Canadian classics

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/12/2017 (3011 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Choosing the best albums of the year is always one of the hardest tasks on my annual to-do list.

For one thing, unlike other major music outlets (such as Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and Paste) that produce similar pieces and have a crew of music writers chiming in with opinions, here at the Free Press, it’s mostly just me. Don’t get me wrong, I listen to a lot of music and love doing it, but I have just one pair of ears, and that alone limits the number of tunes I can thoughtfully consume.

So this year, instead of pulling my hair out trying to A) catch up on a bunch of albums I’ve missed and then B) choosing just 10 albums from an unlimited number of releases from around the world, I decided to focus on Canadian albums. Yes, Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. was great (and, no, Taylor Swift would not have made the list in any case) but you can read about that in any of those other publications, which likely won’t be writing about indie-folk bands from Saskatchewan.

The following albums are the ones that were blasting from my headphones more often than not and, in my opinion, represent the best of what the music community in this country currently has to offer.

1. Wide Open, Weaves

Toronto quartet Weaves generated a lot of buzz for their Polaris Prize nominated self-titled debut in 2016, and just one year later, they’ve returned with an even more focused and refined collection with Wide Open. That’s not to say that their lo-fi, art-pop sound has mellowed — if anything, it’s been amplified and stabilized through the slightly more formulaic compositions that still carry a sense of urgency and fire. The lyrics of frontwoman and vocalist Jasmyn Burke are more at the forefront this time around, as well, as she explores large-scale ideas using small-scale stories — she touches on topics of racial and wealth inequality with candour and grace, while at the same time maintaining an edge. Not to mention Scream, featuring throat-singing by Tanya Tagaq, is an absolute scorcher of a track. And even though those high-powered jams are what many associate with Weaves, the band is equally successful in their slower moments, especially on the title track, with Burke’s emotive, crackling voice shining over a simple guitar and drum line. Wide Open is energized, approachable and impactful; a triple-threat that earns Weaves top honours this year.

2. Freudian, Daniel Caesar

Daniel Caesar’s Freudian is the kind of album you steep yourself in; it’s rich with gospel organs, lush choral lines and an overwhelming sense of warmth. Caesar, the Toronto-based R&B and gospel singer, has a buttery, smooth voice that — in addition to the love-related content of the lyrics themselves — brings its own sense of intimacy and sensual sincerity. Freudian, in large part, addresses love and all things that come along with it, and Caesar has many female-identifying vocal guests on this record who add to the narrative in an uncommon, almost conversational way. He’s not singing to an unknown woman; she’s present and active. It’s a thoughtful and somewhat risky approach for a full-length debut, but one worth acknowledgement.

3. Antisocialites, Alvvays

Much like Weaves, Alvvays’ sophomore effort rings true to the tone and attitude set by their debut, but on the whole is a cleaner, more polished effort. The 10 tracks on Antisocialites fall into the ever-popular break-up songs category, and Alvvays’s surf-pop sound has been pushed further with pops of harder punk and rock elements really digging into the heartbreak vibe. As always with Alvvays, Molly Rankin’s voice is front and centre (yes, she’s one of those Rankins); pretty and imperfect, her casual, sighing vocals guide each track like a beacon. Though the concept is a bit of a downer, the sonic landscape of Antisocialites is, for the most part, electric and fun; it’s an easy listen of complex and carefully crafted songs and that balance is what makes it a stand-out effort.

4. Life After Youth, Land of Talk

There is a kind of catharsis that seeps from Land of Talk’s 2017 release, Life After Youth, the band’s first album in seven years. Frontwoman and songwriter Elizabeth Powell has been open about the difficulties that led to the creation of this record; the inevitable post-tour fatigue following their previous release, a crashed hard drive resulting in the loss of all her demos and her father’s stroke in 2013. But out of that darkness came an indie-pop album with a distinct dreamy brightness that is both calming and invigorating. In contrast, the content of Life After Youth can at times be quite introspective and emotionally intense, but it only highlights Powell’s finesse as a songwriter as she builds the perfect harmony between heavy thoughts and sparkling melodies.

5. Introduce Yerself, Gord Downie

It’s an affecting experience to sit down and listen to all 23 tracks of Gord Downie’s Introduce Yerself in one sitting; knowing what he was going through while he was writing and recording the album he knew would be his last. But it’s that heightened awareness that adds a layer of emotional impact to the album that simply cannot be present in any other recording on this list. Downie is raw in both his writing and his performances; these songs are touching goodbyes and thank-yous, but, more importantly, they are the last window he could provide to his fans into the true character of his soul. The arrangements are often sparse, the vocals cranked right up in your ear, creating an even deeper sense of intimacy. It’s not a perfect album, but it is everything it needs to be.

