Canada Rocks 2

No nation in the world rocks harder than this great dominion of amplified sound we call home — and to back up that claim, we've compiled a second selection of phenomenal Canadian tunes proven to cause structural damage to buildings while simultaneously repairing the soul. We open up by saluting the day Fred Turner hooked up with the Bachman brothers ("Takin' Care of Business"), before kicking down a few doors with Trooper ("Raise a Little Hell") and April Wine ("Roller"). Now, head over to Next Steps for some first-rate francophonic rock.

Time to get freaky franco-style, as Xavier Caféïne belts out the title track from 2006's Gisele with formidable energy, and the legendary Éric Lapointe body-slams into the movies with his soundtrack stunner, "Les boys." Quebec punks Vulgaires Machins justify the nomination Compter les corps for a 2007 Best Francophone Album Juno with "Puits sans fond," and "surréaliste" rockers Les Trois Accords hurl themselves in "Hawaienne" like a bunch of berserkers. If you like your Canadian rock extreme, crowd-surf over to Deep Cuts.

Friends, Canadians, countrymen, lend us your ears — but don't be surprised if they start to bleed, after the extreme metal assault mounted by Strapping Young Lad on "Love?" which rides waves of polyrhythmic riffage along with "Breathing Won't Come Easy" by Edmonton's Choke. If you require something a little less abrasive, try "Rayon Queen in a Nylon Dream" by the Two-Minute Miracles, or float on the expansive sound of the Besnard Lakes ("Devastation").

Sure, there's a whole world of rock out there — but what's the point venturing beyond our own backyard when we've got tunes like these? There's simply too much homegrown quality on offer for just one Canada Rocks collection, so we've heaped on the fist-pumpin', head-bangin', hard-groovin' ecstasy with this second batch. No seam of rock has been left untapped, from the vintage sounds of Steppenwolf, Triumph, and Chilliwack, through the enduring punk of the Forgotten Rebels and Propagandhi, to the indie bliss of Arcade Fire and Malajube. If it rocks and it's Canadian, it's here.