Polaris Music Prize
Quote:
Toronto, ON (July 7, 2009) Steve Jordan, Founder and Executive Director of the Polaris Music Prize, today revealed the Short List of 10 Canadian albums eligible for the fourth annual $20,000 award.
The 10 nominees are, in alphabetical order:
Elliott BROOD – Mountain Meadows
(Toronto, ON)
Fucked Up – The Chemistry Of Common Life
(Toronto, ON)
Great Lake Swimmers – Lost Channels
(Toronto, ON)
Hey Rosetta! – Into Your Lungs (and around in your heart and on through your blood)
(St. John’s, NF)
K’NAAN – Troubadour
(Toronto, ON)
Malajube – Labyrinthes
(Montréal, QC)
Metric – Fantasies
(Toronto, ON)
Joel Plaskett – Three
(Halifax, NS)
Chad VanGaalen – Soft Airplane
(Calgary, AB)
Patrick Watson – Wooden Arms
(Montréal, QC)
“If there’s a common thread to these records, it’s that each artist built on previous successes by pushing
themselves into even riskier artistic dimensions. Listeners will find the jury picked quite an ambitious
crop this year. This is exactly the kind of artistry that Polaris aims to support,” said Jordan.
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In a sudden burst of nationalism, hipsterism, and just-got-my-GST-chequeism, I purchased the whole short list. (Though, I already owned the albums by Metric, K'naan and Great Lake Swimmers.)
Pre focused-listening thoughts:
I love the Metric and K'naan albums, but I don't want them to win. The award is a great way for smaller bands to get themselves out there, and neither Metric nor K'naan need the exposure up here. Metric is our biggest indie band, and K'naan plays music with Steven Marley and Kirk Hammett. They have already won the love and support of the Canadian music scene.
On the other hand, if the album is actually deserving of the highest title, then perhaps it should win anyway. The Metric will definitely be hard to beat as a personal favourite, but I have hope. Is this unfair of me?
I will be adding reviews, and I hope you do the same. I promise every album will be worth at least a casual listen. At least go out and listen to the singles on YouTube.
What do you think of the albums?
What do you think of the award itself?
Had you heard of the award before this post?