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Having a favourite Canadian band is like having a favourite pair of old underwear; you're glad it's there, and you really don't want to throw it away, but if you're asked about it, you'll have to admit that you're not really sure what drew you to buy it in the first place.

Canadian music is much like Canada itself, in that it's not so much defined by what it is, as by what it's not.  As we struggle to find our own national identity, it stands to reason that that same struggle would be found in our art.

At the recent Juno Awards ceremony, I realized that if someone from Europe, Africa, or Asia who had no knowledge of North American music were to watch the show, they would be hard pressed to determine the difference between "our" music, and that of the U.S..  Sure, the artists were from Canada, but the music was pretty much the same as that which you would hear on a radio station in the U.S.:  a lot of modern rock, a half-baked attempt at paying tribute to older artists, and a little dance and pop.

The problem is that none of us have any idea what Canadian music is supposed to sound like.

Is Canadian music the meandering charm of bar bands like theTragically Hip?  Or the rootsy sensibility of Blue Rodeo or Bruce Cockburn?  Much of the world thinks it's the bombastic beltings of Bryan Adams or Celine Dion.

Truthfully, it's all of these things. And none of them.

Canadian music today is nothing more and nothing less than music created by people who live in this country.  Very little of our popular music is based on any indigenous music that was created here, like jazz or hip hop is in the U.S..  Quite possibly the only popular exception to this is Great Big Sea, a band whose music is so profoundly linked to the geographical location in which it's members grew up, it might as well have been called the St. Johns Marching Band.

With our close proximity to the U.S., it stands to reason that much of our music, TV, and popular culture are inextricably tied to our neighbours to the south.  So while it's nice for us to say that someone like Shania Twain or Diana Krall is"ours", there's no evidence that the same talent couldn't have been created in Seattle, or Buffalo.

I don't say these things to denigrate the great musicians wehave in this country, but to simply point out a hard fact: there isn't much point in celebrating Canadian music if the only artists we seem to celebrate are the ones who sound like they could come from the U.S..   That being said, there are a lot of very talented musicians in this country, with unique voices and abilities, who sound nothing like musicians anywhere else.  Do yourself a favour, and pay tribute to your country's art, by celebrating your country's true artists.

To that point, I've decided to tell you about 7 recent Canadianalbums that you might not know about but I think that you should.

• JoelPlaskett - Three .  Joel Plaskett is like Canada's answer to Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, and James Taylor... if those 3 guys sang about crappy bars in Kelowna, and were virtually unknown outside of Halifax.  His newest record is a fantastic triple disc album full of catchy pop rock instant classics. If this doesn't win the Polaris Prize this year, I'll kiss LeonardCohen on the mouth.

• Apollo Ghosts - Hastings Sunrise .   A fairly new Vancouver band.  If you like your indie-pop simple, funny, and catchy, then this band is for you.

• Japandroids - Post-Nothing .  Only time will tell if these guys will be able to live up to the huge amount of hype that they're currently getting, but at the end of theday they still put out a fantastic rock and roll record that's raw, yet melodic.

• Malajube - Labyrinthes .  A decent second album from this Montreal based emo-prog band.  A little slick in some areas, but great if heavier bands like Mew aren't your cup of tea.

• Lhasa De Sala - Lhasa .  De Sala's first full length English language album may lack some of the exotic otherworldliness of her first 2 records, but it more than makes up for it in terms of pure emotion.  Fans of the Tindersticks or the RedHouse Painters will love this hauntingly beautiful little album.

• Darcy James Argue's Secret Society - Infernal Machines .  I'm cheating a little on this one since Argue's band is currently based in Brooklyn, but he's originally from Vancouver.  He's put together an interesting addition to the 21 ^st century's big band canon, using modern instrumentation in tandem with the standard horns and reeds you would find in more traditional large jazz ensembles.  Though a little cold for my liking, fans of bands like TV on the Radio who are looking for something a little different will appreciate this.

• Charles Spearin - The Happiness Project .  Although linking jazz with spoken word isn't exactly a new concept, Broken Social Scene's Charles Spearin does it with a seamless joy that is often missing in today's improvised music.

And for something a little different, here's the best documentary about a failed Canadian heavy metal band you'll see this year:

• Anvil! The Story of Anvil! Directed by Sascha Gervasi.  A great little documentary about a great little metal band that time forgot.  Although it could be looked upon as a damning indictment of the music industry as a whole, I choose to look at it as the story of 2 best friends who have spenttheir lives being lucky enough to do exactly what they love doing best.

Happy Canada Day folks.

Message Edited by TimR on 07-01-2009 12:00 PM

Message Edited by Laura on 08-21-2009 10:11 AM