Ten albums, including lo-fi rocker Calvin Love’s New Radar, classical accordionist N. Antonio Peruch’s Logos Futura, and rapper Mikey Maybe’s Honey + Bread, are on the shortlist for the first Edmonton Music Prize.
The award, sponsored by the city through the Edmonton Arts Council, comes with a $8,000 grand prize. Two runners-up will each get $1,000. (Full disclosure: I’m one of the judges.)
The other shortlisters include:
100 Mile House’s collection of folk lullabies, Wait With Me
Cantoo’s retro-drenched self-titled debut
Chloe Albert’s folk-rock Dream Catcher
Jay Sparrow’s poptastic White
Maria Dunn’s folk ode to factory workers, Piece By Piece
Nuela Charles’ noir-soul-pop smash, Aware
Shout Out Out Out Out’s psychedelic dance-punk Spanish Moss and Total Loss
The Edmonton Music Prize recognizes “superior work and achievement in the realm of recorded music” within the last 18 months, according to a news release. Nominees who have made a “unique contribution, or outstanding accomplishment in music” will be given priority.
Three finalists will be announced in several weeks. A winner is expected to be named by late November/early December.
The Edmonton Music Prize is the latest award to be established by the Edmonton Arts Council. It also co-founded the Edmonton Film Prize in 2012. This year’s $10,000 cheque was awarded to Kyle Armstrong for his short film about the northern lights, Magnetic Reconnection.