6. Enough About Me, Slow Leaves

Part Bahamas, part early-days Jack Johnson, Enough About Me — the sophomore effort from Winnipeg-native Grant Davidson (who performs as Slow Leaves) — is a gem of a record with a romantic, nostalgic flair. Davidson has said this album is his most personal to date, and that introspection comes across as vulnerable sweetness, both in the acoustic-guitar-driven melodies and in Davidson’s vocal stylings, complete with an Elvis-esque quivering vibrato. Davidson is also a wonderfully talented songwriter; the songs on Enough About Me are beautiful — and so effective — in their clever simplicity.

7. Twin Solitude, Leif Vollebekk

The moment Montreal-based singer-songwriter dropped the first single, Elegy, from his newest album, Twin Solitude, it became clear this would be a must-listen album for 2017. The album is divided into two distinct halves — the first, a piano-forward, sonically spacious set of five songs feeding into the sadness of love lost; the second, a more mobile, charged set of five that exude a sense of adventure and renewed energy. Both sides work together flawlessly, creating a deep, almost cinematic listening experience. Twin Solitude, without a doubt, cements Vollebekk as one of the best young musicians in the country.

8. Victory Lap, Propagandhi

It had been half a decade since Winnipeg-based punk pioneers Propagandhi had released a record, so when they dropped Victory Lap in the fall, their fans, predictably, went nuts. And, in a rare instance, the hype was certainly warranted — Victory Lap is a credit to Propagandhi’s 12-album catalogue. It’s sonically fierce and equally as cutting in the lyrics, which are just as politically charged as any punk enthusiast would hope in the midst of Donald Trump’s presidency (though there are many other pieces of social and economic terrain explored on the record). Victory Lap is as intelligent as it is deafening, and that’s a perfect place for Propagandhi to land.

9. Try 😉, Faith Healer

There’s a certain unexpected brightness that lives within Faith Healer’s Try 😉 that makes it a super-appealing, albeit brief, release. This is the third album for Faith Healer — once the solo project of Edmontonian Jessica Jalbert, but now a formal duo including Renny Wilson — and it has an indie-pop, warm-summer-day-with-the-windows-down feel, paired with smart, emotional lyrics not often associated with the pop genre. Try 😉 is sharp and concise, but still feels complete and fully thought through; an impressive result in just 32 minutes of music.

10. The Siren’s Song, Kacy & Clayton

If classic ‘70s Americana is what you’re craving, you won’t get better than Saskatoon’s Kacy and Clayton. The pair embody the sounds of generations past in their twangy, jangly melodies and Kacy Anderson’s floaty vocals that dance in and out of a dreamy falsetto with ease. The Siren’s Song (produced by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco) is an album full of texture; from the sparkling harmonies from Anderson and Clayton Linthicum and the traditional instrumentation including pedal steel and some exceptional guitar picking to the laid-back storytelling in the lyrics, it hits all the right spots.

erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @NireRabel

 

We also polled our regular Uptown contributors for their top 10s of 2017

 

POP / ROCK

1. The Nashville Sound, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Isbell’s slice-of-life observations feature some of the most poignant writing in any genre, even as he traverses rock, folk, country and Americana. This album will rouse you with the roar of Cumberland Gap, move you to tears with If We Were Vampires and leave you nodding with recognition at Anxiety.

2. Victory Lap, Propagandhi

Musically, lyrically, intellectually, emotionally… Victory Lap is Propagandhi’s best album. Its 12 songs will bang your head, feed your mind, stoke your anger and give you pause to hug and hold the ones you love most. I’m sure there was no better musical rallying cry this year than “Single mums to the front, we came here to rock!”

3. Masseduction, St. Vincent

Arty rocker Annie Clark tackled the tools and toys of big-time pop music and bent them to her artistic will on Masseduction, a provocative collection that set the melancholy of time’s passage and the emptiness of modern culture against her (and our) need for love and connection.

4. All American Made, Margo Price
5. Brutalism, IDLES
6. The Order of Time, Valerie June
7. Antisocialites, Alvvays
8. Feel Your Feelings Fool!, The Regrettes
9. DAMN., Kendrick Lamar
10. Melodrama, Lorde

— John Kendle

 

1. Victory Lap — Propagandhi

Few artists in any genre have managed to keep pushing their evolution like veteran Winnipeg PC punk band Propagandhi. Never shy of embracing their banger past, Victory Lap continues to bring out the searing ‘80s thrash metal that singer Chris Hannah and drummer Jord Samolesky grew up around in Portage la Prairie but also extends the lyrical shift evident on the last few albums, redirecting some of the incendiary, political Molotov cocktails to reflect a more personal, open-ended approach. Everything that was such a hot topic in 2017 — race, gender politics, anti-fascism, feminism — has been the foundation of the group’s worldview from early on. More than 20 years have passed and we are still talking about the same things, but Propagandhi’s sound continues to break new ground.

2. Life Without Sound — Cloud Nothings

In 2016 it was Beach Slang; this year it’s Cleveland’s Cloud Nothings that are that band that ends up on almost every playlist you make. While Life Without Sound is a purposeful, emotionally driven album, every song stands on its own — and that is saying a lot these days.

