How We Made the List: For our 25 Albums for 25 Years project, we asked 23 music industry professionals to submit their favourite Calgary albums released in the 21st Century.

Below is every submitted album, sorted by year.

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2000

• Muerto del Toro by Huevos Rancheros – Surf
• Welcome to Utopia by National Dust – Alt country

 

2001

• Live Recording Event by The Co-Dependents – Roots
• Standing Inside a Shadow by Mico – Shoegaze
• Twas Hell Said Former Child by Belvedere – Punk

2002

• If It Was You by Tegan & Sara – Folk rock
• Shit Side Story by The Primrods – Punk

 

2003

• Brain Heart Guitar by The Dudes – Rock
• Reverie Sound Revue by Reverie Sound Revue – Indie
• The Crime Is Now by The Von Zippers – Garage rock

 

2004

• Absolutely Your Credit Is Excellent But In A Certain Way We Also Need Cash by Fake Cops – Post-punk, 2004
• Amos Garrett Acoustic Album by Amos Garrett – Blues, 2004
• This Time Around by Paul Brandt – Country, 2004

 

2005

• 90.9 With a Bullet: 20 Years of Calgary Music on CJSW by Various local artists – Rock, pop, pun,k and more, 2005
• Communication Is Nothing Without Feedback by The Corta Vita – Post-harcore, 2005
• Fighting And Onions by Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir – Blues, 2005
• From Sorrow(A) To Solace(B) by Nikola Tesla – Metalcore, 2005
• In Guns at Cyrano’s by Rum Runner – Folk punk, 2005
• Live at the Mecca Café by The Co-Dependents – Roots, 2005
• The Quiet One & The Lonely One by Beija Flor – Indie, 2005

 

2006

• Skelliconnection by Chad VanGaalen – Pop, 2006
• Songbook by Woodpigeon – Folk, 2006
• The Sweetness Restored by Crystal Eyes – Dream pop, 2006
• Tough Cookie by Samantha Savage Smith – Rock, 2006
• The Ugly Man by The Pants Situation – Indie, 2006

 

2007

• A Cool Sound Out of Hell by Forbidden Dimension – Horror punk, 2007
• How To Lose Everything by Hot Little Rocket – Alternative, 2007
• Intermission by Dragon Fli Empire – Hip hop, 2007
• Songs About Cats by Edward Appletree – Folk, 2007
• The Con by Tegan and Sara – Indie, 2007
• The Sound by Mocking Shadows – Ska, 2007
• Uncover Me by Jann Arden – Pop, 2007

 

2008

• Allegory by Divinity – Metal, 2008
• Soft Airplane by Chad Van Gaalen – Indie, 2008
• Superioryouareinferior by Rae Spoon – Indie, 2008
• Under My Feet by Sillan & Young – Pop, 2008
• Women by Women – Indie, 2008

2009

• Mad Cowboys by Mad Cowboys – Punk, 2009
• Polarity by The Evidence – Prog-punk, 2009
• The Poly Shores by The Poly Shores – Post-punk, 2009
• The Singularity by Divinity – Metal, 2009

 

2010

• Public Strain by Women – Alternative, 2010
• These Blues by Donald Ray Johnson – Blues, 2010

2011

• Diaper Island by Chad Van Gaalen – Indie, 2011
• Native Speaker by Braids – Art Rock, 2011

 

2012

• If I Look Strong; You Look Strong by If I Look Strong; You Look Strong – Math rock, 2012

 

2013

• Alvvays by Alvvays – Rock, 2013
• Faux Fur by Faux Fur – Lo-fi, 2013
• Flourish//Perish by Braids – Electronic, 2013
• Gold Bristle by Jung People – Post-rock, 2013
• Gravity and Grace by Allan Gordon Bell – Classical, 2013
• Hello, My Name Is Ghost Factory by Ghost Factory – Folk punk, 2013
• Kaleidoscope by Joanna Borromeo – R&B, 2013
• Love & Politics by Jenny – Punk, 2013
• Redwinter by Drezus – Rap, 2013
• Strange Prison by Astral Swans – Folk, 2013
• Ten Days + Spaceships by Kyote – Math rock, 2013
• The Atrocity Machine by Exit Strategy – Metal, 2013

 

2014

• A Life Well Lived by AM Static – Electronic – 2014
• Goodnight Icarus by Zachariah and The Prophets – Rock, 2014/ 2024
• Heaven by Night Committee – Rock, 2014
• High Preistess by Kobra And The Lotus – Metal, 2014
• Shrink Dust by Chad Van Gaalen – Indie, 2014
• Teledrome by Teledrome – New wave, 2014
• Tenet by Un Blonde – Alternative, 2014
• The Minor Arkhana by Clinton St. John – Folk, 2014
• The Unconditional Love of Napalmpom by Napalmpom – Rock, 2014

