Every year, the Polaris Prize aims to highlight the best Canadian albums of the year, not based on popularity, or sales, but based on artistic value. This afternoon, live from Whitehorse, the Polaris team unveiled the top 40 albums in contention for this year’s prize. They are as follows:
Art Bergmann – The Apostate
Justin Bieber – Purpose
Black Mountain – IV
Jean-Michel Blais – II
Basia Bulat – Good Advice
Daniel Caesar – Pilgrim's Paradise
Tanika Charles – Soul Run
City and Colour – If I Should Go Before You
Cœur de pirate – Roses
Dead Obies – Gesamtkunstwerk
Destroyer – Poison Season
Dilly Dally – Sore
Drake – VIEWS
Essaie pas – Demain est une autre nuit
Fred Fortin – Ultramarr
FOXTROTT – A Taller Us
Grimes – Art Angels
Half Moon Run – Sun Leads Me On
Veda Hille – Love Waves
Jazz Cartier – Hotel Paranoia
Carly Rae Jepsen – E•MO•TION
Junior Boys – Big Black Coat
Kaytranada – 99.9%
Jessy Lanza – Oh No
Majid Jordan – Majid Jordan
Michelle McAdorey – Into Her Future
Nap Eyes – Thought Rock Fish Scale
Safia Nolin – Limoilou
Operators – Blue Wave
Peaches – Rub
PUP – The Dream Is Over
Daniel Romano – Mosey
Andy Shauf – The Party
The Strumbellas – Hope
Suuns – Hold/Still
U.S. Girls – Half Free
Un Blonde – Good Will Come To You
The Weeknd – Beauty Behind the Madness
White Lung – Paradise
Donovan Woods – Hard Settle, Ain't Troubled
This list will be narrowed down to a top 10, at which point a grand jury will host an arm wrestling tournament (we assume) to choose one Grand Prize winner at the Polaris Gala at Toronto’s Carlu on September 19th, 2016.
