Ten albums I fell in love with in the last twelve months, even if a couple came out earlier than that.
Albums 20-11
20.
Niina — Honestly, does this smell off to you?
This English producer/singer/rapper’s debut record is varied, surprising and fun as hell. Her self-deprecating humour and confident production lend depth to her multi-genre dancefloor record
19.
No Beauty — No Beauty Will Remain
A lovely and heartfelt collection of indie-folk songs from Hamilton. No Beauty often reminds me of Canadian legends like The Weakerthans and the Rural Alberta Advantage. Singer Helena Alexandra’s twangy, breaking vocal sets a meditative and lovely mood.
18.
Kaeto — INTRO
Kaeto makes weird pop – unusual sounds and samples, mellow melodies and dancefloor beats. Her live performance of many of these songs gave them a completely different context. INTRO is deeper, more complex and more repeatable than other records in the genre.
17.
Math Club — Sleeping in the Sun
Wade Morrison has been releasing heart-on-sleeve emo songs for more than 10 years. Sleeping in the Sun lands somewhere between The Weakerthans and Dashboard Confessional, loaded with references to failed and failing relationships, redemption and small-town life.
16.
Kat Koan — Cocoon
Kat Koan’s Bandcamp-only release is sultry and alluring eur0pop, reminiscent of ’90s sounds of Morcheeba, Hooverphonic and Garbage. The vocal and production are unusually intimate. It’s the first album I ever purchased on Bandcamp.
15.
Bassvictim — Basspunk
Bassvictim is an electropop(ish) duo from London, who makes tracks that are carefully calibrated chaos. Basspunk is the genre title they concocted for their music, and it couldn’t me more apt. It’s vulgar, funny and electifying.
14.
Kee Avil — Spine
Kee Avil’s second album is experimental, noisy, melodic and exhiliarating. Every song is moody, cinematic and filled with sinister details that demand multiple close listens. It’s like the lost sountrack to a David Cronenberg film.
13.
No Sunshine Collective — Nothing Personal
Toronto punk rock band’s debut is 20 minutes long. It’s filled with fast, short, melodic, no-frills punk rock songs. Almost every song has a chorus that’d make a great audience sing-along. It’s loud, fun and over too soon.
12.
Days on Parade – The Point
From St. Catharines, Ontario, Days on Parade makes psychedelic punk rock, or hard psychedelia, maybe. Riss Nixon’s voice is evocative of Grace Slick, and complements the band’s incredible musicianship and ferocious pacing. The Point‘s catchy riffs and melodies make it a perfect road trip record.
11.
Miss Mae — Transit Jungle
Miss Mae takes all kinds of classic rock influences and reinvents them as their own. Singer Marissa Monk’s range, character and charisma is woven through every song. Transit Jungle feels like listening to a classic rock station playing deep cuts that you’ve somehow never heard before.