Tag Archives: The Polaris Project

because i now write about arts and culture as my job, this had the simultaneous effect of scratching the ol’ “criticism itch” that this project used to do and sapping any residual motivation i might have put toward listening to and reviewing all 40 o’ these things. and now that the Polaris short list’s beenContinue reading “The Polaris Project – July 17, 2024 (callin’ it a year)”

idk if i’m going to get through all 40 of these. i’m running out of steam and i’m not sure if i care that much about this idea anymore. we’ll see. Homecoming Queen by Devours electropop that sorta sounds like post-Carrie–&–Lowell Sufjan Stevens with the “overt homosexuality” dial turned up by half a notch. unfortunately,Continue reading “The Polaris Project – June 17-30”

after taking a week-and-a-half to work through the third batch of albums, i decided to fire off the last ten all in the same day. i am so fucking good at music criticism!! Colder Streams by The Sadies i’ve seen these guys at Folk Fest a few times and thought they were simply “OK” eachContinue reading “The Polaris Project – July 4, 2023”

it’s been a while. back to the grind! Once Upon a Time in Montréal by Murray A. Lightburn this album was a great choice for my June 22, 2023 walk to work! Lightburn’s softly sung-spoken vocals and the warmth of the orchestral jazz-rock instrumentation (of which the strings were especially pleasant!) combined quite nicely withContinue reading “The Polaris Project – June 22 – July 3, 2023”

Never Enough by Daniel Caesar due to “having heard good things,” i’ve been meaning to check out this guy’s stuff for a while, so allow me to say: pretty good! i can see the appeal! this is just what i needed to hear on the morning of friday, june 16, 2023 – low-to-midtempo R&B balladsContinue reading “The Polaris Project – June 16-21, 2023”

it’s that time of year again! wasn’t entirely sure i wanted to do this a third time. i feel like i’ve already exhausted everything i can think of to say about music, but i’ll try to produce at least one novel observation across the 40 albums to follow. can she do it? you’ll just haveContinue reading “The Polaris Project – June 13-15, 2023”

The Fool by SATE Suffice it to say, this album sates my thirst for an ominous garage rock album with weird noisy interludes. At least, I sure hope that suffices to say because I can’t think of anything else. Highlight: “0: Loofeht.” 3.25 stars out of 5. TAO by Shad Shad’s got “good bars,” asContinue reading “The Polaris Project – June 21-24, 2022”

Stock Exchange by Haviah Mighty There’s those drums again! Someone oughta send a memo around so that rappers stop using the type of drum machine sounds I don’t like. Everything in the world should be catered to me! Mighty’s flow is catchy, even if it’s undermined by trap beats that I personally find irritating, soContinue reading “The Polaris Project – June 20, 2022”

one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden by ada lea Now I’ve gotta respect an album whose title is in all lowercase and consists of a long non-sequitur. “One hand on the steering wheel? OK, sure, I get that, but what’s the other hand doing? ‘Sewing a garden?’ Huh? What?” HopeContinue reading “The Polaris Project – June 18-19, 2022”

I’m back! Back to write about all 40 Polaris Music Prize long-list nominees and announce my ten favourites at the end, that is. Maybe if I keep doing this they’ll invite me to be part of the voting committee. Anyway, let’s get to it. Prospect by AHI Pleasant, if boring, acoustic folk deliver with soft,Continue reading “The Polaris Project – June 14-15, 2022”