Welcome to MountieRock.Blogspot.com

Do you want to know more about Canadian Independent Rock Music?
A genre I lovingly call "Mountie Rock."
Allow me to make a few suggestions.
Follow the musical path I am about to lay out, if you so choose.

If you are a man, I suggest you start listening to this album first:
"You Forgot It In People" by Broken Social Scene"


If you are a lady, I suggest you start here instead:
"The Reminder" by Feist


After sampling these, ask yourself if you like the faster paced beats-
-or the slower paced grooves.

If you're a dude, and want to move stop here next:
"Folkloric Feel" by Apostle of Hustle


If you've got matching pairs of X chromosomes, and you don't stop 'til you get enough:
"Some Are Lakes" by Land of Talk


Now on the flip side, if you're a fella' and want to lay back with the brim o'your cap over your eyes:
"Population" by The Most Serene Republic


Similarly, if you are the fairer sex looking for introspection in music:
"In Our Bedroom After The War" by Stars


At this time let me disclose that I enjoy all above mentioned music.
By some accounts, there may not be much of a difference in the above voyages.
And, I surely did not come to all these acts in such a logical manner.
I may be depriving you of the fun of traversing the Northern Ally's landscape looking for cool note imports.

If you're still with me, and have enticed your Canadian appetite (not talking about venison here), it's time to take a seriously close look at Broken Social Scene.

Listen to the recently released "Forgiveness Rock Record" by Broken Social Scene:


Feel free to play this performance in the background when I give a brief history of Broken Social Scene:


Broken Social Scene, at it's core, is Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning.

Kevin Drew:


Brendan Canning:


When they tour, which is often, they have somewhere in the neighborhood of 8 to 11 musicians:


The whole group was bascially a "side project." It is comprised of solo acts who are either between tours/albums or quite possibly bored/broke. All the above mentioned bands have shared a stage with Broken Social Scene. The "side project" became the Main Attraction.

However, although I believe the group is more than the sum of their interchanging parts - it does have one large glowing success story in Leslie Feist. Feist is the breakout star and no longer tours as a part of Broken Social Scene (however, you can't take her voice off some of my favorite B.S.S. tracks).

Leading me to the next step in this path to Mountie Rock fandom. The two "Broken Social Scene Presents:" albums:

Kevin Drew's "Spirit If..."


Brendan Canning's "Something For All of Us"


These two efforts from the Broken Social Scene machine are a reversing of the tide. These two founding mounties invested all of themselves into B.S.S... They have no other vessel to spin off their own solo efforts. Some of the more, for lack of a better term, "Fundamentalist" lovers of Independent Canadian Music see these efforts as an inferior attempt to capitalize on the successful bandwagon of B.S.S.

I strongly disagree. Not only do I enjoy both of these albums, but Drew and Canning deserve to have their own name on the marquee after helping along such a long line of acts for us to enjoy.

To listen to this much music is asking too much. I have no delusions of grandeur that someone will read this, dive in head first and end up calling me in a few months asking if I'm going to see New Buffalo in concert.

Basically, I kinda fell into this deep, deep well of sonic talent.
For me, it started in the most random of places.


A NetFlix rental of Half Nelson, in which I heard a song in the background of this scene:

That song is "Shampoo Suicide" by Broken Social Scene... It remains my favorite song in the "Mountie Rock" genre.