Jim Cuddy (left) and Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo.The Canadian Press
Show me the money? The Polaris people say don't bother. With the release of the list of the 40 contending albums for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize, the 200-plus jury members once again strictly enforced its mandate to select "quality Canadian albums" without regard to sales history or label affiliations.
Top-selling works by Michael Bublé, Justin Bieber, Billy Talent and Robin Thicke failed to make a long list populated by obscure works from Brasstronaut, Frog Eyes, Karkwa, Mister Valaire and South Rakkas Crew.
The Polaris short list of 10 albums contending for the $20,000 prize will be revealed on July 6.
The winner will be debated by a jury and announced on Sept. 20.
The full long list:
Apollo Ghosts - Mount Benson (Vancouver)
Bahamas - Pink Strat (Toronto)
The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night (Montreal)
Blue Rodeo - The Things We Left Behind (Toronto)
Brasstronaut - Mt. Chimaera (Vancouver)
Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record (Toronto)
Basia Bulat - Heart Of My Own (London)
By Divine Right - Mutant Message (Toronto)
Caribou - Swim (Dundas)
Jason Collett - Rat A Tat Tat (Toronto)
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (II) (Toronto)
Amelia Curran - Hunter Hunter (Halifax)
Fred Fortin - Plastrer La Lune (Montreal)
Frog Eyes - Paul's Tomb: A Triumph (Victoria)
Hannah Georgas - This Is Good (Vancouver)
Ghostkeeper - Ghostkeeper (Calgary)
Holy Fuck - Latin (Toronto)
Karkwa - Les Chemins De Verre (Montreal)
LeE HARVeY OsMOND - A Quiet Evil (Hamilton)
Greg MacPherson - Mr. Invitation (Winnipeg)
Dan Mangan - Nice, Nice, Very Nice (Vancouver)
Misteur Valaire - Golden Bombay (Montreal)
The New Pornographers - Together (Vancouver)
Owen Pallett - Heartland (Toronto)
Plants And Animals - La La Land (Montreal)
Radio Radio - Belmundo Regal (Montreal)
Justin Rutledge - The Early Widows (Toronto)
The Sadies - Darker Circles (Toronto)
Shad - TSOL (London)
Elizabeth Shepherd - Heavy Falls The Night (Toronto)
The Slew - 100% (Montreal)
Meaghan Smith - The Cricket's Orchestra (London)
South Rakkas Crew - The Stimulus Package (Toronto)
Tegan And Sara - Sainthood (Vancouver)
The Wooden Sky - If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone (Toronto)
Hawksley Workman - Meat (Huntsville)
You Say Party! We Say Die! - XXXX (Vancouver)
Young Galaxy - Invisible Republic (Montreal)
Yukon Blonde - Yukon Blonde (Vancouver)
Zeus - Say Us (Toronto)
Brad Wheeler