The 2016 Canadian Music Week Indie Awards are taking place tomorrow night (Wednesday May 4th) and we asked some of our team (Ryan, Jeff, Jess and Michael) who they think will win.   We also have Ryan’s thoughts on each of his picks posted below the nominee list.

 

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Carly Rae Jepsen – Emotion 
Grimes – Art Angels –  Picked by Jess
Majical Cloudz – Are You Alone? 
Tobias Jesso Jr. – Goon  – Picked by Michael
Viet Cong – Viet Cong  – Picked by Ryan & Jeff

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Arkells – “Leather Jacket”  –  Picked by Jess and Jeff

Coleman Hell – “2 Heads” 

Jocelyn Alice – “Jackpot” 

The Strumbellas – “Spirits”  Picked by Ryan 
Wintersleep – “Amerika” – Picked by Michael

GROUP OF THE YEAR

BADBADNOTGOOD –  Picked by Ryan 
Metric – Picked by Jeff 
The Strumbellas – Picked by Jess & Michael
Whitehorse
Young Empires

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Carly Rae Jepsen
City and Colour –  Picked by Ryan and Jess
Grimes – Picked by Michael
Lights – Picked by Jeff 
YOAN

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
City and Colour –  Picked by Jess and Jeff
Hayden –  Picked by Ryan 
Tobias Jesso Jr.
Whitehorse – Picked by Michael
Young Empires

ABORIGINAL ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR
A Tribe Called Red – Picked by Michael
Buffy Sainte-Marie – Picked by Jeff 
City Natives
Drezus
Tanya Tagaq –  Picked by Ryan and Jess

ALTERNATIVE ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR
Destroyer
Half Moon Run –  Picked by Jess 
Mac DeMarco
The Zolas – Picked by Jeff
Yukon Blonde –  Picked by Ryan and Michael

ELECTRONIC/DANCE ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR

A-Trak
Braids
Keys N Krates –  Picked by Ryan and Michael
Pomo
Purity Ring –  Picked by Jess and Jeff

FRANCOPHONE ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR
Chocolat –  Picked by Jess 
Galaxie  – Picked by Michael
La Bronze –  Picked by Ryan and Jeff
Louis-Jean Cormier
Marie-Pierre Arthur

POP ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR
Coleman Hell
Dan Talevski
Jocelyn Alice
Ria Mae –  Picked by Jess and Jeff
Tyler Shaw –  Picked by Ryan and Michael

RAP/R&B ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR
Daniel Caesar
Jazz Cartier –  Picked by Jess 
John River
SonReal – Picked by Michael and Jeff
Spek Won –  Picked by Ryan 

 

ROCK ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR

Dilly Dally –  Picked by Jess 
Hey Rosetta! – Picked by Michael
Monster Truck –  Picked by Ryan and Jeff
The Elwins
The Glorious Sons

SINGER-SONGWRITER ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR
Basia Bulat
Dan Mangan –  Picked by Jess 
Lindi Ortega –  Picked by Ryan and Jeff
Patrick Watson – Picked by Michael
The Weather Station

INTERNATIONAL ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR
Alabama Shakes 
Courtney Barnett –  Picked by Jess 
Major Lazer –  Picked by Ryan and Jeff
Mumford & Sons – Picked by Michael
Nathaniel Rateliff And The Night Sweats

 

Why Ryan picked who he picked:

Album of the Year: Viet Cong – Viet Cong – As going away albums go…this was a solid final outing for the post-punk cowboy outfit. I appreciate any album that comes in under 40 minutes and doesn’t waste my time.  I’d like to see the newly formed ‘Preoccupations’  build on the hype.

Single OTY: Strumbellas – Spirits – This was the break out track of the winter for Canada’s favorite sad lyric/happy melody machine. Even stodgy radio execs had to take notice after the bands 2 previous exceptional albums failed to take hold.

Band OTY: BADBADNOTGOOD – Next year this award belongs to Strumbellas. But as for the last year, BBNG’s turn backing Ghostface Killah put this Toronto outfit on the map.  Also…Love to fellow Humber College alumni.

Artist OTY: City & Colour – This one hurts…but when Carley Ray Jepson has her own beer…we’ll reevaluate.

Songwriter OTY: Hayden – I know at least one kid named after Hayden…and for some reason, women in their 30s tend to go weak in the knees when he’s brought up.  He must be doing something right. (Hozier take note)

Aboriginal AOTY: Tanya Tagaq – It’s a rare 40 year old who gets picked as a Rolling Stone ’10 artists you need to know’…and even rarer that they’re right…but here we are.

Alternative AOTY: Yukon Blond – though I’ll never forgive them. They know what they did. (inside story with Ryan & Michael)

Electronic GOTY: Keys N Krates – Finally starting to get some love on the festival circuit. This year is going to be huge for them.

Francaphone GOTY: La Bronze – Because their name feels fake french.

POP Artist OTY: Tyler Shaw – Because the machine meant for him to be a break out star a year ago, but the album got held up in record label limbo…manufactured innocence wins out.

RAP/RnB OTY: Spek Won – Rexdale represent! I lived at the corner of Kipling and Finch long enough to know it’s a rare flower that grows out of the concrete.

Rock OTY:Monster Truck – Win by default until someone comes along and takes it away from them.  This year’s field of folk rock and knock offs don’t hold up.

Singer-Songwriter OTY: Lindi Ortega – Often cited by other musicians as terrific, and that backing band anchored by Champagne James Roberts is outstanding.

International GOTY: Major Lazer – Ever been to a late night set?  Best pic of an odd category.