With just a couple weeks left in the year, every music fan is likely busy compiling a list of the decade’s best records. But we can’t forget how good 2009 has been. There was Sonic Youth’s infectious The Eternal, La Roux’s electro pop debut, Grizzly Bear’s harmony laden folk on Veckatimst and the list goes on. But five Canadian records really stood out. Not only are these better than many of the international albums that hit shelves, but they’ve outshone all of the incredible talent coming out of the Great White North.

1. Joel Plaskett, Three (MapleMusic/Universal)

This seminal East Coast rocker has created a lot of good music over the years, but Three is easily his most ambitious effort yet. It should have been a mess — a triple-disc, 27-song effort has a lot of potential to go wrong — but nearly every track here is as inspiring as the next. Partnering with Rose Cousins and Ana Egge, who provided stunning harmonies, was genius, while the infectious folk melodies are classic Plaskett.

2. Alexisonfire, Old Crows/Young Cardinals (Dine Alone)

I’ve never liked Alexisonfire. Their aggressive yells and uneven songwriting didn’t do much for me — that is until I heard their fourth disc Old Crows/Young Cardinals. On this record, the group has, without question, found their voice. They’ve discovered the perfect balance between George Pettit’s loud, guttural yells and Dallas Green’s soaring melodic vocals. The songs are incredibly contagious, especially single Young Cardinals.

3. Charles Spearin, The Happiness Project (Arts & Crafts/EMI)

You know Charles Spearin as the multi-instrumentalist from Do May Say Think and Broken Social Scene, but the artist’s most inventive work has to be The Happiness Project. On this record, Spearin interviewed people from his community and set their words to sounds. Horn blasts follow a woman’s natural talking melodies on the track Mrs. Morris, while a jazz band plays around with a little girl’s words on Vittoria. It’s experimental and accessible, but better yet it’s passionate, inspiring and a beautiful ode to Spearin’s neighbourhood.

4. Handsome Furs, Face Control (Sub Pop/Outside)

Handsome Furs is the brainchild of Wolf Parade’s guitarist Dan Boeckner and his wife Alexei Perry — and the buzz is definitely competing with his other group. The duo’s second disc is a gorgeous collection of gritty synth-heavy rock. It’s wildly infectious, especially the Springsteen-esque All We, Baby, Is Everything. It’s louder and more confident than the band’s debut too; the more they improve the more Wolf Parade becomes a distant memory.

5. K’nann, Troubador (A&M/Universal)

Canadians have known about K’naan — the Somalia-born, Toronto-based rapper — since his fantastic debut in 2006. But, it was this year that the rest of the world finally discovered Keinan Abdi Warsame. That’s thanks to his incredible sophomore record Troubador — which blends hip-hop, rock, R&B and everything else. It’s filled with catchy hooks, but it’s the subject matter on songs like Fatima, about a girl he knew in Africa, that makes this a memorable effort.

Appeared in Metro on December 24, 2009.

Pic of Joel Plaskett via