Joel Plaskett

Facing up to his mid-30s, Joel Plaskett's reflective mood is turning up all manner of personal musical treasures, which he's keen to jettison from storage and into the grateful hands of his fans. A restless inventor, Plaskett possesses that rare artistic quality where his mind bubbles prolifically but his quality control standards are set really high. An established popsmith since his days in the hardworking Thrush Hermit, he's also made sure that the red light is on whenever he has a hot idea. And so there have just been waves of music flowing out of the Plaskett camp lately. When the Hermit reunited for some live shows last year, the tour prompted the release of an eight-disc box set of virtually everything the band ever laid to tape, warts and all. Emergencys has that same vibe: a process-oriented comp of rarities and alternate recordings that's truly illuminating. Sure, you can hear Joel second-guessing his Van Halen-ape on a 2002 version of "Come on Teacher" (maybe his lawyer's in the room) but otherwise it's all confidence. This is a cool, cocky release by one of the most significant and endearingly self-aware Canadian artists of our time.