Every year, Polaris Music Prize jurors go through the tough task of going through a year’s worth of Canadian music and narrowing that down to the long list of 40 that the public sees and, later on, the top 10 shortlisted nominees. What some people may not know is the process beyond that, where it all begins.
In a new post on the Polaris website, the annual music prize has revealed its longer list of over 200 titles that jurors brought forward throughout the year. “First, one of our official jury members has to think an album is worthy enough for Polaris consideration that they make it an official ‘suggestion’ to the wider Polaris jury, an endorsement that encourages their peers to take a deeper listen to a record,” the Polaris post explains. “From there, enough jurors have to vote for the album that it makes the 40 album long list traditionally released in June.”
Once an album is suggested by a juror, it is up to other jurors to check out the release and/or share their thoughts on the music. So the 232 titles released have all been suggested by a juror or received at least one vote this year. Alas, only 40 made the long list but the longer list reveals an incredibly diverse range of genres and artists across the country including Emilie-Claire Barlow, Les Goules, Keita Juma, LAL and the Dirty Nil.
Take a look at the full long list below (* indicates the 10 shortlisted nominees). The Polaris Music Prize will announce its winner this year at a live gala in Toronto on Sept. 19. Tune in to CBC Music for more coverage.
Bernard Adamus, Sorel Soviet So What
Matt Andersen, Honest Man
Anonymus, Envers et contre tous
ATTLAS, Sin EP
Azari & Ill, Rarities from the Extremities
Babysitter, Babysitter
Jason Bajada, Volcano
Matthew Barber & Jill Barber, The Family Album
Emilie-Claire Barlow, Clear Day
Bart, Holomew
Basic Soul Unit, Under the Same Sky
Beliefs, Leaper
Benjamin, The Bear and the Barn Owl
Art Bergmann, The Apostate
Geoff Berner, We Are Going to Bremen to be Musicians
The Besnard Lakes, A Coliseum Complex Museum
Justin Bieber, Purpose
Big Knife Little Knife, Anchor Rights
Black Mountain, IV*
Black Tower, The Secret Fire
Black Wizard, New Waste
Jean-Michel Blais, Il
Bob Moses, Days Gone By
Ryan Boldt, Broadside Ballads
Megan Bonnell, Magnolia
BOSVELD, Veldbrand
Philippe Brach, Portraits de famine
Tim Brady,Instruments of Happiness
Brown, Brown
Rich Brown, Abeng
Jim Bryson, Somewhere we Will Find our Place
Basia Bulat, Good Advice*
The Burning Hell, Public Library
Daniel Caesar, Pilgrim’s Paradise
Alessia Cara, Know-It-All
Jazz Cartier, Hotel Paranoia
Chloe Charles, With Blindfolds On
Tanika Charles, Soul Run
City and Colour, If I Should go Before You
Cœur de pirate, Roses
Jason Collett, Song and Dance Man
Arthur Comeau, Prospare
Concealer, fêted:fetid
Charlotte Cornfield, Future Snowbird
Erin Costelo, Down Below, The Status Quo
Philippe Côté, Lungta
Cowpuncher, Hustle
Ian William Craig, Cradle for the Wanting
Culs-de-sac, Gazoline & dynamite
Sarah Davachi, Dominions
Dead Ghosts, Love and Death and all the Rest
Dead Obies, Gesamtkunstwerk
Mac DeMarco, Another One
Mac DeMarco, Some Other Ones
Simone Denny, The Stereo Dynamite Sessions Vol. 1
Cris Derksen, Orchestral Powwow
Destroyer, Poison Season
Devontée, District Vibe
Dilly Dally, Sore
Dirty Ghosts, Let it Pretend
The Dirty Nil, Higher Power
DOOMSQUAD, Total Time
Molly Drag, Tethered Rendering
Drainolith, Hysteria
Drake, Views
Dralms, Shook
dvsn, Sept. 5th
Emilie & Ogden, 10 000
Esmerine, Lost Voices
Essaie pas, Demain est une autre nuit
Fake Palms, Fake Palms
Derin Falana, Live From Rocky Mountain
Francis Faubert, Maniwaki
Michael Feuerstack, Adult Lullabies
Caity Fisher, Party Games
Fred Fortin, Ultramarr
Fountain, Fountain 2
FOXTROTT, A Taller Us
David Francey, Empty Train
Evan Freeman, Luna
Raz Fresco, Pablo Frescobar
Georgian Bay, Patience
Les Goules, Coma
Drew Gregory, I Was There
Gretchen Oblique, Contours
Greys, Outer Heaven
Grimes, Art Angels*
Half Moon Run, Sun Leads Me On
John Wort Hannam, Love Lives On
Kyp Harness, Stoplight Moon
Ron Hawkins, Spit Sputter and Sparkle
Richie Hawtin, From my Mind to Yours
Heartbeat City, Thunder Amongst Us
Tim Hecker, Love Streams
Benjamin Hermann, Windows Wide Open
Veda Hille, Love Waves
Holy F--k, Congrats
Homeshake, Midnight Snack
Hooded Fang, Venus on Edge
Hot Panda, Bad Pop
Les Hôtesses d’Hilaire, Touche-moi pas là
Drew Howard & Birthday Boy, Music to Soothe the Savage Youth
HSY, Bask
I.D.A.L.G., Post Dynastie
Kurt Inder, Soft Things
Islands, Should I Remain Here, At Sea?
