The Polaris Music Prize is awarded annually to the best full-length Canadian album released that year, independent of genre or commercial success. Loosely based on the UK’s Mercury Prize, the judges evaluate each year’s nominees based on their creativity, diversity, and artistic integrity. Past winners include Caribou, Fucked Up, and Karkwa. This year’s gala will be held Sept. 19. And without further ado, the 2011 nominees…

Timber Timbre: Creep On Creepin’ On

Many thought Timber Timbre was robbed of a short list spot for its self-titled 2009 album, but this year’s nomination has more than just goodwill going for it. Creep On Creepin’  On, the band’s fourth record and first with multi-instrumentalists Mika Posen and Simon Trottier as official members, builds on the swamp-rock, spook-folk of past albums. It’s heavy on atmosphere—icy piano chords, weeping strings, three decidedly unsettling instrumentals—and singer/songwriter Taylor Kirk’s creamy croon acts as the cloaked narrator leading you by lantern into the dark. The record is carefully calculated with everything strategically placed for maximum eeriness, but it’s got a beating heart too, delivering lovelorn sentiments refracted through a twisted lens. This could easily take the prize, but it still might be a bit too “out there” for the jury.

Galaxie: Tigre et diesel

The only francophone group to be included on this year’s shortlist of nominees, Galaxie’s third album is one that will be unfamiliar to most people. The group hails from Montreal, which has a history of turning out good bands by the dozen (including last year’s Polaris-winner Karkwa). Tigre et diesel does nothing to contradict this reputation. Going from hard-hitting numbers like “Piste 1″ to the balladic strumming of “Jusqu’à la fin,” Galaxie displays enough versatility to keep the listener enthralled. With bass sections dense enough to rival Death From Above 1979 on tracks like “Camoflar” and “Diesel 2,” an enthusiastic high-energy delivery, and an ear for melody, the band is a class act. A Polaris win could be a possibility, though whether the judges will pick francophone groups two years running is another question.

Arcade Fire: The Suburbs

Despite almost universal popularity, anyone championing Arcade Fire’s third and newest album is going to have to deal with a lot of detractors, not that The Suburbs is bad. Win Butler channels The Boss as effectively as ever and Régine Chassagne’s vocals fit the moment so well on songs like “Sprawl II” that it’s almost heartbreaking. The apocalyptic tension of earlier albums has been tempered, one might say matured, to a more appropriate level. The Suburbs varies between straightforward anthems like its title track, and moody double-headers like “Half Light,” However, there is one simple reason for the naysaying: nothing is ever going to be better than Funeral. Furthermore, the mainstream success of The Suburbs (winning the 2011 Grammy and Juno for Album of the Year) prevents it from being a genuine contender for the Polaris Prize, despite what the judges may say about not being biased.

Braids: Native Speaker

Youngsters Braids’ debut Native Speaker created quite a stir in the music world. But despite possessing an incredible stage presence, I doubt many people will have been able to listen to the album from start to finish without getting either: (a) bored, or (b) confused. Braids seem to delight in experimentation for the sake of it, blending post-rock and dream-pop in bewitching fashion. They are a band of contradictions—the casual profanity of Raphaelle Standell-Preston’s lyrics on tracks like “Lemonade” clash with her girlish vocals, and most of the songs meander repetitively without ever seeming to conclude or even develop. All that being said, there’s still something hypnotic about Braids’ music. No one seems to know what they’re doing, perhaps least of all themselves. Native Speaker is an odd pick for Polaris and one that will inevitably provoke the question: “what are the judges getting that we aren’t?”

