The Kate Tempest record is super duper.
― mr.raffles, Wednesday, 10 September 2014 23:27 (nine years ago) link
Also, another vote for Mr. Tenbo as the worst thing ever. Even worse than him singing about cellphones.
― mr.raffles, Wednesday, 10 September 2014 23:29 (nine years ago) link
Many xposts: last Charli album is actually 2013 but would be outside the allotted time period.
Lots of surprising omissions incl. Sam Smith, Chvrches, Blood Orange and La Roux. Twigs to win in a landslide.
― uxorious gazumping (monotony), Wednesday, 10 September 2014 23:34 (nine years ago) link
lol True Romance must have leaked crazy early, because I'm always associating it with xmas 2012.
― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, 10 September 2014 23:38 (nine years ago) link
I don't know why I am always shocked Actress is never on these lists.
― boxedjoy, Thursday, 11 September 2014 11:46 (nine years ago) link
the anna calvi record is good
― katherine, Thursday, 11 September 2014 15:29 (nine years ago) link
Just imagine if Actress won the Mercury prize, jesus....
― monoprix à dimanche (dog latin), Friday, 12 September 2014 09:10 (nine years ago) link
critically acclaimed producer wins "credible" music prize would not be that astonishing
― lex pretend, Friday, 12 September 2014 09:12 (nine years ago) link
not enough clear world music influences i reckon.
― monoprix à dimanche (dog latin), Friday, 12 September 2014 09:14 (nine years ago) link
The shortlist could have been better.
But it also could have been a lot worse.
Kate Tempest, I think, works better as a poet than as a rapper.
Two jazz nominations and wouldn’t it be nice if – for once – one of them won?
― Here he is with the classic "Poème Électronique." Good track (Marcello Carlin), Friday, 12 September 2014 09:35 (nine years ago) link
East India Youth is great although I felt there were a few too many instrumentals on the album whereas I'd heard the majority of the song-based tracks on the preceding Hostel EP. Still a good record though and well worth seeing live in the right context.
― monoprix à dimanche (dog latin), Friday, 12 September 2014 09:37 (nine years ago) link
Yeah the Kate Tempest album is interesting but selling her as a rap artist is largely going to invite derision and confusion I fear. I definitely think of her as a performance poet who is influenced by rap and it's certainly a better way to approach that album in the first instance.
― Matt DC, Friday, 12 September 2014 09:56 (nine years ago) link
I like the production on the Young Fathers record (esp. the Knife-y backing on "Get Up") but the rapping is really dodgy. Cod-profundity wrapped in "clever" gibberish. Who was it that said something like: alliteration is the last refuge of the person with nothing to say?
― hardcore dilettante, Monday, 15 September 2014 04:35 (nine years ago) link
Siegfried Sassoon
― monoprix à dimanche (dog latin), Monday, 15 September 2014 09:09 (nine years ago) link
^actual lols.
― hardcore dilettante, Monday, 15 September 2014 11:33 (nine years ago) link
I was kind of skeptical while listening to the Kate Tempest album until I hit "Lonely Daze", which is flat-out fantastic and made the previous songs click into place for me.
― stacked as fuck & imposing (DJP), Monday, 15 September 2014 17:23 (nine years ago) link
can see why she would want to avoid the "a bit shit" connotations of "performance poet"
― Daphnis Celesta, Monday, 15 September 2014 17:24 (nine years ago) link
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/mercury-music-prize-2014-who-should-win-from-ed-sheeran-to-jake-bugg-9714800.html
Andy Gill's article seems to have a somewhat different list to the official.
(I was pondering what was happening to Roy Harper's case, which was supposed to have been heard in August, but nothing has been stated it seems)
― Mark G, Wednesday, 17 September 2014 11:03 (nine years ago) link
Is this meant to be an alternative list? Cos he doesn't say that anywhere. And the list's half the same as the official one? In know The Independent's gone rapidly down hill in terms of fact checking and quality and stuff, but this is just... weird?
― Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Wednesday, 17 September 2014 11:31 (nine years ago) link
"The Independent’s chief rock critic makes his own nominations"
― john wahey (NickB), Wednesday, 17 September 2014 11:58 (nine years ago) link
Aha! I didn't read that cos it was under a picture of Ed Sheeran.
― Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Wednesday, 17 September 2014 12:10 (nine years ago) link
Tempest:Yeah. "Lonely Daze" is pretty fantastic. Maybe track of the year for me.The album lyrics as a whole are fantastic too. Concept album in the best sense.
