My Love of Playlists

Here I am, planning my imminent departure for the West Coast, going through song after song planning 50 hours of music for the drive to Vancouver. In perusing my previous playlists and pouring over new ones on the likes of CBC Radio 3, I identified some themes. I made a selection of my favourite 50 (or so) Canadian independent artists of the last 2-3 years. Here they are, with their Canadian connection and an accompanying song to get the discussion going. Feel free to send me your picks in the comment box below!

1-10 (Alphabetical)

Caribou- Melody Day (Dundas, Electronica)
Forest City Lovers- Don’t Go (Toronto, Indie Pop)
Hannah Georgas- The National (Vancouver, Folk)
Jean Leloup- Le paradis perdu (Montréal, Eclectic Rock)
Lhasa- La Confession (Montreal, Eclectic Global)
Neko Case- Hold on, Hold on (Vancouver, Alt Country)
Numéro#- Chewing-Gum Fraise (avec Omnikrom) (Montreal, Euro-Dance)
Plants and Animals- Goodfriend (Montreal, Indie Rock)
Tricot Machine- L’ours (Trois-Rivieres, Pop)
Two Hours Traffic- Jezebel (Charlottetown, Power Pop)
The Weakerthans- Pamphleteer (Winnipeg, Indie Rock)

11-20

The Acorn- Crooked Legs (Ottawa, Folk)
Danny Michel- Feather, Fur & Fin (Kitchener, Folk Rock)
Elliott Brood- Edge of Town (Toronto, Alt Country)
The New Pornographers- Adventures in Solitude (Vancouver, Power Pop)
Metric- Rock Me Now (Toronto, New Wave)
Newberry vs. Newberry- Upon the Boat (Peterborough/Toronto, Folk)
Po’ Girl- Old Mountain Line (Toronto & Montreal, Urban Roots)
Rae Spoon- Come on Forest Fire Burn the Disco Down (Montreal, New Skool Folk)
Royal Wood- A Mirror Without (Toronto, Chamber Pop)
Tegan & Sara- Call It Off (Calgary, Indie Pop)

21-30

The Arcade Fire- Haiti (Montreal, Indie Rock)
Basia Bulat- Snakes and Ladders (London, Indie Pop)
The Be Good Tanyas- Littlest Birds (Vancouver, Alt Country)
Black Mountain- Modern Music (Vancouver, Psychedelic Rock)
Broken Social Scene- Our Faces Split the Coast in Half (Toronto, Indie Rock)
Hot Hot Heat- Talk to Me, Dance with Me (Victoria, Dance Punk)
Jill Barber- In Perfect Time (Halifax, Folk)
Jim Bryson- Clear the Crowds (Ottawa, Folk)
The Souljazz Orchestra- Mista President (Ottawa, Afro Beat/Jazz)
Spymachine 16- Reassured Backpacker in Search of Truth but Still a Little Nervous (Guelph, Post Punk)

31-40

DL Incognito- Universal Love (Ottawa, Hip Hop)
The Fugitives- French Tattoo (Vancouver, Folk/Spoken Word)
Justin Nozuka- After Tonight (Toronto, Acoustic Soul)
Les Cowboys Fringants- Les Etoiles Filantes (Repentigny, Néo-trad)
Matthew Barber- I’m Gonna settle my Accounts With You (Toronto, Folk)
Old Man Luedecke- Roustabout (Halifax, Bluegrass)
Rueben deGroot- You Should Put on Your Glasses (Kingston, Folk)
Stars- Calendar Girl (Montreal, Indie Rock)
Tokyo Police Club- Nature of the Experiment (Newmarket, Garage Rock)
Wintersleep- Avalanche (Yarmouth, Indie Rock)

41-51

Classified- No Mistakes (Halifax, Hip Hop)
Dehli 2 Dublin- African Odyssey (Vancouver, Global)
Feist- One Evening (Calgary, Indie Folk)
Handsome Furs- Cannot Get Started (Montreal, Indie Rock)
Mes Aïeux- Le Temps des semences (Québec City, Néo-trad)
Miracle Fortress- Have you Seen in Your Dreams (Montreal, Indie Pop)
The Most Serene Republic- The Protagonist Suddenly Realizes What He Must Do in the Middle of Downtown Traffic (Milton, Indie Rock)
Pierre Lapointe- Deux Par Deux Rassemblés (Alma, Rock)
Rock Plaza Central- Are We Not Horses? (Toronto, Indie Rock)
Serena Ryder- A Little Bit of Red (Peterborough, Blues/Pop)