Polaris 2012

Polaris Music Prize

Short List Nominees (the real ones)

 
Well, if you checked out my predictions prior to the announcement (or just scroll down a bit) you’ll know how very wrong I was. To my credit, I painstakingly cut both Cold Specks and Feist at the last minute. Dumb.
 
Regardless, I give you the 2012 Polaris Music Prize Short List nominees:
 
Cadence Weapon- Hope in Dirt City

Cold Specks- I Predict a Graceful Expulsion

Drake- Take Care

Kathleen Edwards- Voyageur

Feist- Metals

Fucked Up- David Comes to Life

Grimes- Visions

Handsome Furs- Sound Kapital

Japandroids- Celebration Rock

YAMANTAKA//SONIC TITAN- YT//ST
 
Congrats to all the nominees! Check back in the next few weeks for more in-depth reviews of the Top 10. The winner will be picked in Toronto on Sept 24th 2012.

JUNO Awards 2012

And Your Nominees Are…

 

Artist of the Year

City & Colour

Deadmau5

Drake

Feist

Michael Bublé

 

Group of the Year

Arkells

Down With Webster

Hedley

Nickelback

Sam Roberts Band

 

New Artist of the Year

Alyssa Reid

Dan Mangan

Diamond Rings

JRDN

Lindi Ortega

 

New Group of the Year

Braids

Hey Rosetta!

Mother Mother

Rural Alberta Advantage

The Sheepdogs

 

Album of the Year

Avril Lavigne- Goodbye Lullabye

Drake- Take Care

Justin Bieber- Under the Mistletoe

Michael Buble- Christmas

Nickelback- Here and Now

 

Alternative Album of the Year

Braids- Native Speaker

Dan Mangan- Oh Fortune

Destroyer- Kaputt

Fucked Up- David Comes to Life

Timber Timbre- Creep On Creepin’ On

 

Rock Album of the Year

Arkells- Michigan Left

Matthew Good- Lights of Endangered Species

Sam Roberts Band- Collider

Sloan- The Double Cross

The Sheepdogs- Learn & Burn

 

Pop Album of the Year

Avril Lavigne- Goodbye Lullabye

Hedley- Storms

Down With Webster- Time to Win Vol 11.

Lights- Siberia

Mariana’s Trench- Ever After

 

International Album of the Year

Adele- 21

Coldplay- Mylo Xyloto

Lady Gaga- Born This Way

LMFAO- Sorry For Party Rocking

Rihanna- Loud

 

JUNO Fan Choice Award

Arcade Fire

Avril Lavigne

City & Colour

Deadmau5

Drake

Ginette Reno

Hedley

Justin Bieber

Michael Bublé

Nickelback

 

These are just your basics. Head on over to the JUNO Awards site to see the full list of nominees.
 

Polaris 2011

Get To Know Your Short List

The Weeknd- House of Balloons

 
I’m filing this one under “I don’t get it” too, but in a different way. It’s not like this one is highbrow art, it’s techno-ey R&B from Toronto. It sounds like drugs. And all-night parties (as if you couldn’t tell that from the track listing or cover art). I’ll admit, I’m not an R&B connoisseur but I just don’t see what makes this album special.
 
The Weeknd is actually the stage name of 21 year-old Abel Tesfaye from Scarborough, Ontario. He hasn’t even been around for a year, having just played his first concert ever this summer at the Mod Club. A few tracks leaked in late 2010 and were later released to Youtube. Drake helped create ridiculous hype by linking The Weeknd’s site to his Twitter on the March 21st, 2011 digital release of House of Balloons. And that first show? Completely sold out, with both Drake and Diddy showing up with their A&R teams. A few months later, Polaris judges took notice and put the album on both the long and short list.
 
Don’t get me wrong, House of Balloons is good for what it is. The Weeknd has a great voice and there’s some quality work on the album. Something about it though, just leaves me feeling grimy. And not in a good way.
 
Do you see it winning top prize? Listen, decide and tell me why.