Polaris Prize
A Look at the Polaris Long List: 26. Doug Paisley – Constant Companion
I’ve seen this one described as ‘alt country.’ Seemed a little too heavy on the country and a little short on the alt. side of the equation to my ears, frankly. As you are probably deducing, I wasn’t digging this one too tough.
Download: Doug Paisley I Stand Alone [MP3]
A Look at the Polaris Long List: 25. One Hundred Dollars – Songs of Man
I didn’t write any notes on this one but playing it again now, it wasn’t bad but not strictly really my thing. You might dig this if you like hippie-ish folkie rock from the 70’s. I’m sure that’s a lousy description so just play the tracks (YouTube links only) I’ve attached and decide for yourself.
A Look at the Polaris Long List: 24. Miracle Fortress – Was I the Wave?
This synthpop album was definitely one of the albums I gave a repeat listen to and on the tight time schedule I was on to listen to everything, that was saying something. I liked that this album sounded like ti could have been released during the gold era of new wave and synthpop but it still sounded 2011 fresh. That seems to be a tough needle to thread for many of these synth, electro, new wave, no wave-inspired new school acts but Miracle Fortress managed it adroitly.
Download Miracle Fortress Raw Spectacle [MP3]
Download Miracle Fortress Miscalculations [MP3]
HIt the jump for a couple of bonus remixes by Diamond Rings and Pantha du Prince:
A Look at the Polaris Long List: 23. Malajube – La Caverne
Are Malajube the Montreal answer to Phoenix? Ironically, Phoenix is the group from France but Malajube are the group that sings in French (though being from Quebec, that’s obviously not that strange). Wonder if they’ll ever switch to English lyrics in a bid to cross-over? I didn’t understand a word of what they were saying (which, after years of high school and college French and a short stint in Nice even taking some language classes, is truly sad!) but this was a pretty good album!
A Look at the Polaris Long List: 22. The Luyas – Too Beautiful To Work
When I first started playing this, I thought it sounded way too ‘girly’ and not for me but I let it ride and it grew on me. I actually ended up talking about it during my appearance on the soon-come ‘What I Call Music’ podcast but I apologize in advance because I think I mangled their name and called them the Lubayas or something crazy like that! Hey, that’s what happens when you have to listen to 20+ albums you’ve never heard before and render an essentially snap judgment about them for a creative awards contest. Not sure why we barely had a week to list to all the Long List nominees, a week which also included NXNE which many jurors were running around attending, when the Polaris event is not until September, but such is life.