of our country was full of great artists with as much depth to it as any other place at any other point in time.

So I'm going to compile, with your help, the 110 Best Things About Canadian Music Over the Last 10 Years. This is going to be divided into two parts. First, I'm going to count down ten reasons Canadian music did so well over the last decade. Then, I'm going to list the 100 Greatest Canadian Artists, 2000-2010.


I already have a lot of ideas, but this process would be completely invalid if it didn't receive as much input as possible. That's why I'm asking you to give me your suggestions: who and what should be on these lists, what criteria should be used to define "great", who is "Canadian", does Neil Young qualify even though he's old and in California, will anyone openly vote for Nickelback, and so on. So please, make your voice heard. You can comment on this blog, you can email canconcontact@gmail.com, you can find me on Facebook and Twitter, whatever.

I also hope that if you think this is a good idea you try to get other people involved by directing them here. And other bloggers, I encourage to start the discussion on your own sites as well, I only ask that you alert me that you have done so and direct your readers towards me as well, so that their thoughts can inform my decisions.

Let the discussion begin!


High Fidelity: Top Five

To read about the 110 Best Things About Canadian Music, click here.

Although I will be the final arbiter of who is on these lists and how they're ranked, I promise to be completely open to any and all suggestions. If I deviate drastically from popular opinion, I will let it be known, and I will present my reasons why. Heck, I'll even post the results of the popular vote alongside my own "official" list. The reason I'm acting as a gatekeeper, as such, is that I don't want this to be a matter of whoever has the most fans gets the top spot-- that's how the Junos work, and we all know what a fiasco that is. So while the popular vote will definitely be a factor, it won't be the only one. A well-presented, well-reasoned argument by one person could well have just as much impact as fifteen votes with just a name-- plus, if I really like something you write and you're willing to let me publish it, I will.

Like I say, I'm completely open in this process. I'm interested in starting a discussion and a debate, and am willing to let the criteria work itself out. I think 110 is a good number, but maybe we'll wind up with fifteen reasons and only fifty artists, or maybe we'll get so many nominations it should be expanded to 200-- who knows? It really depends on what happens over the next few months.

I have no idea how you feel about Valentine's Day. But if you're looking for some romantic songs for whatever reason, here's some of the best Canada has to offer. If nothing else, take a listen to "Some Kinda Wonderful" by Sky and reflect on the fact that we didn't appreciate the genius pop songwriting skills of James Renald before he left the band and they started getting all "Superhero" on us. Individual tracks are below, you can download the whole thing as a .zip file right here.


"Inside the Molecules" - Chad VanGaalen


"Lover's Spit" (alternate version f. Feist) - Broken Social Scene


"Astounded" - Bran Van 3000 f. Curtis Mayfield (youtube)


"Blue Moon (Song for Elvis)" - the Cowboy Junkies


"Your Rocky Spine" - the Great Lake Swimmers (mp3 via slowcoustic.com)


"Never Quit Loving You" - Jill Barber (mp3 via iheartmusic.net)


"Nowhere With You" - Joel Plaskett


"Heroes of the Sidewalk" - Two Hours Traffic (mp3)


"Fireworks" - the Tragically Hip (mp3 via wolveshawksandkites.com)


"Lovers in a Dangerous Time" (Bruce Cockburn cover)- the Barenaked Ladies (youtube live performance)


"Lost Together" - Blue Rodeo


"Crown of Love" - the Arcade Fire (mp3)


"Miss You Now" - Elliot Brood (mp3 via sixeyes.blogspot.com)


"Some Kinda Wonderful" - Sky (youtube)


"Oh You Delicate Heart" - Hawksley Workman


"I'm In Love" - Major Maker


"Taj Mahal" - Sam Roberts


"I'm Your Man" - Leonard Cohen (mp3 via themusicslut.blogspot.com)


"Tentacles" - Rah Rah (mp3 via iheartmusic.net)


"Before You" - Chantal Kreviazuk (youtube)


"Evergreen" - the Wheat Pool


"Oh, My Darling" - Basia Bulat


"My Favourite Chords" - the Weakerthans


"Proof of Love" - Old Man Luecedeke (mp3 via herohill.com)


"Oh Yes, It's Love" - the Bicycles

June 12, 1990: "No, Mr. Speaker"-- Manitoba MLA Elijah Harper draws the Meech Lake Accord to a halt.

