Weird Canada
2013 Wrap-Up
(Self Released)
Asterisk, Canada
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Looking back on 2013, it’s hard to believe how much we crammed into a calendar year. Thanks to the backroom handshakes of our shadow lizard government and the incredible work of Wyrdians across the country, this ramshackle project started almost five years ago is slowly becoming a well-oiled machine. Countless WC initiatives took shape in the last 12 months, from full bilingual content to the launch of new sections to a podcast to All Toronto’s Parties to the forthcoming Wyrd Distro. To celebrate this momentous year, here’s our annual wrap-up.
2013 Things We Missed
2013 Music We Wish Was Released Physically
2013’s Most Memorable Packaging
2013’s Biggest Surprise
2013 Offering From The Most Obscure Location
2013’s Most Prolific
2013’s Most Stoned Dudettes / Dudes
2013’s Most Face-Melting Video
2013’s Softest Softy
2013’s Heaviest Heavy
2013’s Geographical Hotbed
2013’s Most Flowetic Poetic
2013’s Most Absurd Sentence
2013’s Most Untranslatable Piece
2013 Lifer Award
2013’s Worst Lizard-Based Conspiratorial Moment
2013’s Best Crowdsurf / Live Experience
2013’s Best Blog (Fisherman’s Friends-Related Or Otherwise)
2013 Dearly Departures (Favourite Older Release / Reissue)
2013’s Furthest Outsider / Weirdest Weirdo
2013 Things We Missed
Nihilist Spasm Band – Breaking Wind
The overlooked innovators (and, arguably, true founders) of modern noise improvisation and anti-composition release another typically ignored record as they approach their 50th year of existence in London, Ontario. Pressed by the equally obscure and cultish private label Rekem Records from Athens, Greece. While you’re scoring this, pick up Nothing Is Forever released on wax last year by our home and native land’s Wintage Records & Tapes. Kevin Hainey
Phèdre – Golden Age (Daps Records)
Awesome follow-up album from the Toronto offshoot of Hooded Fang. Plus Daniel Romano – 11 Great Mosey Originals (You’ve Changed) A rare collection of great original “don’t-call-them-country” tunes. Johnny Regalado
Surveillance – Go Fuck Yourself
Zero-fi slacker-pop jammers from Halifax. Top of the “to write” pile. Jesse Locke
CITADEL – Aquarian
Music for night walks in the Inglewood train yard. – Sander Cohen
WERMAGGETERMITE WAGON
Best band in North America. Point Finale. Alex Moskos
Some YlangYlang
I suppose, and plenty of other things, but we do our best don’t we? Hugo Hyart
Kindest Cuts – Kindest Cuts
Gothy electronica released on Dub Ditch Picnic late in the year. Taylor Burgess
Tigerwing
I was supposed to write about this. I messed up. Coming soon! Aaron Levin
Girls Rock Camp Toronto 2013 Comp (James Lindsay)
Bobby Draino – Brain Drain 12" (Will Anderson)
Lunch Lady / Shearing Pinx split tape (Will Anderson)
Underpass – About Violence tape. (Will Anderson)
Ex-Libris: William Dereume – Baby Hair (Will Anderson)
Ex-Libris: Rob Ondzik – Searching 4 tha Perfect Beat (Will Anderson)
Ex-Libris: Genevieve Castree – Susceptible (Will Anderson)
Ex-Libris: Late Cuts zines (Will Anderson)
Doldrums – Lesser Evil (Javier Fuentes)
Moon King – Obsession I-III (Javier Fuentes)
Lubomyr Melnyk / James Blackshaw – The Watchers (Javier Fuentes)
Un Blond – Un Blone (Pavan Brar) [Ed’s note: Coming soon!]
Velvet Glacier’s massive bandcamp party (Catherine Debard)
Echo Beach and Sebastian Trafalgar’s hommage to Russell Crowe (Catherine Debard)
2013 Music We Wish Was Released Physically
Faux Fur – Faux Fur
I want to wear this thing down searching for the resolution that is maybe just never there. Claire Guimond
The Soupcans’ stage banter: tour edition. The LP.
