Mix Tape
2007, for me, was very much the year of completely submerging myself in the local -- and by extension, the Canadian -- music scene. I’ve always thought of myself as being someone who listened to a lot of Canadian music, but this year took that to a whole new level.
The proof is in this year-end tracklist. Half of these songs ended up being from Canadian artists, and five of those are from right here in Toronto. I briefly toyed with the idea of just doing an all-Canadian compilation but decided that wouldn’t do the spirit of these mixtapes justice.
The most unusual inclusions on the record probably belong to “Warm” by Monoceros, which is a seven minute brooding, ambient electronic piece that brings me back to my days of spending hours trying to get inspired to write while listening to Massive Attack. A close second goes to Young Galaxy's “Swing Your Heartache”, if for no other reason besides that I have been on record many times talking shit on Arts & Crafts, and here I am championing a song from one of their 2007 releases.
I’m not a total indie snob though, and included “Don’t You Evah” by Spoon, which might have to do a little bit with the hilarious and addictive video they shot for it that sticks with me to this day.
The real question that remains is, what is my favourite song of 2007? That is one that took some serious soul-searching. I’ve decided on “Warm Winter Coats” by Fox Jaws. Anybody who knows me well knew this song was going to make the mixtape, and when it came down to it, not another song has managed to top it this year.
- by Dan