Submitted by Doug "The Canuck" Giesbrecht of HM Magazine
1. Dave Bazan - Fewer Moving Parts EP
I'm a real sucker for all things Bazan. I will admit it. He is the ONE artist that I currently have a predetermined love for. This EP contains some of his strongest songwriting, and the five songs take on a whole different life when performed stripped down on the second half of the record. Genius! Total Genius.
2. The Postal Service - Give Up
Yup...it's a few years old now, and the hipster kids have moved on to other things, but this record continues to amaze me, and draw out emotions everytime I hear it. Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie) and Tamborello (DNTL) have created songs that will possibly stand for generations.
3. Jim Guthrie - Morning Noon Night
Most likely unknown to your readers, this independent Canadian artist has been a fave of mine for years. Possibly known for his involvement in the group Royal City, Jim Guthrie's solo work is catchy and quirky at the same time. This 2002 album has half the tracks constructed on a Sony Playstation game called MTV Music Generator. An absolute treat.
4. Zookeeper - Zookeeper EP
I was never a huge follower of emo pioneers Mineral, but I accidentally discovered Zookeeper shortly after my arrival in Austin, TX. Zookeeper is the latest musical offering from ex-Mineral frontman Chris Simpson. A mix of back-porch sing-alongs and swaggering show tunes, this five song EP only scratches the delightfulness of this band. I can hardly wait for a full length!
5. Danielson - Ships and Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche
I didn't want to have to do some sort of tie, but it was really unavoidable. I put both of these on the iPod and found them coming up on random so often that they both had to be included. Some of the strongest, most accessible songs from both artists. The instrumentation continues to amaze me... so multi-layered, but still so simple and delicate. Words of Truth have never sounded so sweet.
For more information on this series, visit the Most Spun 2006 main page.