Short list announced for Polaris Music Prize, Toronto well-represented

The short list for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize was revealed this afternoon at The Drake Hotel, and of the 10 finalists, half are from Toronto. Previous Polaris winner Fucked Up’s David Comes to Life; Etobicoke “doom soul” artist Cold Specks’ I Predict A Graceful Expulsion; and half-Montreal/half-Toronto Pan-Asian-psychedelia (among other influences) fusion duo Yamantaka // Sonic Titan’s YT//ST are all in the running for the $30,000 grand prize. Not surprisingly, indie darling Feist and actor-cum-rapper Drake also made the list for their fourth (Metals) and second (Take Care) albums, respectively. This means Toronto now has a 50 per cent chance of bringing home the prize (even more if you count the Ottawa-born, but Toronto-based Kathleen Edwards). Those are way better odds than the 25 per cent chance the Big Smoke had when the long list was announced.