Fatima - "Caught In A Lie"

Yellow Memories was one of my favourite albums of 2014, so I'm stoked that UK vocalist Fatima is set to release the follow-up this fall. And Yet It's All Love is due in September on Eglo Records and just over a week ago she debuted the second single from the LP. Natureboy Flako's production just POPS with crisp drumming and clipped bass-lines adding punch underneath Fatima's warm, rolling delivery. Penciling this one in to my 2018 Longlist on spec based on the strong start that "Caught In A Lie" and "Somebody Else" set.

Natalie Evans - "In Trees"

It's not in service of '90s Britpop, but Natalie Evans vocals' make me recall Harriet Wheeler of The Sundays as both share a breathy delivery and an effortlessly high vocal range. On "In Trees" (below) and the rest of Better At Night, Evans blends folk and pop in equal measure and has me thinking back to favourite songs from Harmony Trowbridge and Casey Dienel. Evans plays guitar, piano and harp (check out "Empty Rooms and Aeroplanes' for the harp highlight) and knows which instrument to employ on each song for maximum musical effect. With no song nearing the 3:30 mark and a few just cracking one minute, this is an all-too-brief glimpse at a talent on the rise.

My Polaris Prize Ballot - 2018 Round One

It's that time of year again. The mid-year sweats that have nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with filling out my ballot for the first round of the Polaris Prize voting.

If you think I agonize over my personal Year-End Top 20, that's nothing compared to the second-guessing and third-listening I do to winnow down my Polaris picks. Because these selections actually have some real-world import and could lead to some cold-hard cash for one great act.

All told, there were 224 official suggestions of albums for the June 2017 - May 2018 eligibility period, and my own longlist included 39 of those titles.

I try to be internally consistent with my selections, so you'll see some overlap between the June-December 2017 period Polaris titles and my January - December 2017 longlist / Top 20 and at the end of this year you'll see the titles from January - May 2018. Though I should mention that unlike my own Top 20 where I don't consider EPs, they are eligible for the Polaris and thus there are a couple on my Polaris longlist that don't / won't make the Year-End cut, and that a few albums released in 2017 are on my Polaris list but I didn't discover them in time to consider for the 2017 calendar year.

Clear as mud??

Without further ado, here's the albums (in alphabetical order) that made my own Polaris longlist, and from which I selected my first round ballot of 5.

Allie - Nightshade
Alvvays - Antisocialites
Astral Swans - Strange Prisons
Julie Aube - Joie de vivre
Beatchild & The Slakadeliqs - Heavy Rockin' Steady
Bernice - Puff LP
Birthday Boy & Trish - Joseph
Bonjay - Lush Life
Daniel Caesar - Freudian
Chet Doxas - Rich In Symbols
Jeremy Dutcher - Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa
Faith Healer - Try
Freak Heat Waves - Beyond XXXL
Heavy Bell - By Grand Central Station
Zaki Ibrahim - The Secret Life Of Planets
Iskwe - The Fight Within
Julie & The Wrong Guys - Julie & The Wrong Guys
Pierre Kwenders - MAKANDA
L Con - Insecurities in Being
Chris LaRocca - Voila
Peggy Lee - Echo Paiting
Mauno - Tuning
Mise En Scene - Still Life On Fire
Partner - In Search of Lost Time
PARTYNEXTDOOR - Seven Days
Rhye - Blood
Emie R. Roussel Trio - Intersections
Gabrielle Shonk - Gabrielle Shonk
Sick Boss - Sick Boss
Snotty Nose Rez Kids - The Average Savage
The Sorority - PLEDGE
Maylee Todd - Acts of Love
U.S. Girls - In A Poem Unlimited
Victime - La femme taupe
Wares - Wares
The Weather Station - The Weather Station
Weaves - Wide Open
Charlotte Day Wilson - Stone Woman EP
Witch Prophet - The Golden Octave

And here's what I voted for: