Feist leads nominees for Indie Music Awards

Indie darling Feist continues to rake in the accolades, scoring a quartet of nominations for the eighth annual Independent Music Awards on Thursday.

The singer-songwriter, whose full name is Leslie Feist, will vie for trophies in four categories, including favourite solo artist, album of the year for The Reminder, and both single and video of the year for her catchy hit 1234 the song that helped introduce her music to millions of new fans last year after being featured in a high-profile iPod advertising campaign.

Her best album competition at the upcoming March 8 awards gala includes Reunion Tour by The Weakerthans, Neon Bible by Arcade Fire, Marriage by Attack in Blackand Are The Dark Horse by Besnard Lakes.

Competing against 1234 for the single of the year title are Keep the Car Running by Arcade Fire, The Music by David Usher, Rollercoaster by Major Maker and Money Honey by State of Shock.

Feist's rise to fame included performances with her friends in Toronto collective Broken Social Scene and she will face off against the band's co-founder Kevin Drew in the Indie Award solo artist category. Also nominated are three Atlantic Canadian artists: East Coast rocker Matt Mays, Acadian singer-songwriter Julie Doiron and singer Jenn Grant.

A tough, five-way race for group or duo of the year features a fistful of strong competitors: Bedouin Soundclash, Stars, Sum 41, The New Pornographers and Tokyo Police Club.

Aside from 1234, the eclectic mix of nominees for video of the year are: Rough Hands (Alexisonfire), Pressure (Belly featuring Ginuwine), Hard to be Hip-Hop (Classified featuring Maestro and DJ IV) and Shake Tramp (Marianas Trench).

Selected genre nominees:

• Blues artist, group or duo: David Gogo; David Wilcox; Downchild; Little Miss Higgins.
• Classical artist, group or duo: James Ehnes; Jasper Wood; Les Violons du Roy; Marc-Andre Hamelin; Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec.
• Country artist, group or duo: Aaron Lines; Doc Walker; Emerson Drive; Jessie Farrell; Shane Yellowbird.
• Folk/roots artist, group or duo: Catherine MacLellan; Corb Lund; Great Lake Swimmers; Justin Hines; The Sadies.
• Jazz artist, group or duo: Brad Turner Quartet; Carol Welsman; Les Sabler; Sophie MIlman; Yannick Rieu.
• Rock artist, group or duo: Joel Plaskett Emergency; Neverending White Lights; Ten Second Epic; Two Hours Traffic; Wintersleep.
• Urban artist, group of duo: Belly; Classified; Grand Analog; JDiggz; Politic Live.
• International album: Favourite Worst Nightmare, Arctic Monkeys; Sound of Silver, LCD Soundsystem; Kala, M.I.A.; In Rainbows, Radiohead; Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Spoon.
• International artist, group or duo: M.I.A.; Peter Bjorn and John; Silversun Pickups; The Go! Team; The National.

The March 8 awards gala will be held at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto during Canadian Music Week, the annual event that unites indie recording artists from across the country for showcases around the city, workshops and industry conferences. Canadian Music Week runs March 5 to 8.

Slated to perform at the awards ceremony are several of this year'snominated acts, including The New Pornographers and Tokyo Police Club, as well as alt-rock outfit The Lowest of the Low, who will be inducted into the Indies Hall of Fame.

The Independent Music Award nominees were selected by a panel of Canadian music industry officials, but voting for each category's winners will be open to the public as of Tuesday via the official Canadian Music Week website.