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Feist, Drake, and Japandroids Make Polaris Prize Long List

Feist / Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty

What artist’s album will join the ranks of Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs and Fucked Up’s The Chemistry of Common Life as a recipient of the Polaris Music Prize? The organization — which honors and rewards outstanding Canadian musicians with accolades and, of course, CAN $30,000 — announced its long list of 40 possibilities, sponsored this year by the Musicians’ Rights Organization Canada, for their Canadian Album of the Year award. And it is vastly diverse.

Artists range from singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen to R&B artist the Weeknd, and from female noise-metal duo Mares of Thrace to alt-country singer Kathleen Edwards. Past recipients and (and recent SPIN cover stars) Fucked Up are also nominated for David Comes to Life, the LP we named the 2011 Album of the Year for “synthesizing 40 years of rock into what’s ostensibly a hardcore record.” Per usual, the list was selected by a nationwide jury of more than 200 members of the Canadian music media and this year covers music released between June 1, 2011 through May 31, 2012. Check out all of the nominees below.

From here, Billboard reports, the Polaris voting jury will whittle the list down to 10 for a short list they’ll announce on July 17, and the winner will be named on September 24 at a gala.

A Tribe Called Red, A Tribe Called Red
Marie-Pierre Arthur, Aux alentours
Rich Aucoin, We’re All Dying To Live
Avec pas d’casque, Astronomie
Azari & III, Azari & III
Bahamas, Barchords
The Barr Brothers, The Barr Brothers
Blackie And The Rodeo Kings, Kings And Queens
Cadence Weapon, Hope In Dirt City
Kathryn Calder, Bright And Vivid
Cannon Bros, Firecracker / Cloudglow
Coeur de pirate, Blonde
Leonard Cohen, Old Ideas
Cold Specks, I Predict A Graceful Expulsion
Rose Cousins, We Have Made A Spark
Mark Davis, Eliminate The Toxins
Drake, Take Care
Kathleen Edwards, Voyageur
Feist, Metals
Fucked Up, David Comes To Life
Great Lake Swimmers, New Wild Everywhere
Grimes, Visions
Handsome Furs, Sound Kapital
Japandroids, Celebration Rock
Dan Mangan, Oh Fortune
Mares Of Thrace, The Pilgrimage
Ariane Moffatt, MA
Lindi Ortega, Little Red Boots
Parlovr, Kook Soul
Sandro Perri, Impossible Spaces
Joel Plaskett Emergency, Scrappy Happiness
PS I Love You, Death Dreams
John K. Samson, Provincial
Shooting Guns, Born To Deal In Magic: 1952-1976
The Slakadeliqs, The Other Side of Tomorrow
Patrick Watson, Adventures In Your Own Backyard
Bry Webb, Provider
The Weeknd, Echoes of Silence
Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, YT//ST
Yukon Blonde, Tiger Talk