Arcade Fire, Drake Make Polaris Prize Shortlist

Arcade Fire and Drake are among the 10 acts with albums shortlisted for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize, the prestigious award given each year to the artist behind the Canadian Album of the Year.

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Joining Arcade Fire’s Reflektor and Drake’s Nothing Was the Same are Mac DeMarco’s Salad Days, Owen Pallett’s In Conflict, Basia Bulat’s Tall Tall Shadow, Jessy Lanza’s Pull My Hair Back, Shad’s Flying Colours, Tanya Tagaq’s Animism, Timber Timbre’s Hot Dreams and YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN’s UZU.

This year’s winner will be announced at the annual Polaris Gala, which takes place on September 22nd at The Carlu in Toronto. The event will be hosted by actor Jay Baruchel and will be live-streamed via Aux.tv.

While the Polaris short- and longlist are put together by an independent group of 190 music journalists, broadcasters and bloggers from across Canada, an 11-person Grand Jury — chosen from that larger pool — will select the big winner the night of the Gala. The winning artist will receive $30,000, while the runners up take home $2,000 each courtesy of Slaight Music.

Last year’s Polaris Prize went to post-rock heroes Godspeed You! Black Emperor for their album, Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!. Both Arcade Fire and Pallett have taken home the top prize in the past, the former winning in 2011 for The Suburbs, while the latter won in 2006 for He Poos Clouds, which was released under his then-moniker, Final Fantasy.