As we get close to June, it means that I’ve got to start eliminating the pretenders from the contenders for the 2012 Polaris Prize. There are countless records that deserve to be on my ballot and won’t get included, and like any subjective vote, there will be adoration showered on records I can’t stand. So be it.
I try to keep an active list of my “favorite records” but the Polaris mandate asks for more than just good records. The goal is to find a record that is as close to perfect as an artist can get. It’s not about a few great songs, and can’t just be a collection of thoughts. Ideally, this record should be a start-to-finish vision executed with skill, and show true artistic merit.
As of today, I have a list of fifteen records that could make the final ballot, but need to spend a few weeks with these records before I make the final decision. Here are the last five.
Artist: Adam & the Amethysts
Album: Flickering Flashligth
Review: http://www.herohill.com/2011/09/best-of-11-adam-the-amethysts-flickering-flashlight.htm
Artist: The Barr Brothers
Album: self-titled
Review: http://www.herohill.com/2011/08/reviews-the-barr-brothers-self-titled.htm
Artist: Cold Specks
Album: I Predict a Graceful Expulsion
Review: http://www.herohill.com/2012/05/reviews-cold-specks-i-predict-a-graceful-expulsion.htm
Stream:: Cold Specks – Reeling the Liars In (Swans)
Web:: http://coldspecks.com/
Artist: The Wooden Sky
Album: Every child a daughter, every moon a sun
Review: http://www.herohill.com/2012/02/favorites-of-12-the-wooden-sky-every-child-a-daughter-every-moon-a-sun.htm
Artist: Japandroids
Album: Celebration Rock
Review: Coming soon.
WEB:: http://japandroids.com/
I think I will be having Cold Specks & The Wooden Sky for sure and am toying with The Barr Brothers on my ballot…. Either that or I still have no idea. Keep the suggestions coming!
Still loving the Wooden Sky album. It’s one of those albums that keeps drawing me back even after a few months. Pretty close to a flawless records.