Barclaycard Mercury Music Prize 2012 - thread.

Former colleague of mine worked for whichever bank sponsored the Mercury when Anthony won; apparently the bank were NOT happy.

Oh man I have a good memory - it was 9 years ago he posted mercury music prize 2003

This is much the best discussion of the mmp I've read (and i certainly agree about all those journalists slagging us off--we (the judges) can write their comments in advice). This year's award for silliest response goes to maddy costa in the guardian.

― simon frith, Tuesday, 29 July 2003 20:45 (9 years ago)

That's probably always going to be the Mercury's problem behind closed doors though, isn't it? They need a sponsor who can afford top dollar to promote the prize, pay for all the session gigs, offer the prize pot etc, but anyone prepared to pay that much is likely to be after big-ass mainstream exposure for the money, and that's not (really) what the Mercurys are (supposed to be) about.

What would happen if the prize money was scrapped and it just became about perceived kudos, I wonder? You'd have to scrap the entry fee too, of course.

(Sorry, xpost to Nick)

I mean, surely nobody actually enters *for the money*?

I got really confused when you guys were talking about 'Frith' upthread. Like, FRED FRITH has something to do with this shambles? *smdh*

Algerian Goalkeeper you didn't seriously believe that was the real Simon Frith did you?

I always had in my head that it was the 'done thing' to donate yr winnings to charity but this stems from the 90s, you know when all popular music artists were millionaires

ned said it was as did sinkah

so i figured they would know (unless youre admitting it was you?)

The thing is, the nominations for the Mercury Prize are actually an international music-news story (and by that I mean that I've seen it mentioned on p4k and the Danish music-news sites I check out), which I don't think is the case for stuff like the Brit Awards or the NME awards. But no one outside of Britain cares about most of these names, while there is plenty of respect for stuff like Rustie, Actress etc. If the list continues to be so Radio 2-centric, I think the international prestige will completely dissapear...

... but of course, I can't really explain why anyone should care about that... It's not the international music fans who will watch the show on tv, go to the gigs, buy more barclaycards (or whatever) etc. But still...

What does everyone think of this alternative shortlist from the Guardian?

Obviously better, it has Cooly G on it.

but it has Dodgy on it so it's worse.

But it has Zun Zun Egui on it so it's better again!

How far can we take this good news/bad news game?

but it still has Dodgy on it

The fact that Dodgy still exist, never mind that someone at the Guardian likes their album, I find hilarious rather than offensive.

It's like the reverse noodle vague cheering on M People , this guy is trolling NV by liking Dodgy.

It just overshadows everything on the list.

It's the perfect counterpoint to good music. Grit making the oyster and whatnot.

Where is geir these days

inside an oyster hiding from the 21st century

I'd half-heartedly assumed the Actress/Rustie/Cooly G albums had the profile to get a nod for this, but there's more of a disconnect w/UK stuff the NZ music press covers and Mercury Prize noms than usual.

TBH, the most UK-sounding thing done by someone w/a profile this year has been Geoff Barrow from Portishead & Ben Salisbury's DROKK.

Simon Frith is a British sociomusicologist, and former rock critic. He is the brother of guitarist and composer Fred Frith and neuroscientist Chris Frith.

Dodgy AND The Waterboys? Good fucking grief.

Listened to a couple of Rustie tracks yesterday and thought they were fucking horrible; what am I missing?

Think you might like Cher Lloyd better Nick

That Cooly G record has been criminally ignored, but that's been going on on ILM as well as the wider music press.

Not by me it hasn't. Terrific record.

Dodgy is pretty Dodgy but it is Dave Simpson, Gawd bless him.

Don't get Rustie at all; get a Miami Vice soundtrack album from '85-6 and it's much the same effect.

The Cooly G album is pretty boring I think, loads of it felt like extended intros, there were one or two good moments but I found myself frustrated by its reluctance to coalesce into a groove more often. Rustie is annoying. The Actress record is astonishing in its sound design and aggravating in its inability to put that sound design to good use.

Dave Simpson is consistently the worst music journalist writing for the Guardian and I can only assume they keep him around because he can churn out copy at volume. Or he's their Alan Shearer.

Cosign on Actress. Nice sound but where's the point.

'Playin' Me' got a (glowing) lead review in NME fwiw

the Troyka album is decent, possibly falls slightly into the trap of fiddliness Stew was talking abt up there somewhere

It astonishes me that someone who could rep for something as tedious and dull as Nicholas Jaar could find Cooly G boring, but I guess that's why there's chocolate and vanilla.

I've never really repped for Jaar that much either, his album was pretty dull as well, although I like assorted remixes and some of the early singles. FWIW that Cooly G record has generated significantly more good press than anyone else from that stable except Burial. And way way more than anyone else who sprung up from UK funky.

I feel sorry for the classical journalist they roped in to throw in a token classical pick when he was apparently oblivious to the fact that the Mercury hasn't had a token classical pick for something like ten years. You can hardly blame him for not caring.

(Erm, anyone else who sprung up from UK funky except Katy B, who should have won last year)

How long before the token jazz pick goes? Also wondering whether the Neneh Cherry and The Thing album was ineligible due to nationality (though presumably as a unit they're as British as Anthony and The Johnsons).

Myself, I like both Nicholas Jaar and Cooly G. And Cooly G's cover of "Trouble" is almost as good as Willie Nelson's version of "The Scientist."

Jonathan Harvey's actually the most interesting record in this list; worth going into the quiet bit of HMV to pick up and investigate.

Neneh Cherry and the Thing - the group are Swedish and Neneh herself is of American-Swedish parentage though I've no idea of her current citizenship status. A pity 'cos that's maybe going to be one of my albums of the decade.

TBH arguing about which flavour of broadsheet-friendly electronica is less of an issue than the fact that the only British rapper is Plan B. In 2012.

Where are Rizzle Kicks?

Quite.

The music controller of Radio 2 believes that rap is feral thug riot "call that music" music. Might upset customers in Smythson's.

The Actress record is astonishing in its sound design and aggravating in its inability to put that sound design to good use.

Exactly how I feel. I sat there thinking, this sounds good, it's innovative, I should like this, but nothing stuck.

I think the central diagnosis is something like what Jeff Lynne's dad said to his son in the early days of ELO: "The trouble with your tunes is that they have no tunes."

yeah actress is the ultimate in-one-ear-out-the-other. unbothered

RIP tunes

can't believe kate bush didn't make it on. she slept with a snowman ffs.

I thought maybe neglecting to shortlist Aerial would have shamed them into making amends. Still, she's no Ben Howard.

Yes, each track on the Actress album is pretty static, but I like the sensatiion of being stuck in one place at a time, and the track sequencing offers a meaningful progression.

I quite like the Actress record, it's not hugely sticky, but it is original and has some good moments, I've come back to it a few times after the initial enjoyment which is more than I can say for 99 per cent of new things I listen to.

I can't really see how the Kate Bush album isn't worth a nomination, at the risk of sounding like the Mercury Prize matters.

The other factor with Mercury is the "will the artist turn up?" factor. Presumably they wouldn't expect Kate Bush or Kevin Rowland to come within a mile of the ceremony, hence no 50 Words For Snow or One Day I'm Going To Soar.

or, like Damon Albarn, they didn't submit their albums for consideration.

Did Mala in Cuba come out in time to be considered? It would have been a good choice. Not too scary anyway