Mercury Noms 2011

[beardy gull]

Wild Beasts not on the list is a strange one for me. I think Yuck could have been on there too.

 

[Buzzer]

Not sure about that Yuck album on 2 counts. It's supposed to be the great white hope of jangly indie guitar music but fails at times with me ...and secondly the album came out in 2011!

Of that list I'd give it to PJ or James Blake. I can't comment on the Adele album as I've not heard it but I've no problems with a populist album getting it if it has enough artistic merit. The prize is littered with similarly appealing nominations in the past and can't be weaker than Ms Dynamite's effort that won it a few years back.

I see in the Guardian yesterday that Paul Weller felt the same as me that Erland and the Carnival should have been nominated. I thought Stornoway should definitely have been in the list as should Tricky. His album was a real return to form and as good as Maxinquaye, if not better. I don't think Mark E Smith has ever been nominated yet he continues to craft wonderfully creative albums, his last being a case in point. I wonder what he makes of the prize though. I'm equally baffled as some are on here that Wild Beasts weren't nominated but there's still a strong list in parts.

I really don't get Elbow. What's the attraction? It sounds like Dad music to me.

 

[Buzzer]

Hang on......what about Anika's album? I know she's Anglo-German - does that disqualify her? Am I the only person on NSC to think her debut album from the back end of 2010 was a work of pure genius? Admittedly there were a fair few cover versions which probably goes against her but each one of those was completely mangled beyond recognition and then lovingly put back together into something akin to a mad post-punk dub, Nico-esque tribute band.

 

[Super Gus!]

despite chart success, tinie tempahs album really is pony.

 

[CHAPPERS]

The James Blake album confuses me.

Adele can f*** off.

No Hotel Shampoo?

These are this morning's thoughts on this.

 

[New Carpet?]

Wild Beasts not on the list is a strange one for me.

Big surprise here too. Smother is a much more complete album than Two Dancers, which did receive a nomination last year. It also received numerous strong reviews, which made it all the more of a surprise that it wasn't shortlisted.

Along with Wild Beasts, I also thought (and across the genres) Dels, Gruff Rhys, Gold Panda and Wu Lyf were all a tad unlucky not to get a nomination.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The James Blake album confuses me.

Adele can f*** off.

No Hotel Shampoo?

These are this morning's thoughts on this.

Wonderful review of Gruff's Harrowgate gig in today's Guardian. It will make you chuckle.....and totally sums up Gruff.

 

[big nuts]

Only just realised Yuck are from London, maybe it's the style of music but assumed they were from America. For me a quality debut album, far better than the Vaccines album which for me is decidedly average.

 

[CHAPPERS]

Wonderful review of Gruff's Harrowgate gig in today's Guardian. It will make you chuckle.....and totally sums up Gruff.

I did indeed chuckle and, yes, you can definitely picture it!

"The biggest array of talent since Woodstock, but in one person" is how the Harrogate international festival fringe announcer introduces Gruff Rhys. High praise somewhat at odds with the bearded, jacketed figure who shuffles on looking like a 1970s geography teacher who has misplaced his notes. "I've left the metronome in Cardiff," begins the Super Furry Animal and solo artist, explaining that someone in the audience has lent him one but the settings on it are different. "So if this song is a bit faster … " Moments later, Rhys looks panicked as the song hurtles along: "It's definitely faster!" The audience erupts.

So begins a wonderful 90 minutes with the maverick Welshman, part wistful singer-songwriter, part bone-dry comic. "The stage is tilting," Rhys declares. "I feel like I'm on the edge of a precipice." With sweet melodies hailing from his Candylion and Hotel Shampoo albums and The Terror of Cosmic Loneliness, a "really heavy" album he made with a Brazilian TV repairman, no one else makes music like this. His wry commentary on foreign policy, Colonise the Moon, includes the line: "I vomited through your saxophone solo." He sings in Welsh and English, produces a sign requesting "APPLAUSE!" and is backed by bird song and malfunctioning electronic gadgets: a Welsh Nick Drake meets Mr Bean.

"Maybe I should sit down again and do another song," he chuckles as the sampler seizes up, so he plays the beautifully bittersweet Rubble Rubble. Then the organisers hand him a cake for his 41st birthday. Someone in the audience produces a tiny penknife and Rhys hacks into the cake determinedly, and shares it with the crowd

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

She's got a chance I think. Personally, I'm not a fan of 21 and despite it being a well-produced album with the expertise of Rick Rubin, I'm hoping Adele doesn't walk away with the award.