Islands, Taste
Shuyler Jansen, The Long Shadow
Carly Rae Jepsen, E•MO•TION*
Joyfultalk, Muuixx
Keita Juma, Nights in Space a Short Film
Junior Boys, Big Black Coat
Kacy & Clayton, Strange Country
Kaytranada, 99.9%*
Aidan Knight, Each Other
Koriass, Love Suprême
Lab Coast, Remember the Moon
LAL, Find Safety
Steven Lambke, Days of Heaven
Jessy Lanza, Oh No*
Cindy Lee, Act of Tenderness
Little Scream, Cult Following
Little You, Little Me, I’d Watch the Day til it Died
Loud Lary Ajust, Ondulé
Corb Lund, Things That Can’t be Undone
Norma MacDonald, Burn the Tapes
Majical Cloudz, Are You Alone?
Majid Jordan, Majid Jordan
Kate Maki, Head in the Sand
Selina Martin, I’ve Been Picking Caruso’s Brain; I Think I Have the Information we Need to Make a New World
Mas Ysa, Seraph
Kalle Mattson, Avalanche
Mauno, Rough Master
Michelle McAdorey, Into her Future
Casey Mecija, Psychic Materials
Millimetrik, Fog Dreams
Moonsocket, Eurydice
David Morin, Every Colour
MoSS, Marching to the Sound of my own Drum
Moss Lime, Zoo du Québec
Nap Eyes, Thought Rock Fish Scale
Tami Neilson, DYNAMITE!
Laurence Nerbonne, XO
Sarah Neufeld, The Ridge
Bateau Noir, Bateau Noir
Safia Nolin, Limoilou
Old Man Luedecke, Domestic Eccentric
Operators, Blue Wave
Lindi Ortega, Faded Gloryville
Karim Ouellet, Trente
OUTTACONTROLLER, Television Zombie
Matt Patershuk, I Was so Fond of You
Peaches, Rub
Yann Perreau, Le fantastique des astres
Pet Sun, Pet Sun
Plants and Animals, Waltzed in from the Rumbling
PMMA, Serotonin Syndrome
Poirier, Migration
The Posterz, Junga
Pugs & Crows & Tony Wilson, Everyone Knows Everyone 1 & 2
PUP, The Dream is Over*
Corin Raymond, Hobo Jungle Fever Dreams
Red Moon Road, Sorrows and Glories
Repartee, All Lit Up
David Restivo, The Waves
Les Revenants, Épouvantails
Ben Rogers, The Bloodred Yonder
Daniel Romano, If I’ve Only One Time Askin’
Daniel Romano, Mosey
Samito, Samito
Ronok Sarkar, Waiting for Alice
Laura Sauvage, Extraordinormal
Say Yes, Real Life Trash Mag
SepTo, God Mind
Several Futures, Before You Forget
Andy Shauf, The Party*
Sheer Agony, Masterpiece
Jane Siberry, Ulysses’ Purse
Sightlines, North
Silla + Rise, Debut
Skydiggers, Here Without You: The Songs of Gene Clark
Slim Twig, Thank You for Stickin’ With Twig
Les soeurs Boulay, 4488 de l’Amour
Sorrey, Thick as Thieves
Soupcans, Soft Party
The Spandettes, Sequin Sunrise
Rae Spoon, Armour
Frederick Squire, Spooky Action at a Distance
Stegosaurus, PUMMELED
Colin Stetson, SORROW: A Reimagining of Górecki’s Third Symphony
Chris Storrow, The Ocean’s Door
The Strumbellas, Hope
Suuns, Hold/Still
Taktus, Glass Houses for Marimba
Tasseomancy, Palm Wine Revisited
Technical Kidman, Something Stranger Coming on the Horizon
Tiga, No Fantasy Required
Tokyo Police Club, Melon Collie and the Infinite Radness (Part 1)
Amanda Tosoff, Words
Sarah Toussaint-Léveillé, La mort est un jardin sauvage
Trent Severn, Trillium
Twin Bandit, For You
Twin Within, Horizontal Lines
U.S. Girls, Half Free*
Un Blonde, Good Will Come To You
Untimely Demise, Black Widow
Rosie Valland, Partir avant
VCR, R.I.P. Sportsboy
Chris Velan, Glow
Venetian Snares, Traditional Synthesizer Music
Viva Non, Pure
VNCHY, Neverland: 001A_0315
VULGAIRE, Heureuse
WAKE, Sowing the Seeds of a Worthless Tomorrow
We Are The City, Above Club
We Found a Lovebird, Lobby
The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
The Weir, Calmness of Resolve
White Lung, Paradise*
Ken Whiteley, Freedom Blues
Jason Wilson & The Perennials, Perennials
Wintersleep, The Great Detachment
Roy Wood$, Exis
Woodland Telegraph, Screendeath Summersong
Woodpigeon, T R O U B L E
Donovan Woods, Hard Settle, Ain’t Troubled
Lori Yates,Sweetheart of the Valley
You Say Party, You Say Party
Neil Young + Promise Of The Real, The Monsanto Years
Young Galaxy, Falsework
Yukon Blonde, On Blonde
The Zolas, Swooner
More to explore:
Polaris 2016 session: White Lung, Paradise
Free Polaris Cover Sessions vinyl feaures Arkells, Joel Plaskett, Zaki Ibrahim
Meet the 10 artists shortlisted for the 2016 Polaris Music Prize