Lemonade
The 2011 Polaris Muisc Prize gala is upon us. This being Soft Signal’s first year meant it was my first go-around with the prize, and the first time people actually asked me how I thought this would all play out. I kind of kept out of the way of it, not having the time, experience, or language to properly talk about these albums in the context of the most important music prize in the country. Aside from my early picks with the long list—which weren’t really predictions so much as who I’d have voted for, and even then only two made the cut—I remained quiet, preferring to watch how this all plays out from a distance.
None of that matters much now, as the grand jury has undoubtedly come down on a winner. Of course, what happens in the grand jury room stays in the grand jury room, so I’ll never know what the discourse surrounding the nominated albums sounded like, or how much I would have agreed or disagreed with them on their opinions. But if I had to guess, based on methods not all that far removed from CBC Radio 3’s clairvoyant cat, then there’s something deep down in my gut, some base and instinctual part of me that tells me Braids will emerging as the $30,000 prizewinner for 2011. Native Speaker is the only record on the short list that truly feels like a “whole record” through and through. It’s greater than the sum of its parts, seven songs that are painted in muted pastels and layered upon each other piece by piece, swirled and blended until they form a new, singular sonic hue.
But I guess we’ll find out just how right those instincts are.
The 2011 Polaris Music Prize Gala begins at 8 p.m. tonight and will be broadcast live in Canada by SiriusXM Canada on Sirius channel 152 and internationally on CBC Radio 3. It will be webcast live on MuchMusic.com.
+MP3: Braids – Lemonade
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