Congratulations On! Your Win

If you're a Canadian, and the sort of person who reads five pages into the entertainment section, you know that Godspeed You! Black Emperor won the Polaris Prize, the award for best album of the year by a Canadian.  Good for them.  They used to be known only for preventing Panic! At The Disco from claiming the title of Best Group With An Agrammatical Exclamation Mark.

Personally, I love the Polaris Prize, just because it is so un-Canadian.  You would expect that a Canadian music award would go in one of the following directions:

• Due to our feelings of national insignificance, we just give it to the most famous; or more specifically, those most famous in the U.S.
• Out of politeness, we give it to the hardest-working or most underrated.
• For fear of taking bold stands, we just give it to old and established acts.
• In the name of inclusion, we rotate the winner among each genre of music.

After eight years, Polaris has avoided each of these fates.

This year the prize got some extra attention when Godspeed You! Black Emperor was less than thrilled to get the award, issuing a statement that was thankful, but also critical of the award, its lavish gala, and its corporate sponsorship.  That lead to some weird reactions.  Many criticized the band's attitude, but a lot of people were appreciative of their willingness to take a stand.  I'm not sure if that's a good thing that Canada's indie music community can be self-critical, or if it's become self-parody, in which our idea of rebellion has become so neutered that we applaud someone for criticizing us.  But I'm not too worried: I'd rather be contemplating that after an award show than discussing what people were wearing on the red carpet.