CBCradio
R3Weekend: Was 2003 the greatest year for Canadian music?

R3Weekend: Was 2003 the greatest year for Canadian music?

Posted by Pete Morey on Jan 28, 2012

Hey, welcome to R3 Weekend. It’s Saturday the 28th of January. Pete here.

You can follow along with the show today on our CBC Radio 3 TUMBLR

While Madonna & Brittany Spears spent 2003 smooching at the MTV music awards, a musical avalanche was building north of the border.

2003 saw the birth of a herd of fresh faced Canadian bands, who went on to release some of the most significant Canadian albums of the last 20 years.

In 2003 The Stills released Logic Will Break Your Heart & 9 years later “Lola Stars and Stripes” is still one of my favourite songs.

Metric’s debut album Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? came out that year and “Combat Baby” was the on the stereo at every house party across the land.

The Canadian indie rock avalanche continued in 2003 with Broken Social Scene’s You Forgot It in People.

The New Pornographers released Electric Version in 2003 & Buck 65 got “Wicked and Weird” on Talkin’ Honkey Blues that very same year.

 In 2003 The Joel Plaskett Emergency dropped Truthfully,Truthfully featuring the best song about teachers “Come On Teacher”, since Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher”.

 I’m sure I am missing plenty of others. Help me out.

 What were the best albums of 2003?

 Was 2003 the best year for Canadian music?  Discuss!

43 Comment(s) | Post a Comment | Permalink

Recent Blog Posts

Comments

43 comments
[Comments are now closed for this post]
NEWEST COMMENTS  |  UPDATE COMMENTS
  1. Will GPC
    01

    re: R3Weekend: Was 2003 the greatest year for Canadian music?

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Will GPC

    Do Make Say Think - Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn! 

  2. Red Scorpion
    02

    100$ hot dog?

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Red Scorpion

    good morning

    rather expensive hot dog that is . i wonder how much the fries are

  3. Benoit from Ottawa
    03

    Dear Peter

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Benoit from Ottawa

    First things first: welcome, even if you've been 'here' a while.

    As a mostly weekday listener who occasionally tunes in on weekends only to run into repeats, I appreciate having some new programming, like today, Saturday.

    New programming, newer songs. If I have one wish, it's that you'll stretch the confines of the usual programming, which relies excessively* on presenting the top 30. That bugaboo becomes ;articularly irksome when it's just the one, same song by a given artist, that's being played all the time. (A current example might be Change the Sheets -- a lovely song, don't get me wrong, and I'm a big fan of her to boot.)

    So any efforts on your part to insert lesser played tunes and artists would be appreciated.

     

    *I post comments o the blog, that is a frequent complaint of mine.

  4. alsace lorraine
    04

    re: R3Weekend: Was 2003 the greatest year for Canadian music?

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by alsace lorraine

    In 2003, I wasn't listening to Canadian music at all, or in fact any modern music at all. 

    I am totally unaware of music that happened in 2003. 

  5. posterofagirl
    05

    re: R3Weekend: Was 2003 the greatest year for Canadian music?

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by posterofagirl

    absolutely.  2005 wasn't so bad either; arcade fire, city and colour/alexisonfire...

  6. EP
    06

    @benoit

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by EP

    Yes, I mostly agree with your suggestion.

    Besides, I am less likely to purchase an album based on one hit, as I would if i was familiar with a couple songs.  And if that one hit is overplayed, then it actually ends up driving me away from buying the CD because: why buy what you can hear ubiquitously?

    However, I think they are limited by the number of available songs per artist that is in the R3 system.

  7. Benoit from Ottawa
    07

    EP

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Benoit from Ottawa

    Quite. I am using, encouragement, use of best efforts, y'know, trying.

    As opposed to just responding and then keeping on keeping on.

  8. Benoit from Ottawa
    08

    Peter

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Benoit from Ottawa

    I heard Harlan Pepper and met the guys just two days ago.

    They are around nineteen years old.

    (Just thought I'd throw that out, for a bit of fun.)

     

     

     

    My spear, your rear. Bwahahahaha!

  9. Benoit from Ottawa
    09

    07: I'll take back that first comma.

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Benoit from Ottawa

    (What was I thining?)

