Polaris Prize Preview: Shaking Down the Shortlist

Posted by Tabassum Siddiqui
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Now in its fourth year, the Polaris Music Prize has gone from upstart award to much-coveted honour within the Canadian music scene. While still largely rooted within the "indie" milieu, this year's nominees run the gamut from Metric's sleek alt-pop to F---ed Up's power-punk to K'naan's world-hop. In the run-up to Monday's live-to-air ceremony (all 10 nominated acts are performing at the awards for the first time) there's been much debate over who will take home the $20,000 prize for best album when the 11-member jury meets that night to pick the winner. Here's a look at the merits of each of the 10 albums in the running for the Polaris -- let the wagering begin.

F---ed Up, 'The Chemistry of Common Life' (Full CD Stream)

How awesome would it be for the Toronto punk-rockers to win Polaris and have their in-your-face band name emblazoned everywhere? Then again, it's not like F---ed Up has had any trouble getting attention -- since releasing the 'Chemistry of Common Life' on Matador, the loud-and-proud sextet has even been reviewed in the august pages of the New York Times (which couldn't, of course, actually print their full name) while lefty/feminist frontman Damian "Pink Eyes" Abraham somehow became a commentator on Fox News (and Spinner contributor!)

But it's not simply their press hype and jaw-dropping live shows that have garnered their notoriety. 'Chemistry' has won raves from critics of all stripes for its surprisingly melodic take on the hardcore sound, offering eight-minute ragers, almost-pretty backing vocals and even flutes (yes, really). Yet they manage to make it all sound perfectly natural within the context of no-nonsense punk songs.

Political without being polemical, heavy without sacrificing hooks, 'Chemistry' is the sound of a band messing with the old formula. F---ed Up, sure, but in the best way.

Elliott Brood, 'Mountain Meadows' (Full CD Stream)

Inspired by an 1857 battle in Utah between Mormons and Native Americans, Toronto alt-country trio Elliott Brood's 'Mountain Meadows' captures the raw intensity of their raucous live show. You can all but hear the blood, sweat and tears that they put into their dark, rough-hewn tunes. As with the best roots music, there's something primal and almost immediately familiar about their songs, but also a freshness that belies their old-timey leanings.

Anchored by Mark Sasso and Casey LaForet's dual vocals and fleshed out by their characteristic guitar-banjo interplay, they're a band that doesn't play it safe, from their background group yells to odd song structures to, well, writing an entire song cycle about a bloody massacre. But the heavier approach on 'Meadows' that finds even plucked banjo and plinked ukulele drenched in distortion makes for a compelling, if slightly unsettling, listen.

They're unlikely to be the Polaris jury's first choice, but could make for an interesting dark-horse contender indeed.

Great Lake Swimmers, 'Lost Channels' (Full CD Stream)

Toronto alt-folk quintet Great Lake Swimmers' subtle, hushed records are "growers," but in the best sense of the term. Their acoustic tunes and hymn-like harmonies take their own sweet time to take root in listeners' heads, but once they do, they're there to stay. GLS have come into their own with their latest effort, and they've had a little help spreading the word thanks to kudos from such notable names as NBC News anchor Brian Williams, cyclist Lance Armstrong, and indie siren Feist.

Singer/songwriter Tony Dekker gathered a strong crew of like-minded players around him (backup singer Julie Fader, a talented singer-songwriter in her own right who has also toured with Sarah Harmer, is a particularly welcome addition to the fold) to help flesh out his rootsy songs on GLS' third full-length, 'Lost Channels', which was recorded in a number of unique spaces around the Thousand Islands, including an actual historic castle.

While GLS might lack the flashiness of some of their Polaris competitors, the careful songcraft hidden behind their unassuming facade might be the very thing to capture the Polaris jurors' ears.

Hey Rosetta, 'Into Your Lungs (and Around Your Heart and on Through Your Blood)' (Full CD Stream)

If any Canuck band has had a good year, it's Newfoundland six-piece Hey Rosetta, whose penchant for lush, epic pop translated into a debut full-length that drew superlatives from critics and crowds from coast to coast.

Produced by pop mastermind Hawksley Workman, who never met a dramatic flourish he didn't like, 'Into Your Lungs' is a showcase for frontman Tim Baker's heart-on-sleeve songwriting style, bolstered by his bandmates' rich, sweeping soundscapes. Listeners waiting for new material from the Arcade Fire might find much to like in these tunes, which provide a similar mix of multi-layered instrumentation and pointed, poignant lyrics.

In an era where "emo" has become unfortunate shorthand for anything smacking of sentimentality, that 'Into Your Lungs' is unabashed in its emotion is rather refreshing. It might take some convincing, however, for the usually cynical music critics that make up the Polaris jury to be won over by the album's quixotic charm.

K'naan, 'Troubadour' (Full CD Stream)

If the best tunes tell a story through song, then perhaps great albums are like complete novels -- rich with detail, colour, and history. No wonder the multi-talented K'naan (he sings, raps, composes, produces) dubbed his sophomore effort 'Troubadour' -- the Somali-Canadian emcee comes from a deep tradition of storytelling through music, from the artistic culture he was born into, to his own harrowing childhood in war-torn Somalia and subsequent escape to Toronto. He offers glimpses of that story in his inimitable, elastic vocal flow while a stew of sounds -- hip-hop, Afrobeat, reggae, pop, rock -- coalesce into emotive yet undeniably catchy tunes like 'Wavin' Flag' and 'ABCs'.

