“Canadian Song Contest” rolls the best music of the year into one song
Polaris Music Prize winners Arcade Fire
Even though Arcade Fire won the Polaris Music Prize, the other nominees got a reprieve with the new track “Canadian Song Contest,” a mash-up by Toronto’s Kids And Explosions.
The track features parts of “Sprawl II” by winners Arcade Fire, “Darken Her Horse” by Austra, “Lemonade” by Braids, “Diesel” by Galaxie, “Parson Brown” by Hey Rosetta!, “Red Horse (Judges II)” by Colin Stetson, “Love Shines” by Ron Sexsmith, and “Black Water” by Timber Timbre (but no Destroyer or The Weeknd). The accompanying video was created using a television as a table and layering clear panels over it. What results is cut-and-paste like you’ve never seen (or heard), layering photographs over film, creating a multi-layered and totally listenable new work. While the winners came home with $30,000, at least the other nominees have everlasting viral video cred.
