A Look at the Polaris Long List: 15. Rose Cousins – We Have Made A Spark

I’m not gonna claim country-tinged singer-songwriter music is my usual bag or area of expertise but I recognize good music when I hear it. Ground-breaking? Not really. Well done though? Absolutely. One thing I like about being on the Polaris jury is that it does force me to listen to music that I otherwise would not likely be exposed to. This was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. [note: the player above is a sampler featuring selections from Rose Cousins‘ We Have Made A Spark]

A Look at the Polaris Long List: 17. Drake – Take Care

I was still living in NY when Drake first began to break. In fact it was a former co-worker (shout to Nickel D.!) who first put me up on the music which I promptly posted on the earlier incarnation of this blog (no bandwagon jumping here, son!).

That being said, as he’s evolved into a legit global hip hop superstar, I have to concede I don’t actually love his music that much personally in full length-sized bites. I acknowledge that he’s extremely thoughtful about how he puts his projects together, they’re not just a couple radio singles packaged up with some filler tacks to make an album, but I’ve found all his albums tough to get through in a single sitting. The beats lack real hip-hop ‘knock’ and feel like aural wallpaper and not in a good way either. Drake has some clever lyrics (still think “the square root of 69 is ate-something…” from “What’s My Name” with Rihanna is actually f-cking genius!) and some interesting song ideas, but his flow gets monotonous and his singing is… passable at best to put it politely. I also don’t get the argument people often make that he changed the game or moved the needle as far as hip-hop music when I find his sound to be warmed over 808s and Heartbreak. I’m happy that Drake has become a hip-hop A-lister who still reps for Canada at all times without shame but on purely musical merits, I find myself deeply, deeply conflicted about Drake still.

I don’t think anyone who reads this site needs a stream of this album ‘cos they haven’t heard it yet (do they??) but here goes anyway:

A Look at the Polaris Long List: 14. Cold Specks – I Predict A Graceful Expulsion

Another one from Arts & Crafts that will definitely be making my short list as I voted for it on the long list. This is helluva debut album. The voice alone seals it. Al Spx‘s vocals are nothing short of absolutely phenomenal. Think Adele combined with Bonnie Tyler singing raw bluesy, turn-of-the-century field songs updated for the soundcloud era and you have some idea of what I’m talking about here. Some have said the songs are a tad undercooked and on a first listen, I’ll admit I was more open on the voice than I was the actual songs but play it again and again. You will be taken in and won over, trust! If this won the Polaris, I wouldn’t be mad, at all. This is the kind of musical excellence that the Polaris claims to be aiming to celebrate. I intend to do my part to make sure they keep their word.

[album stream via Exclaim!]

A Look at the Polaris Long List: 19. Feist – Metals

If you don’t think this is one of the main contenders to be shortlisted and quite possibly take the whole thing, you’re kidding yourself and/or just hating. This is a big record: great songs, great performances, immaculate production and the feel of real body of work, an album as a cohesive work of art. That all major label music should sound like this… oh wait, this is actually on a Canadian indie label, Arts & Crafts. Are you indie and unsigned artists that read my blog taking notes here??! This is one I am definitely paying attention to.

A Look at the Polaris Long List: 13. Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas

Leonard Cohen is a Canadian, nay international musical institution. He’s lived a life many would envy and is responsible for at least one song, “Hallelujah” that has become a standard covered by many, many artists and one of the all-time great songs in the pop music canon. And at 77 he’s still doing it, as this Old Ideas album attests. However, while you can feel the life and experiences dripping out of every pore of this album from his grizzled, low-key delivery to the noirish, world-weary lyrics, if I’m gonna vote for an album of stripped down musicality paired to unique vocals, I’m probably gonna go the youth route and vote for an album I’ve been really loving recently, Cold Specks‘ I Predict A Graceful Expulsion.