69 loved songs, part II

For songs #47 through 69, click here. Otherwise, read on!

46. Julie Doiron, "Will You Still Love Me In December?" (from Will You Still Love Me?)

As I said a few months ago, it's easy to overlook just how great Julie Doiron has been for the last fifteen years or so. For me, though, her greatness -- and the overall feeling of her sound -- was cemented by this sparse, heartbreakingly lovely bit of genius.


45. The Wet Secrets, "Grow Your Own Fucking Moustache, Asshole" (from Rock Fantasy)

While there were a lot of bands over the past decade who could be described as "orchestral pop", there were far, far fewer who could be described as "marching band pop". In fact, the only band I know that fits that description is The Wet Secrets, who sounded like a marching band from the depths of hell on this song.

44. The Acorn, "Blankets" (from Blankets!)

While The Acorn get all kind of praise for their softer, more intricate music, as far as I'm concerned the band is at their best when they're at their loudest, and I don't think they've ever been as loud -- and, possibly by extension, as good -- as they are on "Blankets". When Rolf Klausener shouts "The blankets of this city will never keep you warm!" as the guitars explode behind him, he's speaking the kind of frustration that can be understood by anyone from a city like Ottawa, where you're close enough to a bigger metropolis (in this case, like Toronto or Montreal) that you can see how arts-friendly a place can be, but far enough away that you're constantly reminded of how stifling your own city can be. That said, the song is good enough that the sentiment never comes off as whiny or complaining.

43. Hayden, "Don't Get Down" (from Elk Lake Serenade)

It's kind of weird that Hayden's entry on this list is so (relatively) happy and upbeat, since he gained his reputation by being neither of this things. Nonetheless, there's something so resilient about this song that it just can't be denied, while Hayden's sadsack-iness means the song never sounds too trite or saccharine.

42. K'Naan, "Wavin' Flag" (from Troubadour)

This song is just so...uplifting. I'm not normally one for songs that fit that adjective, but it's hard not to feel a little inspired every time the beats kick in after K'Naan softly croons the song's first line.

41. The New Pornographers, "Twin Cinema" (from Twin Cinema)

Speaking of things for which I'm not normally one...The New Pornographers' brand of power-pop was, for the most part, not my thing. The one obvious exception is this song, which -- for me, at least -- perfectly fit both halves of that descriptor. The riff was big and powerful, and the whole song is undeniably, unforgettably catchy.


40. The Stills, "Still In Love Song" (from Logic Will Break Your Heart)

Once upon a time, before their drummer became their lead singer and they joined Arts & Crafts, The Stills were awesome. That description doesn't suit their generic brand of rock anymore, but at the beginning of the decade, the band was at the forefront of the nascent wave of great Canadian bands. If you want to know why, just listen to this song in all its throbbing, pounding glory.

39. Wildlife, "Sea Dreamer" (from Live)

Just read this. "Sea Dreamer" sounds like an invading army pouring through your speakers.

38. Entire Cities, "Talkers" (from Deep River)

Literate, intelligent lyrics coupled with Simon Borer's testifying vocals make this song impossible to resist.

37. The Bicycles, "Paris Be Mine" (from The Good, The Bad And The Cuddly)

The handclaps, the bouncy riff, the deceptively simple lyrics...this song is like aural sugar, but it's just on the right side of sweet.

36. Beth In Battle Mode, "No Feeling" (from Technical Know-How)

Catchy, '60s-influenced garage pop doesn't get much better than this.


35. The Unicorns, "I Was Born (A Unicorn)" (from Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?)

Within this song you'll hear everything you need to know about The Unicorns. They could be pretentious, they could be obnoxious, they seemed to hate each other. Oh, and they were collectively geniuses who knew how to write unforgettable pop songs.

34. Plants & Animals, "Bye Bye Bye" (from Parc Avenue)

Jammy prog-rock shouldn't sound as good as this...but it does, entirely because Plants & Animals push things so far over the top that it all ends up sounding gloriously huge.