The sounds of Blake Hargreaves and Katherine Kline as they dream on as Dreamcatcher. Moskos’ Montreal Disco Mixes on wax, multi volumes. Kevin Hainey
Chanson D’Amour
Chanson D’Amour is the best band in Quebec, holmes. Alex Moskos
Real talk
In the darkest northern night. Marie LeBlanc Flanagan
Moonbahn – Ville 11 + Chepa Sh
Music for when your best friend vomits. Sander Cohen
Soooooooooooo many many many.
Téléphone Maison Live, Hazy Montagne Mystique, Tonstartssbandht – Rys Øfe and The Feenickes bootleg, more Mavo. Hugo Hyart
AudioOpera – s/t and Virtual Fetish.
Some more gothy electronica. Taylor Burgess
Corridor – Un magicien en toi
at least I don’t think this was released physically. Pavan Brar
Puppy! (Catherine Debard)
Hazy Montagne Mystique! (Catherine Debard)
Terrarbor! (Catherine Debard)
Frog Eyes – Carey’s Cold Spring (Johnnie Regalado)
Mold Boy (Javier Fuentes)
Kiss Painting demos (Will Anderson)
Valerie demos (Will Anderson)
Sa Tires – Serious Sneer (Joel E. Thibert)
Quasar UK (Simon Frank)
Thomas – “Kissing” (James Lindsay, Aaron Levin, and the world)
2013’s Most Memorable Packaging
Broken Deer – Unseen World
In all of its night-dream glory, these songs embedded in watercolour parables speak to the undeniable splendour of our somnambulist creativity. Joshua Robinson
Georgia Weber’s Dumb comics
Both number one and two, have a really simple, crisp, beautiful aesthetic. I felt like she created such a rich emotional context with a very minimal use of line and colour. I love it. Christina Bell
Healing Power Records
Healing Power Records’ awesomely psychedelic fold-out and elaborately die-cut and printed cassette boxes of eye peeling joy for Petra Glynt, Mas Aya, and Pachamama, and that’s just for starters… Wowza! Kevin Hainey
U.S. Girls – Free Advice Column (Bad Actors Inc.)
A stylishly simple circular die cut provides the portal into Meg Remy’s latest. Four songs of soul strut and late night lament from the boards of blunted beatsmith Onakabazien. Can’t wait for a full album of this magic dust. Jesse Locke
Capital Region – Meares
The Custom CD-R that Capitol Region put together for Weird Canada. Johnnie Regalado
Aerosol Constellations / Bird Costumes – Untitled
Music for cutting out the pages in a book to hide your favourite indulgence from prying eyes. Released in 2006 but gripped in 2013. Sander Cohen
Police des Moeurs’ cover art for Les Mécanismes de la Culpabilité
“Le Salaire de ton Péché c’est l’Enfer !” Hugo Hyart
Surprise Party’s “Weird Canada limited edition” of Animal Kingdom / Continents of the World.
Pretty sure that was a one-off, even though it had an edition number of “1 of 666.” Taylor Burgess
Beard Closet // Primate Pyramid’s hairy split cassette (James Lindsay)
The Courtneys – s/t LP (Will Anderson)
Ex Libris: Michael DeForge – Lose 5. (Will Anderson)
Mine swollen and infected – hospitalized three dayuns. (Alex Moskos)
Out of Sound Records – Pie-002 (Joel E. Thibert)
Soupcans – Parasite Brain EP (Telephone Explosion) (Jenya Doudareva)
Petra Glynt – Of This Land (Healing Power) (Rachel Weldon)
Mi casa tu casa – Mi casa tu casa (God Athletics)
JLK – Old Stuff (Self released) (Catherine Debard)
2013’s Biggest Surprise
Cityscape :: Québec City: I was pleasantly surprised to learn about some of the rad things that are going on in Québec City, because I admittedly knew nothing about its arts scene prior to reading that piece. Christina Bell
Carlyle Williams performing live in Montreal. Wolfcow being interviewed by NOW Magazine. Wolfmania in 2014? Kevin Hainey
