Is Canada's indie rock scene waning?
musicismylife78
Posts: 6,116
Seems like there were 10 bands coming up every few months for awhile there. Been quiet in Montreal...are the "next seattle" cries fading?
after all the seattle scene was only stamped on the cultural consciousness from the release of nevermind in 1991 to kurts death in 1994. and you could argue the canadian scene started in 2004 with Funeral.
after all the seattle scene was only stamped on the cultural consciousness from the release of nevermind in 1991 to kurts death in 1994. and you could argue the canadian scene started in 2004 with Funeral.
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With bands like Stars, Feist, Metric/Emily Haines, Jason Collett, and Broken Social Scene, to name a few, I think we're doing just fine thankyou! The scene is great, and very communial, something I like.
It may be different for me, being in Ottawa, so these bands cmoe around quite often. Still, I think the arts-crafts scene is doing quite well. I'm seeing Feist on the 25th of October, and am hoping she makes an appearance with Broken Social Scene on the 30th! I've seen Amy Milan collaberate with Jason Collett live, just to name a few.
On another note, Canada is a hell of a lot bigger than seattle, and the scene is a hell of a lot bigger than The Arcade Fire.
Edit: Also, check out Wintersleep!
You can add The Constantines to the Arts&Crafts scene, as their latest album "Kensington Heights" (which in my humble opinion is the best album of 2008 so far) was released on Arts&Crafts earlier this year.
And yes, Wintersleep are amazing! As mentioned in numerous other threads on this very same topic, there's a lot more to the Canadian music scene than Montreal and the Arts&Crafts family. Check out any of the following artists and prepare to have your freakin' mind blown:
The Weakerthans
Cuff the Duke
Sarah Harmer
Kathleen Edwards
Sam Roberts
New Pornographers
Matt Mays & El Torpedo
Joel Plaskett
Ron Hawkins/Lowest of the Low
Matthew Good
Hayden
Kate Fenner (she may live in New York now, but she's still a Canuck)
Rheostatics (R.I.P.)
-Tom Waits
What he said.
-Tom Waits
Firstly, what the hell is the canadian scene? It's a whole country with MANY types of music coming from it. Secondly, if we perceive Arcade Fire to be part of a Montreal scene, you would have to look back to around 1995-1998 with Godspeed You! Black Emperor and their recording studio/performance room which birthed a great deal of bands, to see the beginnings of that scene which included the other Canadian post-rock bands and then offshoots like Arcade Fire and Bell Orchestre.
As for whether or not it is waning, scenes are irrelevant. The music will still be coming from Canada, it's just that the focus upon it is no longer so strong from the media etc because it has been 4 years since Funeral and the ADD music industry has moved onto other things. I sincerely doubt any less bands are forming in Canada than there were a few years ago.
I saw Sam Roberts this year, and he was absolutley amazing!!! Kathleen Edwards is also great (and from my hometown). Matt Mays, never seen him, but apparantly puts on a hell of a show, and I'm seeing Hayden open for Feist.
So radiohead, I think Canada is ok!
The Dears.
Needed to be mentioned.
http://www.joelplaskett.com
and sam's newest one is a+++
http://www.samrobertsband.com
radiohead33 needs to buy those 2 cds
wadda ya waiting for?
Chcked out Metric's Grow Up and Blow Away album a week or two ago, good stuff.
that album is such shit compared to the first two.
grow up and blow away was recorded in 99 i think, no idea why they would put out two great albums and go back and put that out. pissed me off.
I've heard some of the new stuff live (probably 6-7 different songs) and they all sound great!
I don't mind GUABA, and Rock Me Now kicks ass live.
Reefer, its also worth checking out Emily Haines' solo stuff, and PM me if you want her original solo album.
Don't have much to say about the Canadian indie scene, though.
Couldnt disagree more, I was young in 1994, but anyone alive at that time can tell you the feeling that was evident in ALL our hometowns and all our homes. It was a sickening feeling. When Kurt died, everything fell apart. The media left seattle, after the initial shock of his death wore off. And bands plike Soundgarden and PJ and Alice still made records, but things had changed.
For everyones moaning about kurt on this board, his death and his art, his life, it impacted a whole lot of folks. I never knew the guy, I never saw PJ or Nirvana in their prime. I was too young, but as I said, the feeling of being part of a movement, reguardless of my age was palpable. And that feeling vanished when kurt died. I remember precisely where I was, how I felt, and the exact position of the article in the newspaper. His death had a huge impact on my life. Just imagine the impact on all those who knew him.