Austra: Feel It Break

The first thing to say about New Wave revivalists Austra is that their debut album Feel It Break is immediately listenable. The first few tracks channel everything that was great about the ‘80s movement, albeit with the polished production of this decade. Although Austra may not make a big splash when almost every other band seems to be jumping on the New Wave train these days, there is no denying their talent. The synth groove at the beginning of “Beat and The Pulse” would make even Hot Chip jealous, and lead singer Katie Stelmanis’s vocals vary from the monotone stylings of The Knife on “Darken Her Horse” to the shimmery textures of a choral section on “Lose It.” Nonetheless, Austra seems an unlikely choice for Polaris, simply because they fail to stand out from the pack.

Colin Stetson: New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges

A betting man would put money on Colin Stetson winning the prize this year. Well, at least in some capacity. Aside from his own record, New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges, he also contributed saxophone to both Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs and Timber Timbre’s Creep On Creepin’ On. Three out of 10 ain’t bad. Still, without question, his solo offering of avant-garde saxophone pieces is the most challenging and contentious record on the list (progressive virtuosity? Self-indulgent wankery? Both?). Whichever camp you happen to fall into, it can’t be denied that Stetson has created the most unique record to ever reach the ranks of Polaris. A dark horse for sure, it’s the type of left-field record jurors love to recognize, and that he even made it this far is a testament to the open ears of Canadian music critics. Weird, wild, and wonderful, this is wh
at the Polaris Prize is all about.

The Weeknd: House of Balloons

The surprise debut of Toronto-based R&B singer Abel Tesfaye (better known as The Weeknd—no “e”  in “end”) ticks all the boxes: his beats pay tribute to post-dub acts like James Blake and melancholic indie rockers the xx in equal measure, all the while cultivating a distinctive hip-hop sound. He quotes Pharrell Williams in “Glass Table Girls”—”I’m a nice dude, with some nice dreams.” His whispery, almost-feminine vocals go from falsetto to borderline misogynistic in a heartbeat. Two of the words often used to describe his music are “narcotic” and “nocturnal”—as exemplified by the fan-made music video for “What You Need.”  Given that it showcases so many underrepresented subgenres, House of Balloons could certainly be a top pick for Polaris.

Hey Rosetta!: Seeds

Nominated for a second time (their sophomore LP Into Your Lungs (and on through your heart and around through your blood) made the short list in 2009), Hey Rosetta! are the lone hope for the Maritimes this year. Seeds is a big record, layered with strings, keys, guitars, and percussion. Arcade Fire comparisons abound—both bands strive for catharsis via huge instrumentation—but Hey Rosetta! are equally adept at quieter, more reserved moments, albeit inbetween said grandness (see “Yer Fall.”) That Arcade Fire are also on the list doesn’t do wonders for their chances, and while they’re appreciated, it’s doubtful they’ll walk away with anything other than continued respect. Not a bad thing to reap.

Destroyer­: Kaputt

With Ron Sexsmith getting the attention for “lifetime achievement” it’s easy to forget that Dan Bejar’s Destroyer project has been around for almost as long. The Vancouver musician and New Pornographers member has been making eccentric music since 1995 and every album he’s put out since then has been predictably unpredictable. Kaputt, his ninth, is no exception, but with soft rock/smooth jazz influences, 80s synths, and horns it might be the least “Destroyer” of Destroyer records. It’s also arguably the best—a relaxed, breezy affair and a triumph of vision and aesthetic that is far more than pastiche. It would be the sexiest record to ever win the Polaris Prize, and it’s very likely that it will.

Ron Sexsmith: Long Player, Late Bloomer

The “lifetime achievement”  tag comes up a lot when discussing his short-list nod, but the fact that Sexsmith has been around so long wouldn’t mean anything if the songs on Long Player, Late Bloomer weren’t so strong. Working with producer Bob Rock, best known for his work with Mötley Crüe and Metallica, didn’t exactly seem like it would complement Sexsmith’s oft melancholic pop rock. But there are no glam rock solos or double kicks here, just a polished and well produced addition to Sexsmith’s storied canon. Maybe not a frontrunner to take home the prize, but a reminder that hard work and perseverance pay off. Lifetime achievement indeed.