Entertainment For Lively Minds
Race For The Prize
Posted by ChaosandMorphine on 21 July 2009 - 5:57pm.
So, the Mercury Prize shortlist has been announced - here it is;
Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
The Horrors - Primary Colours
Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires
Glasvegas - Glasvegas
La Roux - La Roux
Florence And The Machine - Lungs
Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew
The Invisible - the Invisible
Led Bib - Sensible Shoes
Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Twice Born Men
Speech Debelle - Speech Therapy
What, in your humble opinion, is missing?
I will put in the first shout out for The Phantom Band's awesome 'Checkmate Savage'
+
Who will win?
I reckon Glasvegas will get it [although I would rather it went to Friendly Fires]
- More from ChaosandMorphine.
- Login or register to post comments
-
Speech!
...Yes?
No, you've won... speech!
...Yes?
etc.
I'll get my coat
Am I the only member of the massive not to have heard any of these?
Nope...
I haven't either.
No. Me neither...
Haven't heard any, felt slightly perturbed by that... Which ones *should* I Iisten to? Why wasn't Jarvis on there - his new record is a corker! (Actually, don't answer that - it's bound to upset me...)
It's not what you know it's what you don't know.
I haven't heard many of them in fact there seem to more there this year that I haven't heard of.
Spotify allowed me to listen to Friendly Fires which I would have bought on the basis of a single I quite liked and some positive reviews but I was so bland all the songs seemed to merge together
Having heard their singles I have no desire to hear whole albums by Glasvegas or La Roux (in fact I would actively avoid hearing them)
Florence And The Machine - Some nice singles but not enough to make me investigate further, same with Bat For Lashes.
I've not heard of the rest apart from Kasabian - I haven't heard their new album. Is it a big difference from their others? I have one Kasabian album that I like but do I really need more than one?
I guess it's the ones that I don't know about that give it a bit of interest.
Couldn't care
less.
It is now formally confirmed that I am an old fart:
I own precisely one of these gramophone recordings (Bat For Lashes), honestly haven't heard of 4 of them and haven't heard much of the remainder. Doubtless the organisers will take heart from this ("Hurrah - we must be trendy 'cos we've flummoxed The Word massive") but this is the point where I and the Mercury Prize lose all interest in one another.
ditto
to both Chris Young and Eddie g's comments. When - apart from last year maybe - has the Mercury panel made a right choice? M people anyone?
You make a good point, but
it still brings to the attention of many, a lot of good music that would have been missed. Anyone spending time on this blog has an interest in music and as such should at least have an interest [however slight] in what these recordings sound like. Otherwise, what's the point? Just stick to what you've already got, or only listen to new stuff that you know you will like? I have no interest in that path, thanks.
mm, yes and no
I am happy to stumble upon stuff and I am not really worried whether it is old or new. Plus the kind of stuff I like is never going to be on the list, for example my current new favs are 666 by Aphrodite's Child and The Owl Service album. Not the prize winning type of album.
My worry with Mercury is that it desperately wants to be so NOW and the judges so want to show their catholic taste by sticking a bit of everything in there. To turn your argument around, NEW does not always equal GOOD. Maybe it's just me, and I am a little stick in the mud, but when a bit of a hype develops around an act,I don't WANT to hear them if (to Quote Julian Cope) "to many people say it's good for me." I prefer for the hype to die down before I start listening. Actually, I really CANNOT listen to The Artic Monkeys still because everyone told me how brilliant they will be/are/were. I know its curmudgeonly, but there you are. "Don't Believe the Hype" seems to have had some influence on me.
All I can say is that if Kasabian is on the short list it must be quite a bad year for music. I HAVE heard the album, its not bad but a little voice keeps whispering; "The Glitter Band with a sequencer"
There are other paths Chaos
I listen to plenty of new music and not necessarily stuff that is in sync with my existing collection.Although I suspect like most of the rest of you here that collection in all its forms is pretty eclectic.
My original comment, though lightherated was making the point that despite that I have not heard any of the albums chosen so as far as the Mercury prize is concerned I feel as out of touch as I do looking at the top forty these days.
Jim, I don't think
my point had anything to do with new = good. That was certainly not my intention and is not something that I would agree with. So, not sure how you extrapolated that from what I wrote. I'm not suggesting for a moment that the Mercury Prize has it right, but I can't think of another award which celebrates British music which is better. I hope I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will enlighten me if I am.
My own feeling when I see the list is that I want to know what the albums are like. So when I hear people, on this site especially, saying with pride that they don't know anything about the albums nominated and nor do they want to, all I can say is that that's not an ideology I understand and I hope I never do.
I may only actually like one of the albums on the list, but so what? It's another album I might have never heard otherwise, so that to me is a good thing.
Lastly, to all the nay-sayers I repeat the question in the original post: Which album is missing?
If you are so sure that they have it wrong, at least throw in something constructive and share what you think should have been included.
Each to their own
Hey ho. I stick to my own view that the kind of stuff I like is never going to be on the list. And sorry, but I can't get excited by this year's bread and circus. Calm down sir its only an award ceremony.
And therein
lies the problem with blogs. The tone gets lost.
Never mind.
I have the Friendly Fires.
One good song. Jump In The Pool. Rest a bit samey and lamey.
Which one's the token folky one
And which one's the token classical one?
I'll go for La Roux on the grounds that it's the only one I've listened to.
Although Florence whatsit has got bigger hooters. Perhaps I should vote for her.
Doves ????
Shurely shome mishtake ?
I'm glad
I'd hate them to get the Sympathy vote that Elbow obviously did.
Frankly if that list is the only music the 'industry' can be bothered 'discovering' then it's inevitable death can only be anticipated with relish.
What a crock of shit it all is. It reeks of laziness and smug backroom deals.
I've imagined a new daily television programme about the music business, basically it's the Aural equivalent of 'Homes under the hammer'.
The usual
Kind of list. The Florence LP has only been out about a week, so including it seems kind of weird. Bat For Lashes - hmmm, I think the first LP was better. Glasvegas - godawful hyped nonsense. Friendly Fires - saw them on the TV at Glastonbury - pretty poor. So - maybe one of the others for the winner? La Roux seems to be someone's flavour of the month, turned in one of the highlights of Glasto, and seems simultaneously modern and retro. In ignorance of everything else, that's my tip.
Worth a punt
I think Speech Debelle’s worth a punt. Isn’t the rationale for the Mercury that it’s something a bit different (or “innovative” as they’d put it)?
Now that Mercury doesn’t exist who sponsors this award?
Florence And The Machine
Apparently a shoe in. Place your bets ladies and gentlemen...
just from what I'd read
about Lily Allen being joint fave with Florence and the Machine - I'm surprised she's not there.
The Word praised the Horrors' sophomore outing a month or two back, but I'd like to see Bat for Lashes gets it - I felt she should've beaten Klaxxons a couple of years ago
I couldn't really care less
about the mercury, but it would be nice to see Lisa Hannigan win.
The usual suspects....
...ie a load of sub-par, derivative nonsense, the token jazz and folk acts and a few artists that no-one has ever heard of.
That said, Led Bib are pretty good. They sound a bit like an angrier, louder and freer (in the jazz sense) Acoustic Ladyland.
Plus, The Invisible are awesome. Great live act, and their album is superb. It's nigh on uncatergorisable funk/rock/jazz/electro/pop - but with oodles of fantastic tunes. The closest comparison I can think of is Prince circa "Sign Of The Times". In a good way.
So....two good bands. In my opinion, the Invisible should win hands down. Of course they won't! It'll go to one of the several "cutting edge" geniuses also in contention.
shrug
nope, none of 'em. They're all a bit ho-hum.
I wish The Duckworth Lewis Method album had been there, that would have been my choice.
seconded
But again...that's NOT the kind of album the judges would short list.
Thirded
You're right because a) it's simply not now or cool enough for the list and b) it seems to have sneaked up on the 'industry' by surprise and the shortlist reads like something that was decided at the beginning of the year with no room for genuine surprises.
More I listen to it the more I'm convinced that it's got what it takes to become a full-on modern classic. A gem.
Just had a listen....
and in spite of the fact that I neither like cricket or Neil Hannon, I'm really enjoying this one!
They were fab
at Latitude. Bought the cd the other day, and am thinking of getting it for my father for his upcoming birthday, reckon he'll really like it
Never seen it with
Never seen it with Glasvegas. I'm Scottish, and love all their sources - JAMC, Spector, The Clash - but they just seem ridiculously over-hyped.
I do have a soft spot for Little Boots, but guess there was only room for one out of her and La Roux. It does seem like a tired list, the competition seems to have run its course judging by the general apathy towards it.
Previous winners, FYI:
1992 Primal Scream - Screamadelica
1993 Suede - Suede
1994 M People - Elegant Slumming
1995 Portishead - Dummy
1996 Pulp - Different Class
1997 Roni Size/Reprazent - New Forms
1998 Gomez - Bring It On
1999 Talvin Singh - Ok
2000 Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of Bewilderbeast
2001 PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
2002 Ms. Dynamite - A Little Deeper
2003 Dizzee Rascal - Boy in da Corner
2004 Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
2005 Antony and the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now
2006 Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
2007 Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future
2008 Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
I'd only listen to two of them now...
PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
Portishead - Dummy
.. the rest? Whatever.
Yes, not even Screamadelica ... might have been slightly different when it came out but then again so did 'Telstar' in it's day.
Telstar still stands up today
as a milestone in recording.
Screamdelica - perhaps somewhat less so.
Ironically, Give Out But Don't Give Up has worn considerably better and, in 2009, still sounds like a Black Crowes album from the late 90s :-)
Agreed.
'Give Out' is much-maligned and unfairly so. Some good songs on there. Probably the best album the Stones never made.
Mercury of Mercuries?
Simon Frith was on R4 yesterday and it was pointed out to him that, when the Booker was 25, they had a competition for a 'Booker of Bookers' - what, in retrospect, was the best of the Booker winners.
He suggested this wouldn't work with the Mercury as the winner is supposed to be "of it's time"
Times are bad indeed then
.
Anyone else see the self-fulfilling prophecy?
At the start of the year we were being told by "The Industry" that La Roux and "Hooters"and the Machine were the "Ones to Watch". 7 months down the line there they are on the list.
I'd have gone with the Phantom Band / Duckworth Lewis / The Week That Was
I bet Lilly Allen is absolutley furious.
I bet Lily is writing a song about it as we speak...
Them judges don't get me at aull
Cos their bits are very smawll
And if a judge is a laydee
She's just pissed cos she ain't me
It's not fair
I fink they're very mean
I ditn't wan to win a prize
but I wan'ed to be seen
on a TV show
to promote my new CD
I mean it ain't as if
you can get enuff of me....
Spot
on.
Not obscure enough for you?
I can't understand people saying, `I think xxx should have been on the list but then they'd never choose that because its the kind of thing that just doesn't get on these lists' - interpretation: the stuff I listen to is way too cool...
Tell that to Sweet Billy PIlgrim - 400 copies sold before yesterday, or The Invisible or Lisa Hannigan or Led Bib or Speech Debelle.
I think the list reflects its hardly been a vintage year for `British' albums. But it does serve its usual twin purpose of being something the music industry can use to shift a few extra units, and give blokes in the pub/on a forum something to argue about.
I'd give it to Phoenix. But they're French, which apparently rules them out.
What's in a Name?
The Mercury Award, now sponsored by Nationwide, was started by the first alternative telephone company to BT. It was their attempt,under the umbrella of Cable & Wireless to get street cred.
Unfortunately it led to more potholes and poor road repairs than the award winning albums are significant in the history of popular music.
Pedantic, I know
but it's now sponsored by Barclaycard.
Although as per Robbie Williams albums being used as road surface in China, perhaps this year's crop could be used over here to make good the potholes?
On the plus side, my Virgin Media TV & broadband now come along the very same fibre optic cables laid by Cable & Wireless.
These are all the nominees I can find on Spotify.
I felt that I'd at least like sample them.
http://open.spotify.com/user/doublevisionary/playlist/1UtY0eTqHlgevgBzwY...
Edit / update - Speech Debelle is the only artist who has made it to a second track so far!
Speech 14/1 at Ladbrokes
Don’t do betting as a rule, but I’m tempted to bung £20 on. It’ll hook the judges, believe me. And all the publicity for the Florence v Bat For Lashes tussle will make them pick something else.
From what I can hear
she should simply win on quality!
(I know it don't work like that!!)
Did she steal her Daddies De La Soul records?
while listening to Lily Allen. Banal.
14/1 seems crazy odds though.
I honestly couldn't get through any of the other albums...
She might shine in comparison with a poor field.
Like a bit of 'Three Feet High & Rising' though!
I enjoyed
the Sweet Billy Pilgrim cd so much I bought the company.
I liked it a bit
and just bought sweets.
So Now We Know
we were all wrong!! Ha!
Speech Debelle – Speech Therapy: http://open.spotify.com/album/72eMawJysAQWQY2wzkNbjX
Give it a whirl.
Hey!
I bloody wasn’t. But I never put a bet on.
Big Up!
I'm listening to it now - I'm enjoying it, too. I can't imagine I'll have it on heavy rotation, but it's got something.
Jesus, I sound like a right twat!
She was my pick...
Am going to take another listen...