Polaris Prize Short List

 

The Short List for Canada's Polaris Prize was officially released yesterday.  And the nominees are:

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!'
 

Zaki Ibrahim - Every Opposite
 

Metric - Synthetica
 

METZ - METZ
 

Purity Ring - Shrines
 

Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol 3: To See More Light
 

Tegan and Sara - Hearththrob
 

A Tribe Called Red - Nation II Nation
 

Whitehorse - The Fate of the World Depends on This Kiss
 

Young Galaxy - Ultramarine
 

Some well-deserved nominations here: I was excited to see Purity Ring, METZ and Young Galaxy make the list. Purity Ring and METZ both released groundbreaking debut albums this year, and Young Galaxy's seminal fourth album 'Ultramarine' is definitely deserving of its nomination, which, to me, is what the Polaris Prize is all about, i.e. highlighting new acts (2012's Grimes, Cold Specks) and recognizing important releases (Feist's 'Metals', Japandroid's 'Celebration Rock').

The nomination I'm most excited to see make the shortlist is A Tribe Called Red. If you're looking for new, innovative sounds, look no further:



Not surprised to see shortlist veterans Tegan and Sara and Metric make the list once again.  Both Heartthrob and Synthetica are commendable albums in their own right and creative departures for both bands. (okay, maybe more Heartthrob than Synthetica but whatever like is anyone even reading this? no. thank god.)

I'm not incredibly familiar with either the Whitehorse or Godspeed! albums but considering Godspeed!'s almost legendary status, it doesn't surprise me that their newest effort made the list. Whitehorse I've heard is a really good band and its nomination is only further reason to delve deeper.

The two albums I am not familiar with are those by Colin Stetson and Zaki Ibrahim, which only means that I will definitely be checking them out.



Now, I've been calling Purity Ring on this for months, ever since I learned their album 'Shrines' wouldn't be on the 2012 ticket because it came out just after the cut-off date. To me their nomination shows that the Polaris judges really do know what they're doing. And because I can't really pick out a mountain-moving album such as last year's 'Metals', I think Purity Ring has a shot at this year's grand prize. The reason they're my favourites to win right now is because of how intricate, experimental and absorbing the music they produce is. There's a reason Purity Ring has exploded internationally while bands like Born Gold, who also came out of Edmonton's music scene, haven't: there's something there, something universal. Their music, at times disturbing and alien, has an organicity to it.  Somewhere beneath all the synths there is a heart, diseased and potentially non-human, but definitely beating. When someone like Danny Brown raps over one of your songs you know you're doing something right.

Their superb cover of Soulja Boy's "Grammy":



Clearly someone else agrees they're due for some recognition: