2014 Polaris Music Prize announces long list

The Polaris Music Prize has announced the long list for the 2014 award. The 40 Long List albums were unveiled at the National Music Centre in Calgary in association with the Sled Island Music Festival.

In total 189 titles made the first ballots of the 190 member jury. Twenty-three of the 40 Long List titles are first-time Polaris Music Prize nominees. Of those, three have been in previously nominated groups.

“The city has been so welcome and after what happened last year we felt it was important to reveal this year’s list in one of the most musical places in Canada. We’d like to congratulate all of the inspiring artists who made the list and the people with the easiest/toughest job in the world of narrowing that 189 worthy records to just 40 – our jury,” said Jordan.

The event was hosted by Polaris Founder and Executive Director Steve Jordan. Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi, Dan Boeckner of The Operators and former Polaris nominees Handsome Furs and Wolf Parade, Mark Sasso of former Polaris nominees Elliott BROOD and Dave Hodge of TSN were also on hand to help reveal the list of 40 albums. Surprise musical guest Basia Bulat was also on hand to perform songs from her 2014 Long Listed album Tall Tall Shadow. The event was webcast live on TFO.

The Long List unveiling was immediately followed by one of our always-spicy Polaris Salons in the same venue moderated by the National Music Centre’s Chad Saunders and featuring AUX’s Sam Sutherland, musician Lorrie Matheson, Alberta Music’s Lindsay Shedden and Polaris’ own Steve Jordan on the panel.

Toronto music fans will get to debate the Long List with their own Polaris Salon on Friday, June 20 as part of NXNE. Exclaim’s James Keast will moderate a panel including Now’s Julia Leconte, (Maclean’s and Radio Free Canuckistan’s Michael Barclay and CBC Radio 3′s Lana Gay. More information is available here.

The 10 album Short List will be announced on July 15 at The Drake Hotel in Toronto. The Polaris Gala will be held on September 22 at The Carlu in Toronto.

Arcade Fire – Reflektor
AroarA – In The Pines
Austra – Olympia
Philippe B – Ornithologie, la nuit
BADBADNOTGOOD – III
Basia Bulat – Tall Tall Shadow
Chromeo – White Women
Cousins – The Halls Of Wickwire
Cowboy Junkies/Various Artists – The Kennedy Suite
The Darcys -Warring
Dead Obies – Montréal $ud
Mac DeMarco – Salad Days
DIANA – Perpetual Surrender
Drake – Nothing Was The Same
Freedom Writers – NOW
Fresh Snow – I
Frog Eyes – Carey’s Cold Spring
Gorguts – Colored Sands
Tim Hecker – Virgins
Jimmy Hunt – Maladie d’amour
Jessy Lanza – Pull My Hair Back
Kalle Mattson – Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold
Moonface – Julia With Blue Jeans On
Mounties – Thrash Rock Legacy
Odonis Odonis – Hard Boiled Soft Boiled
Owen Pallett – In Conflict
Pink Mountaintops – Get Back
PUP – PUP
The Sadies – Internal Sounds
Shad – Flying Colours
Shooting Guns – Brotherhood of the Ram
Solids – Blame Confusion
Rae Spoon – My Prairie Home
The Strumbellas – We Still Move On Dance Floors
Tanya – Tagaq Animism
Thus Owls – Turning Rocks
Timber Timbre – Hot Dreams
Chad VanGaalen – Shrink Dust
Bry Webb – Free Will
YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN – UZU