Polaris Finalists Collected On New Album

The 2006 Polaris Music Prize Album Of The Year Nominees, featuring one song from each of the 10 finalists vying for the title of Canada's best album, will be in stores for an eight-week window beginning on Tuesday.

The nominees selected what song of theirs they wanted to be included on the Warner Music Canada-released compilation, which features liner notes written by members of the 120-member Polaris jury that chose the finalists from an initial list of 165 titles.

"This CD, though a riveting listen, is but a glimpse of each nominee's artistic vision," says Polaris executive director Steve Jordan. "Our intention with this compilation is to compel listeners to explore each one of the wondrous records on the list in full."

Stores across the country will feature the specially priced compilation and the nominated albums in special displays, and a print ad campaign will be launched the week of release to attract further attention.This is the first year for Polaris, which was modelled after the U.K.'s Mercury Prize, to honour the best Canadian album released between June 1, 2005 and May 31, 2006.

The winner will be determined by a panel of 11 jurors on the night of the Sept. 18 invitation-only gala at Toronto's Phoenix and will leave the club with a $20,000 cash prize.

"Artists are the lifeblood of Canada's music industry," says Graham Henderson, president of the Canadian Recording Industry Association, which has come on board as a Polaris sponsor. "Honouring them for the quality of their work will help build a stronger future for Canadian music."

Here are the artists and songs on Polaris Music Prize 2006 Album Of The Year Nominees, as well as the albums that they came from:

Broken Social Scene — "Fire Eye'd Boy" (from Broken Social Scene)
Cadence Weapon — "Black Hand" (from Breaking Kayfabe)
The Deadly Snakes — "Gore Veil" (from Porcella)
Final Fantasy — "This Lamb Sells Condos" (from He Poos Clouds)
Sarah Harmer — "Goin' Out" (from I'm A Mountain)
K'Naan — "Soobax" (from The Dusty Foot Philosopher)
Malajube — "Pate Filo" (from Trompe L'Oeil)
Metric — "The Police And The Private" (from Live It Out)
The New Pornographers — "Sing Me Spanish Techno" (from Twin Cinema)
Wolf Parade — "Shine A Light" (from Apologies To The Queen Mary)