Mercury Music Prize

Nominees are being announced this morning on 6Music.

So far, we have (will update as they are announced):

Aphex Twin

Wolf Alice

Roisin Murphy

C Duncan

Eska (no, me neither)

Florence & the Machine

Ghost Poet

Benjamin Clementine

Jamie xx

Soak

Gaz Coombes

Slaves

Apologies for delays on the last few, was in a meeting. Think that is the whole lot now, so thoughts?

I’m not sure what the Mercury Prize remit is these days. Though, if it’s recognising stuff that is really just a bit average then they’re fulfilling it.

Yeah, I thought it was meant to celebrate innovation and originality? Of them, I guess Aphex Twin is streets ahead really.

Bookies have got Jamie xx & Wolf Alice as front runners.

Love the Jamie xx album, but again, is it that original? Wolf Alice is alright, but far from anything new.

That said. I haven’t listened to 5 of the albums of the list, so maybe I am missing something there?

Still my favourite performance …

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Gaz Coombes is the only one of that lot that I have got.

Just hope that anyone wins it other than Florence and her fucking dildo.

Such a terrible waste.

So the Mercury Prize website says “This year’s Mercury Prize shortlist includes seven debut albums and it celebrates artists from every stage of their careers”, says Simon Frith, Chair of Judges. “These musicians come from a fascinating variety of musical places, cultures and histories. What they have in common is the ambition and the craft, the ideas and the imagination to make great music!”

First thought - Really? Florence?

How can you judge music really? Or award one song as better than another.

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It’s a commercial prize

Originally posted by @Goatboy

Originally posted by @TedMaul

Still my favourite performance …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl7R4Ir1fKc

Such a terrible waste.

She really was an incredibly talented musician. Totally agree, a tragic waste. Wish I appreciated her more when she was around.

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This is great

Ok I didn’t watch this through. It’s a bit Father Ted

Slaves for me.

As someone who has always been well into music and still is, when did mainstream and the charts become irrelevant to the more mature music fan?

I found that I kinda slipped away from young people’s music and became that bloke saying, ‘it’s just noise’ or ‘yes, they are a good band, but they are the 4th band to do that exact sound after two from the 80s and one from the 70s’.

We all have our own tastes but I honestly cannot comprehend how some people see quality in many of the current chart acts, genuine talent is rare and the likes of the Mercury and The Brits are clearly just exercises in corporate promotion.

As for recommended listening…do I go round where the manager of HMV lives and suggest that he has pizza for tea because I like it??

Don’t tell me what I like…

7 debut albums out of the 12 on the list for the prize. Sorry am if I am missing your point here.

Yep I love music and it makes up a huge part of my life. I think music these days is far to easy to get into and does not have any real identity, like the punk, romantic, madchester and even the Brit pop of the mid nineties. If you listen to indie music there is a massive amount of bands that are pretty much the same and fall into this category.

For me music is far to manufactured and polished these days, for the mass market, as well as being instantly accessible.

I still love music and listen to my music every day for about 7/8 hours. It is on in the kitchen and my car, as well as when I am at the gym. When I go into the lounge I pick my guitar up and play, sometimes nothing in perticular, but just strum some cords together. I go to as many gigs as possible (which for money reasons was lacking in the last 5 years).

I would say that music had overtaken my passion for football these days, but take the 2 out of my life and there would be a huge hole!

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Originally posted by @KRG

Nominees are being announced this morning on 6Music.

So far, we have (will update as they are announced):

Aphex Twin — sounds ok. Jean Michel Jarre et al.

Wolf Alice — sounds ok. Guitar pop.

Roisin Murphy —ok. Pop.

C Duncan—ok. Male version of above.

Eska (no, me neither) — Bad Aretha Franklin.

Florence & the Machine — didn’t waste my time.

Ghost Poet — Nothing original there. Disliked.

Benjamin Clementine — plays the piano nicely. Sings craply. Nowt original.

Jamie xx — ok ish stuff but sounds like a student project/rip off of other stuff.

Soak — ok. ish. Slightly annoying voice.

Gaz Coombes — ex lead singer of Supergrass. Not bad, but lacks originality.

Slaves — bad attempt at punk.

Apologies for delays on the last few, was in a meeting. Think that is the whole lot now, so thoughts?

How do I put text in colour so it stands out. My very worthwhile points at the end of the name of each artist.

Originality obviously means ‘new this week’ these days. Also possibly ‘cannot sing’. Which is probably right.

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