My Top 10 Albums of 2011

Hi Friends,

I realize there's still a few weeks left in 2011 - but when I take a look at new release schedules I feel confident in declaring 'My Top 10 Albums of 2011' as of December 5th.

It's been another great year for music with releases by some of the biggest acts around the World. Artists like Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, Fucked Up, Bon Iver, Feist, Radiohead, Jay Z & Kanye West, The Strokes, Cults and Naked and Famous to name a few - all dropped amazing albums in 2011.

For me it was the following 10 albums that stood out over the past 12 months...

1. Adele - '21' - If this doesn't win the Grammy for album of the year then something is wrong. Hands down the finest album in 2011


2. Drake - 'Take Care' - Drizzy Drake has released an epic album the likes of Eminem's 'Marshall Mathers LP'. This album raises the bar for R&B and Hip Hop going into 2012. A perfect album.


3. The Weeknd - 'House of Balloons' - Believe the hype and download this one if you haven't already. It's like listening to the TV series Skins play out on your headphones.


4. Beyonce - '4' - She's a Queen and this album should be in every one's collections. If you like music then this album is for you - it's that simple.


5. Arkells - 'Michigan Left' - Holy shit. I put this one on the back burner at first. Mistake. It's one of the finest Rock records of the year - and not just in Canada. This is where new bands should be looking for guidance.


6. City and Colour - 'Little Hell' - From the erie sounds on Fragile Bird - to the honest lyrics in The Grand Optimist - this band is getting better with each album.


7. M83 - 'Hurry Up, We're Dreaming' - If you do a lot of flying then play this album on headphones as you glide through the clouds. It's the most beautiful album of the year and brings you to a dreamland. Also enhanced when Victoria Secret used a track to showcase their angels.


8. Foster The People - 'Torches' - This album was a long time coming and it's going to be delivering singles for at least another 6 months. The band are hard working and deserve to be up for Grammys. This album should live on year end lists from littlest of blogs (like this one) to the biggest publications Globally.


9. The Jezabels - 'Prisoner' - The only way you're going to get this album is by living with it for an afternoon. I suggest you stick it on for a long drive or grab the headphones and go for a walk. It's a masterpiece and I'm certain they'll be around for a long time to come. I told you so.


10. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - 'Self-titled' - It's Noel Fookin' Gallagher. He's the principle song-writer for Oasis and he's not lost a bit of that on this solo outing. He's a dick - but he can be and should be. The album is fan-fookin'-tastic.


11. Honourable mention 1 - Amy Winehouse - 'Lioness: Hidden Treasures' - I've only actually heard 4 tracks off this one - as it's not out until tomorrow. We lost this one too early - but this will hopefully keep us going for now.


12. Honourable mention 2 - The Boxer Rebellion - 'The Cold Still' - I saw these guys at SXSW this year and they knocked me on my ass. The voice is Morrisey like in strength and the band bring a charging energy through the full album. I highly recommend you try this band out.

So there we have it - the toughest decisions one has to make at this time of the year. I'm certain that I'm missing some big ones. I will no doubt remember then as soon as I hit post.

Fingers crossed for 2012 - and that it brings us more amazing music for the soundtrack to our lives.

Thanks for reading/listening.

Gregg Stewart

Abbey Road Studios

Hello Friends,

This year marks the 80th anniversary of music most famous recording house in the World - Abbey Road Studios.

Now I've had the pleasure of being in some of the greatest music halls as well and experienced some monumental things in my career. I even worked at Toronto's Masonic Temple for a few years. Nothing quite compares to the feeling of walking past the zebra crossing and through the doors of this place.

Last week I had the pleasure of attending an EMI showcase for new artists at Abbey Road Studios in London, England. Home to The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Rush, orchestral tracking for the likes of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The King's Speech, James Bond soundtracks and of course Oasis.

It was a religious experience to say the least. The street alone gave me goosebumps - but to have walked through those doors and into Studio 2 - well that was the real deal.

As you can imagine the past week has been all about re-living The Beatles music. I know that we all know their music well - but here's a few stand-outs that I recommend you give another fresh listen to. They're never going to sound dated and have yet to be challenged in terms of production even as we approach the year 2012.

• 'Run For Your Life'
• 'A Day In The Life'
• 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'
• 'Norwegian Wood (This Birds Had Flown)'
• 'In My Life'
• 'Come Together'

Here's some other artists that have recorded at Abbey Road over the years...

• Pink Floyd - 'Wish You Were Here'
• Pink Floyd - 'Us And Them'
• Travis - 'Closer'
• Radiohead - 'Planet Telex'
• Oasis - 'All Around The World'
• U2 featuring Green Day - 'The Saints Are Coming'
• Duran Duran - 'Notorious'
• Gerry and the Pacemakers - 'Ferry Across The Mercy'
• Florence and the Machine - 'What the Water Gave Me'
• Lady Gaga - 'Born This Way'
• Kanye West - 'Diamonds of Sierra Leone' *Late Orchestration: Live at Abbey Road Studios

In recent years the studio also gave the World a closer look inside through the series 'Live From Abbey Road'. It's wonderful and worth hunting down if you're a music lover.

