!earshot Top 200 of 2021

!earshot year-end picks 2005

Sara Saljoughi

Sara Saljoughi, Music Director at CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal and host of the show "New Shit".  I just moved here in August from Toronto, where I hosted the show "Tender Parade" on CIUT 89.5 FM. I also run the label Fig Records.

Top 4 Records of the year:
1. Smog - A river ain't too much to love - Drag City
Bill Callahan's writing just keeps getting better and the scope of  material from which he draws his stories keeps getting richer. This album is hopeful, sublime, and sometimes hilarious.
2. Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow - XL
I think you can love this record and Banhart can also make you cringe at the same time, which maybe is what art ought to do.
3. The Deadly Snakes - Porcella - Paper Bag
Dirty, dark, well-written, and a perfect companion for city walks - day or night. This record is the natural next step for this band and should hopefully shut up all those who call them a garage band, since their talents and interests exceed that of most bands in that genre.

Most under-rated record of the year:
Marissa Nadler - The Saga of Mayflower May - Eclipse
It's too bad that with all the hoopla about a so-called folk revival,  that someone who is a great guitar player with a beautiful voice and lucid lyrical skill gets overlooked in favour of more gimmicky acts. This is a musician with vision and a voice and I'm really excited to see what will follow this record.

Most over-rated record of the year:
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois - Asthmatic Kitty
I like his concept of recording an album for every state and all the  Americana is very cool.  A good record, for me, comes down to whether  I like listening to it and if it makes me feel anything.  Unfortunately, this one failed on both counts. I find it too arranged  and detached.

Best local release
1. Jon-Rae and the River - Old songs for the new town - Permafrost  (Toronto)
Religion, sex, and amazing covers...Everyone needs to experience the  gospel of Jon-Rae!
2. Simon Finn - Magic Moments - Durtro/Jnana  (Montreal)
This was the first record Simon Finn did in over three and a half  decades, after his acclaimed record "Pass the Distance" came out in  1970...It was worth the wait, as the result is an eerie and intimate recording.

Best campus/community experience of the year:
Interviewing the British writer Jeanette Winterson for CIUT in Toronto. I was very nervous, but the interview ended up being a great conversation, full of laughs. She's a very inspiring person. I gave 
her a copy of the Final Fantasy record...

Record I'm most anticipating for 2005:
Cat Power - The Greatest - Matador
If the rest of the album is anything like the title track, we're in for an incredible and very different Cat Power experience.