3. A Deeper Understanding — The War on Drugs

If you want to drop yourself in a lush world where Bruce Springsteen hangs out with his pals while they jam with some hazy synths, the War on Drugs would be the house band. Able to draw on influences without being some cheap replica, A Deeper Understanding dives deep into its own reality and never comes out. It also doesn’t hurt that frontman Adam Granduciel writes the type of lyrics that people not only identify with but see a much deeper meaning in that is uniquely theirs.

4. Big Fish Theory, Vince Staples
5. Where are We Going?, Octo Octa
6. Losing, Bully
7. Hug of Thunder, Broken Social Scene
8. More Life, Drake
9. DAMN., Kendrick Lamar
10. Narkopop, Gas

— Anthony Augustine

 

ROOTS / COUNTRY

1. Trouble No More, The Bootleg Series Vol. 13 (1979-1981), Bob Dylan

An originally critically maligned phase of His Bobness’s studio career revealed here to be eclectic, electric and oh so righteous live.

2. The Ronnie Lane Tribute EP, Mohair Sweets

Local, independent artist Colin Bryce is still willing and able to develop his own kind of rock and roll magic. Winnipeg is lucky to still have this guy.

3. Bobby Fuller Died For Your Sins, Chuck Prophet

If you haven’t clued into Chuck Prophet’s splendid skill set yet then let this gem be your introduction to his super solid — and long — CV.

4. Wesley Stace’s John Wesley Harding, Wesley Stace
5. Freedom is Free, Chicano Batman
6. Soulfire, Little Steven
7. Dirty Pictures (Part 1), Low Cut Connie
8. Dark Matter, Randy Newman
9. Spitting Image, The Strypes
10. Magnetic Waves of Sound: The Best Of, The Move

— Jeff Monk

 

JAZZ

1. The Dreamer Is the Dream, Chris Potter

Saxophonist Potter leads a great quartet in some excellent and highly acclaimed music. He has recorded in large ensembles as well, and is at the very top of his game. The album and one of the tracks here have been nominated for a Grammy.

2. Open Book, Fred Hersch

A solo piano album by Hersch that is highly personal, emotional, and wonderfully melodic. Hersch survived a near-death illness a few years ago, and his playing since has told a lot about his view of life. The album and a track are also Grammy-nominated.

3. Blue Maqams, Anouar Brahem

Tunisian-born oud player Brahem, along with a quartet of top-notch “western” jazz artists, demonstrates a simply beautiful and culturally integrated music that is one of the very best albums I’ve heard in the last several years.

4. Circle Of Chimes, Marius Neset
5. Moons, Myriad3
6. Under The Influence Suite, Orchestre National de Jazz de Montréal & Christine Jensen
7. The Time Verses, David Binney
8. Langston Hughes Dream Keeper, Eric Mingus
9. Live at U of T, David Liebman/Mike Murley
10. An Ancient Observer, Tigran Hamasyan

— Keith Black

 

CLASSICAL

1. Requiem, Tigran Mansurian

This profoundly moving album released by ECM Records features Armenian composer Tigran Mansurian’s Requiem, dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Armenian genocide that took place in Turkey between 1915-17, and structured as a Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead that melds disparate faith and musical traditions. Maestro Alexander Liebreich sensitively leads the Munich Chamber Orchestra and RIAS Choir Berlin through the eight-part work steeped in haunting Armenian chant from the composer’s homeland, as a deeply personal memorial to human suffering, and the plight of innocent refugees as timely as ever.

2. Bach: French Suites, Vladimir Ashkenazy

While some artists might comfortably rest on their well-deserved laurels as they enter their ninth decade, legendary Russian pianist/conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy chose instead to release a new album on his label of over 50 years, Decca. His latest offering featuring the complete set of Baroque composer J.S. Bach’s French Suites not only showcases his renowned pianism, including filigree counterpoint, delicate ornamentation, thoughtful voicing and ebullient dotted dance rhythms, but also serves as testament to the enduring power of music — and musicians.

3. Pictures at An Exhibition, Modest Mussorgsky, Wiener Philharmoniker & Gustavo Dudamel

Whiz-bang conductor Gustavo Dudamel tackles Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition in this all-Russian album that also marks his 10th anniversary as an exclusive recording artist with Deutsche Grammophon. The Venezuela-born musician leads the Vienna Philharmonic in Ravel’s own imaginative orchestrations of his 15 tone poems originally scored for piano, as well as Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain and Tchaikovsky’s lilting Waltz from ethereal ballet Swan Lake, creating new tonal colours and sharper hues while stamped with the internationally renowned maestro’s innate sense of dramatic flair.

4. Ehnes Quartet, Schubert & Sibelius
5. Davidsbündlertänze, Humoreske & Blumenstück, Robert Schumann
6. Handel, Sonya Yoncheva
7. Chopin: Works for Piano & Orchestra, Jan Lisiecki
8. Matthias Goerne & Markus Hinterhäuser, Schumann: Lieder
9. Ancestral Voices, Apollo Chamber Players
10. Hommage à Boulez, Daniel Barenboim

— Holly Harris