Ever since Chris Tse posted a video of Lisa Hannigan, and Ian Keteku posted top-ten lists way back, I’ve been making note of my favourite finds on youtube. I decided to put this list together in the hopes that, like they did for me, I might expose some people to some artists they may have never heard but are destined to become favourites.
5. Lost In The Trees – All Alone in an Empty House
Honestly, I wanted to choose this video, but because it wasn’t a 2011 release I thought I’d go for something else more recent which is the title track to the latest album. Lost In The Trees is a classical-folk group lead by Ari Picker who, when you listen to the full album, you realize is a very talented composer as well as an original folk artist. This video is super strange at times, but I appreciate the creativity brought to a track that is long and complex.
4. My Morning Jacket – Slow Slow Tune (UNSTAGED)
For those of you who know me well, you may be wondering ‘How did your favourite band get placed next to last?’ The answer is that My Morning Jacket, while (arguably) my favourite band thus far in life, has failed to blow me away with their videos. In fact their official videos I find weird, and not necessarily that kind of weird that’s all “Oh these guys are being creative artists” but more that kind of weird that’s “What the fuck?” Also, while they are in my opinion an indisputable power-house live, a lot of their unofficial live videos on youtube are pretty bad.
All you have to do is check out some of the footage from Okonokos, their live album, to realize what a powerhouse of talent this band is. Their last two albums are, in my opinion, absolute gold that pushes their genre and their creativity. They are always growing, which is what I love about them. While I could have chosen an older video of a favourite song, I decided to go with a live recording of one of my favourites from the new album, Circuital.
3. Dr. Dog – I Only Wear Blue
Dr. Dog is one of a few reasons that My Morning Jacket remains arguably my favourite band. They’re two very different sounds but they are both always at or near the top of my playlist. Dr. Dog doesn’t put out nearly enough videos. I don’t even know if this is a single they released or if they just put it together for youtube. I love the way it combines live performance, studio sound and their on-the-road antics. It’s always nice to see the artists I look up to get caught in their natural groove on tour. I always think to myself “That’s what I want to do!”
2. Ian Kamau – The Village
The top two of this list are in another category altogether: Canadians who I have met, who I would consider peers and friends, who are hard-working full-time artists paving the way and inspiring all of us. I look up to these people and admire their creativity, their talent and their success.
Ian Kamau released his album Some Day Soon in November. As soon as I heard it, I was hooked. It has quickly risen to the top of my playlist and become a timeless favourite. It is the one CD I am giving to someone for Christmas because I genuinely think they NEED to hear it from start to finish. I’m going to buy another copy to replace the one I give away, because the digital tracks on my computer are just not enough. Please enjoy this beautiful track, The Village.
Ian Kamau | ‘The Village’ from Marcos Fantu on Vimeo.
1. C.R. Avery – Dungeon of Love
I had almost forgotten about this gem. It did come out in 2011, and in case you forgot too, here it is: my favourite music video of the year. C.R. Avery is a Canadian harmonica-playing beatboxing banjo strumming poetic blues man who has always blown me away with every single performance. He is one of if not THE Canadian artist I look up to most as I try to determine what success in my career looks like. The video is expertly crafted, and the song… Well, you’ll just have to have a listen and figure that part out for yourself.
Honourable Mentions
These are videos that I would have included in this list if they had been more recent. Patrick Watson’s The Great Escape is the most beautiful animated music video EVER. PERIOD. Phosphorescent’s A Picture of our Torn up Praise is something that will always touch me. It’s just a priceless piece of art. My Brightest Diamond’s I Have Never Loved Someone is a 2011 video, but I’m not really familiar with her work. It’s just a song that my son really loves, so it gets a shout out from one parent to another.
Patrick Watson – The Great Escape
Phosphorescent – A Picture of our Torn Up Praise
My Brightest Diamond – I Have Never Loved Someone
Coming up next, top picks of POETRY videos (I can’t do video picks without giving some props to people like Ian Keteku) and maybe some others. Please let me know what you think, make suggestions, comments, criticisms, etc.
Merry Merry from Raising The Revolution
