2012 Polaris Music Prize long list announced

The 2012 Polaris Music Prize long list was announced today (June 14) at the Waldorf Hotel in Vancouver, British Colombia. Excellent albums and bands populate the list and, more so than in previous years, a wide array of genres and geographical locations are represented — it's great to see Azari & III and A Tribe Called Red get recognition, for instance. In fact, this might be one of the best lists that the Prize's two-hundred-plus member jury have composed in recent years, which just goes to show how great Canada's music scene is. However, no list of this kind is ever perfect, and there's probably more than one album and band that were missed — The Wooden Sky comes to mind. So what does everyone else think of the list?

Of course, today was only a small step in deciding the eventual winner for what's quickly become Canada's most prestigious music prize--the short list announcement and gala happen on July 17 and September 24, respectively.

Anyway, without further ado, here is this year's long list presented in alphabetical order.

• A Tribe Called Red — A Tribe Called Red
• Marie-Pierre Arthur — Aux alentours
• Rich Aucoin — We're All Dying To Live
• Avec pas d'casque — Astronomie
• Azari & III — Azari & III
• Bahamas — Barchords
• The Barr Brothers — The Barr Brothers
• Blackie And The Rodeo Kings — Kings And Queens
• Cadence Weapon — Hope In Dirt City
• Kathryn Calder — Bright And Vivid
• Cannon Bros — Firecracker / Cloudglow
• Coeur de Pirate — Blonde
• Leonard Cohen — Old Ideas
• Cold Specks — I Predict A Graceful Expulsion
• Rose Cousins — We Have Made A Spark
• Mark Davis — Eliminate The Toxins
• Drake — Take Care
• Kathleen Edwards — Voyageur
• Feist — Metals
• Fucked Up — David Comes To Life
• Great Lake Swimmers — New Wild Everywhere
• Grimes — Visions
• Handsome Furs — Sound Kapital
• Japandroids — Celebration Rock
• Dan Mangan — Oh Fortune
• Mares Of Thrace — The Pilgrimage
• Ariane Moffatt — MA
• Lindi Ortega — Little Red Boots
• Parlovr — Kook Soul
• Sandro Perri — Impossible Spaces
• Joel Plaskett Emergency — Scrappy Happiness
• PS I Love You — Death Dreams
• John K. Samson — Provincial
• Shooting Guns — Born To Deal In Magic: 1952-1976
• The Slakadeliqs — The Other Side of Tomorrow
• Patrick Watson — Adventures In Your Own Backyard
• Bry Webb — Provider
• The Weeknd — Echoes of Silence
• Yamantaka // Sonic Titan — YT//ST
• Yukon Blonde — Tiger Talk