Polaris Preview: Holy Fuck

Holy Fuck don't care about computers. The Toronto band's latest album, LP, is nominated for this year's Polaris Music Prize. It was crafted without using PC-generated loops, samples or splices, which is a rarity for a dance record.

We recently spoke with Graham Walsh about LP's Polaris nomination and other things.

ChartAttack: Someone is mumbling on opener "Super Inuit." What the heck are they trying to say?
Graham Walsh: Brian [Borcherdt] is reciting a really deep poem about the philosophy of life and some real personal things. He's really opening up his soul. It's either that or nothing at all.

That song was recorded in a barn. Did you at least move the animals before you started?
It's actually owned by a friend of ours from Hamilton. He decided to move to a rural setting in Ontario, and he kicked the animals out. No animals were harmed in the making of this record.

But did it still smell?
No. He actually did a good job. He totally gutted the place and added air conditioning and everything. He made it so you could totally live there if you wanted to.

There's a video of you guys on YouTube playing "Royal Gregory" at an outdoor pool. What is it about LP that makes people want to party and show some skin?
I don't really know. Maybe we just try to make the music fun and interesting, and any kind of reaction we get is great. That's a great venue. It's in New York. It has an Olympic-sized pool and everything.

Clips of your songs are often heard on the television show Kenny Vs. Spenny. How did that come about?
They just asked us. I've seen the show before, so I was stoked. They just kinda found us and approached us about it.

Would you do any of the sick crap they do just to get famous?
No, I wouldn't do that. I have been known to be competitive, though.

"Milkshake" is a pretty trippy video. Does your album sound better when you're whacked out on drugs?
I've never really tried them, but doesn't any music sound better when you're whacked out on drugs?

Which songs from LP change the most when you play them live?
I think "Frenchy's" changes quite a bit. The main part stays the same, but what we do with it changes. "Choppers" maybe changes the most because of what we do with it. When we made it, Mike Bigelow played bass, and he's not in the band anymore. Matt McQuaid plays bass now, and he takes it to a new level.

So if you win the $20,000 along with the Polaris Music Prize, are you going to hire a singer?
No way. We'd have to think about that. There's a lot of things you can do with that kind of money.

Can I borrow $20?
Only if we win.