Feist Wins the Polaris Prize

On September 24th....Feist Won the 2012 Polaris Prize for her 2011 Album "Metals". I have my own opinion on this which I am about to express. There have been some mixed reactions to Feist winning....and from what I have followed on Twitter, Facebook, and several internet news articles, I wonder if everyone truly understands what the Polaris Prize is all about when they are posting these comments.

The Polaris prize may or may not be something you are aware of each year.....I'm guessing it would be tied to how involved you are in the Canadian music scene. If your idea of keeping up on current music is tuning into corporate radio and listing to the the weekly top 5 at 5, chances are you aren't aware of what is going on. I'm not bashing corporate radio with this paragraph.......but I am acknowledging that corporate radio's idea of "new music" is generally the most recent bands that they are allowed to play by their sponsors. That could be an album release 5 years ago.....or one that isn't yet released.

Beginning in 2006, the Polaris Prize was meant to recognize the best Canadian Album released in the previous year. Remember what I just said....."Best Canadian Album", not artist. I'll reference this later in the post. The Polaris Group Board of Directors selects 200 "Jurors". These Jurors are Bloggers, Journalists, Broadcasters, etc, and no Juror is allowed to have any financial link to any artist. Each Juror picks what they believe to be the best 5 albums released in the previous year.....and based on a points system, (5 for top pick, 4 for second, etc), a list of 40 albums is selected and released to the public. Then the Jurors pick their top 5 from this list....points are awarded, and the list is narrowed to a "Long List" of 10. The top 10 bands perform at a Gala in Toronto in September for 11 of the Jury members, known as the "Grand jury".

There you have it..........a system to ensure impartial selection of the best Canada has to offer each year. Sounds great doesn't it? Well.....there are still many who wonder how an artist like Feist could have won.....as though she is too big of a star and that this Polaris thingy has become a popularity contest. One thing I will stress is that Polaris is not meant to be confined to "Underground", "Indie", or artists that "need the help". There isn't a maximum income requirement. The Prize is open to any Canadian musician. If those 200 Jurors somehow feel that Celine Dion belongs in the top 40, then her record would go into the pool. (God Help Us).

So lets talk finally about Leslie Feist. I became a Feist fan through her involvement in Broken Social Scene, just as many Canadians did. I already knew who she was, I had seen her perform as part of the band "By Divine Right" at a music festival in Hamilton in 2000. Her involvement in Broken Social Scene years later, however, was what made me take notice. The delicate yet powerful voice jumped from my speakers and I couldn't help but notice the sexy silhouette jumping about in the "Almost Crimes" video. For those who only later knew of Feist as the girl from the iPod commercial, they may not realize the sacrifices she made leaving By Divine Right to focus on a solo career.......travelling all over the world attempting to carve her own identity, only to find greater success back in a collective band as a featured singer. When I finally purchased "Let it Die", the genius of her solo work became quite clear, and then looking back to "Monarch", and forward to "The Reminder" confirmed what I already suspected. This girl has the battle scars from the road, the chops both vocally and on the guitar.....and she can write one hell of a hook.

"Metals" feels like a bit of a departure for Feist, almost a back to basics, or the way you get to know yourself again after a break-up. There are no jump out radio singles on the record like "Mushaboom", "One Evening", "1234", or "Feel it All". Therefore, I found myself listening to the album in the background rather than blasting hits in the car as part of a playlist. This revealed to me the beauty of Metals as a complete work of art, front to back. The production is very transparent. Instruments are captured as though you are sitting in the room and feeling the pulse of the bass or the thud of the bass drum from the floor. The acoustic guitar on "The Bad in Each Other" has a tone and timbre that every engineer dreams about hearing through their studio monitors. Some of these elements may have been derived by the fact that Feist chose Big Sur, California as the place to lay down the record. Or the fact that rather than a slick studio, they brought gear to a cliffside home and lived and worked as one. The result is a record that is not trying to please you, but rather a record that invites you in to stay a while.

