blog post Polaris Music Prize: Who did the jury miss?

The 40 nominees have been announced, the congratulatory tweets have been sent and the countdown to the short list is on. Meanwhile, it’s time to scrutinize the Polaris Music Prize long list put together by a jury of over 200 journalists, broadcasters, music nerds and programmers from across the country.

Canadian music fans have already started to raise Twitter hell about some deserving acts that didn’t make the list, who released albums within the June 1, 2011, to May 31, 2012, eligibility period.

We decided to check in with the four presenters from Thursday’s long list announcement and ask them: Who did the jury miss?

Dan Mangan (Photo: Ben Didier/CBC Music)
Pick: Zeus, Busting Visions (released March 27, 2012)

Listen"Anything You Want Dear"
Zeus
Bursting Visions
 

“We just did five weeks in Europe with Zeus, I'm a huge fan. I would love to have seen their record, Busting Visions, on the long list. That band has such a natural and effortless feel. Everything they do has so much room and space, and grit. It's funny because there are a lot of bands that sound like throwback bands, but even though the music they’re playing has vibes and intentions from long ago, you don't feel like it’s gimmicky. You feel like they believe it, that they're inside it. That's just the kind of songs they write.”

Veda Hille (Photo: Ben Didier/CBC Music)
Pick: Apollo Ghosts, Landmark (released May 15, 2012)

Listen"Landmark"
Apollo Ghosts
Landmark
 

“My favourite Vancouver band released something just under the wire, the new Apollo Ghosts record, Landmark. It is so enthusiastic and unpretentious. I love this album, and when I saw them live I thought, ‘This is what I always want in a show.’ They look constantly surprised and delighted to find out where they are, it's like they all have short-term memory loss and they keep waking up and saying to themselves ‘Oh my gosh, I'm on stage and I'm playing music.’ It's awesome.”

Hannah Georgas (Photo: Ben Didier/CBC Music)
Pick: Drawn Ship, Low Domestic (released Sept. 6, 2011)

Listen"Glass Eye"
Drawn Ship
Low Domestic
 

“A gal from Vancouveris missing on this list, her name is Lyn [Heinemann]. Her band is Drawn Ship, and her record Low Domestic honestly blew me away. It's an indie record, but her music and songwriting just blows me away.”

Francois Marchand (Photo: Ben Didier/CBC Music)
Pick: Brasstronaut, Mean Sun (released May 15, 2012)

Listen"Mean Sun"
Brasstronaut
Mean Sun

“The one glaring one was Brasstronaut's Mean Sun. This is a great, great, fantastic record. It's a slow-burning record, so it really took a long time to sink in. I think that's why, because it came out so late in May, that maybe people will think about it later and say, ‘Aww, maybe we should have voted for Brasstronaut, too.’”

CBC Music will have full coverage of the Polaris Music Prize short list announcement happening July 17.

Do you have a favourite that didn’t make the list? Let us know in the comments.

Related:

Snubs and surprises: Twitter reactions to 2012 Polaris Prize long list

LISTEN: 2012 Polaris Music Prize long list 

Polaris long list post mortem party