A Look at the Polaris Long List: 30. Sandro Perri – Impossible Spaces

This is f-cking NICE! Just this side of delicate. Imagine if Kid A-era Radiohead decided to go acoustic and dabble in samba and you’ll get at least some sense of what Sandro Perri is doing here musically. “Futureactive Kid (Part 1)”? Wow! The whole thing is just beautiful though….

A Look at the Polaris Long List: 39. Yamantaka // Sonic Titan – YT//ST

A lot going on here: art rock, prog rock, heavy metal with female vocals on top. It’s definitely on the cutting edge of what could be considered ‘different’ but, while others have been raving about this since it’s release and they put on a bit of a spectacle live (I saw them at the Lixar NXNE showcase last week), this isn’t something that really resonated for me.

A Look at the Polaris Long List: 23. Handsome Furs – Sound Kapital [possibly NSFW image?]

Got to give credit to the Handsome Furs for creating an album in Sound Kapital that is obviously in debt to the synth pop, new wave and alternative pop sounds of the mid-80s but that still manages to sound fresh and contemporary at the same time. Not sure I’d vote for it on my short list ballot but I was kind of digging this. Unfortunately, this husband and wife duo apparently just split up after six years just as their album was being awarded this accolade. Talk about poor timing!

Dig what you heard with those two tracks? Then hit the jump for an embed of the entire album for streaming via RDIO (preview snippets only for non-RDIO subscribers). And oh, I tagged this NSFW based on the album cover art above. Apparently, it riled someone down South of the border (my guess: the chief music buyer at Walmart) because the art on the RDIO embed has completely different art.

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A Look at the Polaris Long List: 24. Japandroids – Celebration Rock

Turn of the century MTV-friendly alternative rock as re-imagined by underground, garage rockers or something. True to the title, this sounded like feel-good, stadium-friendly anthem rock for the hipster, new indie rock set. Not my thing but I can’t argue that it’s not pretty well done. Extra points for keeping it short and sweet with just eight tracks. #lifestooshort

[streaming player via Exclaim!]

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!]