Big Townie Tunes

The longlist for this year’s Borealis Music Prize was so good we decided to make an album of it.

There were a few physical copies on hand at The Borealis Music Prize party last weekend. They didn’t last long, so maybe we’ll have them pop up somewhere else.

When this year’s longlist jury were given a longlist and told to send along their top five picks, most of them were sent into a state of panic – how do you pick just five? And worse still, how do you rank those five as a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th pick, when they’re all so good in their own way?

Lucky for you, casual listeners, you don’t have to. You can just kick back and enjoy this 21-song sampler of the 2014 Borealis Music Prize longlist for what it is: a damn fine testament to the quality and diversity of this island’s music scene.

It’s missing a lot of great local music, sure, like songs from EPs that were too short to be eligible, or songs from some surprise omissions, but Big Townie Tunes Vol.1 is great album.

Every year, we will make a Big Townie Tunes compilation based on the Borealis music Prize longlist. Here’s a link to this year’s: https://theovercast.bandcamp.com/album/big-townie-tunes-vol-1

Or you can stream it here: