2012 Polaris Music Prize Shortlist Announced!

About a month after the release of the longlist the 10 finalists for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize Shortlist have been revealed, and it boasts one of the Canadian music prize’s most diverse roster to date. Feist, Kathleen Edwards, Drake, Cold Specks, Fucked Up, Handsome Furs, Japandroids, YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN, Cadence Weapon, and Grimes will face off in Toronto for the $30,000 prize on September 24th. Founded in 2006, the Polaris Music Prize is chosen by a jury of over 200 Canadian music industry figures, including journalists, broadcasters, and bloggers. The process begins when jurors create a ranked list of what they think are the five best Canadian albums released in the past year. The 40 highest-scoring releases form the longlist, which is released in mid-June. Jurors then choose their five ranked picks from the longlist, and the 10 albums with the highest scores form the shortlist. During the award’s gala in late September, an 11-member jury (deemed “The Grand Jury”) selects the winner as the nominated artists perform. Former winners include Final Fantasy’s (Owen Pallett) He Poos Clouds, Caribou’s Andorra, Karkwa’s Les Chemins de verre, and, most recently, Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs.

As in past years, the nominated artists will perform at the gala, which will be broadcast via CBC Radio and streamed on MuchMusic. Check out the full list of nominated albums (alongside samples of each album) below and check back on September 24th to see Drake and Grimes in the same room who wins.