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CBC Radio 3 Exclusive: Polaris Music Prize Short-List

CBC Radio 3 Exclusive: Polaris Music Prize Short-List

Posted by Grant Lawrence on Jul 10, 2007

A jury of 174 Canadian music journalists... 213 Canadian albums to choose from... a $20,000.00 grand prize...

Yes ladies and gentlemen, the second annual Polaris Music Prize Top Ten Shortlist will be revealed today at 2:30PM at the Drake Hotel Skybar in downtown Toronto, but your pals at CBC Radio 3 have a sneak-peek at the list that will no doubt cause a summer of discussion until the winner is revealed in September... and so here it is (in alphabetical order):

The Arcade Fire "Neon Bible"
The Besnard Lakes "...Are The Dark Horse"
The Dears "Gang Of Losers"
Julie Doiron "Woke Myself Up"
Feist "The Reminder"
Junior Boys "So This Is Goodbye"
Miracle Fortress "Five Roses"
Joel Plaskett Emergency "Ashtray Rock"
Chad Van Gaalen "Skelliconnection"
Patrick Watson "Close To Paradise"

Here are just a couple of my initial opinions on this list...

:: The most notable aspect of the second annual Polaris shortlist is that five out of ten acts are from Montreal... clearly, this list begs to differ with all those who thought the Montreal music scene peaked two years ago.

:: Compared to last year's list, which included an incredible balance of music styles, cultural diversity, and levels of success(Malajube, K'Naan, the Deadly Snakes, Sarah Harmer, Broken Social Scene, Metric, the New Pornographers, Cadence Weapon, Wolf Parade, and the eventual winner, Final Fantasy), this is list seems quite... narrow in scope compared to last year's dream line-up. Still an amazing list of records... but... seems kinda... white.

:: Where is the hip-hop? I can immediately think of two records that certainly would not be out of place in the top ten... from a larger realm, K-OS, and still in the underground, Abdominal.

:: Other jury members may differ, but I always considered the Arcade Fire, Feist, and Joel Plaskett as locks on making the top ten... I even had a feeling Miracle Fortress might make it. Chad Van Gaalen, Junior Boys, and Besnard Lakes are the surprises for me. Not that I don't think they put out fine albums, I just thought others like the Apostle Of Hustle, K-OS, or Great Lake Swimmers would have bumped 'em down a little.

:: What happened to the West Coast?

:: What happened to Jim Bryson? MSTRKRFT? The Awkward Stage? Jill Barber?

We welcome your comments below. What do you think of the list? Who did Polaris overlook?

Discuss!

The Polaris Music Prize will be awarded at a gala presentation in Toronto on Monday September 24, 2007.

Catch this week's CBC Radio 3 Podcast this Friday for a special Polaris 2007 Shortlist edition.

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  1. like a shark
    01

    really?

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by like a shark
    This list makes me feel funny.
  2. Justinsb
    02

    The problem with arts awards ..

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by Justinsb
    is that it's all subjective. I can listen to an album and like it, or not but if I had to make a top 10 list today it might be entirely different from my top 10 list yesterday - it all depends on mood and location and what I'm doing.

    Sports awards are easy - there are all the statistics to rely on. Same thing with the Oscars and the Grammy's - just pull out the financial balance sheet, compare, and start handing out awards but in this case...

    I hope that there is always a clear line between indie music and competitive sports.
  3. John Paolozzi
    03

    Re: CBC Radio 3 Exclusive: Polaris Music Prize Short-List

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by John Paolozzi
    Feh. All of these artists are making highly listenable music, but are any of them doing anything radically creative? When will musicians be free from the tyranny of the guitar?
  4. jharman
    04

    Grant's Right

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by jharman
    Diversity is definitely lacking. Not to mention some of the artists are on the cusp of leaving the indie scene (Arcade Fire, Feist). Heavy "rock" bias is great for me since I like that but I want this award to be inclusive to all the independent efforts made in Canada, hip-hop, folk, country, etc.

    That said, its hard to disagree with most of the entrees on the list, some of my favourite albums of the year on their for sure.

    The Awkward Stage definitely deserves a seat from the West Coast.

    Matt Mays' latest album and The Acorn also deserves a nod.
  5. neuromancer
    05

    Re: CBC Radio 3 Exclusive: Polaris Music Prize Short-List

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by neuromancer
    I'm a little disappointed. Fiest and Arcade Fire are obvious (perhaps a little too obvious), and while I agree that it lacks the diversity of last year's award, I also feels it lacks the...splendor, for lack of a better word. If you put He Poos Clouds against any of these records, I'm sure it would still win. In fact, in my opinion, I think almost any of the records nominated last year one could argue are better than the nominanted albums this year.

    I don't know if it qualified, but where's the Handsome Furs?
  6. Mark MacArthur
    06

    Bless our Guitar Overlords

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by Mark MacArthur
    "the tyranny of the guitar" John?

