exposéh: Toronto

Toronto is the largest city in Canada, and the provincial capital of Ontario. A population estimate is put at 2.5 million residents, making it the fifth most populous city in North America. Toronto is Canada's economic capital. Toronto is one of the planet's most diverse cities with almost 49% of the population being born outside of Canada. Because of the city's low crime rates, clean environment, and high standard of living, it is consistently ranked as one of the world's most livable cities.




Toronto's musical history is a long and storied one. In terms of notoriety, Toronto has been the home and origin point for such acts as Neil Young, Rush, Moxy Früvous, Our Lady Peace, Barenaked Ladies, and Cowboy Junkies.

But its thriving independent music scene is the real testament to the creativity and diversity of the city. Any genre imaginable is represented from the country-rock of Blue Rodeo to the pop-punk of Not By Choice. From the gothic in The Birthday Massacre to the electroclash of Peaches. The thirty artists represented below are but a sample.


IF IT'S BROKE, DON'T FIX IT

DISC 1:
1. The Blankket – Thunder Road
2. Matias – Tea
3. Henri Fabergé & The Adorables – Ventriloquist Love
4. The Bicycles – Paris Be Mine
5. By Divine Right – The Slap
6. Kupek – Desolay
7. The Barcelona Pavilion – Tidy Up Tidy Up
8. The Russian Futurists – Paul Simon
9. Dream Warriors – Wash Your Face In My Sink
10. Ninja High School – It’s All Right To Fight
11. The Birthday Massacre – Horror Show
12. Controller.Controller – History
13. Broken Social Scene – Almost Crimes [Radio Kills Remix]
14. k-os – Crabbuckit
15. Katie Stelmanis – Broken
16. Metric – The List

DISC 2:
1. Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton – Our Hell
2. Jane Siberry – The Walking (And Constantly)
3. Final Fantasy – The CN Tower Belongs To The Dead
4. Hawksley Workman – Safe And Sound
5. The Deadly Snakes – Gore Veil
6. Ohbijou – St. Francis
7. Detective Kalita – Best Man Blues
8. Gentleman Reg – Tricks
9. The Hidden Cameras – Mississauga Goddam
10. Jason Collett – Gabe
11. Neil Young – Heart of Gold
12. FemBots – Count Down Our Days
13. The Lowest Of The Low – Under The Carlaw Bridge
14. The Sadies – A Good Flying Day

Download: [.zip file]



Links:

-all photos courtesty of daily dose of imagery, photoblog

-LiveWithCulture, guide to Toronto's culture scene

-newmindspace, interactive public art

-Citynoise, public photoblog

-Exclaim!, free music magazine



Look for the second entry in this new series exploring the music of the Great White North, exposéh: British Columbia, coming January 2008.