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Polaris
Chosen by a pool of more than 170 Canadian music critics, radio hosts, bloggers and other participants, the Polaris Music Prize awards $20,000 for the best album released between June 1, 2006 and May 31, 2007. The winner will be announced on September 24, but in the meantime click on the sidebars to the right to revisit the ten albums short-listed for this year’s award, and read about the impact that a nomination for last year's inaugural prize had on nominees like Broken Social Scene, Cadence Weapon and winner Final Fantasy.
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Patrick Watson- Close To Paradise
 Close To Paradise finds the classically trained Watson in full creative bloom, channeling his varied tastes (he cites Debussy and Jeff Buckley as influences) into one of the most remarkable orch-pop releases of the past year. To listen to Close to Paradise is to transcend the mundane, ...Read More
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The Dears - Gang of Losers
 Luring the listener with a self-depreciating title has always been risky business, but, here, it was an important move. After the grand epic No Cities Left, fans may have thought the Dears to be a little too serious in their scope and sound and maybe that’s why this album feels imbued with su...Read More
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Feist- The Reminder
 The soul-searching apparent on Feist’s latest and best album offers no easy answers, but a distillation of longing, trepidation and regret. If there is a clue to unlock this complicated heart, it comes in the opening moments of “I Feel It All,” a buoyant but wistful song that tips you off about what...Read More
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Chad VanGaalen- Skelliconnection
 Skelliconnection is a window into Chad VanGaalen’s weird and wonderful world of Viking rainbows, pterodactyls and headless corpses, a bit skewed and alien, but always fascinating. Recorded almost entirely alone in his Calgary basement, VanGaalen’s second album delves deep into his inner space...Read More
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Joel Plaskett- Ashtray Rock
 Joel Plaskett Emergency’s heartfelt and exuberant Ashtray Rock is an all-Canadian roman à clef. Set against the sacred, secret party site somewhere out in the back 40, the album-long narrative tells of high school best buds who start a band, then drink, fight and puke their way to a bitter, g...Read More
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Julie Doiron- Woke Myself Up
 After a few sleepy records and band flirtations, Julie Doiron called upon her mates in Eric’s Trip to make the most adored and engaging record of her solo career. Pioneers of sludgy, lo-fi indie rock, Doiron, Rick White, Chris Thompson, and Mark Gaudet created truly eclectic rock records together du...Read More
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Junior Boys- So This Is Goodbye
 It’s a challenge to explain the genius of Hamilton duo Junior Boys to the uninitiated. Sure, they’re a little bit electro, a little bit pop and a whole lot of smart. But that barely scratches the surface of the melodic magic of Jeremy Greenspan and Matthew Didemus. From the first icy beats of opener...Read More
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Miracle Fortress- Five Roses
 The word “timeless” implies something to last the ages. Something unique that could have emerged from various points of recent history, that suspends our notion of time itself. Graham Van Pelt, the man hiding inside Miracle Fortress, achieves all of these and more, delivering them with a healthy dos...Read More
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Arcade Fire- Neon Bible
 Before anyone heard a note from Neon Bible, fans imagined what it would be: an intricate album full of extravagant musical performances with biting lyrical content; an album that cannot be listened to casually. Upon hearing the first eight notes of “Black Mirror,” those expectations were conf...Read More
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The Besnard Lakes- Are The Dark Horse
 “Baby I’ve got some words for you …” Propped up by pillowy acoustics and tender trumpets, these few lyrics encapsulate everything that the Besnard Lakes have come to represent. On their sophomore album, The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse, the Montreal-based sextet sharpened their elbows and...Read More
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Polaris- One Year Later
 One year later, we check back in with some of last year’s Polaris Prize nominees to ask what impact the nomination had.
Final Fantasy
“Winning the Polaris Prize made me feel good, like winning a track meet.” Owen Pallett
Broken Social Scene
“We were alre...Read More
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Check out the hottest new releases in Canada this week, including: 50 Cent Before I Self-Destruct, Boris Japanese Heavy Rock Hits #2 7", Kid Sister Ultraviolet, Norah Jones The Fall, Stereophonics Keep Calm and Carry On...
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