The Acorn ~ Glory Hope Mountain (Paper Bag)A song cycle that doesn't suck, but sucks you into its remarkable journey. The Acorn's delicate songs are bolstered by the strongest playing and arrangements on this list. Beautiful music.
Arcade Fire ~ Neon Bible
(Merge)It really is a great album, isn't it? I mean, you can backlash and bully it all you like, but you can't take away it's passion and power. "No Cars Go" and "Keep The Car Running" remain breathtaking.
Attack In Black ~ Marriage
(Dine Alone)Marriage is the partnering of emo-core's bombastic assault and indie's pop sensibilities; it is the start of what should be a long and gorgeous career for a distinctly Canadian act.
Basia Bulat ~ Oh My Darling
(Hardwood/Rough Trade)Funky folk, finger-plucking and hand claps galore. You'd be hard pressed to find a more unique sounding record this year.
The Besnard Lakes ~ The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse
(Jagjaguwar)Haunting harmonies and sprawling jams. Bombastic pop from an inspired cross between the Beach Boys and Spiritualized.
The Besnard Lakes "And You Lied To Me"
The Details ~ Draw a Distance. Draw a Border.
(Parliament of Trees)Like The Weakerthans, The Details deal in smart, snappy power pop that rocks your speakers and moves your sneakers. The difference, though is in the details so to speak: Draw A Distance... is peppered with delicate beauty and country-tinged balladry.
Feist ~ The Reminder (Arts & Crafts)It will outlast the iPods it's currently hocking as a classic singer-songwriter album. Here's hoping the next album distances itself from its predecessor and take Feist in a new direction and not repeat success.
Great Lake Swimmers ~ Ongiara
(Weewerk)"Your Rocky Spine" should have been on my list of favourite songs of 2007, and I'm sorry I left it off. Do yourself a favour and pick up this widely overlooked album, and see why GLS are called a Canadian folk symphonic treasure.
Great Lake Swimmers "Your Rocky Spine"
Handsome Furs ~ Plague Park (Sub Pop)Mechanical animated animals torn between rural life and urban drone. The most surprising and welcomed Wolf Parade side-project of the year. I hope there's more to come.
Handsome Furs "Cannot Get Started"
New Pornographers ~ Challengers
(Last Gang)Though it lost some of the sparkle and shine of Twin Cinema, Challengers was the strongest power pop album of the year, and cements the New Pornographers as one of the most consistent and important Canadian acts of the decade.
New Pornographers "My Rights Versus Yours"
Maybe Smith ~ Animals & Architects (Sir, Handsome)Unclassifiable techno-flavoured pop from the heart of the prairies. A joyous Canadian indie album of the first order.
Maybe Smith "Open War"
Miracle Fortress ~ Five Roses (Secret City)More gorgeous melodies set to drone from a psychedelic/dream-pop auteur. Five Roses was the soundtrack for hazy, lazy summer days spent dreaming of love.
Miracle Fortress "Have You Seen In Your Dreams"
Vivek Shraya ~ If We're Not Talking (self-released)More eclectic, electronic-minded pop styling from a bedroom recording maverick. If there were any justice in the world, Shraya would have himself a recording and distribution deal by the end of the year. His cover of the White Stripes "Seven Nation Army" is awesome.
Stars ~ In Our Bedroom After the War
(Arts & Crafts)More direct that Set Yourself On Fire, IOBATW saw Stars stretch their sound to extremes, be it the stirring balladry of "Barricade" or the straight-ahead rock of "Take Me To The Riot".
Rufus Wainwright ~ Release the Stars
(Dreamworks)It may be the only album on the list with major label backing, but Release The Stars is very much an indie album in the sense that it sets out on it's own trajectory and carves out a comet tail of stardust across the musical sky that seems to run in the opposite direction of everything else. The title track is a heartbreaking beauty.
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