69 loved songs, part I

As promised, here's the first instalment of an entirely subjective look back on the past decade. To come the rest of this week: my other 46 favourite Canadian songs of the '00s, followed by my favourite 40 Canadian albums of the decade.

Also, a quick note about the songs list: in the interest of not posting entire albums, I limited song choices to one per album. Otherwise I'd have pretty much been posting the entirety of albums like Left & Leaving, Reconstruction Site and Apologies to the Queen Mary. That caveat aside, here's what I've loved over the last decade...

69. Land of Talk, "Ghost" (from L'aventure acoustique)

That's right, I'm starting my list with a cover. But what a cover! It takes an already incredible Wintersleep song, and strips it down to something sparser than the original without losing any of its magic.

68. Kat Burns, "For The Birds" (from For The Birds)

Before Kat Burns started Forest City Lovers, she was a Julie Doiron-esque folkie...and, as this song shows, she was a pretty darn good one, too.

67. Bruce Peninsula, "Steamroller" (from A Mountain Is A Mouth)

As much as I loved Bruce Peninsula's debut, I don't think it's aged particularly well on me. The one exception is "Steamroller", where the band captures all the power of their live show.

66. Human Highway, "All Day" (from Moody Motorcyle)

"All Day" isn't a particularly complex song, but complexity isn't necessary when the results are this catchy. The song is pleasant to the extreme, and floats by in a blissful haze.


65. The Paper Cranes, "I'll Love You Until My Veins Explode" (from Halcyon Days)

Unforgettably catchy '80s-tinged pop.

64. Boo Hoo, "Eff the Ineffable" (from Boo Hoo)

"Eff The Ineffable" is proof that it's possible for a band to be influenced by the sounds of the '90s without sounding awful and/or ripping off Pearl Jam.

63. Parachute Penguin, "Your Crimes" (from Parachute Penguin)

"Your Crimes" is probably the best song The Killers never wrote, but that doesn't take away from the fact it's a fun, radio-ready little number.

62. Spy Machine 16, "For The Jocks Who Scream From Cars" (from How Things Come Apart)

You don't often hear songs baiting closeted jocks with lines like "Is your sexuality a bugaboo?"...but, as Guelph's late, lamented dance-punks showed throughout their too-short career, they knew how to mix insightful lyrics with songs that got you moving. Nowhere did they do this better than on this track.

61. Maybe Smith, "Open War" (from Animals & Architects)

In a prolific career filled with catchy songs, this may just be Colin Skrapek's catchiest.


60. Abdominal, "Pedal Pusher" (from Escape from the Pigeon Hole)

There aren't many hip-hop songs about bicycling, but this song is good enough that you can almost begin to wonder why.

59. The Love Machine, "We Are Squirrels and This Is Nuts" (from The Love Machine)

For the most part, I don't think that The Love Machine's studio output has matched their live show (though early indications from their new album suggest that may be about to change). The one place where the band has thus far managed to put it all together, though, is "We Are Squirrels And This Is Nuts", which is just as enjoyable on record as it is in concert.

58. Basia Bulat, "Before I Knew" (from Oh My Darling)

It's an entirely inconsequential, minute-long start to Basia Bulat's debut. Yet, for whatever reason, it's a song that I've found myself going back to again and again.

57. Laura Barrett, "Laura Barrett" (from Earth Sciences)

On paper, this song sounds like it should be a joke -- it's an advertisement for futuristic robot pony toys, and it's played on the kalimba. But in Laura Barrett's skilled hands, it all comes together incredibly well.

56. Octoberman, "Octoberman" (from Run From Safety)

World-weary folk-pop at its finest.


55. These Electric Lives, "Keep Love Safe" (from These Electric Lives)

I've no idea what happened to a band that I felt certain was going to be huge -- last I heard, they'd become mired in the studio recording the follow-up to their debut EP. But going back to this song now, I'm reminded of all the reasons it seemed as though These Electric Lives were primed for stardom. It's a simple, straightforward pop song that gets better every time you hear it.

54. Relief Maps, "Stamp Out Fatigue" (from Graveyard Smash)

Speaking of bands that I have no idea what happened to...Relief Maps seemed to have disappeared into trips to Europe, marriage and who knows what else. But for this one song, at least, they seemed like a sure bet to break out of Ottawa and become superstars. Land of Talk-esque vocals, a Wolf Parade-meets-Tokyo Police Club riff...it added up to sound incredible.

53. Magneta Lane, "Magneta Lane" (from The Constant Lover)

I feel as though I've been talking a lot about Magneta Lane's unfulfilled promise lately, but going back to this EP -- and this song in particular -- I'm reminded of why. They burst out of the gate with an astonishingly good debut, and listening to the EP's title track it was hard not to feel as though the band was ready to take over Canada.

52. The Magic, "Never Lock The Door" (from The Magic)

Part lounge lizard, part Arcade Fire, part soul revue, all fun.

51. Alanis Morissette, "Hands Clean" (from Under Rug Swept)

It's an Alanis song, so it has all the usual Alanis themes that she once specialized in. Still, when she was on, she made angst sound great, and she did just that here.


50. The Weakerthans, "Virtue The Cat Explains Her Departure" (from Reunion Tour)

As I wrote not too long ago, Reunion Tour is probably my least favourite Weakerthans album, but that doesn't mean it was lacking for good moments. This was by far my favourite, particularly when John K. Samson sings the line "How I'd scratch the empties desperate to hear you make the sound that you found for me". It's sad, wistful and beautiful.

49. Born Ruffians, "RedYellowAndBlue" (from Red, Yellow and Blue)

Like the Basia Bulat song listed a few entries up, this song is a completely inconsequential album starter. That said, it's just plain fun, and it's hard not to feel as though Luke Lalonde's made-up country would have the best anthem ever.

48. The Balconies, "Serious Bedtime" (from The Balconies)

This song may not be that old, but I've got a good feeling that when The Balconies hit the big time, this song will be one of the things that gets them there.

47. Hot Hot Heat, "Talk To Me, Dance With Me" (from Make Up the Breakdown)

Hot Hot Heat may have started out as a boring hardcore band and ended up as a lousy radio-friendly pop band, but for one album -- as long as Dante DeCaro played a key role in the band, really -- they were fantastic. This song was them at their very best.