In Canada, Toronto is often thought of as a cold, cultureless business center. In the States, Toronto is barely thought of at all. But anyone who pays attention to independent music knows that Toronto and its surrounding cities — more specifically London, Hamilton, and Guelph — are virtual well-springs of creativity. Musicians and artists of every persuasion call that area home, and more notably, form a vast network of clubs, collectives, and co-ops there. Their sense of community and interactivity is directly responsible for Toronto's rising status in the international music scene. In fact, many Torontonians believe that their city is experiencing something of a renaissance, and I happen to agree with them. This sampling of Toronto's music is just the tip of the iceberg, and this is one 'berg that shows no signs of melting.

Anagram – geocities.com/anagramis
Like a drunken bar fight, but music.

Animal Monster – myspace.com/animalmonster
When Alex Snukal doesn't feel like playing well with others, he plays with laptops instead.

The Barcelona Pavilion – (no website available)
Are possibly incapable of writing a song more than two minutes long, but certainly know how to pack a potent little punch.

The Blankket – myspace.com/theblankket
BRC co-founder Steve Kado doesn't know how to spell, and he doesn't like dogs, but we still think he's neat.

Bob Wiseman – bobwiseman.com
He'll make you laugh. He'll make you cry. The best solo performer in the history of accordionist-filmmakers.

The Creeping Nobodies – thecreepingnobodies.com
More like the “Creepy” Nobodies. But deliciously creepy.

Deep Dark United – deepdarkunited.com
Has multiple personality disorder. Will travel.

Final Fantasy – finalfantasyeternal.com
Violin-playing wonderboy extraordinaire Owen Pallett strikes out on his own and accidentally becomes a huge success. Has yet to be sued by Brady Games.

Fucked Up – myspace.com/fuckedupcanada
Seriously.

The Hank Collective – weepingtruckers.com
Although there are no actual Hanks in the Hank Collective, it really is a collective of actual musicians. Talented ones, at that.

Jon-Rae and the River – myspace.com/jonraeandtheriver
Okkervil River and The Long Winter's love child.

Ninja High School – ninjahighschool.info
A self-proclaimed “positive hardcore dance-rap” band, NHS is going to rock you.

The Phonemes – thephonemes.com
If Jenny Lewis sang lead vocals for The Decemberists, she would only wish she could be a cool as The Phonemes.

Rozasia – myspace.com/rozasia
Makes Deep Dark United look sane.

Wyrd Visions – wyrdvisions.com
Not really a part of BRC, but he runs with the BRC pack and is very, very worth mentioning. Very.

A Northern Chorus – anorthernchorus.com
Ambient dream pop is a dangerous playing field for musicians. There is a fine line between dreamy and totally spaced out, between drifting and completely disconnected. But where sleepy harmonies, delay pedals, and cellos are concerned, A Northern Chorus are truly masters of their art. In their dreamscape there is clarity, precision, substance, and an emotional depth that gives form and function to the misty loveliness. It's the difference between trying to wade through a room full of wool and wrapping yourself in a warm wool blanket.

Apostle of Hustle – arts-crafts.ca/apostleofhustle
For a band with the word “hustle” in their name, Apostle of Hustle actually makes pretty chill music. They are a self-described mix between Ry Cooder, Yo La Tengo, and Roy Orbison, but like a large percentage of Toronto bands, have a constantly rotating cast. Regardless, whoever happens to be the band members du jour, they always put on a good show and play music that feels like home.

The Diableros – myspace.com/thediableros
These guys sound like a mix between The Dandy Warhols and what Frog Eyes would sound like if Carey Mercer wasn't so intent on whooping and howling through most of his songs (Don't get me wrong, Carey, we love your whoops and howls; don't ever stop). They give that same kick-in-the-gut satisfaction — confident, passionate, and slightly out of control, as if they could derail at any second. But they never do derail, do they? Because everyone knows that you have to be a little bit out of control to be truly great.

The Early Morning – theearlymorning.com
For being such a new band, The Early Morning has an incredibly evolved, lush sound. Citing such disparate influences as Massive Attack and Leonard Cohen, their music is brooding but ultimately upbeat. They hail back to the Madchester scene of the 1970s and 1980s and are somehow also a part of that fresh new movement of musicians who are hybridizing rock with electronica. They possess a masculine strength and heaviness but a feminine aesthetic. In short, they are a most delicious contradiction of terms.

