The 2013 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 23, 2013 [1] at The Carlu event theatre in Toronto, Ontario. [2]
The award was won by Godspeed You! Black Emperor for their album 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! . [3] The band subsequently released a statement criticizing the prize's gala trappings in a time of austerity, asserting that "organizing a gala just so musicians can compete against each other for a novelty-sized cheque doesn't serve the cause of righteous music at all. Maybe the next celebration should happen in a cruddier hall, without the corporate banners and culture overlords." [2] Despite their criticism the band accepted the award, but donated the prize money to a Quebec-based program of music education in prisons. [2]
The prize's 10-album shortlist was announced on July 16. [4]
Godspeed You! Black Emperor, 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! The prize's preliminary 40-album longlist was announced on June 13. [1]
Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian experimental music collective which originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation, an independent record label also located in Montreal. After the release of their debut album in 1997, the group toured regularly from 1998 to 2003. Their second album, 2000's Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven, received great critical acclaim and has been named as one of the best albums of the decade. In 2003, the band announced an indefinite hiatus in order for members to pursue other musical interests. In the intervening period, the group was occasionally rumored to have broken up, but finally reconvened for a tour which began in late 2010. Since reforming, they have released three more albums, the most recent being Luciferian Towers in September 2017.
Tegan and Sara are a Canadian indie pop band formed in 1998 in Calgary, Alberta, composed of identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin. Both musicians are songwriters and multi-instrumentalists.
This page contains a discography of Constellation Records.
Aidan Girt is a Canadian drummer for the Montreal-based post-rock collectives Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Exhaust. He is also a solo electronic artist under the names OSB, 1-Speed Bike, and Bottleskup Flenkenkenmike.
The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize; the prize was increased to $30,000 for the 2011 award. In May 2015, the Polaris Music Prize was increased to $50,000, an additional $20,000, sponsored by Slaight Music. Additionally, second place prizes for the nine other acts on the Short List increased from $2,000 to $3,000. Polaris officials also announced The Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize, an award that "will annually honour five albums from the five decades before Polaris launched in 2006." Details about the selection process for this prize are still to be revealed.
Sean Michaels is a Canadian novelist, music critic, and blogger. Based in Montreal, Quebec, he has written about music for publications such as The Guardian, McSweeney's, The Believer, Pitchfork, Maisonneuve, The Observer, The Wire and The National Post. His weekly music column, Heartbeats, debuted in The Globe & Mail in 2015.
Colin Stetson is a Canadian-American saxophonist, multireedist, and composer based in Montreal. He is best known as a regular collaborator of the indie rock acts Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Bell Orchestre, and Ex Eye. In addition to saxophone, he plays clarinet, bass clarinet, French horn, flute, and cornet.
The 2010 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 20, 2010. The gala presentation was held at Toronto's Masonic Temple, and was hosted by Grant Lawrence of CBC Radio 3 and Sarah Taylor of MuchMusic.
Yanqui U.X.O. is the third studio album by Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, released on November 4, 2002 by Constellation. It was recorded by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago in late 2001, and was the band's first album released after their slight name change. Lacking both their characteristic interwoven field recordings and specifically named movements, the album was instead described by the band as "just raw, angry, dissonant, epic instrumental rock". Shortly after its release, the group announced an indefinite hiatus so band members could pursue differing musical interests, and being the last album for a decade until the release of their 2012's 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!.
This is a summary of the year 2012 in the Canadian music industry.
A Tribe Called Red is a Canadian electronic music group, who blend instrumental hip hop, reggae, moombahton and dubstep-influenced dance music with elements of First Nations music, particularly vocal chanting and drumming. Based in Ottawa, Ontario, the group consists of Tim "2oolman" Hill, and Ehren "Bear Witness" Thomas. Former members include co-founder DJ Jon Deck and Dan "DJ Shub" General, who left the band for personal reasons in spring 2014, and was replaced by Hill. Co-founder Ian "DJ NDN" Campeau left the band for health reasons in October 2017, with the band opting to remain a duo for the time being.
'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! is the fourth studio album by Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, released on October 15, 2012 by Constellation Records, which their first album since 2002's Yanqui U.X.O.. After reforming in 2010, the group went on tour and silently released the album at a concert in Boston on October 1, 2012, with official release dates on October 15 in Europe and the following day in other countries. The album received positive reviews and has been heralded as a comeback for the collective, winning the 2013 Polaris Music Prize.
Whitehorse is a Canadian folk rock band, composed of husband-and-wife duo Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Doucet and McClelland were both established singer-songwriters before opting to put their solo careers on hold to work together as Whitehorse.
This is a summary of the year 2013 in the Canadian music industry.
"I Was a Fool" is a song written and performed by Canadian duo Tegan and Sara for their seventh studio album, Heartthrob. Inspired by Rihanna's singles "Unfaithful" and "Umbrella", the song is about a woman who is in a troubled relationship but doing nothing to fix it, making her seem like a fool.
ANCIIENTS are a Canadian heavy metal band from Vancouver, British Columbia. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Kenny Cook, guitarist Brock MacInnes, bassist Aaron "Boon" Gustafson and drummer Mike Hannay.
This is a summary of the year 2015 in the Canadian music industry.
The 2017 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 18, 2017.
Luciferian Towers is the sixth studio album by Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, released on 22 September 2017 by Constellation Records. Information about the album was leaked via a press release on 13 July 2017, prior to the official announcement on 2 August 2017.
David Bryant is a Canadian musician, recording engineer, and film-maker best known for being a member of Montreal-based bands Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Set Fire to Flames, and Hiss Tracts. In 2015 he co-directed the film Quiet Zone and has written music for other films.