Elliott Brood
Fucked Up
Great Lake Swimmers
Hey Rosetta
K'NAAN
Malajube
Metric
Joel Plaskett
Chad VanGaalen
Patrick Watson

OK so for predictions I went 5/10 and for my actual ballot I went 2/5. Not bad, but not great. I'm really disappointed that Rae Spoon didn't make the cut. Sooo... Analysis.

Thoughts:

• The Plaskett album is a triple-disc snore-fest. I'm not surprised it made the list because so many critics have such a huge boner for it, but don't ask me to explain why. I thought Ashtray Rock was a weak Short List entry as well, but it was leagues better than Three
• Really glad to see Elliott Brood and Great Lake Swimmers made the cut. Both put out excellent records that I may have neglected a bit in my pre-ballot run-up. At very least, I think my dear Mother will be tickled to see GLS on there, as it will make her feel very hip.
• Metric? Come on. Metric? I will admit that there is at least one standout track (Gold Guns Girls) that's better than anything on their last album, but the rest is pretty bland. I guess I should've seen this coming, though.
• Seeing the Patrick Watson record on there is a bit of a surprise, frankly. I was a huge fan of Close To Paradise and I predicted (correctly!) that it would win the prize in 2006, but Wooden Arms never rubbed me the right way. As far as I'm concerned, this is the only genuine Short List shocker.

That's about it. Big up to hometown boy Chad VanGizzyGaalen, who I knew would be on this list from Day One. I still expect him to walk away with the prize, but I think he'll have some stiff competition from other candidates, especially Fucked Up.