Polaris Prize 2012 Long List: Long List is Long
The 7th annual Polaris Music Prize Long List was revealed today, inciting many a hipster internet dust-up as to who will win, who shouldn’t be on the list, and most importantly, who WASN’T on the list.
“But what is the Polaris Music Prize?” you ask? Well let me—or Polaris Music Prize—tell you:
A not-for-profit organization that honours, celebrates and rewards creativity and diversity in Canadian recorded music. Polaris recognizes and markets albums of the highest artistic integrity, without regard to musical genre, professional affiliation, or sales history. it is adjudicated by selected music journalists, broadcasters and bloggers.
It’s all that, and a $30,000 prize to the album that receives the most votes by the aforementioned jury. Why does any of this matter? It matters because this is, in essence, the TRUE Album of the Year Juno award. Unlike the said Juno award, this decision is not based solely on album sales. This music prize actually recognizes artistic integrity, originality and quality. Money has nothing to do with it. In fact, an album could have sold zero copies and still be on this list.
The Polaris Music Prize has grown each year in popularity amongst music snobs junkies and is taken very seriously. That’s why we all get so up in arms over the selections. Everyone has a few favourites they feel are deserving of the prize, or at least a spot on the long list. The nominees have to have released at least an 8-song and minimum 30-minute LP between June 1, 2011 and May 31, 2012 to be qualified for selection.
Alright, here’s the LOOOOONNNG List: (in alphabetical order)
- A Tribe Called Red – A Tribe Called Red
- Marie-Pierre Arthur – Aux alentours
- Rich Aucoin – We’re All Dying To Live
- Avec pas d’casque – Astronomie
- Azari & III – Azari & III
- Bahamas – Barchords
- The Barr Brothers – The Barr Brothers
- Blackie And The Rodeo Kings – Kings And Queens
- Cadence Weapon – Hope In Dirt City
- Kathryn Calder – Bright And Vivid
- Cannon Bros. – Firecracker/Cloudglow
- Coeur de pirate – Blonde
- Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas
- Cold Specks – I Predict A Graceful Expulsion
- Rose Cousins – We Have Made A Spark
- Mark Davis – Eliminate the Toxins
- Drake – Take Care
- Kathleen Edwards – Voyageur
- Feist – Metals
- Fucked Up – David Comes to Life
- Great Lake Swimmers – New Wild Everywhere
- Grimes – Visions
- Handsome Furs – Sound Kapital
- Japandroids – Celebration Rock
- Dan Mangan – Oh Fortune
- Mares Of Thrace – The Pilgrimage
- Ariane Moffatt – MA
- Lindi Ortega – Little Red Boots
- Parlovr – Kook Soul
- Sandro Perri – Impossible Spaces
- Joel Plaskett Emergency – Scrappy Happiness
- PS I Love You – Death Dreams
- John K. Samson – Provincial
- Shooting Guns – Born To Deal In Magic 1952-1976
- The Slakadeliqs – The Other Side of Tomorrow
- Patrick Watson – Adventures In Your Own Backyard
- Bry Webb – Provider
- The Weeknd – Echoes of Silence
- Yamantaka // Sonic Titan – YT//ST
- Yukon Blonde – Tiger Talk
There’s the Long List of 40 nominees. I had anticipated a Plants and Animals showing on this list but perhaps too many jurors were scared away by the hippest of hipster joint’s (Pitchfork Magazine) unsatisfied review.
So with all that being said, the Short List (a narrowed down top 10 of the Long List) is to be revealed on July 17th. Mark your calenders, folks, because that’s where the real fun begins.
-Dylan
There’s some great music on this list. It shows the leaps and bounds of improvement in Canadian music. Unfortunately, everyone can’t make it on the list. I was hoping for a nod for The Wooden Sky also but what can you do?