Jeremy Dutcher’s Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa was declared Canadian album of the 12 months by the Polaris Music Prize grand jury Monday evening (Sept. 17) on the conclusion of a gala dinner at Toronto’s The Carlu. The announcement was made onstage by final 12 months’s winner, Lido Pimienta.
The award comes with a verify for $50,000 CAD ($38,400).
Dutcher was up in opposition to 9 different brief listed albums: Alvvays’ Antisocialites; Jean-Michel Blais’ Dans Ma Main; Daniel Caesar’s Freudian; Pierre Kwenders’ MAKANDA on the End of Space, the Beginning of Time; Hubert Lenoir’s Darlène, Partner’s In Search Of Lost Time; Snotty Nose Rez Kids’ The Average Savage; U.S. Girls’ In A Poem Unlimited; and Weaves’ Wide Open.
As the 11-member grand jury — chosen from the bigger jury pool of music media — debated the inventive deserves of every title in an on-site closed room and voted on their faves, all 10 acts had been honored onstage with video testimonials, akin to Tanya Tagaq for Weaves, Babyface for Caesar and Arcade Fire’s Win Butler for Pierre Kwenders.
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— by @dustinrabin pic.twitter.com/cH1CevIMir— Polaris Music Prize (@PolarisPrize) September 18, 2018
Most of the nominees carried out two songs apiece: Blais, Dutcher, Lenoir, Kwenders, Partner, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, U.S. Girls and Weaves. Caesar was in attendance however didn’t carry out as a result of his busy tour schedule (he performed the earlier evening at Denver’s Grandoozy Festival), and Alvvays couldn’t attend as a result of earlier commitments (younger band Deep Waters from non-profit Girls Rock performed one track of their place).
The awards had been streamed reside on a number of CBC Music websites.
Emceed by Raina Douris, a radio host on CBC Music Mornings, the viewers of 900 was principally comprised of trade, artists, sponsors and jurors with a small amount of tickets bought to the general public. The new Polaris Community Development Program additionally gave tickets to customers of 9 not-for-profit music organizations.
Alvvays, U.S. Girls and Weaves have all beforehand landed on the Polaris Music Prize short-list.
The albums are judged solely on inventive benefit, with out consideration of style, gross sales or skilled affiliation, in response to the Polaris mandate. The eligibility interval for the titles is June 1, 2017 to May 31, 2018.
The nominated albums had been chosen by a two-part calculation course of. This 12 months’s 191-member jury — made up of music journalists, broadcasters and music bloggers from throughout Canada — chosen 225 titles on the primary on-line poll, which requested for his or her prime 5 picks ranked so as. The 40-title lengthy record was then decided and the identical jurors picked their prime 5 from these 40 to find out the 10-title short-list.
Slaight Music once more donated the prize cash, $50,000 for the winner and $3,000 ($2,300) for every of the short-listed acts. All 10 acts additionally acquired a framed custom-designed limited-edition silk display screen print interpretation of their album, created by a Canadian visible artist (additionally for public sale here).
Last 12 months, Pimienta was awarded the Polaris Music Prize and in May she signed with ANTI, which can reissue her successful album, La Papessa, on vinyl for the primary time this fall.
Other previous recipients are Kaytranada’s 99.9% (2016), Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Power In The Blood (2015), Tanya Tagaq’s Animism (2014), Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! (2013), Feist’s Metals (2012), Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs (2011), Karkwa’s Les Chemins de Verre (2010), Fucked Up’s The Chemistry of Common Life (2009), Caribou’s Andorra (2008), Patrick Watson’s Close To Paradise (2007), and Final Fantasy / Owen Pallett’s He Poos Clouds (2006).
