Every September, the Polaris music prize is handed out to the best Canadian album as decided by a jurors and a Grand Jury. The albums selected are based on artistic merit, not album sales, label, or genre. This year the 10 finalists are The Besnard Lakes (The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night), Broken Social Scene (Forgiveness Rock Record), Caribou (Swim), Karkwa (Les Chemins de Verre), Dan Mangan (Nice, Nice, Very Nice), Owen Pallett (Heartland), Radio Radio (Belmundo Regal), The Sadies (Darker Circles), SHAD (TSOL), and Tegan and Sara (Sainthood). Over the next week, the Broken Speaker will be doing features on each of the ten albums. But to kick things off, we have a panel of Polaris related questions. Both The Broken Speaker and Seaside Mic Check have listened to all these albums, debated them, and here are their opinions on who should win, who they want to win, and such.
Who do you think deserves to win the Polaris?
Seaside Mic Check: Shad. Simply because he is the hardest working man in the Canadian hip-hop industry. He is like Canada’s response to Lupe Fiasco in the sense that his music uses colorful flows, clever lyricism and catchy beats. His smooth voice delivers meaningful and emotional songs. After making the shortlist in 2008, Shad has continued to keep shinning and delivers a sound that is authentically Canadian.
The Broken Speaker: While there are lots of deserving nominees as always, I think that Caribou deserves to win this thing. Sure he has won it before, but Swim is a spectacular album. It is a dense album with lots of sound layers and textures yet an easy and enjoyable listen. The way he was able to capture that “warm and organic” dance feel not only keeps me grooving each listen, but has ensured that this album has been a staple of my 2010 listening patterns. This album shows how Daniel Snaith continues to push himself and remains one of Canada’s most innovative musicians.
Who do you want to win the Polaris?
SMC: Broken Social Scene. It is almost unfair how stacked BSS is, but I think that is the beauty of the band. No other music collective can create such an incredible sense of community within their respective music scene. BSS has not only churned out amazing record one after the other, they have also done it their way. They are a band who will never create a sound based on what will get them popular. They are just a group of friends having fun and isn’t that what life is all about anyways?
TBS: The Besnard Lakes. When the short list was initially announced I didn’t think I would be rooting for this album. But after giving it a few listens and seeing them perform live during Festival D’ete in Quebec City I was blown away. Jace Lasek has to be one of Canada’s most brilliant musicians, the way he is able to engineer such distinct feels on every track he works on. From beginning to end, this album is full of powerful moments. Pure indie rock at it’s finest.
Who do you think will win the Polaris?
SMC: I think that the jury will pick Radio Radio as it would just kill so many birds with one stone. Let’s get real, us Canadians love to look as diverse as possible. If the panel chooses Belmundo Regal as the winning album, the winner will be a francophone hip-hop album representing the East Coast. Also, I have listened to this album and there is something about it that makes me want to hear it over and over, and I don’t even speak any French.
TBS: I agree with Seaside on this one, picking Radio Radio would be like throwing a grenade at a flock of pigeons. While it isn’t necessarily my cup of tea, I could really see the panel going for such a diverse album. If you’ve ever been in New Brunswick before, you’ll understand and appreciate the franglaise (interchanging French and English in conversation) that fills this album.
Which album do you wish was shortlisted for the Polaris and was not?
SMC: It would have been nice to see David Myles’ album “Turn Time Off” make the cut. This album is an example of an artist not having to push a musical boundary to stand out. Myles released this album with the help of 2009 shortlist nominee Joel Plaskett. The album shows incredible improvement from Myles’ previous work and displays his versatility as an artist. The title track from the album might be my favourite song of the year.
TBS: I was hoping for a little more love for Zeus this year. Their debut album is as strong a debut album as I’ve heard from any Canadian band for the past few years. It has that vintage fun pop rock vibe to it, sounding distinctly Canadian.
If you were trapped on a deserted island with one of the Polaris nominees who would it be and why?
SMC: I would prefer to be trapped with Caribou since he uses the most interesting instruments. He would probably fashion some cool instruments out of a palm tree and then the dance party would commence. If ever we got bored of the dance party, I would always be able to hop onto his back and he’d Swim back home.
TBS: I would have to go with Owen Pallett. He must be a good multitasker being able to loop all those sounds when he performs live. He is also one of the most entertaining people to follow on twitter, so I would be banking on that humor to carry over in an island situation. And if we survived I could see him writing a concept album about the endeavor.
