Well this week its been Canadian tunes that have dominated my playlist. Most people when asked about Canada think of snow, cold weather, snow, and well more cold weather. But actual people do live here, and there’s even running water!
There’s also a lot of musical talent eh?
Don’t worry, there’s no Celine Dion on this weeks playlist (and most likely never). No Avril Lavigne either, or Sum 41 or Nickleback or Bryan Adams.
These are the songs of artists not too many people outside of Canada know about.
For instance: Our Lady Peace. A rock band that has dished out some really great tunes over the years. From one of their best albums: Happiness is not a Fish comes the song “Thief”, a song I’d like to think is about death. Also give a listen to “Innocent”, a song which I’d like to think is about people with big dreams. If you’re mp3 digging this week, look for other great hits like “Is Anybody Home?” and “Somewhere Out there”. Raine Maida, the band’s lead singer, is actually married to another Canadian talent…
Which brings us to Chantel Kreviazuk. Give a listen to her most popular song (I think), the piano and instrumental driven “Time”. Reminds me of Vanessa Carlton’s 1,000 Miles.
Another female artist is one of my favorites: Nelly Furtado who made it big a few years back with the single “I’m Like a Bird”. The two songs on my playlist are “Hey, Man” and “Powerless”, the first from the first album and the second from the second album.
The more politically inclined artists are Bif Naked and Matthew Good. The later is actually the reason I first wanted to buy a CD player as a teenager. The song “Strange Days” off the beautiful album Beautiful Midnight was just incredibly haunting that I had to get it. The video was also an amazing concept that I really loved. I can’t find it anywhere online but there’s another great song for Matthew Good that is just as great and comes with an equally great video: called “Weapon”. That one you can watch here, courtesy of You Tube.
Lastly, two more known artists are Alanis Morissette and the Barenaked Ladies. While Alanis has had a lot of great hits I like the single “Uninvited” from the City of Angles soundtrack. Barenaked Ladies have also had a lot of great hits but I think “Pinch Me” from the album Maroon is my favorite.
So there you have it. 9 songs from the Great White North that you may not be so familiar with.
Check them all out this week on The Black Iris Radio
Hey,
I would add Sarah Harmer to this last; she is amazingly talented and Canadian (went to school at Queen’s, actually). And my favorite new talent: Fiest.