Sugar Boys refusing to play more than one riff per song (up to 18 minutes sometimes) and it doing the opposite of suck. The Bad Nerves singlehandedly getting Jesse Locke to reconsider his policy on bands with ReverbNation accounts. Rob Ford’s noise tape leaking, then getting played in full on CKUW 95.9 FM’s Nonsense as Salvation. Taylor Burgess
FACTOR giving us $50, 000 to start an online store and distribution service for DIY and independent music. Marie LeBlanc Flanagan
Viet Cong! The influence of Calgary’s Women is still being felt three years after the high water mark of 2010’s Public Strain. This new project featuring bassist Matt Flegel and drummer Mike Wallace (joined by shred dog Danny Christ and the great Scott Munro) is only getting started, but their spine-tingly live shows and self released Cassette point to some seriously great things for the future. Jesse Locke
The IDEAS section. It’s good. Damn good. Jenya Doudareva
Majical Cloudz – Music for the obvious but well deserved. Sander Cohen
AroarA – In the Pines AnneMarie Papillon
I can Nollie (woah). Alex Moskos
2013 Offering From The Most Obscure Location
Headless Owl Records (Whitehorse, Yukon)
Headless Owl is beginning to emerge as a northernly lighthouse, not only in the sense of reminding people that Whitehorse is loud and proud, but that it is working on cultivating and developing a label presence in the North! I really hope Headless Owl continues to outreach to the rest of the country, and that it also continues to narrow its sights on the development of what is undeniably a rich, diverse artistic community just waiting for exposure. Also, Arctic Radio by EONS is an incredible album. Joshua Robinson
Carl Didur’s attic
If Carl Didur’s attic and Oxford, England count as obscure, I’d like to nominate Zacht Automaat. Their monolith of a double LP from Calico Corp. serves as a young person’s guide to the past vastness of these outernational travelers. Hop on the caravan and learn some new means of organisation. Jesse Locke
The Fire Breathing Dragon (Duncan, BC)
Not a lot of musicians hail from Duncan, BC (or at least only a few admit they do), but there was lots of love for Zuzu’s Petals and their album, The Fire Breathing Dragon. Johnnie Regalado
Gulfer – Transcendals
Music for those unique and devoted scenes in big cities that don’t get much attention but deserve the world. Sander Cohen
“I live in Toronto. When someone tells me they live in the east end, I get surprised. When I tell someone I live north of Bloor Street, they get surprised.” (Kevin Hainey)
Mount Pleasant Skatespot, Ukrainian Church front steps/rotunda at 14th near Cambie. (Alex Moskos)
Mary’s Wedding (Woodslee, ON) (Jenya Doudareva)
Fog Lake from St. John’s, Newfoundland. (Javier Fuentes)
Open Letters from Abbotsford, BC. (Will Anderson)
Amok Recordings from Elliot Lake, ON. (Rachel Weldon)
Rob Ford’s house. (Hugo Hyart)
2013’s Most Prolific
Jeunesse Cosmique
Archeologists will still be finding things we weren’t aware of this year for the next few decades. Hugo Hyart
Healing Power Records
The Healing Power catalogue is meteoric in terms of quality, and their output in the year 2013 was staggering in its delivery of sonorous goodies. From the conscious poetics of Brodie West to the anthropological origami or Mas Aya, Healing Power is quickly developing diverse roots in the deep earth of the Canadian sound, mood, and landscape. Joshua Robinson
Man Made Hill, Wolfcow, Fleshtone Aura, Arachnidiscs, Pleasence Records, Healing Power Records and events, Tad Michalak, Inyrdisk? (Kevin Hainey)
Ottawa’s Organ Eyes, Saskatoon’s Shooting Guns, Victoria’s Babysitter. I can’t truly decide. (Taylor Burgess)
Jean-Sebastian Audet (Faux Fur, Un Blonde) and Barnaby Bennett (Umor Rex). Music for friends that record non-stop. (Sander Cohen)
John “Brenz” Brennan. If you don’t know you better axe somebody. (Alex Moskos)
