Happy Birthday Dad! There’s a card in the mail.
With that being said, here’s another Threat Shark PLaylist! Like Taylor’s on Tuesday, this is a very Canadian list. Yes, they almost all are here, but we’re doing some location themed stuff today.
Putting together this list, two things happened. One – I over researched. If you want to hear an even longer play list, try Canada 2 on my CBC Music playlist. 30 songs, all about our country, mostly positive. Two – Prairie boys like singing about their home towns. While I don’t have a bunch on this list, there were a lot of songs to do with Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, an inordinate amount. Surprisingly, the Maritimes were the least common. BC and Ontario were about as I expected. To be fair, I haven’t gotten around to listening to, and dissecting, every song on the web.
Also this week I tried to put together a more cohesive listening experience, so no Classified, Kardinal Offishall or Corb Lund. They’re all on the extended list though, if you wish.
So, with that being said, I’ve put together a group of 10 indie rock songs of some variant or another which mention and/or evoke a certain location.
- Said The Whale B.C. Orienteering from the album Islands Disappear
For those who grew up on the coast, this song can probably pull out some memories. Well, it’s pretty childhood-centric, but some of the descriptors are definitely BC. As we’ve played this Vancouver Group pretty regularly, I won’t go into them to much, other than to say this is just one of the BC-based songs they played. - Elliott BROOD Oh, Alberta from the album Tin Type
Elliot Brood (a band, not a solo artist) breaks out some of that twangy-Alberta spirit, but quickly bounces around our big country, shouting out a few provinces and territories. I get the feeling this is a great song to play on Canadian tours, since pretty much everyone will have a chance to shout at their shout out. But not BC. 😦 - Greg MacPherson West St. James from the album Balanced On A Pin
A simple, thoughtful piece as a man flies over the country imagining how life is simpler in different parts of the country. As someone who has made that trip over the country a couple times before, Canada is really big, but there are so many little communities that, while over the prairies, you can often spot little towns below you, and imagine the lives of the little people below. - The Weakerthans One Great City from the album Reconstruction Site
Winnipeg. Is it a great town, or not? For Samson and the Weakerthans, their hometown sounds pretty boring at first, and the repeated “I hate Winnipeg” doesn’t give the warm, friendly feeling many have for their hometown. But be honest, sometimes you HATE your hometown, especially if you’ve lived there for years. You know all the pain-in-the-ass habits of the citizens, all the notorious intersections, all the crappy niches NOT filled by stores. In that way, this is a very positive song about WInnipeg. - Great Lake Swimmers Your Rocky Spine from the album Ongiara
While looking for songs for this list this was the first song I came across multiple times. This isn’t about a specific community, but Canadian geography. Travel this country folks. There’s a lot here that people never made, but still offer spectacular scenes or experiences. And have we not mentioned the super talented Great Lake Swimmers before? ‘Cause they should be some regular listening if you like this one. - Harlan Pepper Great Lakes from the album Young and Old
As much as this guy sounds like Adam Sandler, he’s not. Though he’s got the same skill in rhyming, with each of the Great Lakes getting a couplet of sorts. I’d love to see an extended edition with more of our lakes. Great Bear? Kootenay? Plenty of rhyming opportunities in our countries waters. - Andrew Vincent Ambassador Bridge from the album Keep it that way (e.p.)
Looking at the list of music Vincent has uploaded to CBC Music gives you the feeling he really likes this country. And then, of course, there’s this song, which may be the most Canadian thing ever. What’s more Canadian than talking about our southern neighbours? And singing about one of the most famous bridges in North America (at least for us) and visa papers on a fridge just completes it. -
Jason Collett Charlyn, Angel of Kensington from the album Here’s to Being Here
Yes, more Collett. For those who haven’t wandered Toronto, Kensington is a neighbourhood with a youthful, bohemian vibe (IMO, I’ll probably be told otherwise now). Charlyn is the angel of this place apparently, and Collett puts the places in TO to a beat following said angel’s life. And is it me, or does something sound like car horns at times? - Joel Plaskett Down at the Khyber from the album Down at the Khyber
According to a few folk, Plaskett is a very Patriotic man. With a variety of songs telling the stories of different places or Canadian experiences (True Patriot Love mentions CBC’s habit of playing our anthem late at night, Love This Town is…about a small town he loves). I went with this one mostly due to the breadth of his references. And also that wicked percussion break. - City and Colour Coming Home from the album Sometimes
Ok, many Canadian kids will remember this song, and how it referenced a couple Canadian cities AND was a single that made it onto a fair number of radio stations. This isn’t a hidden gem, it’s more widely known. Which is great, that artists can use Canadian references and not worry about that limiting their market to Canada. I like the idea that Canada can have a music scene that isn’t barely scraping by and doesn’t rely on the US for financial support. Yeah, Dallas Green has probably made some money in the states, but I’m guessing he’d live comfortably just off his $CDN.
Apologizes (kinda) to Lincoln, Nebraska and North Dakota, who both get slammed in this list.
Be seein’ ya,
Kergin
Threat Shark 
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