Yesterday, the 2012 Polaris Long List was announced in Vancouver, BC. Now in its seventh year, the Polaris Music Prize awards $30,000 to the artist who creates the Canadian Album of the Year. It is judged solely on artistic merit, without consideration of genre or record sales. Past winners have been Arcade Fire, Karkwa, Fucked Up, Patrick Watson, Caribou and Final Fantasy.

Yukon Blonde is one of the only bands on the 2012 Polaris Long List that has performed in Thunder Bay

This year, the Long List is sponsored by the Musicians’ Rights Organization Canada (MROC) and, according to Steve Jordan, founder and executive director of the prize, the list “deliciously illustrates the burgeoning sense of community in our jury. Almost half of the selections on this list were the direct result of passionate recommendations made by individual members to their peers. We hope the ultimate result of this dialogue will likewise inform the taste of adventurous music lovers from Canada and the world.”
Here is the list (in alphabetical order):

A Tribe Called Red – A Tribe Called Red
Marie-Pierre Arthur – Aux alentours
Rich Aucoin – We’re All Dying To Live
Avec pas d’casque – Astronomie
Azari & III – Azari & III
Bahamas – Barchords
The Barr Brothers – The Barr Brothers
Blackie And The Rodeo Kings – Kings And Queens
Cadence Weapon – Hope In Dirt City
Kathryn Calder – Bright And Vivid
Cannon Bros – Firecracker / Cloudglow
Coeur de pirate – Blonde
Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas
Cold Specks – I Predict A Graceful Expulsion
Rose Cousins – We Have Made A Spark
Mark Davis – Eliminate The Toxins
Drake – Take Care
Kathleen Edwards – Voyageur
Feist – Metals
Fucked Up – David Comes To Life
Great Lake Swimmers – New Wild Everywhere
Grimes – Visions
Handsome Furs – Sound Kapital
Japandroids – Celebration Rock
Dan Mangan – Oh Fortune
Mares Of Thrace – The Pilgrimage
Ariane Moffatt – MA
Lindi Ortega – Little Red Boots
Parlovr – Kook Soul
Sandro Perri – Impossible Spaces
Joel Plaskett Emergency – Scrappy Happiness
PS I Love You – Death Dreams
John K. Samson – Provincial
Shooting Guns – Born To Deal In Magic: 1952-1976
The Slakadeliqs – The Other Side of Tomorrow
Patrick Watson – Adventures In Your Own Backyard
Bry Webb – Provider
The Weeknd – Echoes of Silence
Yamantaka // Sonic Titan – YT//ST
Yukon Blonde – Tiger Talk

The Polaris Jury consists of over 200 music journalists, broadcasters and music bloggers from across Canada. They now vote to decide on the Short List of 10 records to be announced on July 17 at Toronto’s Drake Hotel. The winner will be revealed on September 24 at the Polaris Gala.

Stay tuned to www.thewalleye.ca for future updates.