Relient K - Relient K (2000)

"Hello McFly" by Relient K


In one of Barenaked Ladies's most memorable songs "If I Had $1,000,000", one of the objects the songwriters would buy their girlfriend was a K Car, "a very reliant automobile".  Although the band is known for its music references and has any number of stronger connections to other bands, I just couldn't resist taking the K Car reference to one of my high school years' favorite bands, the christian pop punk band Relient K, named for the vehicle with the purposeful typo to avoid infringement.

Heavily influenced by another Christian punk band MxPx, Matt Thiessen (guitar, vocals), Matt Hoopes (guitar, backing vocals), and Brian Pittman (bass) formed Relient K in 1998 while juniors in high school in Canton, Ohio.  The band's first drummer was Todd Frascone, but he'd soon leave the band and was replaced by Stephen Cushman.  They found a lucky connection into the music industry through one of their friends (Hoopes's would-be wife, Danielle) who was the daughter of live musician Mark Lee Townsend.  Townsend produced Relient K's demo and helped get the attention of Christian music artist TobyMac and his Christian record label Gotee Records.  After graduating, the band recorded their debut album Relient K that started the slow growth of the band's cult, Christian following through their combination of pop cultural references and religious messages.

Here is the discography surrounding Relient K's debut album

All Work & No Play (1998 demo)
2000 A.D.D. (2000 EP)
Relient K

"My Girlfriend" by Relient K


"Charles in Charge" by Relient K


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Barenaked Ladies - Gordon (1992)

"If I Had $1,000,000" by Barenaked Ladies


Steven Page and Ed Robertson were schoolmates but only acquaintances until both discovered the other loved Peter Gabriel.  They worked as counselors, went to concerts, and played music together.  Eventually, they performed together but would do so without without rehearsing.   After it became a habit, this led to a unique live style founded on their comedic banter, fresh set lists, and improvised raps and cover songs.  They eventually invited friends and brothers Andy (percussion, keyboards) and Jim Creegan (bass) to join the band.  Drummer Tyler Stewart would join as a second percussionist while Andy studied abroad and stayed on after Andy returned.

The band recorded several demos together and then a professionally (and expensively) put together demo, The Yellow Tape, intended for recording labels.  Turned down by all, the band resorted to selling the tape at their live shows.  Yellow was so popular that it sold over 100,000 copies; good enough for platinum status on the Canadian charts.  They released their debut album Gordon with Reprise Records in 1992 to big success in Canada, partially because it contained a number of the band's most popular songs known from their live sets.  Their songs were highlighted by beautiful harmonies, witty lyrics, and an outstanding number music references.  One of these namedrop songs is "Be My Yoko Ono" which turned out to be Canada's first independently released, chart-topping single (that would soon be followed by Moxy Früvous's "King of Spain").

Here is the discography surrounding Barenaked Ladies's debut album:

Buck Naked (1989 demo)
Barenaked Lunch (1990 demo)
Barenaked Recess (1990 demo)
The Yellow Tape (1991 demo)
Variety Recordings: Barenaked Ladies (1991 radio promo)
Be My Yoko Ono (1992 single)
Lovers in a Dangerous Time (1992 compilation song)
Gordon
Enid (1992 single)
Grade 9 (1992 single)
If I Had $1,000,000 (1992 single)
Brian Wilson (1993 single)
What a Good Boy (1993 single)

"Be My Yoko Ono" by Barenaked Ladies


"Brian Wilson" and Interview with Conan O'Brien by Barenaked Ladies


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Moxy Früvous - Bargainville (1993)

"The Drinking Song" by Moxy Früvous


Both hHead and Moxy Früvous were among many bands to feature on the compilation album A Canadian Alternative '92.  Whereas hHead found its niche on college radio, Moxy Früvous were popular with just about everyone.  The band started in 1989 with three secondary school friends Jian Ghomeshi, Murray Foster, and Mike Ford then joined by David Matheson who'd take the role of lead singer and only.  Not only did they garner popular attention at local shows in Toronto, but they caught the ears of CBC Radio who'd commission the band to write politically and socially aware songs.  Many of these songs found their way onto Moxy's debut Bargainville in 1993 though they'd find a smart balance between their comedic and serious tracks.  In the band's early years, they relied only on an acoustic guitar and simple percussion to better emphasize their barbershop quartet harmonies.  With their witty lyrics, beautiful harmonies, and fun attitude, Moxy Früvous reminds of previous "tour stops" like Tom Lehrer and Tally Hall while also bringing to mind The Mountain Goats, Ben Folds Five, Simon & Garfunkel, and They Might Be Giants.

Here is the discography surrounding Moxy Früvous's debut album:

Moxy Früvous (1992 demo)
Bargainville
King of Spain (1993 single)
Stuck in the 90's (1993 single)

"King of Spain" by Moxy Früvous


"My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors" by Moxy Früvous


"Gulf War Song" by Moxy Früvous


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hHead - Fireman (1992)

"Collide" by hHead


Where Harris Newman mastered The Dears's first studio recording, Noah Mintz mastered their second (an EP).  While The Dears were an exemplary band of the second wave of Canadian indie music, Mintz himself got his start on the first major wave with his band hHead.  He sang lead and played guitar and co-founded the group with bassist Brendan Canning.  They'd be supported by a rotating series of drummers.  hHead played alternative rock (a kind of metal/grunge pop) that was extremely popular on college radio and was successful enough as a group to "earn a modest living for four years" while touring for most of it.  They formed in 1991 and quickly released an EP and their debut, self-released Fireman the next.  Catching a loyal local fan base, hHead signed with I.R.S. Records to re-release the album two years later with bonus tracks for more than a limited run.