As you can see, I am in agreement with the choice of Metals for the Polaris Prize. I have not heard every album on the short list.....so I can understand why some may feel that a particular band was robbed or overlooked if they were as taken with one of those albums. Most of the reactions I have read however refer to the fact that Feist "doesn't need the money"..... "give it to someone who does". Again, I repeat..... the Polaris Prize is not based on the bank account or level of opportunity the artists enjoy. (although I am sure Feist would chuckle at the thought that people think she has a fat wallet). It is based on the people who live and work in the industry and their pick for what single album deserves to be known as the best of that given year.

I wouldn't single out any artist in the top 10 as not deserving a win unless I had thoroughly listened to the album and compared. I certainly hope that those who are criticizing the Feist win aren't basing this on whether or not they liked her in the iPod commercial. I hope that they gave Metals a solid listen and it didn't prove its worth. Bottom line.....there is no musical conspiracy with Polaris once you understand what it is all about. I'm glad we live in a country where one of our Musical Stars still has their feet firmly on the ground.


I'll leave you all with a track from Metals, performed live on Jools Holland.

Olenka and the Autumn Lovers

I'm very obsessive when I fall in love with a new band or record.....I'll just play that album over and over in the car to and from work. Then when I get super crazy about it I'll start pushing it on my friends. There have only been a handful of records that have qualified for this obsession in the past decade....but when I find one it is all that much more sweet. Although there are many great bands out there today writing many great songs.....lets face it, we live in a world of singles in 2012. 

Every once in a while a band crafts a GREAT album. What qualifies for a great album? There are so many factors.

Obviously pure musical ability is a factor.......maybe a great voice, great production.......but when an album is elevated to GREAT, for me it is because of how the album flows. How one song relates to the next, and the way the first song grips you and takes you through to the final note. 

A year or so ago I was in Grooves record store in London, ON. (the place to go to find GREAT music). As usual, I'm asking the dude behind the counter who the newest or best local band is at the time. That day the clerk told me to check out "Handsome Dan and his Gallimaufry". Pretty elaborate and interesting band name I must say. Is there a guy in the band named Handsome Dan? Is he in fact Handsome? Anyways.....when I asked "what do they sound like", he replied...."Well, the guy from Handsome Dan plays in Olenka....so.....they are pretty cool".

I ended up purchasing Handsome Dan, but when the guy tried to explain how good they were by referencing the other band that he plays in.....I couldn't help but wonder who this Olenka was. The store was sold out of all their Olenka albums, so I went home and bought "And Now We Sing" from iTunes. 

The first track "Odessa" showcases all aspects of lead singer Olenka Krakus and her group the Autumn Lovers. Deep, soulful singing........soaring harmonies, bouncing classical guitar that is kissed by rich violin and cello. Initially, I couldn't make it much past the first track. Just kept repeating it over and over and singing along. Once I started letting the album play through, that was when I realized the Gem I had discovered.

The next song that really gripped me was "Mama's Bag". I can't tell for sure if it is a romantic tale that Krakus is recounting from a novel she read....or whether it is a more personal story. Either way, the combination of the lyrical imagery, and the way the vocal and guitar melodies intertwine.....a very pretty tune.

The deeper you listen into the album, the more you understand Krakus' vocal mastery. Similar to the way Bjork tests the boundaries of the human voice.......Krakus busts out a vocal clinic. For anyone that remembers and loves the Velvet Underground and Nico album.....imagine if Nico could actually sing. (Thats right, I said it).

The other elements on "And Now We Sing" that should not be overlooked are both the warm, intimate production, and the blazing lead guitar work.....both electric and slide guitar. Recorded at the House of Miracles in London by Indie legend Andy Magoffin.....the album has an electricity that is captured with brilliance on each track.

And just like any great album..........there is an epic track. Louise of Littleville is that track that just nails the coffin. A singalong melody, and a slowly building momentum that pulls together the records' best moments and holds them up for all to hear. 

I realize I am pretty late to the rodeo with this post......many Londoners are probably reading this and wondering where I have been, considering Olenka has been a fixture of the local music scene for years.  Well, that doesn't make me any less of a fan.....and I'm hoping to spread Olenka's music to some new ears. I had the opportunity to speak with Olenka when she was in Chatham for Culture Factory's Indiefest this past August, and learned that she is putting the finishing touches on her third full length album. I'm not sure how she plans to top the greatness of "And Now We Sing"......but something tells me I might be writing a follow up post in the new year.