― mr.raffles, Wednesday, 17 September 2014 12:19 (nine years ago) link
xp agree it's a dumb list though - lots of the same things as the official, some of the fringe stuff switched for more populist fare plus a few random folky choices. thanks for saving music andy!
― john wahey (NickB), Wednesday, 17 September 2014 12:20 (nine years ago) link
lj as an openly anticon man, have u heard the young fathers lp
― Nothing less than the Spirit of the Age (nakhchivan), Wednesday, September 10, 2014 9:55 PM (1 month ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
lol
i suppose i'll 'have to' now
― pecker shrivellage (imago), Wednesday, 29 October 2014 22:38 (nine years ago) link
Listening on Spotify. I like it.
― Frederik B, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 22:51 (nine years ago) link
undie, the sound of 2014
― The Falun Gong Show (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 29 October 2014 23:01 (nine years ago) link
Young Fathers are ace. Best thing to come out of Scotland for years. They won the Scottish Album of the Year in June with Tape Two, their 2013 EP, shielding the prize from shit like Biffy Clyro and Frightened Rabbit.
― Eyeball Kicks, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 23:18 (nine years ago) link
nah that was rly boring sry
― pecker shrivellage (imago), Wednesday, 29 October 2014 23:34 (nine years ago) link
thought the twilight sad were the scottish indie band to keep an eye on ;)
if you like beardy sentimental gunge rock
― Eyeball Kicks, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 23:38 (nine years ago) link
haw
probably otm, except they also started ripping off portishead on the last one
― pecker shrivellage (imago), Wednesday, 29 October 2014 23:39 (nine years ago) link
Maybe, i just dismiss this rubbish without listening nowadays. Scottish music is the worst: Frightened Rabbit, Admiral Fallow, Fake Major, Twin Atlantic, French Wives, Mersault... there are thousands of bands that sound like this up here, all getting 5-star reviews from The Skinny.
― Eyeball Kicks, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 23:43 (nine years ago) link
and a hyperbolic 35-post thread on drownedinsound.com
― pecker shrivellage (imago), Wednesday, 29 October 2014 23:45 (nine years ago) link
It's a real shame that the Twilight Sad are lumped in with the rest of that scene because they're much better than their contemporaries.
― boxedjoy, Thursday, 30 October 2014 01:27 (nine years ago) link
Is The Twilight Sad album any good? I was kinda put off by the huge DiS 10/10 masterpiece and associated articles histrionics
― groovypanda, Thursday, 30 October 2014 10:05 (nine years ago) link
Also wonder what kind of sales bump Young Fathers will get as it appears they've only sold 2,500 copies of their LP pre-award
― groovypanda, Thursday, 30 October 2014 10:10 (nine years ago) link
I just listened to about three songs off it (private session of course) because of boxedjoy's complaint that I'd unfairly lumped them in with the other Scottish gits. To be fair, it wasn't as bad as a lot of them. It just sounds like The National/Interpol/Editors kinda stuff - pure porridge music, but a lot of people like that.
― Eyeball Kicks, Thursday, 30 October 2014 10:47 (nine years ago) link
I quite liked the first twilight Sad album. Produced by Peter Katis, who did a couple of National albums. Very strong Scottish accent and lyrics about being a miserable adolescent, which I found unusually affecting, plus great big swirls of guitar.
Young Fathers are the MMP nominees that I most wanted to hear out of the ones I hadn't heard.
― Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 30 October 2014 11:24 (nine years ago) link
First Twilight Sad album miles and miles better than The National and suchlike. Will have to hear this new one to judge it.
― pecker shrivellage (imago), Thursday, 30 October 2014 12:16 (nine years ago) link
To paraphrase a recent Telegraph article about the Mercury - why does so much British music sound like it was made as part of some community centre youth project?
― Shepard Toney Album (dog latin), Thursday, 30 October 2014 12:40 (nine years ago) link
nanny state socialism
― The Falun Gong Show (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 30 October 2014 13:00 (nine years ago) link
Because Bruce Springsteen is American.
― Mark G, Thursday, 30 October 2014 13:13 (nine years ago) link
I hate all that beardy boo-hoo Scottish indie-rock pish too. It's just as well there's lots of other stuff going on up here. Quite nice to see YF win in that respect, although it could be argued they're the hip-hop equivalent with their earnest emo soul. That's a bit of a glib analogy though. Some nice tunes, if not the greatest rappers - Hector Bizerk and Loki are much stronger in that respect. High time Alasdair Roberts was nominated for the Mercury - mind you, he didn't even make the Scottish Album of the Year longlist, thanks to everyone voting for dreary bawbags like Frabbit, Biffy and Twin Atlantic.
― Poor.Old.Tired.Horse. (Stew), Thursday, 30 October 2014 13:19 (nine years ago) link
I can't imagine anything called 'The Twilight Sad' possibly being good.
― Matt DC, Thursday, 30 October 2014 13:24 (nine years ago) link
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/29/quarter-of-mercury-prize-finalists-sold-under-1000-albums-since-nomination
― Steve 'n' Seagulls and Flock of Van Dammes (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 30 October 2014 15:37 (nine years ago) link
just got a mailshot thing from Big Dada which mentioned the award in a kind of afterthought way, after hyping up the new Wiley album. good attitude tbh
― well-behaved wingmen really hate Mystery (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 30 October 2014 16:12 (nine years ago) link
I haven't actually heard the new Twilight Sad album yet so I can't comment on it, but so far they've been very strong even if their debut stands heads and shoulders above the rest.
― boxedjoy, Thursday, 30 October 2014 20:41 (nine years ago) link
a new fucking low
― imago, Thursday, 27 July 2017 12:33 (six years ago) link
finally some recognition for ed sheeran
― the shape of a hot willie lumpkin (bizarro gazzara), Thursday, 27 July 2017 12:43 (six years ago) link
the ceremony should be richard dawson gunging the entire shortlist* and voting panel get-your-own-back-style then running off with the trophy
*stormzy and j hus exempted
― imago, Thursday, 27 July 2017 12:46 (six years ago) link
It's a pointless charade though really
― imago, Thursday, 26 July 2018 11:48 (five years ago) link
xp They made the Twenty Quid Music Prize shortlist though:
Love Lasts Forever by All SaintsOne Kiss by Calvin Harris and Dua LipaPat Earrings by CASISDEADSolo by Clean Bandit and Demi LovatoWaking Up Slow by Gabrielle AplinParadise by George EzraFalling Into Me by Let’s Eat GrandmaWord Of Mouth by Metroplane and Bree RunwayAll Or Nothing by Naughty Boy, RAY BLK and WyclefDo It by Rae MorrisAnywhere by Rita OraDancefloor by Tracey Thorn
― groovypanda, Thursday, 26 July 2018 11:50 (five years ago) link
As a list it’s pretty much exactly the shade of beige you’d expect
― michaellambert, Thursday, 26 July 2018 11:51 (five years ago) link
That Twenty Quid thing is just as bad lol
― imago, Thursday, 26 July 2018 11:53 (five years ago) link
have knowingly enjoyed sons of kemet & nadine shah.
― home, home and deranged (ledge), Thursday, 26 July 2018 12:12 (five years ago) link
This would be a really good year to give the award to the 'token' jazz album. Not only is Sons of Kemet brilliant, they are also fairly well known, no?
― Frederik B, Thursday, 26 July 2018 12:18 (five years ago) link
(Not saying that the jazz albums are 'token' nominees, but they never seem to win)
I thought the Binker and Moses alb was pretty fab as well, in fact UK jazz is pretty good at the moment - but these clowns never seem to have more than one token jazz nom.
― calzino, Thursday, 26 July 2018 13:03 (five years ago) link
The Wolf Alice record is fucking awesome.
― how's life, Thursday, 26 July 2018 13:08 (five years ago) link
words i never expected to see in that configuration, vol 276
― the Joao looked at Jonny (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 26 July 2018 13:09 (five years ago) link
The fact that British jazz is actually fashionable right now (look at the Friday on this year's Field Day lineup if you don't believe me) suggests it might actually win for once.
― Matt DC, Thursday, 26 July 2018 13:10 (five years ago) link
Hopefully so, Matt!
― michaellambert, Thursday, 26 July 2018 13:14 (five years ago) link
The Independent headline :
The Mercury Prize is still struggling to acknowledges innovative UK music
― Mark G, Thursday, 26 July 2018 16:06 (five years ago) link
none of these artists aren't English
― boxedjoy, Friday, 27 July 2018 20:18 (five years ago) link
― how's life, Thursday, July 26, 2018 6:08 AM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
otm
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Friday, 27 July 2018 23:11 (five years ago) link
The jazz terrorists have won.
― nashwan, Thursday, 7 September 2023 23:04 (nine months ago) link