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Mercury Music Prize


Gemmill
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The SBTRKT album was better.

 

I didn't think much of it outside of Wildfire (that's absolutely immense though)

 

Fair enough. I like it a lot, its innovative and original (in a way), he effortlessly assimilates all the current dance genres and then produces something that is unmistakably his style without actually fitting into any of those genres. I like that in a producer, the songs are poppy and interesting set against orginal composition and production. If you listen to the first few bars of On Battlefield Hill off Harvey's album, it could be one of 100s of bands. I think within less than a bar you know its SBTRKT yet at the same time i'd challenge anyone to play me something that sounds the same.

 

It was Harvey's time to win, 10 years since the last album, 10 years since 9/11 and an album about the intervening wars. Plus her record company had a poor quarter :icon_lol:

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The SBTRKT album was better.

 

I didn't think much of it outside of Wildfire (that's absolutely immense though)

 

Fair enough. I like it a lot, its innovative and original (in a way), he effortlessly assimilates all the current dance genres and then produces something that is unmistakably his style without actually fitting into any of those genres. I like that in a producer, the songs are poppy and interesting set against orginal composition and production. If you listen to the first few bars of On Battlefield Hill off Harvey's album, it could be one of 100s of bands. I think within less than a bar you know its SBTRKT yet at the same time i'd challenge anyone to play me something that sounds the same.

 

It was Harvey's time to win, 10 years since the last album, 10 years since 9/11 and an album about the intervening wars. Plus her record company had a poor quarter :icon_lol:

 

Aye, I'd not really heard anything like it (though I'm not heavily into dance) but not a lot of it grabbed me. Maybe I need to give it a bit more time. I think PJ Harvey's had a better quality of songwriting but, like you say, the whole thing is basically designed to sell some records in HMV anyway.

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  • 1 year later...

Plan B, Alt-J and The Maccabees lead the nominees for this year's Barclaycard Mercury Prize.

 

The competition, which names the album of the year, also includes Sheffield troubadour Richard Hawley, soul singer Jessie Ware and BBC Sound Of 2012 winner Michael Kiwanuka.

 

Completing the shortlist are Django Django, Lianne La Havas, Roller Trio, Field Music, Sam Lee and Ben Howard.

 

The winner of the £20,000 prize will be announced on 1 November.

 

MERCURY PRIZE NOMINEES

 

Alt-J - An Awesome Wave

Ben Howard - Every Kingdom

Django Django - Django Django

Field Music - Plumb

Jessie Ware - Devotion (pictured)

Lianne La Havas - Is Your Love Big Enough?

Maccabees - Given to the Wild

Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again

Plan B - Ill Manors

Richard Hawley - Standing at the Sky's Edge

Roller Trio - Roller Trio

Sam Lee - Ground Of Its Own

 

Last year, PJ Harvey became the first act to win the Mercury Prize twice, for her album Let England Shake, after previously winning in 2001.

 

Eight of this year's albums are debut releases, with Richard Hawley the only artist to have been nominated for the prize before.

 

Plan B, aka writer, director and actor Ben Drew, is the most recognisable name on the list, having scored several top 10 hits from soul-tinged 2010 album The Defamation Of Strickland Banks.

 

His hard-hitting hip-hop record Ill Manors accompanies his film of the same name - a tale of life on the streets of London - and he is already joint favourite with Hawley to win the prize.

 

It went to number one in its first week of release in July and the rapper is aware such success could hinder his chances of winning the prize.

 

"Probably, but it's good enough to be part of this," said Drew after the nominations were revealed. "My name's on this list, this album and what this album represents. UK hip-hop is on this list."

 

Only two women made the cut in Lianne La Havas and Jessie Ware, who performed at Wednesday night's nominations launch in London.

 

"I just wanted to make something that I would love in 10 years and still be proud of when maybe there isn't a music career," she said of her R&B influenced debut Devotion.

 

Fellow nominees The Maccabees have tipped Ware to win, not least because they are old friends.

 

Guitarist Felix White said: "It's kind of bizarre. I'm just so happy that the girl I knew when I was 12, who said she wanted to be a singer, is here now. It's just a really beautiful thing."

 

Django Django said they are honoured to be on such a "brilliant list"

 

The Maccabees are nominated for their third album, Given to the Wild, which took a while to sink in despite the record' s critical acclaim and top five chart position.

 

"It wasn't until we were outside and we were let in that we knew for sure. Hugo was saying 'there's no way that people can take it back now!'," revealed singer Orlando Weeks.

 

"We've got a really early flight to Boston, we just don't want to miss that - but I think this warrants a little bit of celebration."

 

Kiwanuka said he had followed the Mercury Prize as a teenager.

 

"I love albums and I worked hard to try and really make an album," he told the BBC.

 

"The way we listen to music now, it's difficult sometimes to hear a piece of work as an album and this gives people the opportunity to do that, so it's such cool news."

 

Several heavily tipped records failed to make the list, including Kate Bush's 50 Words For Snow and Florence + The Machine's Ceremonials.

 

The shortlist's more esoteric choices include Roller Trio, dubbed "the new sound of British jazz" and folk artist Sam Lee, who sourced a lot of his music from the gypsy traveller community.

 

"I think I'm privileged that I'm not in competition with anybody," said Lee. "If I win, I win on account of being different. If I just stay as one of the nominees then I'm there as a justified member of a group of would-bes."

 

Along with Django Django, who said it was "amazing" to feature on such a "brilliant list", Alt-J's experimental art-rock has also been heavily tipped to take the prize.

 

In a statement sent from New York, drummer Thom Green said it felt "very surreal":

 

"I want people to know if there's anything you want to do just go out and do it. That's basically what I did, do what you want and do what you love," he said.

 

Chairman of the judging panel Simon Frith said the shortlist "showcases a wonderful variety of musical voices, emotions and ambitions".

 

This year, Channel 4 takes over coverage of the event from the BBC and will broadcast the ceremony, featuring live performances from each of the nominees, from its new home at Camden's Roundhouse.

 

The four-year agreement also includes a series of intimate Album of the Year Live gigs around London from the 12 shortlisted acts.

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stuart braithwaite@plasmatron

Ah, that wonderful "what we could have done with that money instead of putting records up for the Mercury" feeling. So comforting. #Mercury

 

Wonder how much it costs just to be considered by the panel. Seems like a decent money-spinner. No different to most awards processes though, I imagine.

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Wonder how much it costs just to be considered by the panel. Seems like a decent money-spinner. No different to most awards processes though, I imagine.

 

I had a quick look and it's around £200 plus 25 copies of the CD.

 

I'm not quite sure how much difference that £200 would've made to the band's future.

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I had a quick look and it's around £200 plus 25 copies of the CD.

 

I'm not quite sure how much difference that £200 would've made to the band's future.

 

Ah, I suppose that's not too bad. Still adds up nicely for the organisers for effectively doing nowt, but not a prohibitive amount for all but the smallest and/or unsigned acts (who probably know fine well they wouldn't have a look-in anyway).

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