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2018 Polaris Music Prize: Arcade Fire, Daniel Caesar, Gord Downie make this year's long list

By
Melody Lau

The 2018 Polaris Music Prize long list is here.

Today at Toronto's Drake Hotel, 40 albums were revealed as this year's nominees for the title of best Canadian album of the year. As usual, the albums on the list were chosen by a panel of 196 Canadian jurors, who will vote once more to whittle the list down to a top 10 short list. The short list will be announced on July 17.

This year's list includes Arcade Fire, who won the Polaris Prize in 2011 for The Suburbs. Other returning nominees include Alvvays, Daniel Caesar, Zaki Ibrahim, U.S. Girls, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan and Cadence Weapon. Two of last year's short list nominees are back for a second year: Toronto band Weaves for Wide Open and Gord Downie for his posthumous release, Introduce Yerself. The list also highlights many first-timers, including Bonjay, Jeremy Dutcher, Kacy & Clayton and Partner.

The Polaris Music Prize gala will be live-streamed on CBC Music on Sept. 17. An 11-member grand jury will determine this year's winner.

Here is the full list of nominated albums:

a l l i e, Nightshade
Alvvays, Antisocialites
Arcade Fire, Everything Now
Bahamas, Earthtones
The Barr Brothers, Queens of the Breakers
Bernice, Puff LP: In the air without a shape
Jean-Michel Blais, Dans ma main
Bonjay, Lush Life
Booji Boys, Weekend Rocker
Philippe Brach, Le silence des troupeaux
Cadence Weapon, Cadence Weapon
Daniel Caesar, Freudian
Jennifer Castle, Angels of Death
Clairmont the Second, Lil Mont from The Ave
Gord Downie, Introduce Yerself
Jeremy Dutcher, Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa
Faith Healer, Try ;-)
FRIGS, Basic Behaviour
Zaki Ibrahim, The Secret Life of Planets
Iskwé, The Fight Within
Kacy & Clayton, The Siren's Song
Lydia Képinski, Premier Juin
Pierre Kwenders, MAKANDA at the End of Space, the Beginning of Time
Pierre Lapointe, La science du coeur
Mélissa Laveaux, Radyo Siwèl
Hubert Lenoir, Darlène
Terra Lightfoot, New Mistakes
Loud, Une année record
Milk & Bone, Deception Bay
Partner, In Search of Lost Time
Propagandhi, Victory Lap
Vivek Shraya & Queer Songbook Orchestra, Part-Time Woman
Sloan, 12
Snotty Nose Rez Kids, The Average Savage
U.S. Girls, In a Poem Unlimited
The Weather Station, The Weather Station
Weaves, Wide Open
Charlotte Day Wilson, Stone Woman
Donovan Woods, Both Ways
Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, Dirt

Stay tuned for more Polaris coverage at cbcmusic.ca/polarismusicprize.

More to explore:

Watch all performances from the 2017 Polaris Music Prize

Watch Weaves' unexpected take on Arcade Fire's 'Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)'

Shawn Mendes, La Force, Colin Stetson and more: songs you need to hear this week

Celebrating the best of Canadian music from 2024. The Polaris Prize awards the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. Hear this year's short-list nominees: The Beaches; Elisapie; BAMBII; Jeremy Dutcher; Allison Russell; TOBi; DijahSB; Cindy Lee; Charlotte Cardin; Nobro; and past year's winners!