Mercury Nominations 2008

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Downloads might be killing off the album, but the Mercury dudes are carrying on regardless. This year's nominations are below, but do you poptimist folks actually listen to this sort of thing?

[Poll #1227631]

Ones for the comments box:
- of the albums above that you haven't heard yet, which would you like to investigate further?
- do you think this is a fair representation of British Music in 2008?
- is this better or worse than last year's bunch?

Comments

An old man writes

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

Who the feck are the Portico Quartet?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

For some reason I got Duffy and Radiohead confused.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Ha I forgot Kala was eligible. I really don't care v much about the Mercury in any way though and I don't think I want to see MIA win it, as good as Kala is. I'm not even sure I want Estelle to win it, I think it'd be more beneficial to Laura Marling.

Really excellent British albums which didn't make it - Tinchy Stryder's Star In The Hood and The Bug's London Zoo. Ny, Durrty Goodz and Wiley also released terrific mixtapes in the time period (Split Endz Vol 2, Axiom and Grime Wave respectively).

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I downloaded 'In Rainbows' WITHOUT PAYING but never listened. Life's too short innit? I got the impression they're off the boil anyway.

Want to hear Marling, Neon Neon (friend of mine who I trust rates it but I hated the two songs I heard), Unthank (but doubt I will like this, unless it sounds like Cortney Tidwell?) and Last Shadow Puppets but doubt i will like that much.

Curse Of Joolz: kinda enjoyed Plant & Kraus on TV but not really enough to bother with this

fair representation of British music in 2008? probably not but maybe as fair as a 12 nominee list can be generally. NOT a good list tho. slightly worse than last year's.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't rly like to sit though any of these except maybe the Estelle. What's Laura Marling like, Lex?

I think this is probably a fairer representation of British music than a list of the 12 best British records would be.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Fvck I forgot Roisin Murphy was eligible. Also I really like the new Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. album.

Also wtf is Neon Neon doing in there, srly? I like the album, it's entertaining but wtf.

[nunya-b.livejournal.com]

Róisín Murphy actually deserved the sales boost from a Mercury nom/win, too. Though I guess with Hot Chip absent as well we can just blame the incompetents at EMI for submitting the entry fees on time or something…

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

At first I was more surprised at Portishead's omission than Roisin's, then I remembered they've already won it once.

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

Three nominations in a row for the Arctic Monkey. Well done sir. If Radiohead don't win, I'm hoping that LSP take the crown. Or Laura Marling.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I agree with piratemoggy - Fuck Buttons should have been nominated. The badass vocals are a bit lame but they know how to put a track together.

NB

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

On the dubstep tip, the Benga album >>>>>>>> the Burial album. (The Steppas' Delight comp and the Appleblim Dubstep Allstars mix are better than either, though.)

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Bwahahahahah someone has just gone onto the Mercury wikipedia page and changed Estelle and Marling's albums to the following:

Estelle – Moon Shine My Bottom
Mango Chutney - Alas, I Cannot Eat Hot Dogs

[datura800.livejournal.com]

Only 2 listeners for Elbow?! That album is GENIUS. Not quite as good as the Burial album but amazing nonetheless.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

By the way, we'll be doing the 4th annual Lex 20p Indie Prize again in September!

what little i have heard

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

has been just ok.

and a lot of what i haven't PLZ LEAVE ME ALONE

all in all: teh suckness

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

It's interesting comparing people's suggestions with last December's Album of 2007 (http://community.livejournal.com/poptimists/496688.html) poptimist poll. No mention of Roisin there! (Justice just missed the deadline I think.) Also we have managed to properly sweep Tangled Up under the carpet...

[koganbot]

The only albums that I've heard in full that are or might be eligible (depending on release date) are:

M.I.A. Kala
Girls Aloud Tangled Up
Richard Thompson Sweet Warrior
Leona Lewis Spirit
Simian Mobile Disco Attack Decay Sustain Release

Probably like them in more or less that order, though was disappointed in all of them except the Thompson, which was a pleasant surprise. Of the nominated albs, would like to hear the Adele (realized after hearing a few more of her singles that her first was her worst) and the Estelle for sure, maybe some of the others.

[the-roofdog.livejournal.com]

Chr1st not Radiohead again.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Instinctively, I prefer this list to last year's list (no. actually heard = about the same, viz not many). I agree it's more Radio 2 than usual, and that may be the reason why I prefer it. It's certainly not representative of what's good in British music, but no list of LPs ever could be.

I'd like to hear the Unthank and Marling albums. Heard enough of Krauss & Plant and Elbow (both on R2 natch) to know that they're probably likeable but not something I will ever get that excited about. I disagree 100% with Frank about Adele; "Hometown Glory" is just... agh where do you start?

[22by7.livejournal.com]

i ALSO ticked for 'who are all these people?' because some of the names were completely unfamiliar to me.

would like to listen to the burial album as i'm slowly getting into things of a dub-ious nature (cringe @ self for that one).

didn't (the/a/some/many/no) KLAXONS win last year? i was pissed off at that. not the actual music so much as the 'o look we are literary and clevercakes and reference pynchon' thing. maybe i overreact. too sensitive.

[jel-bugle.livejournal.com]

I have only heard Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, it's pretty boring. She is much better on her own.