Polaris is the annual Canadian music prize, awarded to an artist for an album released in the past year, based solely on artistic merit (regardless of record sales, label affiliation, or genre). The 10 artists on the shortlist was announced yesterday. The winner is to be announced in September. Last year’s winner was Caribou‘s Andorra, a very fine record. A CBC R3 playlist is posted after the jump.

CBC R3 podcast highlighting the artists on the shortlist.