And so as it begins, it ends. Three songs, all Canadian, all from the year 1990, to complete our list of fifteen. So now that you've seen them all, what's the verdict? I would have to say 1990 was a pretty good year for homegrown music, launching the mainstream careers of two very big names (Celine Dion, the Tragically Hip) and giving us enduring classics, from the Dream Warriors' "My Definition" to Maestro Fresh Wes' "Let Your Backbone Slide," to this next song.

Spirit of the West- "Home for a Rest" (from Save This House)

A lot of Canadians have Celtic roots, and this song taps into that with its musical style. But the real beauty of it is its actually an extended complaint about being in "the old country," and wishing to be back in Canada. A St. Patrick's Day classic.







MCJ and Cool G- "So Listen" (from So Listen)





From Nova Scotia, this duo traded in what they called "Double R&B," and this album garnered them Juno nods for Best R&B Soul Recording and Best Rap Recording. The chorus actually kind of sounds like the Backstreet Boys in their early days, the rap is locked firmly in the transition between Run-DMC and Rakim, and the beat is clearly influenced by Afrikaa Bambaataa. Fresh.




Jane Child- "Don't Want to Fall in Love" (from Jane Child)

Also very much of the time, yet still great thanks to its bouncy bass line and "woo-oo-oo-oo" chorus, is this track, which sounds like any number of teen-pop-mall idols, but was actually done by someone who was apparently quite goth.


So that's it, my list of fifteen Canadian songs from 1990 is complete. What did you think? Did you discover anything new? Did I miss something important? Let me know in the comments or using the contact info in the "about me" section to the right.

So in case this is your first day here, all this week I'm embarking on a quest. A mild quest, mind you, but a quest nonetheless. And that quest is to post three Canadian songs a day from the year 1990. Part one is here, part two is here, part three is here, and this is part four. Read on!




The Northern Pikes- "She Ain't Pretty" from Snow in June.


I didn't even know this song was Canadian before doing this project, so now it's fun AND educational. After Colin James' "I Just Came Back to Say Goodbye," on Tuesday, I think it's safe to say 1990 was the year of using extended sentences to create an idea in the listener's mind, pause, and then completely flip those ideas around. "I just came back--" (YAY!) "...to say goodbye" (sadness). This song does much the same in the chorus. "Oh, hey, this song is about someone who isn't pretty-- wait, what? She just looks that way? But that means she.... oh, geez, he's talking about INTERNAL prettiness." Not only does this song challenge us to address our preconceived, skin-deep notions about beauty, it anticipated the 90s elementary school trend of using "NOT!" at the end of sentences to completely reverse the meaning of everything you just said. Well done, Northern Pikes. Well done.

The Dream Warriors- "My Definition (of a Boombastic Jazz Style)" from And Now, the Legacy Begins

I feel kind of bad including this song, because it's pretty much all anyone knows the Warriors for anymore, despite the high quality of their other work (see "Ludi" or "Wash Your Face in My Sink" from the same album, just for a start). Yet at the same time it's just so undeniable-- the riff, recycled from the Definition game show and later incorporated into Canadian comedian Mike Myers' Austin Powers vehicle is undeniably part of the Canadian landscape (even if it is by Quincy Jones). And you have to love Capital Q's vocals at the 2:38 mark. (Fun fact: L.A. Luv from Tuesday's 1990 post (part one) was the Warrior's DJ and would officially join the group in 1993.

The Jeff Healey Band- "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," from Hell to Pay

You hear that guitar? You feel the emotion? This is what a proper cover sounds like.

Last post in this series comes tomorrow, so if you're wanting to get a word in, now's the time.

Here's the drill: five days, fifteen Canadian songs from 1990. Part one, part two, here's part three.

Type rest of the post here
Blue Rodeo- "Til I Am Myself Again" (from Casino)


Blue Rodeo went 4x platinum with their debut, 3x platinum with Diamond Mine, and "only" 2x platinum with 1990's Casino. One of their weaker albums, yes, but for a group of this calibre it doesn't mean much. This track is rightfully a greatest hit.

