

Bob Bissonnette came by his sports-obsessed lyrics honestly—prior to launching his musical career in 2010, he played minor-league hockey. He then channelled that past into folky yet frenzied odes to NHL icons (“Chris Chelios”) and pickup games of shinny (“Hockey dans rue”); by 2014's Rockstar, his scrappy style had evolved into twangy open-road anthems (“La balade des maladies”) and urgent synth-powered workouts (“Gentleman's Club”). His repertoire might be small—Bissonnette died in a helicopter crash in 2016—but it's a rich collection of irreverent roots rock.