Polaris Music Prize 2018, day 2: Daniel Caesar, Jeremy Dutcher

Day two of my annual five-day Polaris preview, examining two shortlisters and two absentees a day:

Daniel Caesar – Freudian (Golden Child)

The album:

If, at the sound of Daniel Caesar’s voice in the opening track here, “Get You,” you don’t melt even just a little bit, then you are one cold fish.

Even in a genre where a voice like this is almost necessary, Caesar easily stands out in the crowd. There is a significantly larger influence from gospel than we often hear in 2018. There is a focus on old-school skills, matched with modern production that is decidedly stripped down, with nods to the sparse production of The Xx, as well as to obvious R&B classics like D’Angelo’s Voodoo. There are pleasant twists, like the rich, Prince-like harmonies on the a cappella “Neu Roses.” And, unlike, oh, I don’t know, The Weeknd, there’s zero sign of creepy misogyny.

Freudian is a song cycle: boy meets girl, girl is his everything, they split, he’s bitter, they get back together—and by the end of the album, he’s declaring that she “saved my soul like Jesus” and thanking her for “saving my life.” Standard pop lyrical fare, with the occasional clunker (“You’re my sunshine in the rain when it’s pouring … if life is a movie, then you’re the best part”), but with a voice like Caesar’s, one hardly minds.

Almost everything about this record is solid—and yet it’s not that different from the Alvvays record: a major step up from the debut, an album that turns heads around the world, but simply… nice. Much like the somewhat similar Sampha debut—which won the Mercury Prize, mind you—Freudian sounds like a major talent just getting warmed up.

The chances:

Jurors younger than I consider this a shoo-in as winner. Because—why? Because it’s the most commercially successful shortlister? That logic has historically never applied to Polaris, with one exception: Arcade Fire’s 2011 win for The Suburbs. Caesar has a strong shot, no doubt, but I think other albums here hold up more to repeat listens as a whole work.

Jeremy Dutcher – Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa (independent)

The album:

An excerpt from my April 6 review for the Waterloo Record, which can be read here in full:

“When you bring the songs, you’re going to bring the dances back. You’ll bring the people back. You’ll bring everything back.” That’s a tall order to hear from an elder in your community, a community where the past 100 years of colonialism have left fewer than 100 people speaking the Wolastoqiyik language of the Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick. Those remaining people are known as the “song carriers”—needless to say, they are all elderly.  Except one. His name is Jeremy Dutcher, a young, classically trained tenor singer and pianist who lives in Toronto and hangs around experimental circles. His debut album, Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, is not merely an academic project that involved him listening to his ancestors singing these songs, stored on 100-year-old wax cylinders at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec. If it was merely an interesting and culturally significant history project, that would be enough. But Dutcher’s voice and arrangements transform these songs into a stunning contemporary classical record—which was entirely the point. Even without the high concept, this would be a stunning work…
 Jeremy Dutcher’s dance with the dead is nothing short of transformative. That it’s his debut record makes it all the more remarkable.

The chances:

Extremely strong. The story is undeniably compelling, which makes critics want to pay closer attention. When they do, the music more than holds up. Dutcher is an arresting singer—as opera singers tend to be, of course. His arrangements draw deeply from modern classical; these ears even hear a bit of Moondog. His piano playing is entrancing, and the minimal additions—a few drums here, some cello there—pull the listener even deeper inside.

If there’s a knock against this record, it’s that opera is inherently off-putting to some listeners—not unlike trap or hardcore punk or any other extreme approach, like the Colin Stetsons of the world. But that’s never managed to completely scare off Polaris voters before (Fucked Up, Tagaq). A win would also make it the third Indigenous record to win Polaris (four if you include Lido Pimienta), and the second allophone record to do so (after Pimienta), which would all be remarkable on many levels.

The shoulda, woulda, coulda:

Bonjay – Lush Life (Mysteries of Trade)

The album:

I know a lot of people who would vote for Daniel Caesar as the best new vocalist in Canada, but I, for one, am left totally floored by what Alanna Stuart does with her voice, both on this record and in her work with the Queer Songbook Orchestra. Fact: when she sang “Constant Craving” with the QSO in Calgary, none other than k.d. lang was in the audience. Stuart’s bandmates didn’t want to tell her this before she went on. Of course, the legendary singer was as wowed as everyone else at the show and told Stuart as much afterwards. Because that’s the level of excellence we’re talking about here.