Hobo Cubes / Hobo Cult – So much great stuff! (Christina Bell)
Michael DeForge (Will Anderson)
2013’s Most Stoned Dudettes / Dudes
Man Made Hill
Always takes you higher. His photon’s beaming in from way beyond our galaxy… and I like it. Kevin Hainey
Wizards – Loser Surf Death
Loser Surf Death = LSD. Tricky, but it gets the point across. Prairie surf and lysergic nostalgia encourage me to nominate these Saskatoon homeboys as the most stoned dudes. Joshua Robinson
Nacomi – Nacomi Drums
Music for all day, everyday. Sander Cohen
Home Alone
- Bandcamp tag: blunts. Javier Fuentes
Snaps, Seeeguns, Doom Alexxxander a.k.a. the Three Tenors. (Alex Moskos)
Crosss (Will Anderson)
Babysitter (Will Anderson)
Bobby Draino (Will Anderson)
Tired (James Lindsay)
Average Times (AnneMarie Papillon)
Thom Huhtala Band (Rachel Weldon)
Seizure Salad (Jenya Doudareva)
Really, the most stoned ones make the most unlistenable shit, and I’ve got the Soundcloud links to prove it. (Taylor Burgess)
2013’s Most Face-Melting Video
Babysitter – “Cemetery House” [Director: Phil Osborne]
Quite literally the most face-melting video of 2013. Johnnie Regalado
Sugar Boys – “First Taape (Bike Ride Version)” [Director: Jason Harvey]
Face-melting and ear-melting. Javier Fuentes
HAPPY TRENDY – “January 6”
Music for when you make a ridiculous found-YouTube footage video and then “Merlin KVZ Digital” blocks it on copyright grounds. Sander Cohen
Tonstarttbandht’s tour promo video
To this day I still shiver in excitement when I watch this, but I don’t remember how Canadian they were at the time, and don’t want to restart the old debate. Hugo Hyart
Jay Arner – “Out To Lunch”
The triumphant return of Fred and Sharon. Jesse Locke
Ketamines – “Line By Line” [Director: C. Askey]
I can’t even begin to express the face-melting that is induced by the gratuitous awesomeness that is this video. Joshua Robinson
A La Mode – “Just a Boy” [Director: Dominique Lemoine]
If by ‘melt face’ you mean ‘melt heart.’ Taylor Burgess
Jade Ryan Skate 2013 (Alex Moskos)
Anything by Winston Hacking. (Kevin Hainey)
White Poppy – “Dizzy” [Director: Strawberry Jacuzzi] (Will Anderson)
Soupcans – “Parasite Brain” [Director: Lindsay Cavanaugh] (Joel E. Thibert)
HSY – “Tartar Mouth” [Director: Chris Chamii and Anamai] (James Lindsay)
Petra Glynt – “Sour Paradise” (coming soon!) (Aaron Levin)
2013’s Softest Softy
Fixture Records
Montreal’s Fixture Records remain an unheralded beacon of fleecy soft pop that’s fine beyond belief. Kicking off in January with cassettes from Homeshake, Night Sides and Sheer Agony, they stepped up into the vinyl game with a rarified 7” from Mavo, plus fantastic LPs from Freelove Fenner and Chevalier Avant Garde. Years from now, their “sampler” CD will be looked back on as a modern day C81. Jesse Locke
Sheer Agony – “Confident Pony Ride”
Plus Freelove Fenner zip zoop in my heart. Hugo Hyart
Lab Coast – Walking On Ayr
Music for walking on ayr. Sander Cohen
Sean Nicholas Savage – Other Life
Sean Nicholas Savage’s Other Life takes this one for sure. Johnnie Regalado
Coventry House, Hobo Cubes (Kevin Hainey)
Toronto’s Anamai, a.k.a. Anna Mayberry, also of HSY. (Taylor Burgess)
Broken Deer. So soft it hurts. (Pavan Brar)
Langdo Calrissian (Alex Moskos)
The Weather Station – Duets Series #1-3 (AnneMarie Papillon)
Bernice (Javier Fuentes)
Where You’ve Been, That’s Where You’re Coming From (Will Anderson)
Wolfs (Joshua Robinson)
2013’s Heaviest Heavy
Shooting Guns
Literally the heaviest heavy band in Canada. I swear these guys get bigger every time I see them! Jared Majeski
Dirty Beaches – Drifters/Love Is The Devil (Zoo Music)