  10. Benoit from Ottawa
    10

    Crap I want a spellcheck

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Benoit from Ottawa

    thinking

  11. EP
    11

    @benoit

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by EP

    yes, well sieze the opportunity of the monday meld and the other user request shows to expose some lesser known tracks!  Its probably your best starting point.

    Otherwise, you will have to explore the track library and create your own playlists, i suppose.

  12. alsace lorraine
    12

    @Benoit

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by alsace lorraine

    I get really tired when the same song again and again. I know that there's more than one song from each new album.

    The way things appear to happen is that one song per album gets played at a time. When one song is done, they choose another from the same album (we only heard Cro-Magnon when they were done playing Synthesie). I think it would be nice to play a few songs at a time so that we don't get sick of the same song. 

  13. EP
    13

    @alsace

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by EP

    yes, and it can be especially bad with the X3 artist of the month, since most dont have many new tracks released, and you end up hearing the SAME hit over and over, (including the clip from the X3 promo!).

    Perhaps an X3 artist requirement should be to have at least 2 or 3 tracks from the newest album in rotation, in addition to some older ones too!  I will say, I do like how in Kathleen Edwards' case, they featured the album rollout and live concert. 

  14. alsace lorraine
    14

    @EP

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by alsace lorraine

    I totally missed both Kathleen Edwards' album rollout and concert. I do think it is a pretty cool idea to have the concert too. 

    I know i am getting really tired of Change the Sheets, but I realise that sometimes there are only so many songs that are available to play. It would be neat to see if they really only had that song to play, or if it is a choice to only play the same song again and again. 

  15. Benoit from Ottawa
    15

    Peter Morey and any others...

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Benoit from Ottawa

    It occurs to me that perhaps no-one has introduced you to Allison (Allie) Brosh's Hyperbole and a Half. The link just back there goes to a darned great and pretty representative story of hers.

  16. EP
    16

    re: R3Weekend: Was 2003 the greatest year for Canadian music?

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by EP

    overplaying the "current" hit is what drove me from commercial radio.

  17. Benoit from Ottawa
    17

    alsace

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Benoit from Ottawa

    I think there's oftentimes agreement by R3 with the artist or their rep on a rollout schedule, in order to work first this song, then that song into the media systems. (To wit Kathleen on Letterman (and everywhere else): Change the Sheets)

  18. alsace lorraine
    18

    @Benoit

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by alsace lorraine

    I don't think I have ever properly thanked you introducing me to Hyperbole and a Half. Thank you very much. This one is my favourite. 

  19. Shonica
    19

    re: R3Weekend: Was 2003 the greatest year for Canadian music?

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Shonica

    Good morning Pete, I have been listening to your show this morning and it is nice to have something new and not just repeat shows. 

    As a daily listener I also do not like the overplaying of songs. 

  20. Benoit from Ottawa
    20

    EP, 11 (reading unread comments)

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Benoit from Ottawa

    Oh yeah, playlists aren't a limitation, for sure! I have a few, and everyone else's are available! Not to forget the other streams, where I sometimes take refuge.

    It remains though that the live deejayed stream, connected as it is to the blog, is the choicest of choices.

  21. Benoit from Ottawa
    21

    No more marking first year papers...

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Benoit from Ottawa
  22. alsace lorraine
    22

    @Benoit

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by alsace lorraine

    I know that's how it works, but it still annoys me a little for certian songs. Change the Sheets have really been over played, it is a particularily bad one. It is not as bad with other musicians. 

    I can't help but think that the listening public would be more recepting if songs were released closer together and then the first one would still be played when the 2nd one was on (and so on), so we'd have a bit more variety. 

  23. Benoit from Ottawa
    23

    alsace, 22

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Benoit from Ottawa

    Agreed.

    Treating the public too much as a mass, as statistics, and forgetting that it's made up of individuals with working memories. Taking the public for less perceptive (and easily annoyed by repetition) than it is -- which is strange, in this world where it's so easy to go elsewhere...

     

    (Note the new thumbnail, just now borrowed.)

  24. Benoit from Ottawa
    24

    18: Quite welcome

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Benoit from Ottawa

    'T'aint nothing more than what someone did for me!

