THE BEST SASKATCHEWAN ALBUMS OF 2016
2016 was a crazy-good year for Saskatchewan recordings. Our second annual “best of the year” project was launched to raise awareness of and to celebrate that fantastic music being created in our province.
An initial list of over 100 qualifying albums* was presented to an industry and peer jury for voting. They came up with a long list of 42 albums (below), and that long list went on to the public who deter- mined the final Top 10 list - with participation from nearly 2000 voters from 25 countries prior to the December 18 deadline.
Whether you made it to the Top 10 or not - please keep up the great work! There were numerous ties in the final results so we revealed *14* albums in the Top 10 this year.
#1. THE DEAD SOUTH: Illusion & Doubt Regina-based roots/bluegrass quartet The Dead South have built a reputation for raucous, genre-bending, boot-stomp- ing live shows. Their new album, “Illusion and Doubt,” strives to capture that fan- pleasing energy in a refreshing take on bluegrass and folk, while also incorpo- rating elements of rock, punk and classi- cal music. Helping create the sound on the new record was producer/engineer
Jason Plumb. Released in advance in Europe, it broke the Top 10 on Denmark music charts.
The Dead South’s sound and style transcends time. They wear white shirts and black suspenders, black pants and travellers’ hats. They sing about murderous, estranged spouses and runaway lover cousins in a boot-stomping acoustic configuration that includes banjo, mandolin, cello and guitar, some whistles, hoots and hollerin’, and finger snappin’. Sometimes their fans dress up like them too and dance and sing the night away – but that’s not mandatory.
The band - Nate Hilts (lead vocals, guitar), Scott Pringle (mandolin, vocals), Colton Crawford (banjo) and Danny Kenyon (cello) have en- thralled audiences all over the world, touring Europe and the U.K., as well as Canada, multiple times, and have showcased at major events including Canadian Music Week, SXSW, Reeperbahn and JunoFest. The band was recently among the first recipients of Canada’s new “Road Gold” certification, presented by the Canadian Independent Music As- sociation to artists that have sold in excess of 25,000 tickets on their national headlining or co-headlining tours within a 12-month period. Voted “Best Band” in Prairie Dog Magazine’s “Best of Regina” in 2015 and 2016, the band have proven to be a powerhouse and their fans just can’t seem to get enough. They’re signed with Devil Duck Records in Germa- ny and Curve Music in Canada, with bookings handled by Paquin.
The Dead South are passionate about their music, creating a unique sound that is fun and somewhat tongue-in-cheek, with serious musicianship.
Recorded at: Studio One Recordings, Regina. Produced by: Jason Plumb. More:
www.thedeadsouth.com
PS: Our best wishes to departing member Colton Crawford! 18 SASKMUSIC THE SESSION - FEBRUARY 2017, VOL 30.1
#2. DGS SAMURAI CHAMPS: Crayons “Working on building their community rather than tearing others down, there’s a positivity to their sound that is infec- tious, and spreads way beyond the hip hop community” - The Line of Best Fit
Issuing from Regina and Saskatoon, new-wave rapper Jeah and PBR&B sing- er Merv xx Gotti make up one of our province’s fastest-rising R&B/hip hop groups, with their melodic, positive, and
hypnotic tracks appealing to a wide audience of music lovers (they also reached #1 on our 2015 Top 10 list with “The Hard Tape” - then as a trio, with Nono Ryan). DGS draws influence from their Southeast Asian heritage while taking pride in their urban-Canadian identity, with a sound that has been likened to that of current Canadian hip- hop/R&B contemporaries Drake, The Weeknd, and Tory Lanez. Re- corded and mixed by former Urban Heat/Universal In-House Producer, Miguel Dey, with beats produced by MKSB, PDUB and Mentz, and mastering by Colin Leonard (mastering engineer behind Bryson Tiller’s critically acclaimed, platinum debut T R A P S O U L), Crayons exhibits a contemporary approach to the new-wave generation of hip-hop/R&B.
Exclaim.ca posts, “The two-piece takes their sound in a smoother, more melodic direction than their heavier early material. There’s still a dark- ness that creeps in, though, bridging Gotti’s brooding, anxious vo- cals with Jeah’s hard-hitting rap verses atop infectious electro-tinged beats.”
In the past year DGS has performed across Canada, showcased at events including Canadian Music Week, BreakOut West, Reeperbahn, and shared the stage with international hip-hop heavyweights such as Flatbush Zombies, k-os, and Swollen Members, captivating audiences with their dynamic and dramatic live shows. Using their Canadian- identity as well as their cultural and musical diversities as their primary assets, DGS Samurai Champs strives to redefine what it means to be “Canadian hip-hop.”
Recorded at: Blue Door Recording, Regina. Produced by: Miguel Dey. More:
www.samuraichamps.com
#3. ANDY SHAUF: The Party
One of the most acclaimed artists to is- sue forth from Saskatchewan this year (including short lists for the Polaris Prize and SOCAN Songwriting Prize, no less), Andy Shauf’s brilliant album fo- cuses around the complex characters attending The Party. The cohesive 10 tracks are set to ornate arrangements of fuzzed-out guitars, string sections, clarinets and dreamy synths, all draped
over delicate piano, acoustic guitars and rainy-day drums. Not only is the songwriting immaculately formed, Shauf self-produced and played nearly all of the instruments.
Exclaim.ca writes, “The emotions
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