 

2015

• All My Favourite Singers are Willie Nelson by Astral Swans – Indie Rock, 2015
• Everything is a Mess by Fist City – Garage Punk, 2015
• It’s About Time by Al Muirhead – Jazz, 2015
• Sunshine by Diatessaron – Prog-rock, 2015
• Viet Cong by Preoccupations – Post-punk, 2015

 

2016

• Borderzone by Melted Mirror – Synthwave, 2016
• Monsters, Narcs, and Idiots by Leather Jacuzzi – Punk, 2016
• Pretty Shitty by No Problem Fuck Everything – Punk, 2016
• Remember the Moon by Lab Coast – Indie, 2016
• The Revenge of the Fifth by Belvedere – Punk, 2016
• Tales of a Nothing Kid by Ghost Factory – Folk punk, 2016

  

2017

• Misleading Evil by Hazzerd – Metal, 2017
• Something to Believe In by JJ Shiplett – Country, 2017

 

2018

• Driving in the Dark by Mariel Buckley – Folk, 2018
• Girls Girls Girls by Miesha and the Spanks – Garage rock, 2018
• Liberty by Lindi Ortega – Western, 2018
• Little Devil by Jocelyn Alice – Pop, 2018
• Oh Well by Pre-Nup – Pop punk, 2018

 

2019

• Age of the Goonda by Cartel Madras – Hip Hop, 2019
• Corazon y Murallas by Tim Williams – Blues, 2019
• Diabolos by Plaguebringer – Metal, 2019
• Educated Woman by Amy Nelson – Country, 2019
• Flower Continuity by Still There – Emo, 2019
• Here Before by Chron Goblin – Rock, 2019
• Milk Mountain by 36? – Rock, 2019
• Past Life by Melted Mirror – Darkwave, 2019

2020

• Black EP by Citizen Rage – Punk, 2020
• Delirium by Hazzard – Metal, 2020
• FUCKBOY by FUCKBOY – Bullshit, 2020
• In Bad Faith by Feel Alright – Power pop, 2020
• Love Valley by Michael Bernard Fitzgerald – Folk, 2020
• Magic Radio by Sargeant x Comrade – Neo-soul, 2020
• Sundry Rock Song Stock by Yves Jarvis – Indie, 2020

 

2021

• Go By Feel by The Hello Darlins – Americana, 2021
• Now Pronouncing: Caity Gyorgy by Caity Gyorgy – Jazz, 2021
• The Complete Sessions by Hairnet – Garage punk, 2021
• The Serpent and The Tiger by Cartel Madras – Hip hop, 2021

 

2022

• The Hissing Houase by Da’at – Post-punk, 2022
• Everywhere I Used to Be by Mariel Buckley – Roots/Country, 2022
• Fake Nice by Samantha Savage Smith – Rock, 2022
• HELLSCAPE SUBURBIA by ElyOtto – Hyperpop, 2022
• Little High Little Low by The Royal Foundy – Alternative, 2022
• Multidimensional Culture by Ghostkeeper – Art Rock, 2022
• Pioneers Eat Dirt by Still Depths – Noise rock, 2022
• Spilling Out by Quit It! – Punk, 2022
• Thought Form Descent by Wake – Metal, 2022
• Water and Tools by Jairus Sharif – Jazz, 2022

 

2023

• Cowboy Witchcraft by Kue Varo & The Only Hopes – Alt country, 2023
• Harsh Reality by Citizen Rage – Hardcore, 2023
• I Saw Me by Victrix – Dark pop, 2023
• Midnight Stew by Forbidden Dimension – Horror punk, 2023
• Mike Tod LP by Mike Tod – Folk, 2023
• Patience: Vol 1 by Owls and Eagles – Doom, 2023
• Plant City by Ryan Bourne – Psych pop, 2023
• The Desire to Become Human: Collected Works 2021-23 by The Furnace – Experimental, 2023

2024

• Chandler by Wyatt C Louis – Indie, 2024
• From the Start by Marcus Trummer – Blues, 2024
• Nowhere To Hide by Ollee Owens – Blues, 2024
• Regular Nature by Sunglaciers – Indie, 2024

 

Selectors

Arif Ansari, Jess Arcand, Colleen Athparia, Mike Bell, Carlin Black Rabbit, Geoff Bourrie, Chris Dadge, Dwight Good Eagle Farahat, Ben Goodman, Rob Gruszecki, Stephanie Hutchinson, Nathan Iles, Colleen Krueger, Cindy McLeod, Mack Meyer, Logan Middleton, Dan Northfield, Liam Prost, John Charles Reid, Gus Rendell, Chad Saunders, Eric Svilpis, Lisa Wilton