Big in Canada

"First Amanda Marshall album GOATED." Given this undeniable fact, we go track by track through Amanda Marshall, an album that features at least one, but probably 4 or 5 songs, you didn't know you know.Also discussed: Amanda's early career, Jeff Healy, not the Globe and Mail's list of albums "you should hear now", Barenaked at Blockbuster, Emily Haines...just shy?, the Christian to bisexual pipeline, Mark Spicoluk, album sequencing, Neil Young covers and more.

Bass is Base burst onto MuchMusic brandishing rap and music nerd credentials, with a sound that was jazzy, funky, soulful, technical and that you might almost classify it as hip hop. Did this Cancon super group (in hindsight) prove that hip hop could go pop in Canada? Laura and Mac rev up the funkmobile to find out. Also discussed: Barenaked in America, celebrity chefs, even more Three Strong Words, the meaning of "base", Lou Reed's Cancon connections, the "California" streaming controversy, Young Artists for Haiti's "Wavin' Flag", the days of the week and much more.

Lights has never had a mega hit, but she has won a bunch of JUNOs, maintained a cult following (in Canada and beyond), and has low-key been ahead of her time at various points of her career. How did this happen? Was it the Cancon connections? The confused aesthetics? The comics? Christ? The cursive singing? We run down the 5 Cs of Lights.Also discussed: "True Colors", Drake trending towards Cancon, Three Strong Words (Underground Operations edition), One Weak Word, MySpace, Old Navy, plagiarism, inspiring Taylor Swift, and much more.

In part two of our dissection of professional Canadian rock band Metric, we reach a final verdict on whether or not Haines, Shaw and co., are indeed Cancon. Can this FACTOR-funded, Juno-winning outfit overcome their deep desire to be cool and a professional NOT Canadian rock band? Seems unlikely! Also discussed: cursed Cancon artifacts, Brian Wilson, the albums of Metric, theatre kid energy, Emily Haines' bad wrap, periods, war metaphor, the spectre of Broken Social Scene, FACTOR grants, touring with Billy Talent and new albums by Jimmie Kilpatrick, Kicksie and Emma Goldman.

In part one of a two-part exploration into professional Canadian rock band Metric, Mac and Laura go long on their Cancon field trip to the Metric and Sam Roberts Band show in Toronto. From there they set the scene for Metric's reluctant, yet clinical rise to Canadian rock royalty.Also discussed: Three Strong Words: Polaris Music Prize Edition, JUNO President and CEO Allan Reid and his awe-inspiring hair, t-shirts, s-o-c-i-a-l-i-s-m, Metric's popularity, their early days, Anthems For a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl and much more.

The Sky story has it all: triumph, tragedy, nepotism, confused aesthetics, too-fast-fame, a vast web of connections and one incredible song. But by the time this Quebec duo had peaked, it was, pretty much, already over (with all due respect to Karl Wolf). Also discussed: Three Strong Words, new music, Avril auto-tune accusation controversy, "Lean on Me" by ArtistsCAN, recording guitars one chord at a time, celebrity chefs, things girls liked at the turn of the century, phat bass, songs about America and much more.

Matt Bobkin and Adam Feibel are back to talk about their book In Too Deep: When Canadian Punks Took Over the World (out today!) . We get into artists like Alexisonfire, Gob, Skye Sweetnam, City & Colour, Avril Lavigne and Silverstein and discuss how as a whole this scene is greater than the sum (41) of its parts.Also discussed: Barenaked in America, Jay Malinowski's wedding, roller hockey, landscaping, hats, getting heavy on the radio, the close-knit nature of the 905 scene, writing books and much more.

Billy Talent arrived fully-formed, just in time to convert a generation of Canadian pre-teens onto the promise of punk. Matt Bobkin and Adam Feibel, authors of In Too Deep: When Canadian Punks Took Over the World, are on the pod to explain how this band of Mississauga misfits helped bring hardcore into the mainstream.Also discussed: "Young & Dumb", David Crosby, 60s California pop/00s Cancon pop punk connections, Pezz, Big in Germany, gateway music, At the Drive-In, not knowing who At the Drive-In is, enunciation, guitar heroes, suburban bands vs city bands and much more.

Manitoban man of mystery Remy Shand was poised to be big everywhere. But was it all too much, too fast for this soul savant? We consider the career of an artist that was both ahead of and before his time.Also: other songs about California by Canadians, Oakville rock city, magical boxes of vinyl, high school jazz bands, soulful jazzy teenagers, home recording, one-man bands, the Grammy Awards, how to disappear completely and much more.

Pack your bags, sunscreen and small town dreams because this week, we are going to "California" with one of the 7 wonders of Niagara, Wave. How did two boys from the Falls manage to write one of the best songs about going to California of all time? We trace this confusingly branded and magically signed pop duo's short but impactful trip to the Golden State and back.Also discussed: potentially fake origin stories, compilations, letters as words, anonymous pop music, sponsored tours, are Wave a boy band, big hits from small towns and much more.