Polaris Short List 2010

I think it is between Owen, Shad and Dan. Since Owen's already won it'd be a tight race between the other two and my personal bias would go to Dan. (Though I'm not familiar with either French entry - Karkwa or Radio Radio.) Along with everyone else I'll say that T&S should have been skipped over for YSP or Brasstronaut just for diversity.

1Dan Mangan
2Owen Pallett
3Shad
4Broken Social Scene
5Caribou
6Besnard Lakes
7Tegan & Sara
8The Sadies
?Karkwa
?Radio Radio

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Polaris Long List Lazy First Impressions

Much will be said about the Polaris Prize lists... I like to go off the cuff first impressions and leave it at that. Here are all the albums with my thoughts on them 1-5 (with 0 being "I haven't yet heard it"). FIRST! :)

0Apollo Ghosts - Mount Benson (Vancouver)

2Bahamas - Pink Strat (Toronto)

3The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night (Montréal)

0Blue Rodeo - The Things We Left Behind (Toronto)

3Brasstronaut - Mt. Chimaera (Vancouver)

4Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record (Toronto)

4Basia Bulat - Heart Of My Own (London)

0By Divine Right - Mutant Message (Toronto)

3Caribou – Swim (Dundas)

2Jason Collett - Rat A Tat Tat (Toronto)

2Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (II) (Toronto)

0Amelia Curran - Hunter Hunter (Halifax)

0Fred Fortin - Plastrer La Lune (Montréal)

0Frog Eyes - Paul's Tomb: A Triumph (Victoria)

3.5Hannah Georgas - This Is Good (Vancouver)

0Ghostkeeper - Ghostkeeper (Calgary)

2Holy Fuck - Latin (Toronto)

0Karkwa - Les Chemins De Verre (Montréal)

0LeE HARVeY OsMOND - A Quiet Evil (Hamilton)

2Greg MacPherson - Mr. Invitation (Winnipeg)

5Dan Mangan - Nice, Nice, Very Nice (Vancouver)

0Misteur Valaire - Golden Bombay (Montréal)

4.5The New Pornographers - Together (Vancouver)

5Owen Pallett - Heartland (Toronto)

3Plants And Animals - La La Land (Montréal)

0Radio Radio - Belmundo Regal (Montréal)

0Justin Rutledge - The Early Widows (Toronto)

0The Sadies - Darker Circles (Toronto)

4Shad - TSOL (London)

0Elizabeth Shepherd - Heavy Falls The Night (Toronto)

0The Slew - 100% (Montréal)

0Meaghan Smith - The Cricket's Orchestra (London)

0South Rakkas Crew - The Stimulus Package (Toronto)

4Tegan And Sara - Sainthood (Vancouver)

0The Wooden Sky - If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone (Toronto)

0Hawksley Workman - Meat (Huntsville)

5You Say Party! We Say Die! - XXXX (Vancouver)

3Young Galaxy - Invisible Republic (Montréal)

3Yukon Blonde - Yukon Blonde (Vancouver)

2Zeus - Say Us (Toronto)

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Last to Weigh in on Polaris Prize

Fucked Up?

Tis.

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Polaris Shortlist Reaction

In keeping with my polaris coverage - I'll give you my initial reaction and fire it off without much thought.

Well I went 6 for 10 which is barely a passing grade of D. Somewhat disappointed in neither of my buzzed darkhorses, Coeur de Pirate and Timber Timbre, making the short list. Guess that means my overall prediction of TT is absolutely wrong!

Of the four new ones, Metric is okay but pretty boring really. K'naan deserves it and is doing something unique at least - probably my fave of these four. Granted the only short list album I haven't heard (or at least haven't listened to) is Fucked Up - so I guess I'll have to check it out. Malajube was alright - perhaps I didn't get into it because it is french (so I can't sing along as easy) and perhaps it made the short list because it is french (and they wanted to diversify)?