The Ghost Is Dancing – theghostisdancing.com
This band pretty much embodies everything I love about indie music: a passion for music and music-making for its own sake, a sense of spontaneity and endless possibility, a DIY attitude, a joyful smorgasbord of sounds all colliding into an exhilarating euphony, honest and earthy vocals, and best of all, an incorrigible sense of humor. I want to hug them.

I Am Robot and Proud – robotandproud.com
Shaw-Han Liem makes glitch-folk that glows, that floats, that spirits you off to a different universe, and like any proud robot, he does it all by himself.

Il Attire – myspace.com/ilattire
From pretty much the minute I first heard this band, I was in love. From the primal pulses of the rhythm section to the raw sensuality of the melodies to the over-articulated vowels in the vocals, everything about this band makes your hair stand up on end and sends shivers down your spine. Catch them live now while you still have the chance to see them in a small venue.

Jim Guthrie – jimguthrie.org
Jim Guthrie has a knack for writing songs that exude warmth and brightness that fills you up and shines out from your eyes and bathes everyone around you in pure joy. You have to glow when listening to Guthrie.

Joshua Bartholomew – myspace.com/joshuabartholomew
If anyone could ever be called self-made, Joshua Bartholomew has earned the title. At 22 years old, he writes his music, plays all his own instruments, and produced, engineered, and recorded his debut album himself. He also has built his own fan base from the ground up, winning people over with his charismatic songwriting and achingly sweet vocals. Unbelievably, this guy hasn't been picked up by a label yet, which makes me wonder: Where the hell have all the A&R reps gone?

The Postage Stamps – thepostagestamps.com
The Postage Stamps' music is difficult to describe outside of dream language. It's like shotgun blasts of ambience, electrical impulses coming in waves of perfume, and crystalline needles of endorphins piercing your spine. It's painfully gorgeous with unexpected stabs of pleasure. It suffocates you with ecstasy. You can't really comprehend it until you've experienced it for yourself.

Raising the Fawn – raisingthefawn.com
In their bio, Raising the Fawn refers to their first album, The North Sea, as an old, comfortable sweater, or comfort food, like a bowl of stew. But actually, it isn't just their first album that feels comfortable. Their entire body of music feels familiar, not in a way that is boring, redundant, derivative, or formulaic, but in a way that is satisfying and sympathetic, friendly and inviting. Whether or not they realize it, Raising the Fawn are a comfort food themselves.

Republic of Safety – republicofsafety.ca
Remember Maggie MacDonald from The Hidden Cameras? This is one of her many other projects, and this is the one where she pulls out her claws and fangs. Hailing back to the grrrl power era of the late 1970s and early 1980s (except with boys sharing the vocal duties) Republic of Safety is raw, unadulterated punk, Canadian style.

Sailboats Are White – sailboatsarewhite.indiecred.net
This is a band who has managed to combine screamo/thrash with dance/pop. I know. It sounds kind of impossible, doesn't it? But it actually makes sense when you hear it. Their music is loud and destructive and completely chaotic, but beneath it all there is rhythm and melody and, dare I say, sexiness. And they don't have a drummer. They accomplish everything with a drum machine.

Wren City Churches – myspace.com/wrencitychurches
Carefree, fun-loving, adventurous band seeks fans to entertain, delight, and confuse. Must have an excellent sense of humor, a love for harmonies, and a healthy appreciation for DIY production. We like to play hard to get, so being willing to do some searching is a plus.

There are countless other local bands from the Toronto area that are worth mentioning, and I regret not having the time, space, or attention span to feature them all. However, the following resources will help you to go forth and discover more of what Toronto has to offer. I encourage you to do so.

I normally would list the various staples of a city's music community here, but in researching Toronto's scene, I found that such a list would be too vast to realistically include in a monthly column, and furthermore, that list has already been conveniently compiled and is being constantly updated at www.stillepost.ca. Just enter the site, scroll down to Ontario, and click on the Toronto community, and you have literally everything you need to know about Toronto's music and arts community at your fingertips! Happy hunting!