Show me the money? The Polaris people say don't bother. With the release of the list of the 40 contending albums for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize, the 200-plus jury members once again strictly enforced its mandate to select "quality Canadian albums" without regard to sales history or label affiliations.
Top-selling works by Michael Bublé, Justin Bieber, Billy Talent and Robin Thicke failed to make a long list populated by obscure works from Brasstronaut, Frog Eyes, Karkwa, Mister Valaire and South Rakkas Crew.
The Polaris short list of 10 albums contending for the $20,000 prize will be revealed on July 6.
The winner will be debated by a jury and announced on Sept. 20.
The full long list:
Apollo Ghosts - Mount Benson (Vancouver)
Bahamas - Pink Strat (Toronto)
The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night (Montreal)
Blue Rodeo - The Things We Left Behind (Toronto)
Brasstronaut - Mt. Chimaera (Vancouver)
Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record (Toronto)
Basia Bulat - Heart Of My Own (London)
By Divine Right - Mutant Message (Toronto)
Caribou - Swim (Dundas)
Jason Collett - Rat A Tat Tat (Toronto)
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (II) (Toronto)
Amelia Curran - Hunter Hunter (Halifax)
Fred Fortin - Plastrer La Lune (Montreal)
Frog Eyes - Paul's Tomb: A Triumph (Victoria)
Hannah Georgas - This Is Good (Vancouver)
Ghostkeeper - Ghostkeeper (Calgary)
Holy Fuck - Latin (Toronto)
Karkwa - Les Chemins De Verre (Montreal)
LeE HARVeY OsMOND - A Quiet Evil (Hamilton)
Greg MacPherson - Mr. Invitation (Winnipeg)
Dan Mangan - Nice, Nice, Very Nice (Vancouver)
Misteur Valaire - Golden Bombay (Montreal)
The New Pornographers - Together (Vancouver)
Owen Pallett - Heartland (Toronto)
Plants And Animals - La La Land (Montreal)
Radio Radio - Belmundo Regal (Montreal)
Justin Rutledge - The Early Widows (Toronto)
The Sadies - Darker Circles (Toronto)
Shad - TSOL (London)
Elizabeth Shepherd - Heavy Falls The Night (Toronto)
The Slew - 100% (Montreal)
Meaghan Smith - The Cricket's Orchestra (London)
South Rakkas Crew - The Stimulus Package (Toronto)
Tegan And Sara - Sainthood (Vancouver)
The Wooden Sky - If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone (Toronto)
Hawksley Workman - Meat (Huntsville)
You Say Party! We Say Die! - XXXX (Vancouver)
Young Galaxy - Invisible Republic (Montreal)
Yukon Blonde - Yukon Blonde (Vancouver)
Zeus - Say Us (Toronto)