Here is the discography surrounding hHead's debut album:

Potato (1991 EP)
Fireman
Fireman (1994 re-release)

"Flower" by hHead


"Fireman" by hHead


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The Dears - End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story (2000)

"When the World Begins and Ends" by The Dears


Frankie Sparo's debut was mastered by master engineer Harris Newman of Grey Market Mastering.  He has mastered a number of the Canadian indie scene's best albums including the debut album by The Dears.  The Dears formed in 1995 around husband-and-wife team Murray Lightburn (vocals, guitar) and Natalia Yanchak (keyboards) and played a form of orchestral indie-pop heavily indebted to 90s Britpop.  Murray's early singing has often been compared to Morrissey or Blur's Damon Albarn.  It has become a tired comparison for Lightburn though no less accurate.  Along with drummer John Tod and bassist Roberto Aquilla, The Dears released their first album End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story in 2000 and followed it up the next year with the Orchestral Pop Noir Romantique EP.

Here is the discography surrounding The Dears's debut album:

Nor the Dahlias: The Dears 1995-1998 (1998 demo compilation album)
End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story
Orchestral Pop Noir Romantique (2001 EP)

"End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story" by The Dears


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Frankie Sparo - My Red Scare (2000)

"Diminish Me NYC" by Frankie Sparo


Frankie Sparo is the alias of Chad Jones, singer/songwriter from Victoria, British Columbia.  He came to the Canadian indie scene's attention after his demo made the rounds and got him touring dates and a recording contract with Constellation Records.  His debut record My Red Menace was produced by Godspeed co-founder Efrim Menuck and released in late 2000.

Here is the discography surrounding Frankie Sparo's debut album:

My Red Scare
Arena Hostile (2001 EP)

"The Night That We Stayed In" by Frankie Sparo


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Godspeed You Black Emperor! - F# A# ∞ (1997)

"F# A# ∞" by Godspeed You Black Emperor!


Arcade Fire recorded their debut at Hotel2Tango, a recording studio in Montreal originally run and operated by members of the local post-rock group, Godspeed You Black Emperor!  Named for a Japanese documentary and formed in 1994, the original line-up featured Efrim Menuck (guitar), Mike Moya (guitar), and Mauro Pezzente (bass).  The trio jammed and played locally, though sporadically, while their style heavily diverged from the contemporary grunge sound.  Together, they'd self-release a cassette of experimental, ambient, instrumental recordings titled All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling.  They put out only 33 copies in late 1994 and the album/demo is considered lost.  They released their debut album F# A# ∞ in 1997 on Constellation Records and then re-recorded and re-released it in 1998 for the Kranky record label and the US market.

Here is the discography surrounding Godspeed You! Black Emperor's debut album:

A Minute Late... A Dollar Short (1989 EP by The Trapt)
All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling (1994 lost album/demo)
F# A# ∞
Sunshine + Gasoline (1998 compilation song)
F# A# ∞ (1998 re-recording, re-release)

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Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004)

"Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" by Arcade Fire


At the height of their popularity, United Steel Workers of Montreal finished third in a local poll of popular Montreal bands.  The band in first place then (and probably since) was Arcade Fire.  Arcade Fire is a multi-piece (ranging from six to nine) band based in Montreal with only one member actually from Montreal.  At the core of the band is the relationship between Win Butler (lead vocals, guitar) and Régine Chassagne (xylophone, piano, accordion) who were married before the band broke big.  Surrounding them is Richard Reed Parry (guitar), Tim Kingsbury (guitar, bass), Howard Bilerman (drums, engineer), and younger brother William Butler (bass, piano).  They formed in 2001 and had multiple other members who'd fall out of the band (Brendan Reed, Myles Broscoe, Dane Mills, Tim Kyle, and co-founder Josh Deu) by the time they'd record their debut Funeral.

Out of its anarchic rule, the band built a unique cohesion of songwriting that is simple (very post-punk) in its composition but complex in its layered arrangements.  The end result are songs where a lot of musical ideas are being tossed around and played off each other, yet they attain a unique anthemic touch.  Lyrically, the songs mix nostalgia with meditations on death and its aftereffects on youth.  The album and the band immediately broke out.  Not only was the album critically acclaimed across the board, but they were selling out shows and performing on-stage with the likes of David Bowie and Gabriel Byrne.  Funeral may not have moved a lot of records at the time, but it has since been named one of the greatest albums of the 2000s and even clinched a spot on Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums of All Time list at an impressive #151.  In one fell swoop, Arcade Fire broke the indie scene permanently into the mainstream and their stylistic influence spread across Canada and the United States.

Here is the complete discography surrounding Arcade Fire's debut album:

Demo 2001 (2001 demo)
A Very Arcade Xmas (2002 Christmas EP)
Arcade Fire (2003 EP)
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) (2004 single)
Funeral
CBC Radio 3 Studio Session (2004 radio session)
Live on KEXP (2004 live radio bootleg)
Live at TT the Bears, Cambridge, MA (2004 live bootleg)
Live on Morning Becomes Eclectic, KCRW (2005 live radio bootleg)
Live at Emo's, Austin, TX (2005 live bootleg)
The White Session (2005 live radio session)
Neighborhood #2 (Laïka) (2005 single)
Live at Canal + (2005 live bootleg)
Live at Postbahnhof, Berlin, Germany (2005 live bootleg)
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) (2005 single)
Cold Wind (2005 non-album single)
Live at Fashion Rocks (2005 live EP with David Bowie)
Rebellion (Lies) (2005 single)
Live at First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN (2005 live bootleg)
Wake Up (2005 single)

Neighborhood #2 (Laïka)" by Arcade Fire


"Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" + "Rebellion (Lies)" by Arcade Fire Live on Jools Holland


"In the Backseat" by Arcade Fire


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