33. Bonjour Brumaire, "Brooklyn" (from De la nature des foules)

Catchy, melodic pop that's catchy enough and melodic enough to overcome any language barriers that might have otherwise stood in its way.

32. The Weekend, "Perfect World" (from Teaser)

On first listen, "Perfect World" sounds like your typical girl-fronted pop-punk (with a much heavier emphasis on the former half of that equation). But it has a way of working its way into your memory and not letting go, to the point that, six years or so after I first heard it, I still listen to it on a fairly regular basis.

31. Arcade Fire, "Intervention" (from Neon Bible)

I still can't say that I like much of Neon Bible. It has a couple of really good songs, and about twice as many boring ones. That said, one of those really good songs was "Intervention", which is really, really, really good. From the opening organ blast it seems to surge forward alongside Win Butler's insistent vocals, to the point that its crescendoing culmination seems like the only way the song could possibly end. As far as I'm concerned, this is the one moment on Arcade Fire's second full-length where their achievements match their ambition.


30. Dan Mangan, "Robots" (from Nice, Nice, Very Nice)

The more I listen to this song, the more I'm convinced that the titular robots are a metaphor for...well, pretty much everyone, since everyone needs love. With that reading, the song's message is kind of cheesy, but the way Dan Mangan delivers it is so sincere, it's hard not to feel moved by it.

29. Great Bloomers, "Catching Up" (from Great Bloomers)

It's kind of mind-boggling that Great Bloomers hadn't even been around a year when they released their self-titled debut EP back in 2007. Specifically, it's astonishing that a band that had been around for so short a time was able to come up with a song as exceptional as "Catching Up". Young bands don't usually sound so...old. Or mature. Or patient. Yet the band spends the first two minutes throwing out some impressive, Beach Boys-style harmonies before they finally get to the core of the song. And when they do, the vocals still sound amazing, the musicianship gets better and better, and the whole thing is just magical. I've no idea whether it's even possible for Great Bloomers to top their very first ever recorded moment, but even if they don't, I think it's safe to say most bands could be together a lifetime and not come up with something as good as this.

28. The Be Good Tanyas, "The Littlest Birds" (from Blue Horse)

I'll admit, a big part of why I like this song is that it has some good memories for me -- it's a light, upbeat tune that was introduced to me by the woman who became my wife this past summer (which meant that, when I first heard it, I was feeling pretty light and upbeat myself). Even if I didn't have those memories, though, I suspect this would still be one of my favourite songs.

27. Amos The Transparent (featuring Amy Millan), "After All That, It's Come To This" (from Everything I've Forgotten To Forget)

I've loved pretty much every song on this album at one point or another, but I'm going with this one since it was the track that first convinced me that Jonathan Chandler and co. were on to something special. After all, it's the song on their debut where they take one of Stars' main vocalists (Amy Millan), write a track that wouldn't be out of place on any of Stars' albums...but sounds better than almost anything Stars has ever produced. It's a bold move, but it made me sit up and take notice of the band. A couple of years later, I've yet to be disappointed by them, and I trace it all back to this track.

26. Black Hat Brigade, "Swords" (from Black Hat Brigade)

I get the chills every time I hear this song's rumbling bassline. To some extent, that's because it always reminds me of the third ihm festival, when Black Hat Brigade opened for Handsome Furs and this was the song that made everyone in the room go nuts. The band attributes it to there being a couple of start-stop moments, but I prefer to think it was because this track is just plain amazing.


25. Two Hours Traffic, "Stuck For The Summer" (from Little Jabs)

It's hard to pick out just one song on an album full of summery pop gems, but "Stuck For The Summer" probably captures Two Hours Traffic at their catchy best. The riff is unforgettable, the chorus is instantly memorable, and you're liable to be singing it over and over again until you're sick of it (assuming, that is, that it's even possible to get sick of it -- I've listened to it quite a bit, and I haven't reached that point yet).

24. Corb Lund, "Horse Soldier, Horse Soldier" (from Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!)

An old-school country song about the history of horses may not be everyone's cup of tea, but -- to my surprise -- it was definitely mine.