Photograph by Caroline Desilets
The Polaris Music Prize was first awarded in 2006, serving as the Canadian equivalent of Britain’s Mercury Prize, or the United States’ short-lived Shortlist Music Prize. 40 eligible Canadian releases are chosen for the longlist by the Polaris Jury, who then pare the group down to a 10 album shortlist before the final vote. Previously, the award has been given to Final Fantasy, Patrick Watson, Caribou, Fucked Up, and Karkwa. The disparity between those winners suggests little rhyme-or-reason is involved with the eventual winner, so the list-making process remains entertaining as ever, as it’s usually anyone’s game.
The most recent winners have come with some stigma attached. Both Fucked Up and Karkwa came completely out of left-field as winners, making many question the final 10-person vote. However, having seen both acts live within the past few months, with Fucked Up making for one of the most enjoyable shows I’ve seen in a long time, and Karkwa completely stealing the show from Plants and Animals, I can no longer say their wins were completely undeserved. I will make no defence for Patrick Watson.
The 2011 shortlist was released yesterday, and despite boasting eight first-time shortlist nominees, it seems to be eliciting more grumbling than previous years. We’re not on the jury, but Ca Va Cool favourites PS I Love You, The Rural Alberta Advantage and Young Galaxy inexplicably did not make the jump from the longlist, and we’re scratching our heads at some of the inclusions. So, without further ado, the artists on the Polaris Music Prize 2011 shortlist:
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Photograph by Vanessa Heins
Here at Ca Va Cool, we love PS I Love You. The eclectic, catchy, metal-reminiscent musical project of Paul Saulnier and Benjamin Nelson that is, not the silly romantic comedy. Since our interview with Saulnier back in September, a lot has changed for the duo. Their debut LP, Meet Me at the Muster Station, has been lauded since it’s October 5 release and they’ve been tearing up the Canadian and American legs of their tour, despite the minor hiccup of some temporarily stolen guitars in Toronto.
As an added bonus for fans, Paper Bag Records has been steadily releasing The Kingston Sessions, a collection of six live PS I Love You videos, shot by Mitch Fillion of Southern Souls in random locations around Kingston, Ontario. Today, we’re bursting with excitement to premiere part 5 of the series, ‘2012’. There’s something apt about Saulnier and Nelson belting out their apocalyptic anthem underneath an off-kilter statue at the Kingston waterfront, which, according to rumours, was designed to meet in the middle but ended up askew. Chaos under chaos. Check it and the previous Kingston Sessions out below.
The Kingston Sessions
Part 1 – ‘Butterflies & Boners’ at Pitchfork
Part 2 – ‘Scattered’ at Herohill
Part 3 – ‘Little Spoon’ at Quick Before It Melts
Part 4 – ‘Meet Me at the Muster Station’ at YouTube
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The albums were reduced from forty to ten, but there can be only one winner. We gave our opinions on the Shortlist, but the winner of the 2010 Polaris Music Prize is Karkwa, in what is likely the biggest surprise in the history of the award. Unleash your rage, lavish your praise, or express your bafflement in the comments below.
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With the short list announced coincidentally close to Canada Day, the Polaris Music Prize has been cleverly disguised as an icon of national pride. The saga of Polaris says that not only are we geographically gargantuan as a nation, but musically we’re in fine proportion to our size. It takes time to look at all the details, since we as a nation put out an obscene amount of music, but an award like Polaris gives us great cause to wear out our Canadian vinyl through the summer months. From the Besnard Lakes to Broken Social Scene and from Shad to the Sadies, the short list has once again rolled out a tight batch of competition spanning a wide array of genres. Splicing and comparing the ten albums selected for the short list this year can be a daunting task, so we at Ca Va Cool have decided to divide and conquer, to leave you more time to enjoy and celebrate not only the ten albums on the short list or the forty albums on the long list, but as many Canadian albums from the past year as you possibly can.
Broken Social Scene – All to All
Radio Radio – Tomtom
Shad – Rose Garden
Photograph by Chris Gergley
The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night (Jagjaguwar)
If there’s a dark horse in the Polaris race, it may just be the Besnard Lakes. The second-time shortlist nominees are once again looking to take home the big prize. An album blending shoegaze, progressive rock, and psychedelic rock, The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night harkens back to the 1970s, drawing comparisons to bands like Fleetwood Mac and the Alan Parsons Project. Husband-and-wife team Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas trade vocals throughout. Goreas takes centre stage on album highlight ’Albatross’, bursting through the droning guitars, singing of a heartfelt remembrance of an age long since passed. ‘And This Is What We Call Progress’ eschews that beauty, preferring a condemnation of the darkness of the surrounding world, soundtracked by a workman-like drumbeat and some of the sweetest guitar licks heard since the days of classic rock. Their world is on fire, and the Besnard Lakes channel that intensity into 10 tracks of Polaris-worthy goodness. — Kevin Kania
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Photograph by Jonathan Taggart
Just over a week ago, the long list for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize, honouring the year’s best Canadian album, was announced. The eclectic mix of artists includes former Polaris winners Owen Pallett and Caribou, as well as an array of previous Shortlisters and newcomers to the award. Having only heard about a quarter of the albums on the list, it’s hard to say if there’s a frontrunner. Like Frank Yang over at Chromewaves, I was a big fan of Reverie Sound Revue, so that snub leaves me a little cold. Forgiveness Rock Record is undoubtedly the most widely heard nominee, but as Patrick Watson’s win in 2007 proved, the Polaris jury doesn’t take popularity under consideration. That said, I’ll be pulling for Basia Bulat. Heart of My Own is a pretty good album of pretty good folk. The list of forty will be narrowed down to ten on July 6th, with the winner to be revealed September 20th. Check after the break for the full long list, and enjoy some tracks from the nominees while debating your own personal shortlist.
Dan Mangan – Robots
Basia Bulat – Heart of My Own
Owen Pallett – Lewis Takes Off His Shirt
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