On Music 1: Canadian genres

While I was a grad school student in Canada, I learned a lot about Canadian music. There are plenty of Canadian bands that have become a big deal in the US--think Heart or Rush--but there's also quite a few genres that don't get as much attention from down south. Here are some of them, ranked from least to most appealing to me personally.

• Disaster music: I do not seek out music that makes me sad. I'm very good at getting sad for no reason, and often need music to make the sad go away for a little while so I can get stuff done. So I stay well away from Canadian disaster songs, which are traditionally written to help communities cope with both natural and human-made tragedies. My one exception is Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," because my parents like it, so I'd heard it and gotten used to it before coming to Canada.
• Comedy songs: There's a few types of these.
• Gross songs and songs about dysfunctional relationships: 
• "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies 
• "The Mounted Animal Nature Trail" by the Arrogant Worms
• "Carrot Juice is Murder," also by the Arrogant Worms
• Songs mocking the US: Look, I know we deserve it, but it's kind of like having a younger sibling standing behind you, pointing and laughing at everything you did wrong. There's some that are okay, like the Arrogant Worms' "I Am Not American" (for which LoadingReadyRun did an amusing music video), but the one by Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie about burning down the White House is just not cool.
• Songs that are actually funny:
• "Every OS Sucks" is also by Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie, but I sympathize with it a lot more for some reason. (It also has a cool LoadingReadyRun music video.)
• "The Last Saskatchewan Pirate" by the Arrogant Worms is just so much fun. (Edit: I thought this one was by Captain Tractor, but it turns out they just did a really well-known cover.)
• "If I Had a Million Dollars" by Barenaked Ladies is also  lot of fun. I grew up with this one, and was pleasantly surprised to find out just how Canadian it is. 
• Fiddle music: the eastern coast of Canada has several rich fiddling traditions. I have played the violin for literally half my life at this point, so I can appreciate good fiddling. (I'm less excited about the rich Canadian tradition of bagpipe bands.)
• Raffi: Technically just one artist, and not a whole genre, but since I've been a fan of his music since before I knew what Canada was, he goes on the top of the list. Here's some hits that will automatically make your day better.
• Baby Beluga
• Bananaphone
• The Changing Garden of Mr. Bell
• One Light, One Sun