  25. alsace lorraine
    25

    @Benoit

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by alsace lorraine

    Sadly, the one sinlge after another model appears to be how radio works. I'd still rather hear the same R3 songs repeated than the latest Katy Perry

     

    Re 24. The blog has been responsible for introducing me to many a variety of wonderful time wasters. 

  26. Benoit from Ottawa
    26

    Okay, off the blog!

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Benoit from Ottawa

    Do stuff! Get underway! Go cycling!

    (But I'll keep on listening for a while.)

     

    (Acknowledge 25)

  27. alsace lorraine
    27

    @Benoit

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by alsace lorraine

    I am waiting for my laundry to finish, then I am off to explore my new city! 

  28. EP
    28

    re: R3Weekend: Was 2003 the greatest year for Canadian music?

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by EP

    re: statistics

    I think the people that listen & blog are just a small percentage of R3's listeners.  Its easy to forget that most listeners are using Sirius, or streaming without the browser.

     

    @alsace: what is your new city?

  29. alsace lorraine
    29

    @EP

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by alsace lorraine

    I moved to Calgary for work at the beginning of the month. 

     

    (Also, though there are other listeners, we are the important ones, right? Right?)

  30. Benoit from Ottawa
    30

    Have a good explore, a.l.!

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Benoit from Ottawa

    Also, if you google up Hyperbole and a Half, the second result (for me anyway) is a short interview with Allie Brosh, via YouTube.

  31. Benoit from Ottawa
    31

    EP @ 28

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Benoit from Ottawa

    Yeah, let's assume that; how does that change the comment about repetition of the same song?

  32. EP
    32

    @alsace

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by EP

    yes, of course!

    we are the vocal minority.

  33. alsace lorraine
    33

    @Benoit

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by alsace lorraine

    I will definately check out that video!

  34. EP
    34

    @benoit

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by EP

    it doesnt change the comment about repetition. it doesnt change the comment about repetition. 

    it just sometimes easy to forget that although most people here agree, its not necessarily the feelings of all r3 listeners.

    (would be nice to see a graph of thumbs up/down per song as a function of time. ) but again, that is only reflective of web listeners.

  35. Benoit from Ottawa
    35

    I think the thumbs up sign gets used far more often...

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Benoit from Ottawa

    ...than the down, even under similar if opposite motivation.

  36. Pete Morey
    36

    re: R3Weekend: Was 2003 the greatest year for Canadian music?

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by Pete Morey

    Good Points everyone. (even if they are off my awesome topic of 2003 being a kick ass 4 to the floor mutha of a year for music in our glorious nation)

    I'll raise them with the R3 gang this week.

     

     

     

  37. alsace lorraine
    37

    @Pete

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by alsace lorraine

    Thanks

    I am really enjoying catching you on weekends. 

  38. jacklloydman
    38

    re: R3Weekend: Was 2003 the greatest year for Canadian music?

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by jacklloydman

    awesome year!!

  39. thismachinekillsfascists
    39

    re: R3Weekend: Was 2003 the greatest year for Canadian music?

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by thismachinekillsfascists

    Constantines - Shine a Light

    Death From Above 1979's Heads Up came out late 2002, but I was listening to it for a long time in 2003.

  40. thismachinekillsfascists
    40

    re: R3Weekend: Was 2003 the greatest year for Canadian music?

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by thismachinekillsfascists

    Manitoba/Caribou - Up in Flames!

  41. thismachinekillsfascists
    41

    re: R3Weekend: Was 2003 the greatest year for Canadian music?

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by thismachinekillsfascists

    Oh yeah. Thanks for making me think of The Dears CBCRadio3. The Dears - No Cities Left is another 2003 album made of win.

  42. thismachinekillsfascists
    42

    re: R3Weekend: Was 2003 the greatest year for Canadian music?

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by thismachinekillsfascists

    And Feist's Let It Die. Okay I'm done.

     

     

  43. thismachinekillsfascists
    43

    re: R3Weekend: Was 2003 the greatest year for Canadian music?

    Posted on Jan 28, 2012 by thismachinekillsfascists

    ...The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?

43 comments
OLDEST COMMENTS  |  UPDATE COMMENTS