Guest top 10s: Billy Talent

by Stephen McLeod on Sun, 2009/12/27 - 5:52pm Post to Twitter

BILLY TALENT’s very own Ian D’Sa steps up to tell us about his picks of 2009.

Kylesa

I saw them open for Mastodon in Toronto and they were incredible. I was blown away by how tight the two drummers were and the back and forth screaming girl/guy vocals as well. Their new album Static Tension is heavy-as-sin!

Kylesa Myspace

Mudhoney

Photo: Steven Dewall

I saw these Seattle legends earlier this year just after releasing the "March to Fuzz" (Best Of) album at the small venue Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto and was blown away at what i’d been missing. Even though their contemporaries (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden) were playing arenas back in the day, these guys never really blew up. It’s been 17 years since grunge music exploded and these guys still throw it down like it was ‘92! Untouchable performance!

Mudhoney Myspace

Cancer Bats

Photos: Cindy Frey

Not only are these guys the nicest guys i’ve ever met, they are one of the best current hardcore bands i’ve seen in a long time. From our hometown Toronto, we love touring with the Bats as they put on one hell of a show giving it all every night on stage. Look out for their new album which should be out by the end of ‘09, or if you haven’t heard them yet pick up there last album "Hail Destroyer" that Ben does a guest appearance on.

Cancer Bats Myspace

Canterbury

We just had them out with us as well on our UK tour and they were a great live band with killer vocals and musicianship. I hope big things happen for these kids as they were a pleasure to tour with and their songs were so damn catchy that they’re still stuck in my head. Download their new album for free from here

Canterbury Myspace

Muse

The Resistance is just as solid as any Muse record. Those guys know how to kill it in the studio and live every time.

Rancid

We got to support Rancid and Rise Against last summer in the states. The new record "Let the dominos fall" is amazing. Filled with great Rancid songs. Live, they were such a pleasure to watch every night. Not to mention they are all amazing humans.

Alexisonfire

When I first heard "Old Crows Young Cardinals" I was blown away. We’ve been playing shows with these guys for years and they really stepped it up with this record. Way to go Alexisonfire, way to go.

Pearl Jam

Their new record Backspacer is their best record in years and it’s nice to see them maintain there relevance as one of the best rock bands of our time!

Brand New

Daisy is a great record and I think At the Bottom is one of my favorite songs of the year…the lyrics are very impressive and I think people should pay more attention to these boys

Mother Mother

Photo: Reinier deSmit

One of the most interesting bands out there…amazing songs with amazing lyrics with amazing voices and harmonies…imagine the B52’s and Modest Mouse and The Talking Heads all had a shower together that would be a good starting point to describe Mother Mother!

Mother Mother Myspace