Whether joined by Shub Roy and Femminielli on Drifters’ beat-driven soundscapes, mutant blues and melancholy synth-pop, or setting out alone on the gut-wrenching instrumentals of Love Is The Devil, Alex Zhang Hungtai and co. delivered a heavy-hearted masterpiece. For my money, no one put it better than this piece from Kevin Hainey Jesse Locke
Weird Stage: PIG (Jenya Doudareva)
It’s a battle between War Baby and Crosss. Hopefully there’s never a winner and they both keep thrashing forever. (Johnnie Regalado)
Sugar Boys – Rys Øfe and The Feenickes bootleg (Hugo Hyart)
Das Rad – “Silver Latrine” (Hugo Hyart)
Krang – Rats Flying Planes (Hugo Hyart)
Cheval Fou on J’m le Fuzz (Hugo Hyart)
Construction & Destruction live – Music for being way too stoned. (Sander Cohen)
The mighty MITOCHONDRION, Maddy. (Alex Moskos)
Tired from Montreal… Major slaying ahead. (Kevin Hainey)
Toronto’s HSY, including Anna Mayberry a.k.a. Anamai. (Taylor Burgess)
Termina – Let This Rotting World Empty (Aaron Levin)
Systematik (Will Anderson)
Hawkeyes (Javier Fuentes)
Weed (Joel E. Thibert)
WTCHS (James Lindsay)
Wolfs (Joshua Robinson)
2013’s Geographical Hotbed
Vancouver, BC
I could write a whole other piece about Vancouver’s greatness in 2013. Tough Age, Jay Arner and the comeback of Mint. The Courtneys, Shearing Pinx, N.213, Aerosol Constellations and their many permutations (plus the endless spools of Isolated Now Waves). More: Weed, Cindy Lee, White Poppy, Soft Serve, Rec Centre, Shawn Mrazek Lives!, Lié, Nervous Talk, Needles//Pins, the Ballantynes, the Stolen Organs, Secret Pyramid, No UFOs, Ross Birdwise, Mongrel Zine, Kingfisher Bluez, Green Burrito, whatever Nardwuar is up to, whatever Tom Whalen is up to, and The Steve and John Power Hour with Steve and John. That’s just the stuff on my radar. Jesse Locke
Halifax, NS
Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are hotbeds for frantic fervour. Often left out, however, are those coastal cities that exists on the geographical afterthought of Canada’s creative splendour. Halifax is booming with a community that has seen bands and musicians such as Broken Deer, The Everywheres, Long Weekends, Corner Organs: Off and Dyscontrol roll into the welcoming arms of insatiable basement drone-ers the country over. Not to mention the marvellous output of labels such as Divorce, Noyes, and Electric Voice. Halifax has all the pieces needed to piece together a warm quilt of success. Joshua Robinson
Victoria, BC
Gotta give some love to Victoria, BC. 2013 saw awesome new stuff from Babysitter and Blackout Beach / Frog Eyes, plus breakout releases from The Backhomes and Cleopatra and the Nile. Johnnie Regalado
Saksatoon, SK
Saskatoon! Caves, Shooting Guns, Powder Blue, the Foggy Notions, The Wizards, Stephen Cooley, etc etc. Taylor Burgess
Sackville, NB
The weird-punk scene of Sackville, NB. James Lindsay
Zane Electric, MK
The Zone formerly, currently we Zane Electric, and ONELOVE-247BLAMCOUVER. Alex Moskos
London, Ontario! (Joel E. Thibert)
Canada (Sander Cohen)
2013’s Most Flowetic Poetic
Crosss
"Look now, it’s past twelve. The witching hour is nigh. Use the evil eye.” Not just this line. Crosss’ Obsidian Spectre is chock-full of ritualistic elements that get my higher being churning. Taylor Burgess
Aaron Levin
“The grip is out there.” – Aaron Levin Simon Frank
Josh Robinson
“No means bound to the hallowed grounds of the dimly lit streets and fractured skylines rendered so by the sonic stirrings of frantic limbs” – Josh Robinson Marie LeBlanc Flanagan
Hugo Hyart
“Listening to this handful of songs lasting almost 11 minutes put together, you’ll be heartened and ready to have a wonderful afternoon in style, be it sunny or cloudy/rainy.” – Hugo Hyart Marie LeBlanc Flanagan
