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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Photograph by David Waldman
Recently, we at Ca Va Cool turned to our crystal ball to foresee the winner of this year’s Polaris Music Prize. In a choice that can be described as coming out of left field, the 2009 Polaris Music Prize has been awarded to Toronto hardcore group Fucked Up for The Chemistry of Common Life.
When the shortlist was released, our general consensus was that Chad VanGaalen was the clear winner, but the grand jury chose to award the $20,000 (CAD) prize to a group that is completely different from previous winners Final Fantasy, Patrick Watson and Caribou. Perhaps giving the award to a band that has twice trashed MTV Canada’s studio by rocking out way too hard is a sign that the panel is becoming more open to new genres. There were several deserving acts on the shortlist, but it’s difficult to argue with this pick. After all, Joel Plaskett could have won.
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If his website is accurate, Travis Morrison, former frontman of the late, great Dismemberment Plan, has retired from the music scene. Whether this is permanent remains to be seen, but it’s a loss that still gets me down. After all, how many people would name their band after a throwaway line from the Bill Murray classic Groundhog Day? His solo material after the ‘Plan disbanded wasn’t exactly critically lauded. His debut solo disc Travistan received a whopping zero from the geniuses at Pitchfork, which effectively killed his career in the internet age. How ironic, they killed his career then report on its death. To have him leave the scene completely seems a shame, but at the same time, he’s left behind a respectable back catalogue of some pretty awesome music. Kudos to you Travis Morrison, enjoy your retirement, and don’t hesitate to reform the band if you get bored.
The Dismemberment Plan – Superpowers
Travis Morrison – Any Open Door
Travis Morrison Hellfighters – I’m Not Supposed to Like You (But)
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It rocks like pop and pops like rock and is catchy enough to become the next dancefloor anthem. I can picture ‘No One Sleeps When I’m Awake’ – synths enhanced of course – blasting at Molly Ringwald’s prom in Pretty in Pink. Segway? Maja Ivarsson is pretty in punk. She is the insatiable punk rocker goddess of Sweden-land and lead vocalist of The Sounds. Their last album Dying to Say This to You was released in 2006 and was celebrated by scenester circles everywhere. The infamous ‘Tony The Beat’ video featured Cinespace junkies and Misshapes alike. Cliché and overly contrived? Perhaps. But hey, the music was good. Judging from the first single from their upcoming album Crossing the Rubicon, due out on June 2, not much has changed. The sound is still great.
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Late last week, news emerged that the previously anonymous yet still reclusive dubstep producer Burial (recently discovered to be a low key Londoner by the name of Will Bevan) and eclectic electronic mastermind Four Tet (Kieran Hebden) would be releasing a split 12” on Hebden’s TEXT label called Moth / Wolf Cub. Very little information has been released on the project as of yet, but a copy of the full A-Side has been floating around online, along with a clip of the B-Side.
Burial & Four Tet – Moth
Burial & Four Tet – Wolf Cub (Preview)
Listening to ‘Moth’ and ‘Wolf Cub’, it becomes difficult to tell which one is the Burial track and which is the Four Tet track, or if, as I sincerely hope, the two producers are working together. The glitchy electronic melody found on ‘Moth’ automatically reminds me of Four Tet’s previous work, particularly on Everything Ecstatic, while the “girl next door” vocal samples and beat are unmistakably a contribution from Burial. This confusion is furthered on ‘Wolf Cub’, where a driving dubstep beat ripped from Burial’s self titled release is paired with digitally manipulated chimes that scream of Hebden’s recent work with Steve Reid. While I’m guessing that ‘Moth’ is a Burial track and ‘Wolf Cub’ is a Four Tet endeavor, I sincerely hope that the two are collaborating on the same tracks. If Burial and Four Tet have worked together on these tracks, this means that two of electronic music’s most original and engaging producers may have subsequent releases in the works, together. Get excited.
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