4. Chromeo, "Business Casual" (2010)

Hometown: Montreal, Quebec

Notable Songs: 'Hot Mess', 'Night by Night', 'Don't Turn the Lights On'

The first time you listen to this album, you're going to have a hard time believing it came from 2010. In fact, the second time you listen to it, you'll have a hard time believing it came from 2010. The third time, too.

I still can't believe it.

This is an album rooted in the 1980s, coupled with the dance movement of the early 1990s. If you're familiar with early dance music from the time of MC-Hammer, or reverbed-up hair metal guitar solos, you know this album already. And if you know the lyrics to the "Ghostbusters" song by heart, I can assure you you'll love this album.

I am saying this is as a compliment. These are guys (a jew and a palestinian, the first time those people have ever worked together in the history of the universe, I'm sure) who are paying a homage to a lost art, and they maybe even cover a bit of new ground with it.

And people are loving it - this is a duo that is definitely up and coming, making new fans everyday. I'm sure many of these fans are similar to myself- people that listen and hearken back to a simpler time, singing along in the backseat while your mom drove you to swim practice.

Or maybe it's just me.

"That Guy"

I'll admit it. I can be a bit of a know-it-all sometimes. But only sometimes.

(That sound you're hearing is all my friends laughing at once. My friends are jerks. Also, liars).

Usually, I'm good at suppressing the urge to "correct" someone, and just let it lie. But sometimes, my mouth works faster than my brain. For example, two weeks ago.

I was on a first date, and it was going well. We were walking down the inner harbour chatting, looking at the various pieces of art. Some guy had done these drawings of various musicians, and my eyebrows raised. There was a great piece of Paul McCartney, and another one of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.

While they were good likenesses, they were filled with background images of stars, and numbers. The Led Zeppelin piece, for example, had the number "1948" just written in the background. And unfortunately, crazy artist started talking (at length) explaining the "meaning" of his art to us. And there is nothing worse than an artist who has to explain what his "work" actually "means".

Come on. It's a ten dollar painting of a rock star. And you're selling T-shirts of it. I don't really need to know why you put a diamond in the background.

But anyways. Turns out "1948" was the year Robert Plant was born. I happen to know Robert Plant's birthday, because it's the same day as mine, so I had to correct him. "Robert Plant was born in 1950".

Turns out you can turn an already crazy artist even crazier by telling him that he got some info wrong in his piece. Also, it turns out that yeah, Robert Plant was born in 1948, and I'm just full of shit.

Also, it turns out that even when I'm on a first date, I'm still capable of being "that guy".

3. Jenn Grant, "Honeymoon Punch" (2011)

Hometown: Halifax, Nova Scotia

Notable Songs: 'All Year', 'Getcha Good', 'Walk Away'

This is a hard one to explain. I'd like to say it's pop music as sung by the girl next door... but that'd be a gross oversimplification, and an unfair one, at that. It's an album that has beautiful high notes sung over keyboards and drums that at time sound less like a pop album and more like a late-nineties industrial album.

Seriously, many of the keyboard-focused lines remind me of the days when I used to sit at home and listen to old homemade goth recordings... except Jenn Grant isn't singing downer songs about running mascara and bullies at school. She's instead singing remarkably upbeat songs. "Walk Away", for example, sounds almost like it was a pop song sung to instrumentals from a Skinny Puppy album.

Other songs sound a bit more "pop-like". "Getcha Good" is old school country in a lot of ways that reminded me instantly of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' cover of "Gone, Gone, Gone". And there are other songs that are carried by acoustic guitars or horn sections, in a more "traditional" Canadian indie vibe.

Moral of the story? This is an album that jumps genres readily, with everything kept together solely by Jenn Grant's crystal clear voice. Despite the variability of the tracks, and the genre switching, it has a unified voice that is remarkable. And dancingly upbeat. This is one of those albums you'll listen to a dozen times - and walk away smiling each time.

North Africa in the 1940s...

I've been thinking about the Second World War lately, and more specifically, my family's involvement in it. I've been tracking down things like my grandfather's unit designations, where he fought, where he was wounded, etc.

Because of this, I've also been thinking about other war stories regarding my family. My grandmother had four brothers (I believe), and none of them made it back alive. All but one died in combat. This is the story of that one.

His name was John*, and he was eighteen years old. He had enlisted as soon as he was able, having had to watch his older brothers go off to war. John went through basic training, and was assigned to a rifle company. He found himself on a transport ship, and wound up in North Africa.