The Pink Noise
“Hey so-and-so / I think you’re really beautiful.” – The Pink Noise, “Obsession” James Lindsay
Police des Moeurs
“Quand toute cette frénésie / Qui faisait tant de sens / Arrive à l’échéance” – Police des Moeurs “Echéances” Hugo Hyart
David Steinberg
I particularly like this sentence from David Steinberg: “The Lifeguard Suite projects a subconscious internal dialogue onto your parents’ surreal post-war summer holiday, featuring the titular everyman, Death, Death’s Wife, unseen teenage ne’er-do-wells, and traditional gender roles.” I think it’s because I thought for so long that he was referring to Death as the “titular everyman.” Either way, it’s a great sentence. Christina Bell
Benoit Poirier
I love Benoit Poirier’s erudite working-class beat-boxing prose. Thank God he writes in French and I don’t have to translate him. Nicolas Coutlée
Dirty Beaches
I stopped listening to lyrics around the time when people stopped writing them. Was it 2003? Actually, that’s not entirely true: I was pretty moved by some of the lyrics on Dirty Beaches’ Drifters / Love Is The Devil. Kevin Hainey
Alden Nowlan, every year. (Alex Moskos)
Alex Moskos (Javier Fuentes)
Lunch Lady (Will Anderson)
Sean Nicholas Savage (Joel E. Thibert)
Catherine Debard (Joshua Robinson)
Joshua Robinson (Aaron Levin)
Joshua Robinson (Catherine Debard)
2013’s Most Absurd Sentence
Pavan Brar on BRR
“Directing its (de)constructive will inwards, BRR is the aestheticization of the triumphs over itself as a spatiotemporally located and embodied entity, situated in and confronted by the world and the impinging conditions of material existence.” David Steinberg
Catherine Debard on Manuel Armidas – No Lights, Loud Music.
Absurd in its amazing awesomeness. And all of the sentences are so absurdly amazingly awesome that I just HAVE TO include the entire post. Joshua Robinson
From the submission form
in the “Do you have anything else to say” field: “i quit smokings weed, but i smoke weed again” Marie LeBlanc Flanagan
Javier Fuentes on Hawkeyes’ Poison Slows you Down
“The illusion creeps closer and closer, yet the real image barely takes a step forward.” Taylor Burgess
Javier Fuentes on Gretchen
“Three Calgarians trapped in constant motion.” Calgary is the most still and static but completely comfortable place I know. Sander Cohen
Moskos
Dunno, prob wrote it me own darn self, doe. Alex Moskos
2013’s Most Untranslatable Piece
Anything by Joshua Robinson is a fucking challenge I’ll take on any day. (AnneMarie Papillon)
I bet it was one of Joshua Robinson’s, but can forgive these little difficulties because they’re a pleasure to read. (Hugo Hyart)
Joshua Robinson’s complicated and inextricable poetic flow. Those magnificent images that are impossible to describe in french without writing a novel drive me crazy. (Catherine Debard)
Swing La Bacaisse d’lfond d’l’boiteaboit DEUX MILLE – An oral history of Lumbering Basement Ladies dans la Bas Canada. (Alex Moskos)
I know that at least 3 different translators were defeated by Moskos this year. One even tried to translate from Moskonian to English, then English to French. (Marie LeBlanc Flanagan)
2013 Lifer Award
Strange Attractor
Sudbury’s finest delivered in spades with their latest barrage of troglodyte virtuosity. Mammoth Cave (lifers in their own right) capped off a great year with Back To The Cruel World. Jesse Locke
Michael Snow and CCMC, the Nihilist Spasm Band (Runners-up, no consolation prize). (Kevin Hainey)
Jon Shapiro – Disguises, Induced Labour, now Tired. (Javier Fuentes)
Chris Dadge – Lab Coast, Bug Incision, etc ad infinitum. (Sander Cohen)
Jarrett Evan Samson from Tough Age. (Will Anderson)
