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, it was announced the Polaris Music Prize winner will now receive $50,000, an additional $20,000, thanks to the sponsorship of Slaight Music. Additionally, second place prizes which go to the nine other acts on the Short List will increase from $2,000 to $3,000. Polaris officials also announced they will be creating The Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize, a sort of hall of fame 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.
The Reminder is the third full-length album by indie artist Feist. It was released on April 23, 2007 in countries outside of North America, and May 1, 2007 in the United States and Canada.
The 2008 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 30, 2008 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto. The prize was won by Caribou for his album Andorra.
Japandroids are a Canadian rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, consisting of Brian King and David Prowse.
The Suburbs is the third studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on August 2, 2010. Coinciding with its announcement, the band released a limited edition 12-inch single containing the title track and "Month of May". The album debuted at No. 1 on the Irish Albums Chart, the UK Albums Chart, the US Billboard 200 chart, and the Canadian Albums Chart. It won Album of the Year at the 2011 Grammy Awards, Best International Album at the 2011 BRIT Awards, Album of the Year at the 2011 Juno Awards, and the 2011 Polaris Music Prize for best Canadian album. Two weeks after winning Grammy's Album of the Year, the album jumped from No. 52 to No. 12 on the Billboard 200, the album's highest ranking since August 2010.
Public Strain is the second and final album by Calgary band Women. This record was produced by Chad VanGaalen. It was released in 2010 on VanGaalen's Flemish Eye record label in Canada, and on Jagjaguwar in the US.
PS I Love You are a Canadian indie rock duo based in Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Paul Saulnier on vocals/guitar/bass pedals and Benjamin Nelson on drums. The band is signed to Canadian independent record label Paper Bag Records. The band's is known for its forceful themes, guitar effects, and loud percussion.
Diamond Rings' debut album, Special Affections, was released on October 25, 2010.
Siskiyou is a Canadian indie folk band formed in Vancouver, consisting of singer-songwriter Colin Huebert and guitarist Erik Arnesen.
New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges is an album by musician/multi-reedist Colin Stetson. The album was released by Constellation Records in 2011.
Sound Kapital is Handsome Furs' third full-length album. It was released through Sub Pop Records on June 28, 2011. According to a press release, Sound Kapital is inspired by the electronic and industrial music of 1980s Eastern Europe and it is the first album that Dan Boeckner wrote entirely on keyboards, although most songs do include guitars.
House of Balloons is the debut mixtape by Canadian singer The Weeknd. It was released as a free download on March 21, 2011, by XO. The mixtape was also released on his official website. Its music incorporates electronic and urban genres, including R&B and soul, along with trip hop, indie rock and dream pop tones. The contributions to the mixtape's production came from Canadian record producers such as Doc McKinney, Zodiac and Illangelo, among others.
Metals is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Feist. It was released on September 30, 2011 in Ireland, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden and Belgium; October 3, 2011 in the United Kingdom; and October 4, 2011 in the United States and Canada. The first single from the album is "How Come You Never Go There", which was released on August 12, 2011. The album was supported by a world tour which started in Amsterdam, Netherlands on October 15, 2011 and finished on October 20, 2012 in Latin America.
Voyageur is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards, released on January 17, 2012. The album was produced by Edwards and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. Voyageur reached the 39th position on the US Billboard 200 chart, becoming Edwards' first top 100 and top 40 album in the US, and her first top ten album in Canada, peaking at number two.
Rich Aucoin is a Canadian indie rock musician, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is the younger brother of Paul Aucoin of Hylozoists. He performs and records both as a solo artist and as a collaborator and guest musician in Hylozoists.
Yamantaka // Sonic Titan is a Canadian experimental music and performance art collective. Formed in Montreal, Quebec and currently operating between Montreal and Toronto, Ontario, the group's core members are Ruby Kato Attwood and Alaska B, with supporting members including John Ancheta on bass and acoustic guitar, Ange Loft and Walter Scott on vocals, Shub Roy on guitar, Brendan Swanson on keyboards, Alana Ruth on lights, Daniel Ellis and Chase Lo as dancers and Aylwin Lo as a projectionist.
Majical Cloudz was a Canadian music group from Montreal consisting of singer-songwriter Devon Welsh, and variously Matthew E. Duffy and Matthew Otto. The group disbanded in March 2016.
Partner is a Canadian indie rock band, originally from Sackville, New Brunswick, and later based in Windsor, Ontario. The band is most noted for winning the SOCAN Songwriting Prize in 2018 for their song "Play the Field".