This made him happy, as one of his brothers was serving in North Africa. This brother, by the way, was the guy who would introduce my grandmother to my grandfather, but that's another story for another time. Right now, we'll deal with John.

John found himself at the depot, his company loading onto trucks. Jack was the last person on the truck, which let him stare out at the desert landscape as they moved towards the front. No doubt John was nervous - would he get hit? Would he be killed?

They heard the artillery shells in the distance, low thuds that sounded like rolling thunder. The truck bounced along the hastily constructed road, and everyone bounced in their seats with bone-jarring regularity. Potholes were par for the course, and those who tried to power nap met with little success.

John was talking to a friend when the truck hit the mother of all potholes. John flew up, and hit his head on the ceiling with such force that his neck snapped. He was dead before he hit his seat.

I mention this because whenever we think of deaths in war, we always think of someone getting shot. Or bombed. Or somehow doing something that could conceivably result in a death. We don't remember that there are still fluke deaths in war. There are still accidents, falls, heart attacks, and even death by potholes.

My great uncle lies in a war cemetary. He never made it to the front, he never had a chance to fight for his country, and he never once fired a round in anger. But if you ask me, he deserves to be there. Because he still paid the ultimate price.

(*not really his real name)

2. Forest City Lovers, "Carriage" (2010)

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Notable Songs: 'Tell Me Cancer', 'Pocketful of Rocks', 'Constellation'

Soft, folk-pop with a sharp lyrical edge, The Forest City Lovers are fronted by the lovely Kat Burns, whose latest album, Carriage, has lyrics that range from scathing attacks on hypocrites; the unsure nature of relationships; and love songs about being a tree.

There is an ethereal, ghostly quality to Burns' voice that echoes in the reverb soundscape crafted by the band behind her. This all combines to create the effect of a musical haunting - there is something spiritual and supernatural about the gentle acoustic chords and bare-bones electric approach.

This is very much a modern take on the old Canadian folk greats. Kat Burns is a modern-day Joni Mitchell, with an indie fashion sense and a throatier voice. While she can sing with acidic tinged beauty ("go tell your mother that you passed the test/befriended the good ones and fucked all the rest"), she still has her sense of humour, as in the final song, the poppy acoustic waltz 'If I Were a Tree' ("If I were a tree I'd give you wood/make you a dendrophiliac/I'd have a laugh because I could/oh my knots and twists are not for that").

As with all the great albums, there's a lot here. I've listened to it at least a dozen times, and I'm still blown away by the beauty to be found within.

1. Born Ruffians, "Say It" (2010)

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Songs of Note: “Oh Man”, “Retard Canard”, “The Ballad of Moose Bruce”.

Born Ruffians are a four piece combo of indie rockers that play with an unholy fusion of nerd rock, the clarity of 1960s surf rock, and the off-colour verbal nature of Modest Mouse. Their sophomore album reminds me of a stripped-down version of Cold War Kids’ Robbers & Cowards, with warmer guitars and approachable vocals that lack the typical indie-rocker pretension.

Say It is a strange hybrid. It is very much a "modern" indie record, with trendy off-key vocal lines and 1980s’ inspired bass lines and keyboard riffs. Yet, it is also a throwback to even earlier times, with warm – almost jazzy – guitar lines and rock and roll drum beats. This is an album that channels surf music, pre-Beatles rock, and surf in nature, and pop. This all ties together to create a sound that is both part of this decade’s “sound” while also being “timeless”.

After all, the album references the Ink Spots in “Retard Canard”, singing a line from the 1940s that is most well known these days as the refrain from Fallout 3. I’m pretty sure when Luke Lalonde was singing about not wanting to “Set the world on fire”, he was channelling a least a little bit of Three Dog (Awoooooo!)

I have no doubt that if Quentin Tarantino’s kid grows up to make movies, we’ll be hearing music like this playing in the background. Probably while Bruce Willis’ kid kills a gimp with a samurai sword or something.

This month's theme is "Canadian Music"

My general focus of this blog has long been music. It's been a bit more personal over the last few months, and that was all well and good. But it's time to get back to what's really important... music.

So, for the next month, expect at least one post a day. Each post will be about a Canadian album released in the past few years. Some of the albums are favourites of mine, while others have been recommended by friends. All are by Canadian artists. Some you may have heard of, some may be completely new to you. Each post will be fairly small - less than 250 words, mostly.

These daily albums won't be the entire blog, but they will make up the majority of July's posts. Hopefully, you guys will enjoy the change of pace. And, as usual, if you like the feature, lemme know - and share links with any friends you think'll be interested.

Looking forward to sharing music with you all.