The Polaris Music Prize short list was announced this morning (Thursday, July 13) and, as usual, people who are inclined to argue about it are arguing about it. That’s what happens when you let music critics determine the best Canadian album of the year, allow them to interpret the vague “artistic merit” criteria, and then throw $50,000 of prize money into the mix.
Now in its 12th year, the Polaris Prize has existed long enough to feel entrenched, but it’s also still new enough to keep surprising. Given how inclined us jurors are to overanalyze the 10 albums chosen, we’re always finding new intricacies. So rather than add another two cents to the pot, here are three 2017 Polaris firsts.
Three short-listed artists are Indigenous
Polaris has had two Indigenous winners – Buffy Sainte-Marie (for 2015’s Power In The Blood) and Tanya Tagaq (for 2014’s Animism) – but this year sees the most Indigenous acts nominated at the same time.
A Tribe Called Red’s unparalleled protest party album We Are The Halluci Nation has been considered a favourite to win, by me at least, as far back as last summer. But it would be just as exciting to see the award go to Tanya Tagaq for the second time (for Retribution) or Lido Pimienta (for La Papessa), whose heritage traces to the Wayuu territory of Colombia.
It’s also worth noting that Gord Downie’s Secret Path is a concept album about Chanie Wenjack, an Anishinaabe boy who escaped from residential school.
A multilingual short list
Considering Canada’s official bilingualism, many jurors are rightfully upset about the lack of Francophone albums, especially given the strong entries on the 40-album long list (Philippe B’s La Grande Nuit Vidéo, Alaclair Ensemble’s Les Frères Cueilleurs and Geoffroy’s Coastline, to name a few). But that doesn’t mean the short list is all English acts.
Toronto’s Lido Pimienta sings in Spanish, there’s a little bit of Hebrew on Leonard Cohen’s You Want It Darker, there are a variety of Indigenous between We Are The Halluci Nation and Retribution, and Lisa LeBlanc sings in English, French and the Acadian French/English hybrid Chiac on Why You Wanna Leave, Runaway Queen? The short list may not be strictly bilingual, but it’s impressively multilingual.
The first posthumous Polaris?
With You Want It Darker, Leonard Cohen could become the first person to win Polaris from beyond the grave. That’s causing some concern among critics who think the award should go to someone who could better use the money (though that has never been the intention of the award) or who think it represents a lifetime achievement nomination. But it’s hard to argue against the album’s artistic merit.
Firsts that will have to wait
Anciients’ Voice Of The Void was the only metal album on the long list and it didn’t make the cut, meaning Polaris will have to wait at least another year for its first metal winner. The short list also shed Drake’s More Life and Clairmont the Second’s Quest For Milk And Honey, which means there won’t be a hip-hop winner yet (though last year’s winner, Kaytranada’s 99.9%, arguably fits the bill, and A Tribe Called Red and BADBADNOTGOOD’s albums include some rapping).
There also won’t be anything from the East Coast (unless you count LeBlanc, who is from New Brunswick but lives in Montreal). Carly Rae Jepsen could have been the Queen of winning the Polaris Prize for a B-side album, but that coronation will be held in reserve for someone else.
Keep an eye on Feist and Tanya Tagaq, who both have a chance at becoming the first two-time Polaris winner.
Here’s the full short list:
A Tribe Called Red, We Are The Halluci Nation (See NNNN review)
BADBADNOTGOOD, IV (See NNN review)
Leonard Cohen, You Want It Darker (See NNNN review)
Gord Downie, Secret Path (See NNNNN concert review)
Feist, Pleasure (See NNNN concert review and cover story)
Lisa LeBlanc, Why You Wanna Leave, Runaway Queen? (See NNN review)
Lido Pimienta, La Papessa (See NNN review)
Tanya Tagaq, Retribution (See NNNN review)
Leif Vollebekk, Twin Solitude
Weaves, Weaves (See NNN review)
richardt@nowtoronto.com | @trapunski
