Top 5 T.O. Tunes of 2007: Pop/Rock Edition

Toronto had a great year in terms of music and it's time to talk about what's worth remembering. I decided to highlight the best songs that were made here in 2007, sorted into the following categories: Pop/Rock, Hip Hop, Dance, and Remixes.

TOP 5 POP/ROCK TUNES

"My Sword Hand's Anger" by Apostle of Hustle

Broken Social Scene guitarist Andrew Whiteman took his Apostle of Hustle project to new heights in 2007 with its amazing sophomore release National Anthem of Nowhere. This is the record's lead-off track and it sums the entire collection up rather nicely. There's a little something for any music fan in every AoH song. This song kicks off with a cuban-dance groove and sample of Feist laughing. Then it's all uphill from there: an upbeat chorus, beautiful guitar work, etc, etc. This song should be on every Torontonian commuter's iPod.

"It Keeps Me On My Toes" by Small Sins

Fronting one of the most overlooked bands in Toronto, Small Sins mastermind Thomas D'Arcy is definitely one our city's finest songwriters. Check out this electro-pop highlight from their sophomore release Mood Swings. D'Arcy records every Small Sin song on his own and he knows how to layer lots of percussion, keyboards and vocal tracks into a simple, easy-to-digest serving of pop goodness. If that's not enough to pique your curiosity, you'll also be really impressed with his smart lyrics and intricate phrasing.

"Royal Gregory" by Holy Fuck

After independently releasing a self-titled EP earlier this year, the group was signed in the UK and released their self-titled LP which contains this amazing track. Ringleader Brian Borcherdt is starting to experiment with distorted vocal lines - no doubt using a shitty mic he picked up at a toy store or one he ripped out of a kareoke machine. It works very well on this track and it's a big step forward for the band.

"Box" by Tokyo Police Club

While working on their much-anticipated debut full-length, everyone's favourite Newmarket band released the Smith EP this year. It contains this little gem, which might be Tokyo Police Club's strongest song to date. It's got one of the best melodies I've heard from any band this year and the distorted keyboard riff rocks harder than most indie guitars out there.

"Backed Out On The..." by Kevin Drew

Mr. Drew put out his debut solo record this year. Kind of. It was the first in a series of "Broken Social Scene Presents" releases and pretty much all the BSS family members played on it. This political/party rock tune features Metric's Joules Scott Key on drums and Dinosaur Jr's J Mascis on guitar and vocals. Watch Kevin party with his pals and the entire Dino Jr band in the song's video:

Tune in tomorrow for the Top 5 Hip Hop tunes. Photo: Mimica Bell.