Guest Column - Zunior Dave's Top Indie Picks for 2007

At Zunior we love Canadian indie music.  Running a small digital store, you hear a lot of different stuff that may or may not ever make it into the regular record shops.  One of the best things about the digital music format is that artists instantly have access to a world music market, if they are smart enough (and good enough) to capitalize on the opportunity.   Here are some of my favourite albums that came out this past year.  Some are international, some are less known and all are indie:

1. Boats - Intercontinental Champion (self-released)

The Arcade Fire minus the drama.  An album that sparkles and shines with every single song, and it is all fun without corny and majestic without being melodramatic.  My favourite unsung record this past year.

2. Great Lake Swimmers - Ongiara (Nettwerk)

Tony Dekker's skill as a songwriter points toward Canadian musical infamy.  Great Lake Swimmers albums have a tendency toward the reflective, some say sombre, side of things but this is what we like about the band.  The new album is firmly rooted in key of sad but every chorus still seems to have a soaring quality that only great down tempo songs can have.  This album will be remembered as one of the best Canadian albums ever.

3. Portico - Progeny Blues (Copperspine Records)

Somewhat of a late breaking news story for me, this album just recently jumped out of the pack.   Imagine if a band could combine the best things about Nirvana's Nevermind and The Breeders Pod in one record. This release is a rock solid recording of a band that just has it.  The songs are big and modest at the same time, and the vocals and lyrics are engaging and mysterious.  This album has everything I love about top shelf independent music.

4. The Bicycles - The Good, The Bad & The Cuddly (Fuzzy Logic Recordings)

Scrappy, well-produced, energetic and a something-for-everyone song selection.  The Bicycles are that rare type of band that can produce something as spunky as The Good, The Band & The Cuddly but still stick around to take it out on the road.  The indie nation took to this band because they could tell they are the real deal.  It comes from the heart with these guys/gals, and that is what music needs.  (note - this album was actually released in 2006 but the story continues well into 2007.)

5. Wax Mannequin - Orchard & Ire (self-released)

As a one-man show, or a full band spectacle, Wax Mannequin has been working the corners in Canada (and the world) for several years now. Many have been forced to ask the question, 'is he serious?'.  The answer is obvious.  Wax deserves credit for creating a unique sound forged from a desire to push every single musical idea to absolute limit.  He makes the sound of a grunt musical...and, yes, there are lots of grunts on this record.  In fact he may be for the grunt what Chubbie Checker was for the twist.  This is simply a great rock record by someone that believes in the power of strong music.

Dave Ullrich refers to himself as the head honcho of the little digital music store, Zunior.com.