A forty album list has been shortlisted to ten for Canada’s 2010 Polaris Prize.
The Polaris Prize is Canada's equivalent of the UK's Mercury Award and the Australian Music Prize, honouring the best album of the previous year.The ten artists shortlisted are: the Besnard Lakes, Owen Pallett, Broken Social Scene, Radio Radio, Caribou, the Sadies, Karkwa, Shad, Dan Mangan, and Tegan and Sara.
The shortlist was announced by Grant Lawrence from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and Damian Abraham, whose avant hardcore band Fucked Up won the 2009 Polaris for their album The Chemistry Of Common Life.
While artists like the Besnard Lakes, Caribou, Broken Social Scene and Tegan and Sara are well known to international music fans, some of the other names might be less familiar.
Some have been here before. Owen Pallett is the experimental baroque pop project of Michael Pallett who won the inaugural Polaris as Final Fantasy. Established roots rock band The Sadies and rapper Shad have had previous albums nominated.
Virgin nominees includes Vancouver indie folk singer Dan Mangan, Montreal gypsy disco trio Radio Radio, and Montreal indie rock band Karkwa whose previous album won three Felix Awards, which are music prizes specific to Quebec.
This is the fifth year of the Polaris Prize, which includes C$20,000 in cash. Previous winners were: Fucked Up, Caribou's Andorra in 2008, Patrick Watson's Close To Paradise in 2007 and Final Fantasy's He Poos Clouds in 2006.
The eleven-member Grand Jury of journalists, bloggers and broadcasters will deliberate on the final winner in Toronto in September while the nominated bands perform at the Polaris Music Prize Gala.
The 2010 Polaris Music Prize Shortlist
THE BESNARD LAKES - 'The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night'
OWEN PALLETT - 'Heartland'
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE - 'Forgiveness Rock Record'
RADIO RADIO - 'Belmundo Regal'
CARIBOU - 'Swim'
THE SADIES - 'Darker Circles'
KARKWA - 'Les Chemins De Verre'
SHAD - 'TSOL'
DAN MANGAN - 'Nice, Nice, Very Nice'
TEGAN AND SARA - 'Sainthood'