Shearing Pinx (Joel E. Thibert)
Don Pyle (James Lindsay)
2013’s Worst Lizard-Based Conspiratorial Moment
FACTOR acknowledging the #FordNoiseTape. (Javier Fuentes)
The whole of Normal Canada has to win this one, with a special mention to everyone who contributed such ridiculous work on such short notice. (Christina Bell)
"We hate on stuff. We’re into fragmentation of community. We burn libraries. Fuck you.” -Marie LeBlanc Flanagan’s motto for Normal Canada (Hugo Hyart)
Krang’s continued stranglehold on the “Most Stoned Dudes” award. Truly, this should be measured in bowls, and likewise the “Softest Softy” and "Heaviest Heavie” should be measured in decibels. Wake up, laypeople readers! Wyrdian lizardpeople have a stranglehold on shaping your reality! (Taylor Burgess)
2013’s Best Crowdsurf / Live Experience
Zachary Fairbrother’s throat-singing / feedback fest at the Music Gallery in Toronto. (Simon Frank)
Renny Wilson’s microphone-though-the-jean shorts hip gyrations at Baby Seal Club, Edmonton. (Jared Majeski)
Induced Labour’s reunion show at Double Double Land with Brian Ruryk, BIll Orcutt and Chris Corsano. So much beautiful, harsh noise in a scorchingly hot venue during NXNW. I shared hugs with a hundred people that night. (James Lindsay)
Dirty Beaches in Lyons, France. I was uneasy, though the show was great and I found a drink of absinthe. When they played “Holding the Devil’s Hand” by Cindy Lee as an encore it was a great unveiling moment. (Hugo Hyart)
This one-off collab at the WC showcase at Halifax Pop. Members of Moon, Dirty Beaches, Yellowteeth, Diana and yours truly gettin’ gone… (Jesse Locke)
Good Party a.k.a. Freelandia in Victoria, BC was an unreal night of free and awesome tunes. When bands from Victoria and Vancouver team up something magical happens. Some highlights from the late night/multi-day performers included: Fountain, Babysitter, Needles//Pins, Oops and Movieland. (Johnnie Regalado)
Josey Wales / Yellowman DESTROYED Montreal. Possibly the best gig EVER! (Alex Moskos)
During my winter exams, I saw Special Noise play at a Montreal house show. People were crowdsurfing like I’ve never seen people crowdsurf. It ruled. (Christina Bell)
Moonhag / Teenanger / Soupcans / Odonis Odonis, November 30th at the Blackshire Pub, London, Ontario. (Joel E. Thibert)
Absolutely Free, Kitchener/Waterloo. (Javier Fuentes)
Freak Heat Waves / Crosss / Weed @ Lion’s Den, Vancouver. (Will Anderson)
Dancing motionlessly to Freak Heat Waves. (Taylor Burgess)
2013’s Best Blog (Fisherman’s Friends-Related Or Otherwise)
Plenty of Fisherman’s Friends
POFF captures the paradox of meaninglessness perfectly: it is both inescapable and impossible. This is enough to entertain, but Phil Deane’s unique voice (a combination of innocent, obsessive, self-aware, neurotic, and grandiose) pushes it way over the top, drawing us in, wondering how on earth we started talking about couch drops, and ended up receiving obscure variations of (what appears to be) a constrained hide-and-seek. David Steinberg
Hero Hill – R.I.P. (AnneMarie Papillon)
Mechanical Forest Sound (Jesse Locke)
Silent Shout (Joshua Robinson)
Terminal Escape (Will Anderson)
Noise Park (Sander Cohen)
I have trouble reading blogs. They go blurry to my eyes. The same goes for misinformation, propaganda, and your hype sheet. (Kevin Hainey)
2013 Dearly Departures (Favourite Older Release / Reissue)
Bernard Gagnon – Musique Electronique 1975-1983 (Tenzier)
The only thing more amazing than the timelessness of this music is the fact that this music is still timeless. Joshua Robinson
The Simply Saucer frisbee
Though really just getting into Cyborgs Revisited! Simon Frank
Lubomyr Melnyk – KMH
Music for bed. Sander Cohen