An excerpt from my May18 review for the Waterloo Record:  

Vocal powerhouse Alanna Stuart and producer Ian Swain, who as Bonjay make thrilling modern R&B inflected with Jamaican dancehall rhythms and German electronic music, somewhere on the spectrum between Solange and Kate Bush, but decidedly funkier than either, with some of the sci-fi soul of South African Toronto expat Zaki Ibrahim in the mix as well. This should be known as the Toronto sound. Stuart is nothing short of stunning: soulful and seductive, with the occasional operatic flourish. The music underneath her rarely goes for the obvious; despite Stuart’s clear star appeal, these aren’t straightforward pop songs, and they’re stronger for it. Lush Life arrives several years after this duo’s debut EP. The wait was entirely worth it.

Why it didn’t shortlist:

Timing. This is a deep record that rewards repeat listening, but it came out mere weeks before the Polaris deadline. I don’t doubt that if jurors had more time to spend with it, that it would easily have shortlisted. The only other knock against it is that it’s very much a Toronto record; I’m not sure this band has a large profile outside of the GTA—yet.

Cadence Weapon – s/t (EOne)

The album:

An excerpt from my Jan. 27 review; you can read that and my interview with him (about Bob Dylan, Gord Downie, and other things) here.

Six years is a long time in the rap game. But that’s how long Cadence Weapon has been out of the visible (or audible) action, after spending time as the poet laureate of his hometown of Edmonton, moving to Montreal and collaborating with beatmakers Kaytranada and Jacques Greene while DJing loft parties, and finally relocating to Toronto, where he met the producer Harrison and the singer Brendan Philip. That journey through time, through cities, and through experiences is abundantly evident on his fourth album, one on which the former solo bedroom producer invites plenty of talented new friends into his process ... His fourth album is self-titled, a designation normally reserved for debuts that introduce an artist to the world. In this case, it’s a summation of his musical career to date, and he claims it’s also his most autobiographical. Cadence Weapon claims that he’s never bonded with other rappers, instead finding kindred spirits in electronic and experimental scenes—if true, that’s hip-hop’s loss. As both a producer and a rapper, Cadence Weapon gets better and better with age. 

Why it didn’t shortlist:

No idea. I thought this would be a shoo-in, because it’s an excellent work by a familiar face. If I had to guess, I’d say that hip-hop doesn’t reward its elders—and it’s certainly weird to think of Cadence Weapon as an elder, but his debut was released 12 years ago, and he’s already been shortlisted twice before. But I know plenty of hip-hop critics who don’t at all understand this artist’s appeal with more general listeners—which, I don’t know, I thought would help his chances instead of trapping him inside a genre ghetto. Maybe Cadence Weapon is too much of square peg to still make shortlists, but no matter: he’s got plenty of reviews hailing this as the best thing he’s ever done, prizes be damned.

Tomorrow: Pierre Kwenders, Hubert Lenoir, and two more shoulda-woulda-coulda.

Polaris Music Prize long list 2018

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The release of the Polaris Music Prize long list (which took place yesterday) is always a cause for celebration, head-scratching, shrugs—but hopefully also some careful examination. I’ve been doing these breakdowns for most of the prize’s 12-year history; I’m frankly too lazy to go back and document trends, but in terms of how this year plays out, it looks like fewer old favourites than ever before: this is a pleasantly fresh crop. Yes, it’s still largely focused on Central Canadian music, and yes, jazz and metal and mainstream country are nowhere to be found, but beyond those perennial pitfalls I believe this is one of the most diverse and musically rewarding lists to date.

Here’s what it looks like, followed by my breakdown:

Allie – Nightshade            

Alvvays – Antisocialites

Arcade Fire – Everything Now

Bahamas – Earthtones

The Barr Brothers – Queens of the Breakers

Bernice – Puff LP: In the air without a shape

Jean–Michel Blais – Dans ma main

Bonjay – Lush Life

Booji Boys – Weekend Rocker

Philippe Brach – Le silence des troupeaux

Cadence Weapon – Cadence Weapon           

Daniel Caesar – Freudian

Jennifer Castle – Angels of Death

Clairmont The Second – Lil Mont from The Ave

Gord Downie – Introduce Yerself    

Jeremy Dutcher – Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa

Faith Healer – Try ;–)           

FRIGS – Basic Behaviour

Zaki Ibrahim – The Secret Life of Planets

Iskwé – The Fight Within

Kacy & Clayton – The Siren's Song

Lydia Képinski – Premier Juin

Pierre Kwenders – Makanda at the End of Space, the Beginning of Time

Pierre Lapointe – La science du coeur

Melissa Laveaux – Radyo Siwèl

Hubert Lenoir – Darlène

Terra Lightfoot – New Mistakes      

Loud – Une année record  

Milk & Bone – Deception Bay

Partner – In Search Of Lost Time

Propagandhi – Victory Lap

Vivek Shraya & Queer Songbook Orchestra – Part–Time Woman

Sloan – 12

Snotty Nose Rez Kids – The Average Savage

U.S. Girls – In A Poem Unlimited

The Weather Station – The Weather Station

Weaves – Wide Open

Charlotte Day Wilson – Stone Woman

Donovan Woods – Both Ways

Yamantaka // Sonic Titan – Dirt

Familiar faces:

Previous winners: 1 (Arcade Fire)

Previous shortlisters: 7 (Cadence Weapon x2, Jennifer Castle, Gord Downie, Zaki Ibrahim, U.S. Girls, Weaves, Yamantaka/Sonic Titan x2)

Previous longlisters: 10 (Bahamas, Barr Brothers, Jean-Michel Blais, Clairmont the Second, Pierre Kwenders, Milk and Bone, Sloan, The Weather Station, Charlotte Day Wilson, Donovan Woods)

New to Polaris: 22

Debut albums: 11 (Allie, Bonjay, Daniel Caesar, Jeremy Dutcher, Frigs, Iskwé, Lydia Képinski, Mélissa Laveaux, Loud, Partner, Vivek Shraya)

(Hopefully) recognizable names for even those living under a rock: 5 (Arcade Fire, Sloan, Daniel Caesar, Gord Downie, Bahamas)

Hall of famers:

2011 winner Arcade Fire now has four Polaris nods (not including the Heritage Prize they won for Funeral). Always longlisted, never shortlisted, Afie Jurvanen of Bahamas now has a fourth longlist appearance under his belt. Bahamas and Arcade Fire now join other four-time nominees The Weeknd (not longlisted for his EP this year), BadBadNotGood, Basia Bulat, Joel Plaskett, Tom Wilson, the Sadies, Daniel Romano and Patrick Watson.

All those acts still trail Drake, Dan Boeckner and the New Pornographers, who have five Polaris nods each in the prize’s history.

Former two-time shortlisters Yamantaka/Sonic Titan and Cadence Weapon now have another Polaris nod, bringing their tally to three.

Other than Arcade Fire, Y/ST, Cadence Weapon and Bahamas, this is a rather fresh set of Polaris nominees.

QUALIFIER: Everything below can be somewhat subjective, and I’ve no doubt got a few things flat wrong. All corrections are welcome.

Demographics:

Female solo or female-fronted: 19

Male/female partnership up front: 2 (Arcade Fire, Kacy & Clayton)

Acts featuring female instrumentalists who do not sing or lead the band: 1 (Alvvays)

Franco: 7 (plus franco instrumental artist Jean–Michel Blais)

Indigenous: 3

Others with persons of colour, solo or up front: 11

Geezers well past the age of 40: 3 (Gord Downie, Propagandhi, Sloan)

Geography:

This is always tricky, as ever-transient artists often have several cities claiming them, especially when they end up in Toronto or Montreal. Edmonton-born Cadence Weapon made his current record in Montreal and Toronto, where he now lives. Partner formed in Sackville, N.B.; its two members grew up in Goose Bay, N.L., and Summerside, P.E.I., and now live in Windsor. But generally speaking:

Toronto: 17

Montreal: 10 (includes current Parisian Mélissa Laveaux)

Hamilton: 2 (Iskwé, Terra Lightfoot)

Vancouver: 1 (Snotty Nose Rez Kids)
Edmonton: 1 (Faith Healer)

Winnipeg: 1 (Propagandhi)

Calgary: 1 (Vivek Shraya)

Windsor: 1 (Partner)
New Brunswick: 1 (Jeremy Dutcher)

Halifax: 1 (Booji Boys)

Saskatchewan: 1 (Kacy & Clayton)

Genre:

Identifiably rock (extremely broadly speaking): 20

Identifiably R&B/hip-hop: 9

Identifiably acoustic-based modern folk music: 5

Somewhat unidentifiably genre-averse: 6 (Bernice, Jean-Michel Blais, Jeremy Dutcher, Lydia Képinski, Pierre Kwenders, Vivek Shraya)

Weird and/or abrasive music that will scare the shit out of CBC Radio 2 (not counting all the hip-hop, which is certainly off limits, but including Weaves, who is apparently too outré for the nation’s music station in prime time): 10

Left behind:

10 more favourites of mine that deserve your ears, about which I’ll write more later:

Afrotronix – NomadiX

Geoff Berner – Canadiana Grotesquica

Cold Specks – Fool’s Paradise

Daphni – Joli Mai

Dennis Ellsworth – Things Change

Julie & the Wrong Guys – s/t

Peggy Lee – Echo Painting

The Sorority – Pledge

Maylee Todd – Acts of Love

Whitehorse – Panther in the Dollhouse

My picks

The final three records the jury will likely be arguing about at the September gala, from which one winner will emerge: Daniel Caesar, Jeremy Dutcher, U.S. Girls