Quick, Before It Melts.

The Juno Awards sometimes feel like Canada's very own in-joke, as opposed to our very own celebration of Canadian music. In the past, the award winners, and the ceremony itself, have been laughable, but with the bumper crop of great new artists and the growing diversity of the Canadian pop music scene, the Juno's cred factor is on the rise.

No big surprise, yet a total vindication after her Grammy shut-out, Feist came away with the Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year awards on Saturday night. She was up against perennial QBiM favourite Rufus Wainwright for Songwriter of the Year, but no hard feelings: as long as it wasn't Avril Lavigne. On Sunday night, she added Single of the Year for "1 2 3 4," Pop Album of the Year and Album of the Year for The Reminder. That the ceremonies were taking place in Calgary, Alberta, her home town, made the win even more special, I'm sure. If you were counting, Feist swept all five categories she was nominated in. Feel that, Celine Dion!



Arcade Fire won Alternative Album of the Year, as well as the album artwork award. Neon Bible is now over a year old, but it's impact and beauty hasn't diminished. With the sun shining and the wind blowing though the open windows of your car, crank a little "Keep The Car Running" as you drive through the city today.


There's the myth about the Best New Artist award at the Junos, where the winner either falls into obscurity after being presented the award, or actually isn't all that new, just getting recognition for a career that has begun to garner popular attention. This year's winner, Serena Ryder, is definitely in the latter category, and I think has little fear of falling into the former.