I can see why the Arkells didn't make it - their album is solid but not too different and really it is their live show that makes it. On that note, I'm pleased to see that Elliott Brood slipped in! Also somewhat understandable that Wolf Parade didn't make it since this album didn't even surpass their own debut.

Gotta say I'd be underwhelmed if any of Joel, Metric, GLS won.

Having to make a new prediction of my winner I will root for Hey Rosetta! and say K'naan also deserves it (and make a point of sitting down with the Fucked Up album).

Short list follows the jump!
1. Elliott Brood - Mountain Meadows
2. F*cked Up - Chemistry of Common Life
3. Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels
4. Hey Rosetta! - Into Your Lungs
5. K'naan - Troubador
6. Malajube - Labrinths
7. Metric - Fantasies
8. Joel Plaskett - Three
9. Chad Vangaalen - Soft Airplane
10. Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms

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Polaris Plus

I've spent about 3 minutes with the Polaris Long List - gone through it once. In doing so I also grabbed a bunch I think, at first glance, will/should make the short list.

My 2 cents below..

Vernacular's Shortlist

#!Arkells - Jackson Square
- Solid through and through, but probably not eclectic enough to win it.

#*Coeur De Pirate - Coeur De Pirate
- I haven't even heard this full album, just the couple tracks on the internet but I'm enamoured with her already.

!Elliott Brood - Mountain Meadows
- If this prize was for best live show, they would likely win. This album works because it reminds me of the concert.

!Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels
- Another solid effort by GLS.

!Hey Rosetta! - Into Your Lungs
-My favourite album of last summer I'd have to say. And a couple of my fave concerts of the year too. Has a shot at winning.

#!Joel Plaskett - Three!
- Epic in length, yet Joel remains modest and crafts a wonderful set of songs that surprisingly don't bore or tire the listener, without much filler.

#Timber Timbre - Timber Timbre
- The eventual winner. Not my absolute favourite though it is fantastic, however reviewers everywhere have fallen ass over kilter for this album. (Plus they love the solo male artist with a band moniker).

#-Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane!
- Former short lister with another solid effort.

#Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms
- My first time actually getting into Patrick Watson - finally I can see what the hype is about. A former winner who won't take the prize simply because of that.

!#Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
- I'm a sucker for Wolf Parade, and this album is nearly as good as the first. Reflecting on it for a second, they probably won't make the shortlist, but they'd make mine.

Legend
* haven't heard it in entirety

! love it

- like it

# top 10 shortlist

? can't remember if I've heard it

Long List

#!Arkells - Jackson Square

?Jill Barber - Chances

?Beast - Beast

?Bell Orchestre - As Seen Through Windows

*Bison B.C. - Quiet Earth

-Bruce Peninsula - A Mountain Is A Mouth

#*Coeur De Pirate - Coeur De Pirate

*Leonard Cohen - Live In London

-D-Sisive - Let The Children Die

*Elephant Stone - The Seven Seas

!Elliott Brood - Mountain Meadows

?Fucked Up - The Chemistry Of Common Life

!Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels

-Handsome Furs - Face Control

*Tim Hecker - An Imaginary Country

!Hey Rosetta! - Into Your Lungs

-Japandroids - Post-Nothing

-Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care

-K'NAAN - Troubadour

-K-OS - YES!

*La patère rose - La patère rose

?Land Of Talk - Some Are Lakes

*Lhasa - Lhasa

-Malajube - Labyrinthes

-Metric - Fantasies

*One Hundred Dollars - Forest Of Tears

-Pink Mountaintops - Outside Love

#!Joel Plaskett - Three

*Snailhouse - Lies On The Prize

-Charles Spearin - The Happiness Project

*Rae Spoon - superioryouareinferior

-The Stills - Oceans Will Rise

-Think About Life - Family

!#Timber Timbre - Timber Timbre

#-Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane

*Martha Wainwright - I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too

!#Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms

!#Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer

?Women - Women

*Woodpigeon - Treasury Library Canada C/W Houndstooth Europa

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