This rising rap star took his time to release a second album, but it was well spent in Bob Marley's legendary Jamaican studio where he crafted a record that more than lives up to the promise showcased on his eye-opening 2006 debut (also nominated for the inaugural Polaris). Of all the nominees, K'naan's melodic and meaningful melting-pot of styles --call it diaspora pop, if you will -- best represents the multicultural sound of Canada, something the jury might well keep in mind.

Malajube, 'Labyrinthes' (Full CD Stream)

Mais oui, there's always debate over the supposed exclusion of our Francophone brethren in the Polaris shortlist (where's Coeur de Pirate? Lhasa?) but leave it to Montreal indie-rockers Malajube to score a second kick at the Polaris can with their sophomore effort, which is as delightfully odd and effervescently tuneful as 2006's much-heralded 'Trompe L'oeil', but more sonically adventurous.

'Labyrinthes' is aptly titled, given its many twists and turns that keep listeners guessing. There's a psychedelic feel to the reverb-y overdubs and vintage-sounding synths, and even if you don't understand a word of French, singer/guitarist Julien Mineau's nimble vocals keep things interesting (though those with a grasp of the language will be better able to appreciate his dark lyricism).

With only one Quebec rep on the final Polaris jury, it's hard to say if Malajube can win over the rest of the panel. But given the rapt critical praise heaped upon 'Labyrinthes' since its release, there's a chance they might get to deliver an acceptance speech in both official languages.

Metric, 'Fantasies' (Full CD Stream)

While there's always much grousing over whether an arguably "mainstream" band like Metric (also nominated in 2006) needs the cash or recognition that comes with such an award, there's no denying that the Toronto quartet's fourth full-length roared into the collective consciousness -- and up the charts -- with characteristic sass and swagger.

While 'Fantasies'' glossy production and epic pop anthems suggest a band ready to take things to the next level, their crossover bid hasn't dulled their melodic or lyrical smarts one bit. Frontwoman Emily Haines' stream-of-consciousness poetry remains as pointed as ever, and her bandmates kick up quite the racket on the huge choruses of sing-along hits like 'Gimme Sympathy' and the aptly-named 'Stadium Love'. They might not need the Polaris, but the jury may very well decide that Metric has made an album worthy of it.

Joel Plaskett, 'Three' (Full CD Stream)

You'd think a guy as popular as Nova Scotia rocker Joel Plaskett might be content to rest on his laurels. Instead, he one-upped (two-upped?) himself by releasing a triple-album. In this era of shuffled iPod playlists, such a move might seem foolhardy, but if anyone's going to pull it off, Plaskett's your man.

Representing the themes of "going away, being alone, and coming home," the album trades in threes, with nine songs on each disc and several titles that repeat the same word three times. But while all of that might make for a novel concept, the music itself is anything but gimmicky. As he progresses in his solo career, it's interesting to see Plaskett taking unexpected turns with his music, dipping into the East Coast's storied folk tradition and melding it with his own indie-rock instincts. Guest vocalists Ana Egge and Rose Cousins are indispensible, adding a wider range of colours to Plaskett's sonic palette, and his father Bill also ends a hand on several instruments.

While some have called 'Three' his best work, its sheer length means the project suffers from a certain unevenness. There's nothing wrong with ambition, but had he distilled the album's best tunes into one killer disc, Plaskett might've had a better shot at taking the Polaris after being bypassed during his previous nomination in 2007.

Chad VanGaalen, 'Soft Airplane' (Full CD Stream)

It may be true that one shouldn't judge something by its cover, but the whimsical, colourful painting adorning Calgary songsmith Chad VanGaalen's third album is actually an apt indication of the music within -- a kaleidoscope of sonic textures that takes the listener from banjo-plucked soliloquies to electronic adventures. It's a bolder, more confident side than hinted at on his earlier records, but certainly a welcome showcase for his vast range and skill as a composer and arranger.

An accomplished animator and illustrator who creates his own album artwork, VanGaalen has noted his music is often inspired by visual art. It shows in his songwriting, which bears a careful attention to detail, from the lyrics to the melodic structure to the painstaking production (layers of instruments melded with samples, beats, found sounds, and other bits and bytes).

It's hard to believe this one-man-band recorded the album in his basement on an old tape machine and a "JVC ghetto blaster," though perhaps it's that very handmade quality that lends the record its singular charm. If critics' raves are anything to go by, VanGaalen may get a second chance after losing out during his first nomination back in 2007.

Patrick Watson, 'Wooden Arms' (Full CD Stream)

It almost seems unfair that Polaris-winner Patrick Watson is back for another shot at the prize, but it's not the Montreal singer-songwriter-composer's fault that he and his eponymous band keep making great records.

After beating the storied likes of Arcade Fire and Feist for the 2007 honour and touring endlessly all over the globe, Watson and Co. returned with their third full-length of piano-driven orchestral soundscapes that underscores how tight they've become as a band and how far they've come as composers and arrangers.

Watson's unearthly falsetto and pounding piano remain the focus, but his bandmates push the sweeping melodies beyond mere soundtrack fodder. There's a more muscular percussive approach to many of the tracks than previously heard on the band's earlier work, and a welcome willingness to play around with genre -- ranging from swing-jazz to country-pop without sounding forced. There's even a song 'played' on a bicycle ('Beijing') and a bid to get director Spike Jonze ('Where the Wild Things Are') on board their bandwagon.

As eclectic and engaging as 'Wooden Arms' may be, even in the unlikely event that the jury was willing to re-crown a previous winner, it's doubtful they'd concur that it's the album of the year.