After the studio sessions I joined EMI staff, along with a few of the artists, at a local pub. The pub itself was on Abbey Road and boasts being the local to Sir Paul McCartney, Kate Moss and Simon Cowell. It was the perfect way to end an evening in London.

If you ever get the opportunity to visit Abbey Road then do it - don't hesitate for a second. This truly is a place where dreams and creativity are created. Those walls have seen some of the finest writers, producers and musicians that the World has ever seen and ever will see.

In Metric's 'Gimme Sympathy' they asked the question "Who would you rather be? The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?" For me it's without question The Beatles:)

Thanks for reading/listening.

Gregg

Are You Hearing This?

Hello Friends,

Are you hearing the amazing music that's out there right now? I really hope that you are as there's so much of it - and there's something for everyone.

I don't have a lot to say in this post - I simply think these songs are that great they need to be shared - and right now. Please do yourself a favour and check them out when you have a second.

Let this music speak for itself...

• Arkells - 'Whistleblower' *Rock n Roll is alive and well
• Watch The Throne feat. Frank Ocean - 'No Church in the Wild' *Epic
• Florence and the Machine - 'Shake It Out' *wow
• The Jezabels - 'Rosebud' *listen to that voice. Raw Talent.
• Yukon Blonde - 'Fire' *There's good reason for their shout out in 'How I Met Your Mother' this week
• Coldplay - 'Up In Flame' *live version
• Noel Gallagher - 'AKA...What A Life' *Takes over Toronto this week:)
• M83 - 'Midnight City' *BEST SONG IN AGES
• Sam Roberts - 'Without A Map' *Hell yeah Sam
• Morning Parade - 'Us & Ourselves' *I'm going to see these guys in London next week - can't wait
• Beyonce featuring J. Cole - 'Party' *I like the Andre 3000 version best - but this is solid too.
• City and Colour - 'The Grand Optimist' *stick on the headphones and go for a walk
• Arkells - 'Kiss Cam' *Opening line of the year award. Canada knows.

Thanks for reading/listening.

Gregg

Calvin Harris

Hi Friends,

Calvin Harris is a singer-songwriter, producer and DJ from sunny Scotland. He's a mere 27 years of age and is producing some of the biggest hits in popular music today.

I listen to lots of UK radio and have been hearing his remixes + body of work for years. In the last year he's started crossing over and bringing this amazing energy to North America.

The new Rihanna track 'We Found Love' featuring Calvin Harris is FANTASTIC. It's a track from the forthcoming album 'Talk That Talk' set to be released in late November. A great lead single with the intensity needed to give Rihanna yet another #1 single.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then this track 'Yeah x3' shows just how much Mr. Brown respects the work of Calvin.

Whether you're looking for some dance tracks to round out your library or finessing a workout playlist - you should seriously consider some Calvin Harris.

Here are a few must hear Calvin Harris tracks...

• I'm Not Alone *personal favourite of his work and the video is awesome
• The Hours - 'See The Light' (Calvin Harris Remix) #love
• Bounce feat Kelis
• Ready for the Weekend
• You Used To Hold Me

Thanks for reading/listening.

Gregg Stewart

5 Beauty Tracks for the Weekend

Hello Friends,

It's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and the forecast looks amazing. What better way to celebrate than to have some fresh new tunes to get you through it. There's so many great albums out at this time but I've picked a few monsters.

Here's 5 amazing tracks I'm digging and hope you like too...

1. Kathleen Edwards - 'Change These Sheets' *produced by her boyfriend Bon Iver
2. The Jezabels - 'Endless Summer' *Australian beauty
3. J. Cole - 'Lights Please' *the #1 album in the US this week and #3 here
4. Noel Gallagher - 'AKA...What A Life!' *3rd single from his yet to be released album
5. Kasabian - 'Days Are Forgotten' *anthem

Bonus: Pink Floyd - 'Wish You Were Here' *simply because the re-issues came out this week:)

Thanks for reading/listening.

Have a great long weekend!

Gregg Stewart

Polaris Music Prize 2011

Hello Friends,

As I sit watching the re-broadcast of this past week's Polaris Music Prize I can't help but feel very fortunate to be in such a great industry. The Polaris Music Prize is Canada's equivalent to the UK's Mercury Music Prize which honours the album of the year as voted on by a jury of music media. The winner is awarded $30,000 along with the prestigious title of Album of the Year.

The jury starts with 200 or so media types from across Canada representing all genres and media platforms from Print, Radio, Online and Television. As the list of nominated albums is narrowed down so is the jury. The jury becomes 11 members for the final voting at the same time the shortlist of 10 albums is announced. This year I had the honour of being selected as 1 of the 11 and it was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my career.

