From a list of hundreds, 196 music journalists from across the country carefully decided the 10 best Canadian albums of which the winner of the 2023 Polaris Music Prize will be determined on September 19, live from Toronto’s legendary Massey Hall. In honour of this year’s vibrant list of nominees, Canadian Beats is examining the 10 nominees and celebrating the artists behind them.
“Before it was released, I sent it around to some musician and industry pals. I got a call from someone I really respect out of the blue, and they told me that it was “on par with any one of my heroes”. You put so much of yourself into an album, and most of the time the world is like “yeah nice one”, if they even listen to it. You can’t take it personally. There’s just an enormous amount of music happening all the time and here we all are hoping that our little contribution will be the one to puncture the fabric of society. But I think about that phone call. I thought that was just about the nicest thing they could have said, and it still gives me the feels.”
–Dan Mangan, on the most complimentary and impactful thing said about Being Somewhere.
Since bursting onto the Canadian music landscape from his humble beginnings in Vancouver in the late 2000s, Dan Mangan’s signature ethereal voice and deep, conversational lyrics have delighted audiences around the world; and with his latest album, Being Somewhere, finds Mangan baring his soul all while celebrating his Polaris Short List nomination for the second time in his dynamic career.
“For a long time, it seemed like as I got more artistically brave, the Polaris jury cared less and less about my work…as if I was being punished for wandering outside of my lane – which felt incongruous with the whole point of the award. But it’s okay. I think I’ve always been a bit out of step with the zeitgeist, and you don’t make music for awards anyhow. But I’m thrilled to play the gala and be around so many wonderfully talented and inspiring artists. The community element of it is really cool. I just want to be around interesting people.” – Dan Mangan, on his second Polaris Music Prize Short List nomination.
Beginning with the soft, rhythmic “All My People,” the listener is carried down a hypnotic, acoustic river that explores the intricacies and beautiful complexities of human emotion. An almost peculiar relief from loneliness is explored in tracks such as the single, “Fire Escape,” and “Just Know It”, while “All Roads” and “Long After” give hope to the dark realist in the bleak world of the 2020’s. And, in an interview with Canadian Beats, Mangan says his album closer, “No Tragedy Please,” as his “best attempt at describing the ongoing connection between gratitude and terror.”
“I think that “No Tragedy Please” could be my best offering to the lyric world. When I was a young songwriter, if something sounded poetic, it was good enough… but these days I need something more specific and more devastating from songs.” – Dan Mangan
Will the dynamic and beautiful Being Somewhere land the honour of the best Canadian album of the year? Find out by following CBC Music on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook, and at cbcmusic.ca/polaris and follow for more Polaris Music Prize coverage.