From: owner-canadian-music-digest@smoe.org (canadian-music-digest) To: canadian-music-digest@smoe.org Subject: canadian-music-digest V3 #91 Reply-To: canadian-music@smoe.org Sender: owner-canadian-music-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-canadian-music-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk canadian-music-digest Thursday, December 21 2000 Volume 03 : Number 091 Today's Subjects: ----------------- (OAC) Best of 2000... ["Tabassum Siddiqui" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 04:27:53 From: "Tabassum Siddiqui" Subject: (OAC) Best of 2000... Well, I know most of us have already weighed in with year-end lists, but being a master procrastinator , I've left it to the last minute as usual. But here goes, anyway: Honourable Mentions: - - Nelly Furtado, "Whoa, Nelly": Pop with smarts. Radio-friendly pop fodder, to be sure, but fun, fun, fun all the same. :) - - Holly Palmer, "Tender Hooks": Thanks goes out to Dana for snagging me a copy of this album earlier this year, seeing as the misguided folks at Holly's label have yet to even release it. Too long by half, but some really interesting electro/jazz/pop stuff going on here. - - Wild Strawberries, "Twist": Well, you know it's been a good year in music when one of your favourite bands ends up with only an honourable mention. ;) Typical sweet Strawbs pop, but they can do better than this. IMO, they're playing it safe after the darker, more experimental "Quiver". 10. Dot Allison, "Afterglow": A record that seems to have fallen beneath the radar of mainstream, the former One Dove member puts a sophisticated, hypnotic spin on electro-pop. Allison deserves to be known as more than "the guy from Death in Vegas' girlfriend". ;) 9. King Cobb Steelie, "Mayday": The groove kings from Guelph were doing the electro thing before anyone else, so it makes sense that they'd finally get around to crafting songs made entirely of samples. All their inventiveness remains, however, and guest vocalists Tamara Williamson and Michelle McAdorey lend their distinctive voices to the mix. 8. Starling, "Sustainer": Repeat after me - "Time Bomb Records sucks." ;-P No longer with the Arista imprint, the lads with the killer tunes can content themselves knowing that they made one of the hookiest damn albums of 2000 that was fun and clever to boot. 7. Leona Naess, "Comatised": From the Gryner School of Heartbreak Pop, it's easy to see why this debut was enthusiastically championed by the gal herself. ;) 6. Daddy Szigeti, s/t: Miss Feist's partner-in-crime for most of 2000, Dave 'Daddy' Szigeti seems single-handedly determined to resurrect the jangly, charming pop-rock of the '70s. Drenched in strings and hooky harmonies, his self-titled debut can be seen as a companion album to Leslie's "Monarch" (on which he played and arranged the strings - she returns the favour by playing and singing all over his record). 5. Emm Gryner - "Dead Relatives": One day we'll be able to say we knew her when. Until then, it's a treat to go back to her musical roots to see where she's coming from, while marvelling at where she's headed. 4. Dar Williams - "The Green World": Ah, Dar. If you're not a convert of Miss Williams' cult yet, we're comin' to getcha. ;) Sublime melodies meet incisive lyrics in the best of the singer-songwriter tradition, updated with some smooth, modern production. This ain't your parents' folk music. 3. The New Deal - "This is Live" ('99) and Live from Guelph EP ('00): Discovery of the year, and judging by the frenzied word-of-mouth and rapidly expanding crowds, I'm not alone. Toronto's breakbeat trio lay down the grooves nice and easy on '99's full-length, and then showcase their manic current live throwdowns with their recent energetic EP. 2. Leslie Feist - "Monarch": Released in '99, I only got around to finally getting my hands on it at the beginning of the year after hearing relentless buzz about this gal. The praise is warranted - this is star-dusted mood music heaven. 1. Sarah Harmer - "You Were Here": I think we've all heard more than enough from me about this album, so I'll simply reiterate: A beautiful, timeless modern classic. 'Nuff said. All in all, a good year in music. Here's looking forward to more of the same in 2001! - - Tab :) _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. ------------------------------ End of canadian-music-digest V3 #91 ***********************************