    Don't forget last year's totallitarian rule of Final Fantasy's violin.
  7. Rob Dub
    07

    the album is dead

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by Rob Dub
    I just listened to the interview Grant did with Terry McBride about the death of the CD and I think along with its death will be the death of the album.
    With the huge amount of independent music out there that I can listen to via the internet I am listening to less and less full length releases. Of the albums listed for the Polaris I have only listened to two of them from start to finish but I have heard at least one track from each of them.
    I liked the first Polaris award went to Final Fantasy because the album actually seemed like a concept that was meant to be listened from start to finish. For this year I think Joel Plaskett is the only one to fit the bill and I haven't even heard all of Ashtray Rock yet.
  8. Paolo Pietropaolo
    08

    Shameless Arcade Fire devotee

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by Paolo Pietropaolo
    I for one feel it's important to remember that this prize, at least in its official description, is not about being Indier-than-thou, but about actually being good. "The highest artistic integrityhighest artistic integrity, without regard to musical genre" -that's straight from the Polaris website.
    So for me, it's also a no-brainer that Arcade Fire and Feist are on the list - it doesn't bother me at all that their popularity is decidedly bigger than indie.
    And hey John - as far as creativity goes...you can't tell me that making the hurdy-gurdy sexy for the first time in history isn't radically creative...
  9. ask shane
    09

    awww shucks!

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by ask shane
    Shane from the Awkward Stage here just wanting to thank Grant Lawrence and all of you that liked my record enough to even consider it for this thing. It meant a lot to me.
    Congratulations to my fellow Canadian artists for making such brilliant records.
    Oh well, back to the crematorium. Ha ha.
  10. prairie punk
    10

    Re: CBC Radio 3 Exclusive: Polaris Music Prize Short-List

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by prairie punk
    I tend to agree with grant about the lack of 'westness' and overwhelming 'whiteness' of this list... on the other hand, no one wants a list that is full of less than stellar albums just to satisfy some obscure indie-affermative-action. I mean, it surely isn't the arcade fire's fault that they're popular, white, montreal citizens.

    that being said, it's not like there weren't amazing albums coming out of the west this past year (the Awkward Stage, the People verses, and SoSo all come immediately to mind).

    I do have a question though for grant or anyone else who knows how these things work:
    is there somewhere online where those lucky few who get to vote on this prize can hear records that others nominate?
    as i understand it, Polaris exists in order to award artistic merit regardless of sales, but clearly if you've never heard of someone before, it follows that you won't vote for them.

    This year in particular, i thought that there were several really great independent releastes (ohbijou, Maybe Smith) that had the quality to sneak into this list, and was just wondering if that's an actually possibility given the format?
  11. Grant Lawrence
    11

    hey prairie punk

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by Grant Lawrence
    Interestingly enough... this complaint came up a few times in the jury process... "where can i hear this stuff?" was an oft repeated question... and pretty much the ONLY answer was right here on CBC Radio 3, on our podcasts and newmusiccanada.com!!
  12. Rob Dub
    12

    full-length canadian album?

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by Rob Dub
    How many artists post their whole album on NMC.com? How often does Radio 3 (or any radio station for that matter) play the whole album of one particular artist? I assumed that most of the jury work in music and have access to almost of the albums discussed through their work place. If the jury is only listening to a select track from an artist how does the idea of full-length Canadian album fit?
    BTW my vote for an overlooked album is Kris Demeanor's The Guilt and the Shame: Tales of the Canadian West.
  13. like a shark
    13

    I wanna know the 203 others on the list...

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by like a shark
    Actually, what interests me far more would be this...what is the full list of 213 albums that were considered.

    Is that available to view anywhere?
  14. jharman
    14

    Public Input

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by jharman
    It'd be cool if they'd allow some public input. I by no means want it to be turned into a popularity contest but I think some of us listeners to Radio3 and such have a good idea of what's great in Canadian music so why not have a poll that reflects that and it can be taken or leaven at the will of the committee....
  15. kelprecords
    15

    Go Miracle Fortress!

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by kelprecords
    My feeling is that the list's diversity depends on its jury, and while I know that there are a lot of great people on that jury, there are also a lot of lurkers from pretty uninteresting media sources that likely defaulted to whatever they recognized.

    Still, I'm very glad to see that Miracle Fortress is in there, and hope that the committee give it a solid listen before making the final decision in September.
  16. TheRadioHead
    16

    The Tyranny of the Guitar

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by TheRadioHead
    Having just returned from the Winnipeg Folk Fest, I must agree with John. By Friday afternoon, I swore if I heard one more person with a guitar singing about their home town, I'd hang myself in the nearest tree. (Warning!opinion ahead) I believe that musicians and listeners alike default to the guitar because it is easy to digest. This prize is for "creative artistic achievement". How to measure Arcade Fire's choirs, organs, and violins to Chad Van's homemade saxophone, which is equally as innovative. Glad I'm not on the jury.

