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Paedantic Basterd · 09-16-2011, 12:41 PM

Pedestrian's Polaris Prize Coverage 2011

THE SHORTLIST:

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Austra - Feel it Break
Destroyer - Kaputt
Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol 2: Judges
The Weeknd - House of Balloons
Braids - Native Speaker
Ron Sexsmith - Long Player Late Bloomer
Hey Rosetta! - Seeds
Galaxie - Tigre et Diesel
Timber Timbre - Creep on Creepin' on

Ron Sexsmith's latest album is clearly the bottom of the shortlist barrel this year. An album of straight-forwards country-tinged pop rock, it's the least creative and challenging album of the shortlist nominees, and ultimately the most unremarkable. Long Player feels like a hits compilation in terms of flow, and fails to take the listener on any kind of journey, leaving you at the end exactly where you began.

House of Balloons might be a Polaris front runner, given the amount of hype it's received this year from fans and critics, but I couldn't help feeling like I'd stain myself if only James Blake had sung the vocals rather than Abel Tesfaye. House of Balloons has a lot of qualities in its favour, from the dark meandering beats to the dream pop samples of Cocteau Twins and Beach House, but it lacks soul, and leaves me wanting for something more.

Hey Rosetta! has a name that strongly suggested "indie flavoured pop punk", but is pretty much just Mumford & Sons without the banjo. Every song is a pleasant, but forgettable folk rock anthem, like so many other artists in the revival movement of the last two years.

Timber Timbre's Creep On Creepin' On is an interesting amalgamation of ideas that doesn't quite succeed. Taking some cues from The Drift era Scott Walker, it blends unsettling horror film themes with 50s rock and roll, to mixed results. I often found myself resenting the repetitive piano and wondering how such an album could lack versatility.

And that's the 2011 Polaris Shortlist. Now that I'm through the nominees, I'll take my time picking through the longlist to decide whether the nominees are valid, or if great work has been shafted this year. All in all, not a bad list of nominees, and not an album I regret listening to in the bunch. Regardless of who wins the award, Canada's done alright this year, and I look forwards to the ceremony on September 19th. Now, of course to make my predictions based on what I've heard!

The Best Chance of Winning:

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
The Weeknd - House of Balloons
Destroyer - Kaputt

Would be Surprised to See Win:

Austra - Feel it Break
Braids - Native Speaker
Galaxie - Tigre et Diesel
Timber Timbre - Creep On Creepin' On

Would be Disappointed to See Win:

Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
Hey Rosetta! - Seeds
Ron Sexsmith - Long Player Late Bloomer

09-16-2011, 12:41 PM	#9 (permalink)
Paedantic Basterd Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 5,184	Pedestrian's Polaris Prize Coverage 2011 THE SHORTLIST: Arcade Fire - The Suburbs Austra - Feel it Break Destroyer - Kaputt Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol 2: Judges The Weeknd - House of Balloons Braids - Native Speaker Ron Sexsmith - Long Player Late Bloomer Hey Rosetta! - Seeds Galaxie - Tigre et Diesel Timber Timbre - Creep on Creepin' on Ron Sexsmith's latest album is clearly the bottom of the shortlist barrel this year. An album of straight-forwards country-tinged pop rock, it's the least creative and challenging album of the shortlist nominees, and ultimately the most unremarkable. Long Player feels like a hits compilation in terms of flow, and fails to take the listener on any kind of journey, leaving you at the end exactly where you began. House of Balloons might be a Polaris front runner, given the amount of hype it's received this year from fans and critics, but I couldn't help feeling like I'd stain myself if only James Blake had sung the vocals rather than Abel Tesfaye. House of Balloons has a lot of qualities in its favour, from the dark meandering beats to the dream pop samples of Cocteau Twins and Beach House, but it lacks soul, and leaves me wanting for something more. Hey Rosetta! has a name that strongly suggested "indie flavoured pop punk", but is pretty much just Mumford & Sons without the banjo. Every song is a pleasant, but forgettable folk rock anthem, like so many other artists in the revival movement of the last two years. Timber Timbre's Creep On Creepin' On is an interesting amalgamation of ideas that doesn't quite succeed. Taking some cues from The Drift era Scott Walker, it blends unsettling horror film themes with 50s rock and roll, to mixed results. I often found myself resenting the repetitive piano and wondering how such an album could lack versatility. And that's the 2011 Polaris Shortlist. Now that I'm through the nominees, I'll take my time picking through the longlist to decide whether the nominees are valid, or if great work has been shafted this year. All in all, not a bad list of nominees, and not an album I regret listening to in the bunch. Regardless of who wins the award, Canada's done alright this year, and I look forwards to the ceremony on September 19th. Now, of course to make my predictions based on what I've heard! The Best Chance of Winning: Arcade Fire - The Suburbs The Weeknd - House of Balloons Destroyer - Kaputt Would be Surprised to See Win: Austra - Feel it Break Braids - Native Speaker Galaxie - Tigre et Diesel Timber Timbre - Creep On Creepin' On Would be Disappointed to See Win: Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges Hey Rosetta! - Seeds Ron Sexsmith - Long Player Late Bloomer