An interesting and informative read. I've always been intrigued by Canadian music and was excited to read this book. It didn't disappoint.

A huge book that will be surely appreciated by anyone who want to learn more about Canadian music as plenty of artists are incluceded.
There were a lot of information and I found the book well reserchead and informative even if the style of writing is a bit too dry a times.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Five years may not seem like a substantial amount of time, but the shear amount and quality of music coming out of Canada from 2000 - 2005 was staggering. I knew I'd love this book when The Hidden Cameras were mentioned within the first 20 pages. This book is loooooong, but I don't know of any other book available on this subject, so I was willing to take the journey.

Much like a previous Michael Barclay book I read entitled, The Never-Ending Present, the Story of Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip, this latest release about the Canadian music scene from 2000-2005 provides an incredibly detailed overview of a particular scene in a particular place from a uniquely Canadian point of view. At times reading these books I ask myself of they are too comprehensive, but I must remind myself that this is probably the most detailed history of the indie Canadian music scene that we’re likely to ever get. The author has a clear connection to the scene so we know that he is writing from a lived experience. With experience in writing for the still kicking Exclaim magazine, the CBC and being in a touring band we learn that the author has a clear connection to the scene so we that he is writing form a lived experience.

It’s stated up from that Hearts on Fire will stick to the first five years of the decades, but this is a lie. Much like the Tragically Hip book, Barclay doesn’t just write about the subject, he builds up the entire scene around it in minute detail. The book is filled with dissections of various Canadian bands from top to bottom. Some bands like The Organ and the Be Good Tanya’s get an inexplicable amount of attention when Arcade Fire only really gets the full treatment at page 555. When focusing on discussing the music industry and Canada’s place in it, the author does a great job of pinpointing the dynamics that resulted in the world focusing north of the border for once, cheap rent in Montreal, cheaper tech and government funding. I experienced a lot of the moments described in this book so it’s very cool to have bands that I grew up listening too like the Contantines, the Sadies and the more obscure hHead be mentioned or that feeling of seeing Arcade Fire in a small club in Montreal for the first time. What comes through at the end of this book is that the Canadian music is a small scene, but has consistently produced quality artists that support one another and that fans can connect to because it’s nice to hear bands we can identify with.

This is a very long book, but in the end it’s a great document to have for any Canadian music fan.