A Look at the Polaris Long List: 5. Azari & III – Azari & III

This is another one of the few albums I was familiar with before getting into my epic journey of long list-nominated album listening. As I had said before and during the Polaris Salon I was a panel member of (which you can listen to HERE if you missed it, click podcast #1): the Azari & III album is fantastic! Like I also said, I can probably count the number of truly great (non-compilation/DJ Mix) house music albums on two hands and this just might be one of them. The album references early, classic Trax Records vibes but gives them a fresh, shiny coat of paint so it feels modern and new and not dated or like a pastiche.

I was privy to some discussions that tried to justify the worth of this album because of the sociopolitical subtext of the lyrics and their commentary on AIDS, addiction, homophobia etc. I think that’s cool but I actually don’t have an issue with celebrating a record that is “just dance music” or a “soundtrack to partying” if it’s great at being that. What’s wrong with being excellent within those parameters anyway? Do you know how hard that is to make an album that works as music a real DJ could credibly play in his sets at the club and also as an at-home listening experience? Azari & III managed to thread that incredibly tough needle and do both with their album.

If you love dance music or even if you’re on the other end of the spectrum and think electronic music is not ‘real’ music or something that makes for a great album listening experience and should stay in the clubs, then you need to check this out. On my short list and proudly so!

[album stream via Hypetrak]

A Look at the Polaris Long List: 29. Parlovr – Kook Soul

Have to admit, the Kook Soul album by Parlovr wasn’t too bad. It was a solid listen all the way through and there were tracks I dug. “Married on a Sunday” had a bit of a vaguely Bloc Party feel to it the way the vocals were delivered and I also dig “4000.” Overall though, while it was good it wasn’t transcendentally good to my ears. I already had three picks locked in for my short list ballot that I had voted onto the long list one and there were just other albums I like more than this to fill my final two slots.

[album stream via Exclaim!]

A Look at the Polaris Long List: 11. Cannon Bros – Firecracker​/​Cloudglow

This album was, to my ears, a blend of the folk-y indie sound that, as a genre, seems to dominate the Polaris list year after year but mixed with power pop (by way of oddly, New Order maybe??) which, by Polaris standards, actually rates as making this progressive, relatively speaking. As you can probably guess if you’ve been reading my reviews, just by dint of being a decent but not exceptional execution of that sound, this didn’t rate high in contention for me when I was figuring out my short list ballot picks although some tracks did appeal (like “Plan Rock”, “Glow” and “Just Anybody” to name just some).

A Look at the Polaris Long List: 2. Marie-Pierre Arthur – Aux alentours

Another Francophone album. Competently executed but exciting only in parts. I’d say check out the album and decide for yourself but homegirl (or her label) decided to only post two tracks from the album on her music store page (powered by bandcamp which absolutely allows you to stream an entire album). Who the f-ck does that in 2012??!

Of course, she has like ten gazillion options on how to buy the album there but if you actually like want to check out what you’re buying beforehand, heaven forbid and the standout tracks to me (like “All Right”, “Encore là”, “Chanson Pour Dan” and “Pour Une Fois”) are not either of those two tracks! Bone-headed decisions like that actually turn me off artists who I might actually like. Social music marketing #FAIL! Get your promo game up, girl!

A Look at the Polaris Long List: 32. PS I Love You – Death Dreams

This isn’t my usual bag and acts that are usually media buzz darlings like Kingston, ON duo, PS I Love you (they were simultaneous cover stars for NOW and Exclaim! magazines a couple months back) generally don’t score high with me, but you know what? Death Dreams was f-cking fantastic. Love singer/guitarist, Paul Saulnier‘s off-kilter vocal style and anyone who has a track called “Toronto” and can brazenly rip off the drum track from the Rolling Stones‘ iconic track, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and actually do something that sounds fresh and new with it (on “Don’t Go”, also above) deserves maximum props in my book. Salute! Hit the jump to hear the entire excellent Death Dreams album via the group’s bandcamp page.

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