It was important to me that I start this post like I have started no other in this blog's history - leading with the music.
In his life, Gord Downie, leader of the Tragically Hip, was a board member and vocal supporter of Lake Ontario Waterkeeper - which is now known as Swim Drink Fish after merging with other like-minded organizations - who are concerned with preserving the water and the culture of the lakes and waterways surrounding the Great Lakes and Lake Ontario specifically.
He was a great public speaker - which a lot of people did not know - and he once told a story at one of the LOW events, in April 2015 - about the drop off. Alex Lifeson heard this beautiful spoken word piece, and it stuck with him.... so when Rheostatics put together The Great Lakes Suite, they took Gord's beautiful words, and put them to music.
Gord Downie passed away in 2017, but his words from that Waterkeeper Gala are still with us. And below, they are without music.
Learn more about Swim Drink Fish at www.swimdrinkfish.ca - and donate in Gord's memory if you are able .
I did not have a new Rheostatics album on my 2025 bingo card.
I didn't have a GREAT Rheostatics album on it, at all.
You see, I wasn't really a big fan of Rheostatics before 2025.
And then they released The Great Lakes Suite, a concept album around the Great Lakes. And critics were kind to the album, such as this great one quoted below:
"I was not a Rheostatics person, which is exactly why it shocked me how hard The Great Lakes Suite landed: a sprawling, mostly improvised love letter to the lakes that turns geography into this wild, shifting soundscape. Alex Lifeson and Hugh Marsh are here, but the moment that really broke me is “The Drop Off,” built around a haunting spoken‑word recording from the late Gord Downie about Lake Ontario and water stewardship – it’s like having a ghost of Canadian music history standing in the middle of the suite, reminding you why this landscape matters.
This song, written by Kevin Hearn, closes the album, and it is a beautiful, sweeping piece about the Lakes and their status as an inland sea. Alex Lifeson of Rush joined the band on guitar.
Have they had a chance to perform the song live yet?
Of course they have, and Alex Lifeson joined them for that, too!
Honestly, I knew there was gonna be a Lights song come March. Probably today, but because things happened, I had to rearrange.
Because I WAS going to intentionally skip posting one day in February to make something happen.
And then I did not. Because I got sick of rearranging things.
And then more things happened and I just moved this back. Because it was just easier.
On January 28th, she very much told me (and all Lights fans) exactly what song that was gonna be.
You see, that's the day she released the song "COME GET YOUR GIRL" and its accompanying video, two days before she released A6EXTENDED, the deluxe edition of her fantastic 2025 album A6, about which one critic said:
More than a decade after Siberia and Little Machines, A6 is the first Lights record that really feels like it belongs beside them - not as a sequel, but as their evolved equal. It’s a neon‑soaked grief diary that shows she is still the blueprint for the new wave of alt-pop, folding the heavier, LŪN‑era electronics into synth‑pop songs about damage, numbness and clawing your way back to yourself. she manages to make the "glitch-pop" trend feel grounded and visceral rather than just aesthetic, hitting with the urgency of someone rebuilding in real time. - Literally me.
Yeah, I put A6 #7 on my 2025 list.
This video is why I put it there. If you are a Lights fan and you recognize the scenes from the "Second Go", "Toes", "Running With The Boys", "Giants", or "Prodigal Daughter" videos (guess we have our next two Lights posts written), you have a sharp eye. The scenes from those videos are recreated pretty meticulously (no idea if the scenes were redone or if these are digitally enhanced versions of the originals but I'm leaning towards the former) (Edit: I know now that they were, indeed, redone), but she's clearly singing the song, today, modern-day. It's definitely 2026 Lights, not 2011 Lights with her lips changed.
The song (after which her 2026 tour is named) is also great, but dang, the video is distractingly good.
Today is NOT the 2000th post on Wicked Guilty Pleasures. It was supposed to be, but stuff happens. #1000 was mentioned above. THAT, I did not plan.
Yeah, it was supposed to be 2000. Oh well.
But because we did some rearranging, we get to heard this song, live, from February 26th!!!!!
Yes, the band named after their neighborhood in old Toronto is probably just gonna be posted here every year now.
No, seriously, this map is from Wikipedia.
And while the rest of the world learned about them because Jordan Miller decided to write a song about Brett Emmons, they've actually been making music for more than a decade. Today's song is from their 2021 EP Future Lovers, and it has an ever-so-slightly poppier sound than their current stuff - but it's still pretty excellent.
The band doesn't play this song much anymore, but when they do, they play it as part of a medley I had to crudely edit, and yes, my sister is very excited to hear it.
Saya was the daughter of classical musicians - and parents who TAUGHT music, both privately and at world-renowned institutions. She has released two albums. In 2025, she released SAYA, which was shortlisted for the Polaris Prize and, according to one critic:
"Saya Gray’s SAYA is like scrolling through someone’s brain: songs splinter mid‑phrase, guitars and strings smear into each other, and you’re never quite sure where the groove is going to land. It’s dense and sometimes disorienting - it's not an easy listen, and even took a few listens for me to connect - but once it clicks, it becomes the thing to put on when regular alt‑pop feels too tidy and you want something to gently pull your head apart and rewire it for 40 minutes." - literally me
I sincerely liked the album on first listen, but with subsequent listens, it went from pretty good album to absolutely chaotic and indispensable soliloquy on heartbreak. This song is one of the more upbeat on the album and it makes me smile, every time.
I mentioned Polaris, and yeah, she performed this song at the Polaris Concert and Award Ceremony.
I didn't get too deep into it above, because I wanted you to SEE that 1) she's an absolute wizard on the guitar and 2) her vocal range is next level
This wasn't special for Polaris. She's just that good.
And she opened her NPR Tiny Desk Concert - a year ago - with this song, too.
This time, I'm here because, as part of my 1000 albums listening project which is quickly turning into a 2000 albums listening project, I listened to Shad's acclaimed second album, The Old Prince, which is far less Kanye and far more Big Willie Style than his later work that was previously featured.
And, I posted on Instagram that I loved The Old Prince. And, to be fair, several other albums.
I got one response. Guess which London, Ontario based rapper was the responder?
To be fair, Lights liked it, too. But she didn't respond
So, yeah, that day, I said to myself, "Next March, we are telling all TWELVE blog readers about The Old Prince and how great it is." Because it is.
It's a fun, modern hip-hop classic that sounds timeless, with an award-winning video that seems inspired by a trip to Bel Air or something. The song is very much about... well, still living at home.
The Old Prince was very much short-listed for the 2008 Polaris Prize, and although he didn't win, he did perform this song at the gala.
And the performance is a classic. He does it LIVE, with instruments. In the lead-up, you can hear he credits Common and Lauryn Hill as influences, and I definitely hear it.
What happens when you mix electropop and great storytelling?
You get Baby Nova, the stage name for Kayleigh O'Connor, who has been signed to a publishing deal since she was 16. Her earlier synth-folk sound has been replaced by something a little poppier, but still telling the good stories.
She's from Nova Scotia, so.... there's that.
In January, after a lot of singles, Baby Nova finally released her debut album, Shhugar, and it is delightful. Here's a single from that album that I hope is a worldwide hit by the time you read this.
