The 10 contending artists for this year’s Polaris Music Prize include one previous winner, four former bridesmaids, and five first-timers to the shortlist. Though the nominees mostly fall under the general heading of college-radio darlings, their styles range from politically minded Indigenous rap to psychedelic Americana to harrowing club music expressions to atmospheric singer-songwriter musings. The following primer sorts out the shortlisters vying for the annual $50,000 prize, to be awarded at a gala on Sept. 17, at Toronto’s Massey Hall.
Blue Rev, by Alvvays
The blissful despondency of Easy on Your Own?, in which a college dropout questions the “lettered life” and what comes after.Norman_Wong/Handout
Of the 10 nominated albums, the third LP from the Toronto-based dream-pop merchants is the most celebrated by international tastemakers, including Rolling Stone, The Guardian and National Public Radio. The music from the songwriting duo of Molly Rankin and Alec O’Hanley is wry, melodic and melancholic, presented in sheets of fuzzed-out, unaggressive guitar rock. Essential track: The blissful despondency of Easy on Your Own?, in which a college dropout questions the “lettered life” and what comes after.
Watin, by Aysanabee
From the Oji-Cree artist Aysanabee, an affecting conceptual record named after his grandfather, Watin Aysanabee, who is represented on the album cover and on spoken-word interludes that thread through an impassioned, soaring soul-rock expression of residential school memories. Watin is the debut album of Aysanabee, who is signed to Ishkōdé Records. Essential track: We Were Here, a shimmering Indigenous epic that cries an essential question: “They say that we can reconcile this / What if I can’t?”
Powder Blue, by Begonia
On the stylish vamp Right Here, the singer apologizes for not always being around, but maintains that she is always near, “Right here on your shoulder.”Galit Rodan/The Globe and Mail
Already a powerhouse live performer, the Winnipeg singer has now matched her onstage charisma in the studio. Powder Blue, a follow-up to 2019′s Juno-nominated Fear, presents Alexa Dirk (a.k.a. Begonia) in vulnerable pop-music poses, at turns bubbly, fancy, funky and intimate. Think a more adventurous Adele. Essential track: On the stylish vamp Right Here, the singer apologizes for not always being around, but maintains that she is always near, “Right here on your shoulder.”
Never Enough, by Daniel Caesar
Polaris jury members historically prefer albums on indie labels, but the easygoing latest from the Toronto-based R&B star is an exception. Though fans of Caesar’s sedate balladry will not be completely disappointed, the album has its diversions. For example: the homicidal psychedelia of Shot My Baby. Essential track: Toronto 2014 features 2022 Polaris shortlister Mustafa on a wistful, relatable number about how time and private jets fly.
Multitudes, by Feist
The four-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter is by far the best-known artist among the nominees and the only previous Polaris winner. Multitudes is the headphone-friendly work of a mature artist armed with a strummable acoustic guitar and an elegant, human curiosity. Essential track: The most extroverted of a dozen tracks, In Lightning dynamically kicks off the album with clacking percussion and bursts of vocal exclamation that set up serene verses about storms and the illumination they can bring.
Good Luck, by Debby Friday
On Hard to Tell, the immigrant who made stops in Montreal and Vancouver before arriving to Toronto adopts the cutesy voice of an ingénue.Handout
The Nigerian-Canadian electro auteur previously released EPs Bitchpunk and Death Drive, their titles serving as stylistic indications and/or warnings to the faint-hearted. Her debut LP is Good Luck, which could be taken as sarcasm given the menacing, gothic audacity of the after-dark material. Essential track: On Hard to Tell, the immigrant who made stops in Montreal and Vancouver before arriving to Toronto adopts the cutesy voice of an ingénue. “You’re just a young girl all alone by yourself in the city,” she sings, unsure if she is in heaven or if she is in hell.
Mascarade, by Gayance
The jazzy Shore Apart (featuring Raveen) moves to a rubbery bass line and lyrically suggests a relationship divided by an ocean – figuratively or literally (or both).Tess Roby/Handout
The Haitian-Canadian producer announces herself with an assured set of vibe-setting music for the clubland people, with a guest list of Montreal contributors that includes singer Janette King and the groove trio Raveen. Essential track: The jazzy Shore Apart (featuring Raveen) moves to a rubbery bass line and lyrically suggests a relationship divided by an ocean – figuratively or literally (or both).
Being Somewhere, by Dan Mangan
The passage of time is reflected on a sober-minded Juno-nominated seventh LP that includes a tribute to the late indie-rocker Scott Hutchison and ends with the plea of No Tragedy Please.Jonah Atkins/Handout
Suddenly the bushy-tailed British Columbian who took the Canadian singer-songwriter world by storm with his debut album in 2009 is 40 years old. The passage of time is reflected on a sober-minded Juno-nominated seventh LP that includes a tribute to the late indie-rocker Scott Hutchison and ends with the plea of No Tragedy Please. Essential track: Fire Escape finds a worried Mangan looking for an emergency exit. “Our freedom’s a joke and we’ve got debts to pay,” he sings. “How many waves until the levee breaks?”
Colder Streams, by The Sadies
This shortlist nomination is bittersweet, as it recognizes an album released months after the death of the group’s co-founder Dallas Good. Colder Streams is a stoic, cosmic roots-rock adventure that exists in its own unique time and place. Essential track: Album-opener Stop and Start roars with jangled psychedelia, hard-hitting twang and a canyon full of reverb, with lyrics about surviving curses to start again.
I’m Good, HBU?, by Snotty Nose Rez Kids
The Beatles-inspired video for Damn Right has already won this year’s $20,000 Prism Prize as the year’s top Canadian music video.Kaylee Smoke/Handout
This marks the fourth shortlist appearance by the hip-hopping Haisla Nation duo from northwest B.C. Clocking in at under 23 minutes, the album is a sly, celebrative trance-rap romp: “We ‘bout to paint the town red.” Essential track: The Beatles-inspired video for Damn Right has already won this year’s $20,000 Prism Prize as the year’s top Canadian music video.
Brad Wheeler