exploremusic

The Long List—the forty semi-finalists for the Polaris Music Prize—were announced today at an event during NXNE.  Starting late last year, the almost 200 panelists (of which I am one along with a variety of critics, bloggers, zine publishers, broadcasters and so on from across the country) nominated, argued for, shot down and otherwise debated the merits of dozens and dozens and dozens of records.  I can’t tell you how much music I was exposed to watching the emails flashing from the Polaris Google group.

In the end, the goal is to winnow things down to one album that can stand the test of time.  It has to be something we can go back to years from now and still enjoy without it being too flavour of the week.  If you’re interested, here are the official rules.  

A couple of weeks ago, we each voted for our five favourites the master list.  Today, we’re down to these forty (click the link for more information and direct links to all the artists listed below). 

There’s already been the usual kvetching amongst jurists about things like “lack of diversity” and “there’s no jazz or classical or country here or enough metal or [insert your genre here]” and even assertions that this is a merely a cross-section of the “bland and boring” Canadian indie scene.  Others say it’s TOO indie and features too many ultra-niche artists.

Maybe, but you’re never, ever going to please everyone with something like this.  For me, there are a lot of “You’ve GOT to be kidding!” nominations here along with “What about [blank]?”   Where, for example, is the Gord Downie album, The Grand Bounce?  Where’s the Said the Whale album, Islands Disappear?  No Parlovr?  Cancer Bats?  And jeezus, no Alexisonfire for Old Crows/Young Cardinals?  That, my friends, is almost an atrocity.  In my opinion, of course.  Or

Frankly, there’s a lot of stuff on this list that leaves me with…nothing; I’m totally indifferent to a lot of these records.  Some, like Bahamas and Dan Mangan, I just never got.  They never, ever moved me.  It also bothers me that some of those nominated seemed to have been dismissed because they were commercially successful.  Being popular is a handicap?  Apparently (unless you’re Blue Rodeo).

It is good, however, to see a nice contingent of francophone nominees—although I’m going to have to do some serious research on most of them because frankly, I’d never spent any time with most of them.

So how would I form the Short List from these nominees?   Zeus, for sure.  Broken Social Scene is a no-brainer.  The Holy Fuck record is brilliant.  So is La La Land from Plants and Animals.  I’d also throw in the Crystal Castles CD.  Probably the New Pornographers and Rat A Tat Tat from Jason Collett.  I really enjoy Hawksley Workman’s Meat record.  And to round things out, Lee Harvey Osmond and—what the hell—Caribou.

That Short List—the ten finalists—will be announced on July 6.  The winner will be selected by a sequestered jury at the gala in Toronto on September 20. 

Meanwhile, take a look at this list and ask yourself “What is the absolute, front-to-back GREATEST record on this list?”  Whatever you say, there will be a thousand other people who will tell you that you’re 100% wrong.
The 2010 Polaris Music Prize Long List

1. Apollo Ghosts/Mount Benson
2. Bahamas/Pink Strat
3. The Besnard Lakes/The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night
4. Blue Rodeo/The Things We Left Behind
5. Brasstronaut/Mt. Chimera
6. Broken Social Scene/Forgiveness Rock Record
7. Basia Bulat/Heart of My Own
8. By Divine Right/Mutant Message
9. Caribou/Swim
10. Jason Collett/Rat A Tat Tat
11. Crystal Castles/Crystal Castles (II)
12. Ameila Curran/Hunter Hunter
13. Fred Fortin/Plaster La Line
14. Frog Eyes/Paul’s Tomb:  A Triumph
15. Hannah Georgas/This Is Good
16. Ghostkeeper/Ghostkeeper
17. Holy Fuck/Latin
18. Karkwa/Les Chemins de Verre
19. LeE HARVeY OsMOND/A Quiet Evil
20. Greg MacPherson/Mr. Invitation
21. Dan Mangan/Nice, Nice Very Nice
22. Misteur Valaire/Golden Bombay
23. The New Pornographers/Together
24. Owen Pallett/Heartland
25. Plants and Animals/La La Land
26. Radio Radio/Belmundo Regal
27. Justin Rutledge/The Early Widows
28. The Sales/Darker Circles
29. Shad/TSOL
30. Elizabeth Shepher/Heavy Falls the Night
31. The Slew/100%
32. Meaghan Smith/The Cricket’s Orchestra
33. South Rakkas Crew/The Stimulus Package
34. Tegan and Sara/Sainthood
35. The Wooden Sky/If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone
36. Hawksley Workman/Meat
37. You Say Party! We Say Die!/XXXX
38. Young Galaxy/Invisible Republic
39. Yukon Blonde/Yukon Blonde
40. Zeus/Say Us