(Music) Top 10 Canadian Albums

O Canada! Your existence serves only to complicate mine and befuddle me. On the one hand, I despise you, your smug abhorance of America and your socialized health care. Then there's your music. It's creative, often-classic, and not hampered by the heavy hand of the American music industry. It is for this very reason alone that I compile the following list of the top 10 albums to come from Canada in the last decade (not counting my extreme level of boredom).

#10 - Broken Social Scene: "Broken Social Scene" - I'll concede on this one. Though I don't consider myself a BSS fan by any means, this album had some damn good songs on it (mostly "Hotel"). Though I've never outright declared hatred for the band, I do contend that they are the most overrated group of musicians in Indie music today. Take that one to the bank!

#9 - Tegan and Sara: "So Jealous" - What first seems like a tarty, pop-rock girl album soon unravels its petty charade to reveal what it truly is; a great rock album! Think Heart meets the Go-Gos and you'll get the picture. Sure we've had our share of sister-bands before (Eisley, etc.), but Tegan and Sara manage to capture the sound of classic girl-rock and fuse it with their own brand of feisty self-underestimation (ala "You Wouldn't Like Me") that make this album unforgettable.

#8 - K-Os: "Joyful Rebellion" - Apparently, people from Canada can rap. Well, at least this guy can. Add in the fact that he can also sing with the best, play guitar, drum, and keep it real and you wind up with one of the most honest hip-hop albums of recent memory, not to mention the best! K-Os will get you pissed off "Emcee Murdah" and them cool you down and read you poetry "Man I Used to Be." That's the kind of album this is. Respect.

#7 - Metric: "Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?" - If I were old world underground, I'd answer Emily Haines' question with a resounding "Wherever you want me to be, baby!" Whereas Tegan and Sara take girl-rock back to its roots, Metric evolves it into something entirely unique that borders closely with the likes of Garbage, but with better musicians all around. Whether you're dancing to "Succexy" or rocking out to "IOU," one thing is for sure; you're enjoying yourself.

#6 - Stars: "Set Yourself on Fire" - The album opens with an audio clip of a man saying "When there's nothing left to burn you have to set yourself on fire." I disagree. When I have nothing left to burn I'll go swimming, or make pottery, or play tennis. In fact, I'm pretty sure setting myself on fire is right at the bottom of my list of things to do when I run out of things to burn. Regardless, calling "Set Yourself on Fire" anything but gorgeous is a mistake that, if I have my way, could prove fatal. "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead" is one of the most beautiful songs to ever come into existence, and it alone warrants the purchase of this album. Add in a handful of other amazing pop-tunes and you're looking at one of the best pop albums ever. No joke!

#5 - Metric: "Live It Out" - When your experience with Canadian music isn't as deep as the toilet bowel, you kinda have to double dip. That doesn't apply here, because "Live It Out" is so awesome that it deserves a spot on the list even though its predecessor is also on here. On their second album, Metric largely abandoned the rock-disco sound of their first and broadly covered every corner of potential indie-rock greatness. It took a while to get used to, but Metric really hit their stride with this one, sounding more like a complete band and less like a backup band for Emily Haines' sexy voice and unequivocal hotness. That's good enough for me.

#4 - The Unicorns: "Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?" - After one album, that question can finally be answered, because The Unicorns decided to call it quits and work on different projects. I'll be the first to formally object to this decision, which, by all accounts, is one of the most terrible of natures. Of all the bands on this list, The Unicorns are the one band that defies any type of logical description because, quite frankly, they are bizarre. A good chunk of the album is about ghosts, while the rest seems to be about anything random that they can think of. The album begins with "I don't want to die" and ends with "Ready to Die." I'm not sure what happened over the course of the album, but The Unicorns got what they were ready for, as they are now officially dead.

#3 - Stars: "Heart" - What's better than Stars' debut album "Nightsongs?" Everything! But thankfully for us, their label decided to keep them on for another album. That album just so happens to be their best, and one of my favorite adult-pop records of all time. Songs like "The Woods" and "What the Snowman Learned About Death" are enchanting while "Death to Death" borders on all-out rockdom without ever fully entering the genre. It's a memorable experience to say the least, and one that everyone should be subjected to before being able to listen to any other type of music. In Cale's Communist Regime, that will be enforced to the highest degree. Until then, it's just highly recommended.

#2 - The Dears: "No Cities Left" - If there were no cities left, I'd hope this album would still be around. Without question, it's one of the greatest albums ever forged north of the border. Murray Lightburn (who is surprisingly not an STD-bearing pornstar...get it, light burn?) sings with the grace of an Elk on steroids who failed his shot at singing opera and resorted to making indie rock. Is there any denying that "22: The Death of All the Romance" is one of the classic duets of our time, or that "We Can Have It" must be listened to at a minimal volume to avoid having your balls literally rocked right off of you? Answer: no, it cannot.

#1 - The New Pornographers: "Twin Cinema" - With a name that will scare away many potential fans, The New Pornographers remain on that thin line between moderate indie success and all out superstardom. Not that it matters to me, or to anyone else who has ever listened to "Twin Cinema," because we can all pretty unanimously say that it is one of the greatest albums ever and quite possibly the best pop-rock album ever! The New Pornographers are amazing, yet never take themselves too seriously. You'd think with a band that is compromised of three successful solo artists (vocalists, no less!) that there'd surely be some self-horn-tooting going on, but not here! Seriously, if you haven't listened to this album yet, do it. Just once. Like Lays potato chips, I seriously doubt you could stop after one...even though Lays potato chips suck.

There you have it. You may not agree, but you are undeniably mistaken.

Have a pleasant day!