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

[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.