Mike Madden
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Polaris Music Prize Announces 2012 Nominees

The Polaris Music Prize was established in 2006 and quickly became one of the top honors a Canadian-made album (or, rather, an album made by Canadians) can receive. Past winners include Caribou (for Andorra), Fucked Up (The Chemistry of Common Life), and Arcade Fire (The Suburbs), some of whom are pictured above.

This year, the prize's nominees include both albums that have been out awhile (like Drake's Take Care and Fucked Up's David Comes to Life) and brand-new LPs (Japandroids' Celebration Rock). Check out the entire list of nominees below; the Prize will be awarded in Toronto on September 24, after the below list is cut to 10 on July 17.

• 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