ECHO Songwriting Prize Short List Includes Handsome Furs, Arcade Fire and More

Canadians, start your voting. Yup, the short list of tracks up for SOCAN's sixth annual ECHO Songwriting Prize has been announced. Now it's up to music lovers across the nation to pick between five tunes performed by Handsome Furs, PS I Love You, Austra, Katie Moore and Arcade Fire for the coveted award, which honours the most creative and artistic songs written and released by Canadian indie songwriters over the past year.

"The ECHO prize is one of many ways in which SOCAN supports emerging Canadian songwriters," said Eric Baptiste, CEO of SOCAN, in a statement released Thursday, Sept. 1. "The 2011 nominees truly exemplify the dynamic talent that SOCAN's incredibly gifted members have to offer the world."

Besides nabbing the glory that comes along with the ECHO Prize, the winner walks away with $5,000, while one voter receives an iPad 2 (as if you needed more incentive to show your love for Handsome Furs, Arcade Fire or any of the other talented nominees).

"When you strip everything down, it's all about the song," said Alan Cross, who sits on the panel of Canadian music industry experts who compiled the 2011 list. "If it can't work as a freestanding entity, then you're left with nothing. These songs can stand on their own."

From the nominations below, you can vote for your fave track here. The contest runs until Sept. 30, with the winning songswriter(s) announced Oct. 11. Tunes by the likes of Brasstronaut, D-Sisive and Wolf Parade have won the ECHO Prize in past years.

'When I Get Back' written by Dan Boeckner, Alexei Perry, performed by Handsome Furs

'2012' written by Benjamin Nelson, Paul Saulnier, performed by PS I Love You

'The Beat and the Pulse' written by Katie Stelmanis, performed by Austra

'Wake Up Like This' written and performed by Katie Moore

'We Used to Wait' written by Edwin Butler, William Butler, Régine Chassagne, Jeremy Gara, Tim
Kingsbury, and Richard Parry, performed by Arcade Fire

Watch Handsome Furs Perform 'When I Get Back'