The Polaris Music Prize long list was announced Thursday morning at the Waldorf Hotel. The Waldorf was brimming with Vancouver’s music media who sipped on mimosas and eagerly awaited the 40 nominees. This was the first time the long listed nominees had been announced outside of Toronto. Steve Jordan, founder and executive director of the Polaris Music Prize, was there to help with the announcement along with previous nominees Dan Mangan, Hannah Georgas and Veda Hille. The Polaris Prize started up in 2006 and is loosely modelled on the U.K.’s Mercury Prize. The prize is awarded to the best full length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales or record label. The grand winner receives $30,000 and, this year for the first time, short listed nominees receive $2,000 each.
To date the nominees have been a diverse mix of artists. Previous winners include Arcade Fire (2012), Karkwa (2011), F*cked Up (2010) and Caribou (2009). The 40 artists on this year’s long list are just as eclectic, from the globally successful artist Drake to local talent Yukon Blonde. The long list should provide plenty of hearty debate in the following weeks. Who deserves to win, who was tragically overlooked and who are these people? The Polaris long list is a brilliant way to discover new music from the last year that may have passed you by. So here are the 40 long listed nominated albums in handy alphabetical order:
A Tribe Called Red – A Tribe Called Red
Marie-Pierre Arthur – Aux Alentours
Rich Aucoin – We’re All Dying to Live
Avec Pas D’Casque – Astronomie
Azari & III – Azari & III
Bahamas – Barchords
The Barr Brothers – The Barr Brothers
Blackie and the Rodeo Kings – Kings and Queens
Cadence Weapon – Hope in Dirt City
Kathryn Calder – Bright and Vivid
Cannon Bros. – Firecracker/Cloudglow
Coeur de Pirate – Blonde
Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas
Cold Specks – I Predict a Graceful Expulsion
Rose Cousins – We Have Made a Spark
Mark Davis – Eliminate the Toxins
Drake – Take Care
Kathleen Edwards – Voyageur
Feist – Metals
F*cked Up – David Comes to Life
Great Lake Swimmers – New Wild Everywhere
Grimes – Visions
Handsome Furs – Sound Kapital
Janpandroids – Celebration Rock
Dan Mangan – Oh Fortune
Mares of Thrace – The Pilgrimage
Ariane Moffatt – MA
Lindi Ortega – Little Red Boots
Parlovr – Kook Soul
Sandro Perri – Impossible Spaces
Joel Plaskett Emergency – Scrappy Happiness
Ps I love You – Death Dreams
John K. Samson – Provincial
Shooting Guns – Born to Deal in Magic 1952 – 1976
The Slakadeliqs – The Other Side of Tomorrow
Patrick Watson – Adventures in Your Own Backyard
Bry Webb – Provider
The Weeknd – Echoes of Silence
Yamantaka//Sonic Titan – YT//ST
Yukon Blonde – Tiger Talk
There is a lot of exciting BC talent on the long list including Kathryn Calder, Japandroids, Grimes, Dan Mangan, and Yukon Blonde. The 40 nominated albums will be whittled down to 10 on July 17 by a jury of broadcasters and music journalists. The winner will be revealed on September 24th at a gala in Toronto. Now let the speculating begin!
written by: Jessica O’Brien 
