Weekly Top 10: Canadian Bands

Our first Weekly Top 10 of the new year features our favorite selections from our neighbors to the north. We also tried to diversify our selections, so even though the Canadian music scene is known for being a very close-knit, interrelated group, we've attempted to branch out as much as possible. This means that there's only one selection from The Unicorns' and Broken Social Scene's family trees (so don't hate). Check it out below, courtesy of new playlist providers, Playlist.com.

Best Albums of the Decade: #11-20

We've nearly reached the end of our countdown of the best albums of the decade. As difficult as compiling this list was to compile, I think it was worth it. Hopefully you do too. Check out #11-20 below-- all album streams are courtesy of Lala.com

20. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, The Flaming Lips (2002)

19. Deja Entendu, Brand New (2003)

18. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, OutKast (2003)

17. Get Rich Or Die Tryin', 50 Cent (2003)

16. Silent Alarm, Bloc Party (2005)

15. Apologies to the Queen Mary, Wolf Parade (2005)

14. Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, Bright Eyes (2002)

13. White Blood Cells, The White Stripes (2002)

12. You & Me, The Walkmen (2008)

11. Hail to the Thief, Radiohead (2003)

[Previously on Animal Noises: Best Albums of the Decade: #21-30]

Music Video Monday: "Modern World"

Track: Modern World

Artist: Wolf Parade

Album: Apologies to the Queen Mary

Year: 2005

Wolf Parade's "Modern World" doesn't make the grandest statement of all the tracks on 2005's Apologies to the Queen Mary. Rather, on an album full of great songs, it functions, through no fault of its own, as part of the larger picture. However, the video for said track, on the other hand, is a completely different story.

Appearing like something out of a Tim Burton-animated film, the video depicts the band as clay-type figures, being put out of work by modern technology. The visual, more than the words themselves, function as an interestingly fantastic social commentary. What happens if technology gets so advanced that human beings are no longer needed to make the stark and sprawling musical landscapes which we enjoy today? All of the sampling and electronic experimentation here are substituted by some gaudy, monstrous music machine, but the question lingers just the same. Whether the band actually harbors these fears or not is irrelevant, as the production makes a simple, yet powerful statement to be considered at the least.

[Previously on Animal Noises: Weekly Top 10: Ghost Songs]

Weekly Top 10: "Ghost" Songs

In light of Halloween coming up this weekend, we decided to make our Weekly Top 10 reflect the holiday. Below is a collection of our favorite songs involving ghosts. You'll notice that the word "ghost" is contained in the title of all of them. So enjoy the tracks. Hopefully your Halloween is both a successful and safe one.

[Previously on Animal Noises: Weekly Top 10: Album Closers]

Weekly Top 10: Album Closers

Nothing seems to make, or ruin, a great album like the last song. Something otherwise great can be sullied in your eyes (ears) if that final glimpse leaves much to be desired, and something a little above average can gain a much higher evaluation solely off of that last collection of notes. Here, we list our favorites of the ladder category-- our favorite album closers. Though Imeem does not have one of my top picks, Grizzly Bear's "Foreground," I'll forgive them for the most part, as the rest of the list is pretty solid. Enjoy below.

[Previously on Animal Noises: Weekly Top 10: Songs Featured on How I Met Your Mother]

Matt's Track of the Week: "Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts"

Song: Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts

Artist: Wolf Parade

Album: Apologies to the Queen Mary

Year: 2005

Last year, Wolf Parade released their second full-length album, At Mount Zoomer. Just like its predecessor, it was full of intensely emotional, haunting, indie rock gems. There were explosions of frantic energy and slow-burning laments. There was even notable musical growth in some new and interesting directions. It's all we could have asked for in a follow-up to one of the decades' most highly acclaimed releases, except for one thing. The album lacked a certain element of "classicality".

Almost every song on Apologies to the Queen Mary stands on its own two feet, along with working cohesively as a moving part of the bigger machine, and that is the secret to a great album that will stand the test of time. "Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts" is a bit of sleeper gem when compared to the undeniably epic "I'll Believe In Anything", but there are few things more beautiful musically on this record than the harmonies of the guitars and synths during this song's chorus break. It's one of those moments on an album that stops you dead in your tracks and has you putting the song on repeat until it gets old. The great thing about this one is, it never does. Check it out below.