Alberta Artists, Wares and nêhiyawak on Polaris Music Prize Long List
June 15, 2020
The Polaris Music Prize, presented by CBC Music, has revealed its 40 album Long List, presented by Canada Council for the Arts. Alberta artists, Wares and nêhiyawak have landed much-deserved spots on this list!
nêhiyawak hails from amiskwaciy in Treaty 6 Territory. The trio of Indigenous Canadian artists – Kris Harper (vocals, guitars), Marek Tyler (drums), and Matthew Cardinal (synths, bass) – transcends a new intersection of contemporary sound and traditional storytelling. The band – whose name refers directly to their nêhiyaw ancestry – is a spirited expression of Indigeneity in the modern world.
Wares is a musical project engineered by Edmonton musician Cassia Hardy. From teeth rattling electric convulsions to barely-there, reverb drenched refrains, the musical inflections explored by Wares are as varied as they are enthralling.
This year’s Long List was unveiled in a video broadcast via the Polaris Facebook page and YouTube channels. An exceptional cast of past Polaris nominees were enlisted to present each Long List album. The Polaris Music Prize awards $50,000 to the artist who creates the Canadian Album of the Year, judged solely on artistic merit, without consideration for genre or record sales. Additionally, the nine other nominated acts whose albums make the 2020 Short List will receive $3,000 each courtesy of Slaight Music.
The 10-album Short List will be revealed on July 15 on a CBC Music radio special and the 2020 Polaris Music Prize winner will be revealed live on the CBC Gem streaming service and CBCMusic.ca/Polaris.
The 2020 Polaris Music Prize Long List is:
Allie X – Cape God
Anachnid – Dreamweaver
Aquakultre – Legacy
Marie-Pierre Arthur – Des feux pour voir
Backxwash – God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It
Badge Époque Ensemble – Badge Époque Ensemble
Begonia – Fear
P’tit Belliveau – Greatest Hits Vol. 1
Caribou – Suddenly
Daniel Caesar – CASE STUDY 01
Chocolat – Jazz engagé
Louis-Jean Cormier – Quand la nuit tombe
Corridor – Junior
dvsn – A Muse In Her Feelings
Jacques Greene – Dawn Chorus
Sarah Harmer – Are You Gone
Ice Cream – FED UP
Junia-T – Studio Monk
Kaytranada – Bubba
Flore Laurentienne – Volume 1
Cindy Lee – What’s Tonight To Eternity?
Men I Trust – Oncle Jazz
nêhiyawak – nipiy
OBUXUM – Re-Birth
Owen Pallett – Island
Pantayo – Pantayo
Lido Pimienta – Miss Colombia
Joel Plaskett – 44
William Prince – Reliever
Jessie Reyez – BEFORE LOVE CAME TO KILL US
Andy Shauf – The Neon Skyline
Riit – ataataga
Super Duty Tough Work – Studies in Grey
U.S. Girls – Heavy Light
Leif Vollebekk – New Ways
Wares – Survival
The Weeknd – After Hours
WHOOP-Szo – Warrior Down
Witch Prophet – DNA Activation
Zen Bamboo – GLU