As part of the jury we were responsible for living with the final 10 albums with gruelling task of determining which one was the best. Once given the albums the only instruction we were given was to listen to the albums in sequence without shuffling.

I can honestly say the process was pure, democratic and amazing. This is the way that any decisions surrounding music should be...but I digress.

All 11 grand jury members met in person, some for the first time, the night before the actual awards. The goal was to meet one another and of course talk about these final 10 albums. The people around the table came prepared with both ammunition and a passion like I've never seen before. I had goosebumps and was scared shit less for my turn to talk about these albums.

The following night we went to The Masonic Temple to deliberate and narrow it down to 1 winner. After having lived with these 10 albums for the better part of 2 months - it was time to make our pick. It was taken very seriously by all members along the way. I know that my choices changed throughout these 2 days based on the passion of others and of course the music I'd been living with for so long.

My approach was to study these 10 albums even further as I was running. I run longer distances this time of year in anticipation for race season so this was perfect timing for me. There's nothing like listening to music when you're running outside - be it through a forest or a busy street. These 10 runs were among the most intense ever as there would be no play lists nor would there be any skipping past songs. The albums would be heard the way that the artist/s meant for us to hear them. Something that's missing in the 2011 music world:( I highly recommend giving Colin Stetson's - 'New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges' at 7am while running through the woods.

I can't say how all the voting went down - but I can tell you there was never a clear cut winner throughout the process. There were compelling arguments as to why each and every shortlisted album should have won and perhaps there really should have been 10 winners in the end. Like any competition there can only be one winner and this year's winner went to Arcade Fire's 'The Suburbs'.

Here are some tunes from this year's shortlisted 10 albums that I think you should check out.

• Arcade Fire
• Austra
• The Braids
• Destroyer
• Galaxie
• Hey Rosetta!
• Ron Sexsmith
• Colin Stetson
• Timber Timbre
• The Weeknd

If you missed the show then you can watch all the performance from this year's gala here. I'd love to hear back from you as to how you would have voted:)

I met some truly amazing people throughout this process and it's restored my faith in this industry. With people this passionate and in it for the right reason - things will only get better and great music will rise to the surface.

Thanks for reading/listening.

Gregg Stewart

Coldplay

Hello Friends,

Like most of you I learned of this band through their music video for the song 'Yellow'. I had no idea what they were singing about and nor did I care...this video was a breath of fresh air compared to the pop music that blanketed TV at that time. It was guitar based music and a welcome addition from an otherwise strange time where videos like this one reigned.

I picked up 'Parachutes' the same week I saw that video and was blown away that each and every song was so gorgeous. It's 11 years old now and still as stunning as ever.

Like any band they had their work cut out for them to follow-up such a big debut. Coldplay was able to rise to the occasion and dropped 'A Rush of Blood to the Head' on the World. For me this will forever stand-out as one of the greatest albums I've heard at first spin. I recorded it from Edge 102 as Dave Bookman did a 'World Album Premiere' the night before it's release. I drove to a cottage that same night and played the album on repeat for the 3 hour journey. I got to the cottage road and kept going so I could finish the album one more time as it was meant to be heard. I will never forget that feeling as it was just perfect.

I used to enter contest through eye weekly on a regular basis in those days. I actually won quite frequently and won a copy of the lead single 'In My Place' one week. It came with a pass to meet the band at an in-store autograph session while they were in town. It was at HMV Queen Street just as 'A Rush of Blood to the Head' came out and to my surprise there wasn't that big of a line-up. I have a photo somewhere - just can't find it right now. I also have a Q Magazine cover I got autographed that same day.

The first time I saw the band live was at the Molson Amphitheatre back in 2003. It was there that I fell in love with Ron Sexsmith's music when he opened the show. Chris Martin joined Ron on stage for the duet 'Gold in them Hills' that appears on Ron's album 'Cobblestone Runway'. The crowd didn't expect it as the place was still filing in. Once they all recognized the skinny guy in a black toque to be Chris Martin they went nuts.

Suffice to say I am very excited that we'll be hosting the band at MuchMusic next Wednesday, September 21st. It'll be a live broadcast show from my work's parking lot and I bet there might even be some fireworks. It all kicks off at 9pm - and I recommend you watch this one in HD with speakers set to 11.

Here's a quick play list, of some of my favourite Coldplay tracks, to prepare you for this wonderful night in Toronto.

• Homecoming on Kanye's album 'Graduation'
• Shiver *they are just kids in this one
• Trouble
• Moses
• Green Eyes *personal favourite track from Coldplay
• Amsterdam
• Warning Sign
• The Hardest Part
• Fix You *stick this on a running play list!

Thanks for reading/listening.

Gregg