    BTW-I'm finding that most of the music that is catching my ear recently is from Vancouver.
  17. Amanda Putz
    17

    Death of a Songsmith

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by Amanda Putz
    It's not whether you use a guitar or not, it's how you use it.

    I have to say I feel a little guilty, because right after I submitted my initial 5 noms I began to pack up my life across the Pacific and switched time zones. I missed out on backing my horses--or my Bungalows as the case may be--after I submitted them. I wonder where the singer-songwriters are? The music media seems to have a magpie mentality for being attracted to the flashiest and most layered, full sound--even with Feist or Joel, they're pretty lush records. The most appealing thing to happen to my ears in 2007 was Bryson's album. Its intricacy shows how much you can do with so little. You can sing about your home town all you want, just shroud it in metaphor and wit. Where the Bungalows Roam's absence from the list is a major oversight, for sure.

    I like the idea of letting the general public weigh in, if we could avoid the "Doritos Fan's Choice" kind of thing...
  18. Lisa Christiansen
    18

    Re: CBC Radio 3 Exclusive: Polaris Music Prize Short-List

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by Lisa Christiansen
    I agree with most people's thoughts on this subject. But at the end of the day - wow, for a not-so-big-population-wise country, this is a pretty amazing list. Yes, maybe not as diverse as last year's, but a fine collection. And I think if you take the time to dig deep, the range will become more apparent, from the lush, classical pop of Patrick Watson to the sexy electronica of the Junior Boys.
    So while I would like to have seen some hip hop or even some hard rock, I can't imagine any of these artists not on the list.
  19. Grant Lawrence
    19

    the top 213

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by Grant Lawrence
    Nope, sorry, that "Long List" of the 213 eligible records is completely confidental. But rest assured just about EVERY album released between June 1 and May 31 was on it!
  20. Thejourneystartshere
    20

    Proud to be Canadian

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by Thejourneystartshere
    I think this is a strong list - yes, it lacks the diversity of the previous year, but all of these albums are well-deserving...

    The fact that there is such a passionate discussion ensuing also proves that there is so much tremendous talent coming out of this country that people feel many artists are being overlooked.

    Kudos to the judges for the difficult task of choosing the shortlist. My predicted picks from a while back were:

    Chad VanGaalen - Skelliconnection
    Feist - The Reminder
    Handsome Furs - Plague Park
    Junior Boys - So this is Goodbye
    Young Galaxy (self-titled)
    Patrick Watson - Close to Paradise
    Great Lake Swimmers - Ongiara
    Sloan - Never Hear the End of It
    The Dears - Gang of Losers
    The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse
  21. blinger12
    21

    Re: CBC Radio 3 Exclusive: Polaris Music Prize Short-List

    Posted on Jul 10, 2007 by blinger12
    I don't think being not as diverse is a bad thing.
    Just because these albums aren't as artistic as some, doesn't mean they're not as good. These are all albums that deserved to be on the list.
    Having said that, Final Fantasy, one of the underdogs if I remember correctly, who had one of the more artistic albums on the list pulled through and beat out the more cliche rock albums. Who knows if that might happen again?
    I also agree that K-OS not being on the list is quite an injustice. That's one of the most amazing albums I've ever heard. (And artistic as well.)
    Grant, I can't help but wonder, what were your top 10 picks? (unless that is confidential)
  22. tb3
    22

    Re: CBC Radio 3 Exclusive: Polaris Music Prize Short-List

    Posted on Jul 11, 2007 by tb3
    It's very Canadian of us to take a list that "honours, celebrates and rewards creativity and diversity in Canadian recorded music" and pick it apart in terms of how it's not really reflective of what we individually think the list should contain.

    Sure there could be other artists there. Should this year's list could be more diverse. We could argue all of that.

    Instead, I am just going to sit in the glow of the thought that we're churning out some fucking great music, that a list that contains those artists and albums could be debated, is testimony enough.

    To all those on the list and off, my ears and mind thank you for a fantastic year of listening pleasure.

    To everyone here, keep speaking passionately about state of the Canadian Music industry.
  23. suckamc
    23

    Re: CBC Radio 3 Exclusive: Polaris Music Prize Short-List

    Posted on Jul 11, 2007 by suckamc
    Here here. Well put.
  24. blinger12
    24

    Re: CBC Radio 3 Exclusive: Polaris Music Prize Short-List

    Posted on Jul 11, 2007 by blinger12
    Also, people seem to be disappointed/surprised that Feist, Arcade fire and Joel Plaskett made the list. Its hard to believe everyone didn't already know they would be...
  25. institutionaleyes
    25

    yo

    Posted on Jul 12, 2007 by institutionaleyes
    neon bible was EASILY the best album of 2007

    - alec o'hanley
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