I'm just a bit disappointed with the list as a whole to be honest. A lot of very exciting albums that in other years may have well been considered have been overlooked in favour of far more "safer" options (such as past winners PJ Harvey and Elbow and chart-topping Adele and Tinie Tempah).

This award always used to look towards something innovative (Roni Size, Talvin Singh or Anthony & The Johnsons, for example), but now it's almost evolving into a Brit.

As for the judges favouring outsiders winning, I'm not so sure they do. It depends on what you class as an outsider - an album that's had limited commercial success or what the bookies think.

Either way, if we're talking artists who haven't been successful, both Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys won it on the back of their best-selling debut albums in recent years and as for betwise, the last two years have seen the favourites come out on top.

Who knows what criteria or process the Mercury bods use to determine the nominations. Like record shop top albums of the year, I tend to take them at face value ie the thoughts of a very small group of people. The only rule the Mercury panel seem to have is 'include an obscure nu-jazz album.'

But, this is not a criticism. Part of the fun is the discussion and fall out.

My music views range from reasonably informed (I hope) to utterly out of touch (new Memory Tapes long player...I'm on my own with this it seems) and often u-turning. I think I'd make a good panelist somewhere.

Also, The Horrors. Where do people stand on them? They come across as a Shoreditch Twat invention.....but they knock out some great tunes these days...which kind of makes them frustrating. Moving Further Away is the best piece of spacey Kraut/psych rock I've heard in years. It's truly glorious. I love the breakdown as well...and when it relaunches...

 

[beardy gull]

Who knows what criteria or process the Mercury bods use to determine the nominations. Like record shop top albums of the year, I tend to take them at face value ie the thoughts of a very small group of people. The only rule the Mercury panel seem to have is 'include an obscure nu-jazz album.'

But, this is not a criticism. Part of the fun is the discussion and fall out.

My music views range from reasonably informed (I hope) to utterly out of touch (new Memory Tapes long player...I'm on my own with this it seems) and often u-turning. I think I'd make a good panelist somewhere.

Also, The Horrors. Where do people stand on them? They come across as a Shoreditch Twat invention.....but they knock out some great tunes these days...which kind of makes them frustrating. Moving Further Away is the best piece of spacey Kraut/psych rock I've heard in years. It's truly glorious.

Shoreditch twat invention seemed to some them up to a tee. Then Cat's Eyes (Faris Badwan & Rachel Zeffira - Canadian opera singer) released a beautiful record and I thought I'd try them out.
Still not too sure about their early stuff, but Primary Colours and even more so Skying are mighty fine albums.

 

[Buzzer]

Shoreditch twat invention seemed to some them up to a tee.

Which is why I've avoided them for so long....I will have to give them a proper go. On a similar theme is Jamie XX turning into a Shoreditch twat/Hoxton nob-end? I try and try but just can't get into his remix of the last Scott-Heron album. It sounds a pretentious mess to my ears.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I try and try but just can't get into his remix of the last Scott-Heron album. It sounds a pretentious mess to my ears.

With you on the XX. My wife has both the original and the XX version. I listened to the original a fair bit, as for the XX one it's been on my CD player twice and I'm not sure I know where he is going with it or what he's trying to do with it to be honest. And I am unable to make any personal interpretation or connection either.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Shoreditch twat invention seemed to some them up to a tee. Then Cat's Eyes (Faris Badwan & Rachel Zeffira - Canadian opera singer) released a beautiful record and I thought I'd try them out.
Still not too sure about their early stuff, but Primary Colours and even more so Skying are mighty fine albums.

Good point about the Cats Eyes album. I'm only familair with Primary Colours and Skying. I ignored them when they first came out as I though they were an elaborate spoof. I now have a feeling they might do a Beastie Boys.

 

[Albumen]

Horrors are terrible live so I can't really be arsed to get the new album.

 

[Buzzer]

Horrors are terrible live so I can't really be arsed to get the new album.

Glasvegas did that for me. One of the worst live acts I've ever seen.

 

[The Modfather]

I see in the Guardian yesterday that Paul Weller felt the same as me that Erland and the Carnival should have been nominated. I thought Stornoway should definitely have been in the list as should Tricky. His album was a real return to form and as good as Maxinquaye, if not better. I don't think Mark E Smith has ever been nominated yet he continues to craft wonderfully creative albums, his last being a case in point. I wonder what he makes of the prize though. I'm equally baffled as some are on here that Wild Beasts weren't nominated but there's still a strong list in parts.

Have to agree with this. Thought Erland & the carnival, Wild Beasts & Stornoway would have received nominations.

Surprised that no one has mentioned Anna Calvi who would get my vote