The New Creation – Troubled (Kevin Hainey)
CCMC – Vol. 3 (Kevin Hainey)
The Jarvis Street Revue – Mr. Oil Man (Kevin Hainey)
Police des Moeurs’ 7", FET.NAT. and many other things. (Hugo Hyart)
Chanson D’Amour boxset, all tapes on wax. (Alex Moskos)
Zacht Automaat from Calico Corp. (James Lindsay)
Lightdreams – Islands in Space (Jenya Doudareva)
Hot Nasties – Invasion of the Tribbles EP (Ugly Pop) (Taylor Burgess)
The Nihilist Spasm Band – No Record (Joel E. Thibert)
2013’s Furthest Outsider / Weirdest Weirdo
Chik White
Salt marsh loner folk. James Lindsay
Gimcrack
“Original derivatives” from Lachute, QC launched directly into your dome. Jesse Locke
Margret – You’re Weird
Music for being weird and being OK with it. Sander Cohen
Jacques “Le Drift”
Dude, Jacques “Le Drift” Le Dreff… the MONSTER the HERO. Alex Moskos
Inyrdisk / Kevin Hainey
For keeping the CD format alive and well. Javier Fuentes
Robert Dayton
Robert Dayton, quite possibly our country’s warmest heart, leaves Toronto. Hundreds of thousands lose their power after an ice storm. Coincidence? I think not… Kevin Hainey
(Traduit par Weird Canada)
En revenant sur 2013, il est difficile de croire tout ce qu’on a réussi à couvrir en une année. Or grâce aux tractations secrètes menées par notre organisation reptilienne de l’ombre ainsi qu’au travail incroyable des Wyrdiens partout au pays, ce projet chambranlant, amorcé il y a presque cinq ans, devient peu à peu une machine bien huilée. Un grand nombre de nouvelles initiatives ont vu le jour au cours des douze derniers mois, qu’il s’agisse de notre contenu entièrement bilingue, du lancement de nos nouvelles sections, d’un balado, du All Toronto’s Parties ou de la Wyrd Distro qui sera prochainement lancée. Afin de célébrer cette année importante, voici notre rétrospective annuelle.
Ce que nous avons manqué
Les albums numériques qui méritaient une sortie physique
Le visuel le plus mémorable
Les plus grosses surprises
Offrandes musicales des lieux les plus obscurs
Les plus prolifiques
Les plus défoncés
Les vidéos les plus abrasifs
Les plus tendres des tendres
Les plus durs des durs
Pépinières d’artistes les plus fertiles
Le flot le plus poétique
Les phrases les plus absurdes
Les textes les plus difficiles à traduire
Mention d’honneur pour l’ensemble de l’oeuvre
Les pires moments de conspiration reptilienne
Meilleure expérience de bodysurfing / spectacle
Meilleur blogue (en relation avec Fisherman’s Friends ou autres)
Rééditions et vieux albums préférés
L’outsider le plus lointain / La ou le plus bizarre des bizarres
Ce que nous avons manqué
Nihilist Spasm Band – Breaking Wind
Alors qu’ils fêteront bientôt leur 50e anniversaire d’existence à London en Ontario, ces novateurs négligés (et, sans doute, fondateurs) de l’improvisation noise moderne et de l’anti-composition ont sorti un autre album ignoré (comme à l’habitude), pressé par une étiquette tout aussi obscure et culte, soit Rekem Records d’Athènes en Grèce. Et pendant que vous y êtes, mettez la main sur Nothing Is Forever, sorti sur vinyle l’année dernière sur notre étiquette nationale Wintage Records & Tapes. Kevin Hainey
Phèdre – Golden Age (Daps Records)
Excellent second album de cette sous-division du groupe Hooded Fang de Toronto. Daniel Romano – [11 Great Mosey Originals] (You’ve Changed) Une rare collection d’excellentes chansons « surtout-pas-country ». Johnny Regalado
Surveillance – Go Fuck Yourself
Jams de pop-glandeuse zéro-fi en provenance d’Halifax. Au sommet de ma pile « à écrire ». Jesse Locke
CITADEL – Aquarian
De la musique pour les promenades nocturnes sur les voies ferrées d’Inglewood. Sander Cohen
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