Music journalists across Canada, including our own New Brunswick based Ben Conoley, have narrowed down the 40 act long list for the 2009 Polaris Music Prize. The list includes recent records from Arkells, Fucked Up, Metric, Joel Plaskett, Pink Mountaintops, Elliott Brood, Chad VanGaalen, Malajube, Bruce Peninsula, and Wolf Parade. To qualify for Polaris, the Canadian acts had to have released an album between June 1st, 2008 and May 31st, 2009.

The 190 member jury will now narrow this group down to a Short List, to be in Toronto on July 7th. The winning band will walk away with $20,000 at a ceremony in September.
  1. Arkells - Jackson Square
  2. Jill Barber - Chances
  3. Beast - Beast
  4. Bell Orchestre - As Seen Through Windows
  5. Bison B.C. - Quiet Earth
  6. Bruce Peninsula - A Mountain Is A Mouth
  7. Cœur De Pirate - Cœur De Pirate
  8. Leonard Cohen - Live In London
  9. D-Sisive - Let The Children Die
  10. Elephant Stone - The Seven Seas
  11. Elliott Brood - Mountain Meadows
  12. Fucked Up - The Chemistry Of Common Life
  13. Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels
  14. Handsome Furs - Face Control
  15. Tim Hecker - An Imaginary Country
  16. Hey Rosetta! - Into Your Lungs
  17. Japandroids - Post-Nothing
  18. Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care
  19. K'NAAN - Troubadour
  20. K-OS - YES!
  21. La patère rose - La patère rose
  22. Land Of Talk - Some Are Lakes
  23. Lhasa - Lhasa
  24. Malajube - Labyrinthes
  25. Metric - Fantasies
  26. One Hundred Dollars - Forest Of Tears
  27. Pink Mountaintops - Outside Love
  28. Joel Plaskett - Three
  29. Snailhouse - Lies On The Prize
  30. Charles Spearin - The Happiness Project
  31. Rae Spoon - superioryouareinferior
  32. The Stills - Oceans Will Rise
  33. Think About Life - Family
  34. Timber Timbre - Timber Timbre
  35. Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane
  36. Martha Wainwright - I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too
  37. Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms
  38. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
  39. Women - Women
  40. Woodpigeon - Treasury Library Canada C/W Houndstooth Europa