Mercury Music Prize 2009

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Albums? What a ridiculous concept...

(format nicked wholesale from last year's poll)

[Poll #1433368]

Comments box questions:

Do you feel compelled to check out any of the above?
Do you think this is a fair representation of British Music in 2009?
How do this lot shape up against last year's nominees?

(Stay tuned for news of this year's Lex 20p Indie prize!)

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I have heard "selected cuts" from the Bat For Lashes, Florence, Horrors, Friendly Fires and L* R**x albums, all of which make me want to actively avoid the whole albums. Kasabian and Glasvegas don't deserve the honour of their existence being acknowledged. The best track affiliated with any of these acts is the Aeroplane remix of Friendly Fires' 'Paris' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYNTkAjybQg).

The shortlist is even worse than last year tbh. At first I thought I didn't really care enough to be outraged, and indeed wondered why I ever cared. But over the course of yesterday I saw a TON of people showing interest in and checking out those albums just b/c they'd made the shortlist, and that was depressing: as much as people bitch about it, it does buy those acts a ton of publicity, and...artists like Geeneus, Toddla T, Crazy Cousinz, Donae'o, even the John Parish & PJ Harvey curio are all so much more deserving.

I mean, so many people - probably a lot of poptimists! - will probably go and check out the Speech Debelle token urban nomination. But the album REALLY ISN'T VERY GOOD. The kindest thing I can say is that it sounds like the work of a promising, very raw talent...the first time she'd ever stepped into a studio, ever. And before she'd made any edits. I'm baffled by the critical plaudits that her rambling, unmemorable album has received - I guess cuz it's slightly "worthy"? And I don't want to hate, as I said she's not untalented and has the potential to make a good album one day, but this is not it, and it's frustrating that she'll get so much attention for it.

On the plus side, that irritating little brat Patrick Wolf threw a Twitter tantrum b/c he was missed out, which was entertaining, so slight redemption for the Mercury there.

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

I too was rather put-out that Peej & Parish didn't get a mention - it's really rather good.

I was rather pleasantly surprised by the quality of the Horrors album myself, but then, I am A GOTH, so it's a bit more logical. The inclusion of Kasabian bothers the hell out of me.

I really don't get on with Florence &TM.

I can never quite make up my mind about Patrick Wolf. I do like some of his ideas, but he does seem to have an annoying air of being too clever for his own good. He would have been something of a fit, though, so I can see why he felt entitled to be included - it's hardly as if he would have *won*, but the whole exercise is just free advertising, right?

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I actually totally forgot about PJH until reminded - had assumed it would grow on me a bit more than it did, but then I did enjoy it at the time and probably only stopped listening to it b/c the weather got nice. I remember that the closing track is really beautiful.

I was also shocked that the Horrors somehow made a not-unlistenable album, but this didn't equate to an actually good one.

I can't really remember why I dislike P Wolf's music, just that I do - probably his voice - but these constant public tantrums don't do him any good at all.

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

Yes, I got out of the habit of listening to it after a couple of weeks too, and your comment brought it all back. Funny that.

The first Horrors album is definitely quite silly and a bit of a novelty record, which I certainly did expect to loathe, but I picked it up for a whole £2 at Fopp (thinking "what the hell, may as well listen before I bitch") and was pleasantly surprised that there were a few good ideas lurking - the cartoon misogyny really misses the mark a lot, I have to say - but had no hopes that they'd do anything useful. Hence being more than a little impressed by 'Primary Colours' - OK, they're getting their best ideas from "Pornography" (I'm apparently alone in not regarding this as a Cure zenith but as the start of the decline), but if you're going to steal... I think therefore that I can class it as an at-least-somewhat good album, but will wait to see how well it ages first.

Am thinking of going to see PW at the Gay Icons thing at the NPG - not made up my mind yet. I'm conflicted about him, to say the least.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Seconding the first paragraph of the above, except that I like the Horrors. The judges clearly wanted a list which was Young and Edgy and Hot - but only for broadsheet/glossy mag definitions of those words. Hence this shower of shit.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

But over the course of yesterday I saw a TON of people showing interest in and checking out those albums just b/c they'd made the shortlist, and that was depressing

Yeah, this - and here WE are discussing a bunch of OK-ish at best albums just bcz they're on the shortlist!

What I will say tho is that the judges hands are tied by what's entered. Did Toddla T enter? I dunno. I can see why less broadsheet-approved fare wouldn't bother - why pay money to be told by a 50something white guy that you're not as good as Gomez? And so the cycle continues.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I'd be shocked if Toddla T wasn't entered! Broadsheet-approved, hugely trendy, stood a great chance of being the token urban nomination. Ditto PJ Harvey for her track record alone. Wiley - on a major label, had a hit, why not? Less sure about Geeneus and Crazy Cousinz but tbh it's not as though those are self-released mixtapes, they're albums on established imprints (Rinse and Ministry of Sound respectively) which got a decent amount of press. And assuming that you'll just lose out to Gomez or whoever would be foolish - if there's one thing in the MMP's favour, it's that it IS really unpredictable. Elbow may have won it last year, but IIRC that was a huge shock - the needle has swung to "urban" enough times that you couldn't ever rule out Geeneus being, say, this year's Roni Size.

Oh I forgot the Roots Manuva album, that was pretty good too - 7/10 but again better than 100% of the shortlist.