Those of you that follow our blog know that we’ve been dedicating blog posts to several albums celebrating their tenth anniversary this year. It’s an interesting list, to say the least. They are not albums that one might have expected to get a ten-year retrospective upon their initial release. All of them though had some personal significance for the artists who made them: whether the album was a debut or final release, the first on a new label (or first without a label), or an unexpected shift in sound and style, each album is a marker on their individual journeys.

I’m guessing that, in ten years, there’s going to be a lot of looking back on 13th Floor, the debut solo album from Haviah Mighty. For one thing, it now sits among the growing number of Polaris Music Prize-winning albums — records that have been singled out as being the best of the year based on the merit of its artistry. There are several accolades and citations that go along with Mighty’s Polaris win: first female rapper to win; first rap record to win (if you don’t consider Kaytranada’s 99.9% rap). She’s got a legacy now, a place in Canadian music history, but that’s not what we’re going to be talking about in ten years. At least, it’s not what we should be talking about. What makes 13th Floor the kind of record that endures long past its media cycle is its raw honesty and vulnerability. When society and culture threw up barriers, sent Mighty and her contemporaries the message that their lived experience didn’t matter, wasn't worthy of note and recognition, she found within her the courage to share it anyway. Mighty summoned her innate creativity to find a way to express her reality through universal themes. She challenged preconceived notions; she explored perspectives and gave voice to marginalized people.

Haviah Mighty made art. Art worth exploring and celebrating. Art that reflects on past injustices, shines a light on the inequities of the present, and will resonate with others who will hear her work in the future. And for that reason, she’s also made history.

Jim Di Gioia

▶︎▶︎ LPS / EPS

Pretty Matty, Pretty Matty (Toronto, ON)
Toronto's Pretty Matty don't take a breath on their energetic self-titled debut LP. Lead by Matty Morand, the band steadily charge through 10 punk tracks with a whole lot of attitude and vigour.
Laura Stanley | RIYL Pony | Have you also heard? Lonely Parade
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Paragon Cause, Lies Between Us (Ottawa, ON)
Paragon Cause enlisted the help of Sune Rose Wagner of The Raveonettes to create Lies Between Us but the often dark, fizzling synths and 808 and 909 drum machines dominate the record so it seems more at home at a 90s warehouse rave that is dimly lit than the big stages that The Raveonettes played. In contrast to the darkness of the instrumentals, the vocals of Michelle Othop are a searchlight, slowly and steadily moving about, mostly illuminating nothing, but occasionally helping us see what was hiding in plain sight.
Jon Neher | RIYL Skinny Puppy, Massive Attack | Have you also heard? ELMS

Low Chord, LC01 (Hamilton, ON)
Anyone even vaguely familiar with the musical output of Other Songs Records (Hamilton's best-kept musical secret) will recognize the electronic noodling as the work of label founder Scott Orr. For Low Chord, he's joined by pianist Gareth Inkster on a fascinating collection of tiny moments, stacked on atop the other, the amount to a masterclass in minimalist composition. 
Jim Di Gioia | RIYL Scott Orr | Have you also heard? Loscil

Veneer, Veneer (Winnipeg, MB)
Nothing feels false about Winnipeg band Veneer and their debut self-titled release. The trio's pop-rock sounds scrappy and fun - the croons of a saxophone in the background round things out really well - and their lyrics cut very close: "If you come over it would be a shame if everything got cold before you even came," Talula Schlegel sings on closer "Bianca Casual". So for an earnest listen, look no further than Veneer.
Laura Stanley | RIYL BBQT  | Have you also heard? Mulligrub

Wellington Sanipe, Issues (Ottawa, ON)
On his latest release Issues, Ottawa-based experimental artist Wellington Sanipe crafts contemplative synth music that is perfect for your next study session, meditation break, or bout of late-night thinking. Each of the three lengthy tracks, which on Bandcamp Sanipe denotes as "a bridge, lament, woe," are distinctive pieces yet would all sound good in a 1980s sci-fi movie.
Laura Stanley | RIYL Sarah Davachi | Have you also heard? Alaskan Tapes

Badge Époque Ensemble, Badge Époque Ensemble (Toronto, ON)
Max “Slim Twig” Turnbull and company bring unexpected joy via psychedelic instrumental funk, a combination that in theory sounds about as appetizing as maple covered Brussels sprouts in tomato chutney, but in practice is finely balanced, surprisingly limber, and repetitively palatable. Serve it with a fine wine or a favourite THC-infused edible and let this ensemble have its way with you.
Jim Di Gioia | RIYL Absolutely Free | Have you also heard? Owen Davies
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• Chad McCoy, Packin' Light (Dartmouth, NS)
• Britt A. M., Psychic Knots (Prince George/Lheidli T'enneh, BC)
• Sunglaciers, Foreign Bodies (Calgary, AB)
• Bombnivores, Metamorphonic (Halifax, NS)
• Weather Control, Pretty sad, pretty cool (Montréal, QC)
• TuneTown, There From Here (Toronto, ON)
• Kyle Genesis, BAG TALK (Mississauga, ON)
• MaartenBayliss, Speaks (Vancouver, BC)
• Kevin A, Tropic (Scarborough, ON)

▶︎▶︎ SONGS

“Take Me to the Ocean" by Gnarfunkel (Vancouver, BC)
Instead of the shreddy riff-fest you might expect from their name, "Take Me to the Ocean" is a compactly arranged pop song that brings to mind late-night sing-a-longs around a beach fire pit, as well as west-coast bands like Said the Whale and Hey Ocean. Best enjoyed in an authentic Cowichan Salish sweater.
Jon Neher | RIYL Said The Whale | Have you also heard? gullet

“At Least We Know" by YSSY (Toronto, ON)
Toronto's YSSY feels like it's brimming with ideas on its latest single. There's a number of slick, vintage synth-pop sounds blended together for maximum coolness on this breezy song about trying something out, even when you know it's probably going to turn out badly. It's a nice transition of summer sounds to autumn themes.
Michael Thomas | RIYL Carly Rae Jepsen | Have you also heard? Smaller Hearts

“Spider Blues" by Danielle Dayton (Edmonton, AB)
Albertan Danielle Dayton has described herself as a “Millenium blues artist,” and her sound lives up to every connotation that term has. Bluesy with a modern sensibility and a knack for lyrics that paint vignettes as vivid as an Instagram story, Dayton shines on “Spider Blues”, a swampy strutting tale of innocence getting caught in a web of lies and deceit.
Jim Di Gioia | RIYL Orville Peck | Have you also heard? Marissa Burwell

• “The Dark" by Jocelyn Alice (Calgary, AB)
• “Hope is a Bird” by Eunice Keitan (Toronto, ON)
• “Learn to Swim” by JAYA (Victoria, BC)
• “The Best Thing” by OCÉANE (Montréal, QC)
• “Backseat” by James Clayton (Montréal, QC)
• “L.U.2.H” by MILQ (Edmonton, AB)

 

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