Kon Kan- "Puss n Boots" (from Move to Move)

Kon Kan was a snythpop duo back before there was anything ironic/hipster about it. Oh, and they were doing crazy mainstream mashups (Led Zeppelin, Nancy Sinatra) years before Girl Talk. One is now a semi-pro golfer, the other is in Thunderpuss. The name, by the way, is a take-off on "Canadian content," which is what insired the name of this blog. Keen!

Celine Dion- Where Does My Heart Beat Now? (from Unison)

A young francophone singer learns English, enlists soft rock/adult contemporary producers, and repeats dozens of times over the next nineteen years. It started here, folks!

All this week, I'm posting three songs a day that help define the year that was 1990, ending up with a final list of fifteen. I suppose a disclaimer should be put in place-- in 1990, I was only five, so I'm doing this based on retroactive research rather than any first-hand knowledge. So if you have any additions/revisions, feel free to give me a holler-- comment or use my contactify. Now, on to Part Two. (Part One is here)

Colin James- "Just Came Back" (from Sudden Stop)

Before the swing of 1993's Little Big Band and fresh off the success of his self-titled debut, James released Sudden Stop, a blues rock album that would spawn five singles, the most successful of which is this snarky send-off.

Maestro Fresh Wes- Let Your Backbone Slide (single)

"This is a throw-down, a show-down, hell no I can't slow down." The first Canadian rap single to go top 40, the number one selling Canadian rap single (as of 2008), and the sound of rap commercials on MuchMusic while I was growing up. A classic.

Voivod- "Nothingface" (from Nothingface)

From Jonquiere, Quebec, they started out as speed metal but discovered the industrial scene and Pink Floyd, making them focus on structure over showboating. Nothingface is considered their best release, and hit spot 64 in the Top 100 Canadian Albums.

From today until Saturday, I'm posting three songs a day that have two things in common: they're Canadian, and they're from the year 1990. Other than that, anything goes, as can be seen from today's songs, which you can read about (and hear) below. More info in the previous post, which you can access here.

The Tragically Hip' "Blow at High Dough" (from Up to Here)




OK, so technically the album came out in 1989, but I'm putting this on here because 1990 is the year the Hip won the Juno for "Most Promising Group." If only the Juno's could be this right more often.

Michie Mee & L.A. Luv- "Jamaican Funk, Canadian Style" (single)
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In looking at the list I've come up with, in many ways 1990 was the last year of the 80s, perhaps moreso than it was the first year of 90s. This is exemplified by the hip-hop of the time, which garnered enough prominence in 1990 to have the Junos add it as a category the next year. Nominated was Jamaican-Canadian pioneer Michie Mee, with collaborator L.A. Luv, for "Jamaican Funk, Canadian-Style."

Alias- "More Than Words Can Say" (from Alias)




And if 1990 was the last year of the 1980s, how could any list leave off the hair-rock international chart-topper "More Than Words Can Say," from Toronto quartet Alias? A super-group for the 80s, it consisted of members of the forgotten Canadian group Sheriff and three guys from Heart (yes, that Heart). This one has it all-- emotive vocals, tinny production, and a guitar solo that doesn't stray below the twelfth fret.

That's it for today-- I'll be posting three more tomorrow, so until then let me know what you think.

I realize I've already posted one CBC Radio 3 supplement on here, but this one goes beyond that. On their R3-30 Podcast this week, they did a "Salute to the 1990," playing the Rheostatics and Eric's Trip. But that's not enough. And that's where I come in.

One of the limitations of Radio 3 trying to do throwback shows is that their library is limited to the tracks that artists have chosen to make available on their site. And while that's often enough for contemporary acts, anyone whose career highlighted pre-2000 doesn't have much reason to get on there. So when you do a show like that, you're pretty much limited to, well, the Rheostatics and Eric's Trip. Hardly indicative of the state of Canadian music in 1990.

So I did a little research (ie. Wikipedia and allmusic.com) and came up with my own list of Canadian songs from 1990. There is no method to my madness-- some of these are award winners, some were chart toppers, and some were underground burns. Some artists are familiar and some I never heard of before doing this. But all songs came from the year that was 1990. So from today through Saturday, I will post three songs a day, resulting in a playlist that will be known as 15 Songs: 1990.