Advertisement

Music

This is 40

The Polaris Music Prize has announced its 40-artist long list.

Canada’s internationally renowned music elite are represented by usual suspects Arcade Fire and Drake for their Juno-winning albums Reflektor and Nothing Was the Same, respectively. But much lesser known indie acts such as Halifax guitar/drums rock duo Cousins, Saskatoon’s heavy psych-rockers Shooting Guns and Brandon, Manitoba’s Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq also made the cut.

Oscar nominee Owen Pallett (best original score for the Her soundtrack) also made the list for his recent album, In Conflict.

The Toronto scene is well-repped by soulful Canadian folk project Timber Timbre, jazz/hip-hop trio BADBADNOTGOOD, rap collective Freedom Writers and punk four-piece PUP, among others.

The coolest? You can catch a bunch of these acts at NXNE in the next few days: nominees Mac DeMarco, Fresh Snow and Odonis Odonis are playing the fest.

The long list was announced at Calgary’s National Music Centre during Sled Island Festival – a show of support from the organization for the city and festival that suffered from severe flooding last year.

The Polaris Music Prize is awarded annually to the best Canadian album based on merit, regardless of genre or popularity. The jury – made up of music writers, programmers and industry pros from across the country – whittles down the country’s eligible albums to a long list of 40. The list will be quartered by July 5, when the 10-artist shortlist is announced. The Polaris Music Prize gala takes place September 22 and the winner receives $30,000.

The complete 2014 Polaris long list:

Arcade Fire, Reflektor

AroarA, In The Pines

Austra, Olympia

Philippe B, Ornithologie, la nuit

BADBADNOTGOOD, III

Basia Bulat, Tall Tall Shadow

Chromeo, White Women

COUSINS, The Halls Of Wickwire

Cowboy Junkies / Various, The Kennedy Suite

The Darcys, Warring

Dead Obies, Montréal $ud

Mac DeMarco, Salad Days

DIANA, Perpetual Surrender

Drake, Nothing Was The Same

Freedom Writers, NOW

Fresh Snow, I

Frog Eyes, Carey’s Cold Spring

Gorguts, Colored Sands

Tim Hecker, Virgins

Jimmy Hunt, Maladie d’amour

Jessy Lanza, Pull My Hair Back

Kalle Mattson, Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold

Moonface, Julia With Blue Jeans On

Mounties, Thrash Rock Legacy

Odonis Odonis, Hard Boiled Soft Boiled

Owen Pallett, In Conflict

Pink Mountaintops, Get Back

PUP, PUP

The Sadies, Internal Sounds

Shad, Flying Colours

Shooting Guns, Brotherhood of the Ram

Solids, Blame Confusion

Rae Spoon, My Prairie Home

The Strumbellas, We Still Move On Dance Floors

Tanya Tagaq, Animism

Thus Owls, Turning Rocks

Timber Timbre, Hot Dreams

Chad VanGaalen, Shrink Dust

Bry Webb, Free Will

YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN, UZU

Added: Greg MacPherson, Fireball

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted