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So a bunch of people have sat round, thought for some time and thus, the Mercury Music Prize shortlist has been announced.
- Biffy Clyro ‘Only Revolutions’
- Villagers ‘Becoming A Jackal’
- Corinne Bailey Rae ‘The Sea’
- Mumford & Sons ‘Sigh No More’
- Paul Weller ‘Wake Up The Nation’
- Wild Beasts ‘Two Dancers’
- Kit Downes Trio ‘Golden’
- Laura Marling ‘I Speak Because I Can’
- Dizzee Rascal ‘Tongue N’ Cheek’
- Foals ‘Total Life Forever’
- I Am Kloot ‘Sky At Night’
- The xx ‘xx’
A Pretty awful list, celebrating what kinda isn’t working in music, apart from 3. Well it could be 4, because i haven’t actually heard Kit Downes Trio album or even who the Kit Downes Trio even are, which is more than most music hacks would admit.
So, what isn’t working with this list? Well, Biffy Clyro make music for people who either found metal too hard or punk to cutting, so some rubbish topless indie. Corinne Bailey Rae first effort, was kinda nice and sunny i guess, but anything that she had going on has been lost in ‘The Sea’ and seeing her perform at Latitude festival only confirms that, that set dragged.
Mumford and songs only sound like the Wurzels, but with and electric backing band, their singles do nothing for me and the rest of the album only does the same. Paul Weller, last album ‘22 Dreams’ really was a Zeist of the time it was written, so interesting guitar driven music but ‘Wake Up The Nation’ only really woke up Q readers.
I’ve never really got Laura Marling, but i love folk and Laura Marling is a car crash live. Her albums first album was average at best but her second was just boring but it got all the important buzz from the media, so plenty if album sales which a lot of folk artists really should have got. Dizzie Rascal should really be ashamed of himself, his latest album is awful, anything that once made him a decent rapper of the grime seen has gone and now this guy just loves making pop music for cocks.
Foals have failed to capture the interesting sound of the first album and neither took that further or did anything to say that they trying something new. I will still look forward to their 3rd album. I Am Kloot sadly are not as near as good as they used to be, scene friends Elbow won a coupe of years ago and i don’t think it will be Kloot’s year, at least it shouldn’t be with this album, perhaps before.
So, what did they get right?
Villagers are wonderful, my friend Frazer got me into them and i’m glad he did. A dark but beautiful album. It sounds as great as in the sun as it does in your darkened bedroom.
Wild Beasts are amazing live and the album only reflects this, duel vocalists sharing the songs, i’m not sure how the album will age, but dang right now, its epic.
It took me a while to get into the xx and now that i am, i can’t stop listening to their self titled debut. Hunting, dark but all at the same time wonderful. The album could be a soundtrack to any emotion, very deep but very essesibl
In the tradition of the Mercury Music Prize, here is what i think the shortlist should be.
- Errors ‘Come Down With Me’
- Peggy Sue ‘Fossils And Other Phantoms’
- 65daysofstatic ‘We Were Exploding Anyway’
- Two Door Cinema Club ‘Tourist History’
- Villagers ‘Becoming A Jackal’
- Los Campesionos! ‘Romance is Boring’
- Four Tet ‘There Is Love In You’
- Wild Beasts ‘Two Dancers’
- Fuck Buttons ‘Tarot Sport’
- Pulled Apart By Horses ‘Pulled Apart By Horses’
- The Fall ‘Your Future Our Clutter’
- The xx ‘xx’
My year in Lists
Edit, 8/10/2010, The XX won, which is pretty good, i mean it could be worse *cough cough* Mumford & Sons *cough*