And if you talked to ed, or sub pop or whoever, kurts death would be viewed in that way as well. Grunge was from 1991-1994. Any attempts to say other wise are frankly ignoring the facts
I think the Arcade Fire, and the Constantines are amongst the best that this country has to offer. Sam Roberts and The Tragically Hip are still probably the best, but I suppose they aren't indie.
Good post! My thoughts on some of the artists you mentioned:
I tried to get into Metric, but their music doesn't really do much for me. "Live it Out" is a solid album, but everything else they've done is pretty weak in my opinion.
Broken Social Scene has put out some fantastic music, and I think they're a terrific band. But unfortunately their worldwide fame has turned Kevin Drew into a pretentious holier-than-thou douchebag. His obsession with keeping his indie cred intact has become increasingly annoying. Don't get me wrong...he's a talented guy, but he really needs to lighten the fuck up and get over himself.
Arcade Fire are a great band. It's astonishing to me that they're only about 5 years into their career and they've already released two classic albums.
Feist: She's awesome. I love her.
Wolf Parade: Not my cup of tea.
The Constantines are hands down one of the best indie-rock bands in the world right now. And Sam Roberts is just as amazing.
As for the Hip, it's true they aren't exactly "indie". They're insanely popular and are signed to a major label. But I would argue that in many ways they're more indie than most indie bands are. I just love how they operate. Major label or not, they've always marched to the beat of their own drum, and they basically do whatever they want. They're very much like Pearl Jam in that respect. Through good old fashioned hard work and constant touring they've built unshakeable loyalty in both their fans and the rest of the Canadian music industry. They're also well into a remarkable 20-year creative run that has outlasted just about every other band from their generation. I've always admired that about them, and for my money they're still the best rock n' roll band on the planet.
-Tom Waits
As for Metric, they're worth checking out live, their shows are always fun.
This whole Broken Social Scene and all the bands that spawn from them have been deceiving for me, much more so than the Montreal "scene". I saw Feist at the Bronson Centre last year I think it was and snore. Saw Emily Haines there too...boring. Metric at Osheaga, boring. Stars in Toronto, boring..I know they say they're from Montreal, but they seem to fit more into that Toronto scene. I love Amy Millan though, she's classic 80's.
One of my favourite Canadian bands by far are The Sadies. They've backed everyone from Neko Case to Gord Downie. They have a number of their own cd's out which are so diverse and great, love them. Great live band too.
Apart from all the bands that get all the hype though, there are some really awesome Canadian bands. They've been there before the hype and will be there when it dies down if it hasn't already. This is probably true for just about any city anywhere you go.
Good call! The Sadies are incredible. I've seen them live a couple of times over the last two years and they blew my mind each time. Such a great live band. They're putting out an album with Gord Downie soon and I can't wait to hear the results.
Which reminds me, here's a short vid of Gord & the Sadies playing the Stooges' "Search & Destory" at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S7dzxzgQoc
-Tom Waits
Stars, when I saw them at bluesfest, were absolutley STUNNING live, even if the guy comes across as a bit cocky. I agree on the Amy Milan comment though.
You gonna catch BSS at the Bronson Centre in October?
I saw the sadies and Gord at the CBC taping for Fuse, I didn't know they did any other shows together. Thanks!
I also saw the Sadies backing Greg Keelor a few years ago which was way better than I expected.
No, I'm going to see David Byrne in Montreal that night.
I'm going to the Wintersleep show on OCt. 4 though, I'm not sure if it's all ages or not though.
I've been obsessed with Wintersleep for the past couple of years. "Welcome to the Night Sky" is one of the best rock albums I've heard in ages. It was my pick for best album of 2007 and I still listen to it daily. Their live show kicks ass.
-Tom Waits
I'm listening to Feist as I type, and Kathleen Edwards released my favorite album of 2008 (thus far), just to name two examples.
I saw them at Bluesfest, WELL worth your time!
I know...saw them a few times already
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In short, "the scene" is used way too frequently by the media. It's lost all meaning :mad:
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lately i've been listening to XM Satellite Radio, and channel 52 "The Verge" is like listening to any local canadian station! i'd say 90% of the music played on The Verge is Canadian - and it's the best stuff going!
it's good to know that bands from our wee little canadian towns are getting broadcast worldwide!! :cool:
*edit* - ok, i just learned that XM52 is a Canadian station, and that 100% of bands on there are from here..... still.... it's got the best tunes around. if it's not available in the states, you guys are missing out!!
Holy Fuck is indeed a cool band. And Sloan too of course! It's been a long time since I've heard anyone mention the Killjoys. They were one of my favorite Canadian indie bands back in the 90s, along with Change of Heart, hHead, Weeping Tile, the Skydiggers, and dozens of others.
-Tom Waits