The Polaris Music Prize nominees are...

2011 Shortlist

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Austra – Feel It Break
Braids – Native Speaker
Destroyer – Kaputt
Galaxie – Tigre Et Diesel
Hey Rosetta – Seeds
Ron Sexsmith – Long Player Late Bloomer
Colin Stetson – New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
Timber Timbre – Creep On Creepin’ On
The Weeknd – House Of Balloons

enjoyed Destroyer, Stetson and Braids the most out of these. in fact I love all three of em to bits.

I predict either Arcade Fire or Stetson, on basis of what I've heard and read (if unusually prominent and consistently favorable coverage of bass sax helps; plus status guests like Laurie Anderson). Unless there's a reaction against that sort of thing? Why did Neil's Neily-as-hell hippy-dippy solo set (which at least flaunts his still-robust electric guitar chops) get cut from the short list?

Even though it was recorded and mixed in realtime by Lanois!

I predicted Stetson FTW back when the longlist came out. really hoping he takes it, his recent show here was Herculean.

In addition to Judges, Colin played sax on both the AF and Timber Timbre records.

I'm preditcing either Stetson or Destroyer as the winners, with Hey Rosetta and The Weeknd as other possibilities.

having arcade fire win this would risk total irrelevance, such an imperceptibly faint addition to their earlier victories, like no one might even notice

Young Galaxy is my favourite off the longlist that I've heard, disappointed it's not made the shortlist.

2015 long-list is out. Is it always so indie-heavy? Don't have much to say about these because (like most people probably) I've only heard a few of these. Of the ones I've listened to I like Absolutely Free, Cold Specks, Frazey Ford and Milk & Bone but I can't see any of them winning. I think Buffy will get it (haven't heard it btw).

Absolutely Free - Absolutely Free.
The Acorn - Vieux Loup
Lydia Ainsworth - Right From Real
Alvvays - Alvvays
Arkells - High Noon
Rich Aucoin - Ephemeral
BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah - Sour Soul
Bahamas - Bahamas Is Afie
The Barr Brothers - Sleeping Operator
Braids - Deep in the Iris
Steph Cameron - Sad-Eyed Lonesome Lady
Caribou - Our Love
Jazz Cartier - Marauding in Paradise
Jennifer Castle - Pink City
Cold Specks - Neuroplasticity
Louis-Jean Cormier - Les grandes artères
Death From Above 1979 - The Physical World
Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too Late
Frazey Ford - Indian Ocean
Tobias Jesso Jr. - Goon
B.A. Johnston - Shit Sucks
Pierre Kwenders - Le dernier empereur Bantou
Lee Harvey Osmond - Beautiful Scars
Jean Leloup - À Paradis City
METZ - II
Milk & Bone - Little Mourning
Tre Mission - Stigmata
The New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers
Joel Plaskett - The Park Avenue Sobriety Test
Buffy Sainte-Marie - Power in the Blood
Elizabeth Shepherd - The Signal
Siskiyou - Nervous
Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld - Never Were the Way She Was
Various Artists - Native North America (Vol. 1): Aboriginal Folk, Rock and Country, 1966-1985
Viet Cong - Viet Cong
Patrick Watson - Love Songs for Robots
The Weather Station - Loyalty
White Lung - Deep Fantasy
Whitehorse - Leave No Bridge Unburned
Young Guv - Ripe 4 Luv

rich aucoin is so great

Yes, I agree he's a great character. Haven't heard this album though.

long list for 2021 is out

https://polarismusicprize.ca/blog/2021-polaris-music-prize-long-list-is-here/

Bernice, CFCF and The Weather Station are all shoo-ins for inclusion I'm guessing, but most of the others are unknown to me

Klô Pelgag and (especially) Big Brave are both stan-worthy.

I've only heard Cadence Weapon, Rochelle Jordan, and Mustafa. I'm rooting for Mustafa personally.

reminds me to say: new Backxwash on Sunday

I'd love to see Big|Brave take it, has a metal / heavy rock act ever won?

I see Fucked Up managed it back in 2009, but that's it.

Vile Creature deserve a long lost nom at least

Zoon, Dorothea Paas and Fiver's records are all highly recommended. Personally rooting for Cadence Weapon to win it, great album

Shortlist revealed: https://polarismusicprize.ca/short-list/

rooting for Mustafa but can be swayed by arguments for the other nominees