Entries in Mercury Music Prize (5)

Tuesday
22Jul

Mercury Music Prize 2008 Nominations

The Nominations for the 2008 Nationwide Mercury Music Prize have just been announced. I'm either getting older or further detached from the current happenings of music however, because there's even less acts that I recognise this year than usual. But that's a good thing- The Arctic Monkeys winning in 2006 was complete nonsense. That said, the Arctic's frontman is still there in some capacity this year thanks to a nomination for his side project, whoever they are, it doesn't matter.

There's a few acts nominated though that I predicted, as both Estelle and Adele are on the list. Portishead's album Third is bizarrely left off, while Radiohead are thankfuly inevitably there. In Rainbows is a great album, and my favourite from last year, and I think it'll be the one that wins the prize. It's the obvious choice at any rate. The full list of nominess for the 2008 prize is below.

  • Adele - '19'
  • British Sea Power - 'Do You Like Rock Music?'
  • Burial - 'Untrue'
  • Elbow - 'The Seldom Seen Kid'
  • Estelle - 'Shine'
  • The Last Shadow Puppets - 'The Age Of The Understatement'
  • Laura Marling - 'Alas I Cannot Swim'
  • Neon Neon - 'Stainless Style'
  • Portico Quartet - 'Knee-Deep In The North Sea'
  • Robert Plant And Alison Krauss – 'Raising Sand'
  • Radiohead - 'In Rainbows'
  • Rachel Unthank And The Winterset – 'The Bairns'

 Now to play catch-up and try and listen to the ones I haven't heard...


Thursday
17Jul

Conspectus

• I'm a drop out- History without the Art isn't as exciting as I envisioned earlier this year, so after much consideration (and stressing over an assesment that was long overdue) i've decided to quit. i've got a new block of coursework starting in September though, so I think i'll still be on track in regards to the overall degree.

• Before September though, i'm hoping to tackle my gaming backlog in a big way. There's plenty (and perhaps too much) to keep me busy, but with just as many games i'm wanting to replay as I do to complete, it's a task that gets bigger every week. Plans for buying a Playstation 3 probably don't help much in that regards either, but, you know.

phoenix%20order.jpgHarry Potter & The Order of The Phoenix (DVD)

Yeah okay, so i'm late to the series. Following Goblet of Fire-both my favourite book and film of the series- was never going to be easy, so naturally, I went into watching the film not expecting much. Inevitably loads has been left out of the film adaptation including many moments of exposition that the book provided- once again, film fans seem to get the short straw. Regardless, it was fun, looked great, and did a good job of putting print into film, though obviously improvement would be no bad thing for the film, or indeed, the future of the film franchise in general.

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• I'm also hoping to get lots of Lego-sorting done as well. As with years past, this is another summer i'm going to be spending in the garage like a big geek. As with the game backlog, this task is constant.

• Twitter redeemed itself this past week when E3 was taking place. I was watching the live conference streams but getting updates ahead of my viewing was pretty interesting, and the continued coverage from some of the users i'm following means that i'm getting most of the info from the one place. Even better? Twitter didn't crash once.

brawl.jpgSuper Smash Bros Brawl (Wii)

With the entire contents of the game revealed through the game's official blog, Brawl is immediately unsurprising, and a game cursed with all the hype that came before it's european launch, inevitably sometime after the rest of the world gets the game first. Online feels incredibly wasted, while new single-player mode 'The Subspace Emissionary' is repetitive and feels tacked on.  Depth is certainly there by the huge number of unlockables and fan service, but with so much hype and a lengthy development, Brawl already feels old and uninspiring.

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• I've aged forty years overnight- i'm now growing carrots and lettuce in the back garden. For the rabbits, for my own shits and giggles, as an experiment; there's a number of reasons why I guess. Count yourselves lucky you're not getting Carrotwatch updates- currently there's no growth at all...

Squarespace V5 launches on Monday. I may play around with the site's appearance or what not- if things aren't displaying, it's probably my fault.

• The 2008 Mercury Music Prize nominees are announced next week I think. My predictions? Portishead, Ting Tings, Duffy/Adele, Radiohead and possibly Estelle.

• Finally, I recently posted this over on my Tumblog, fifty words or less. It's rather awesome though, so here it is again for any who haven't seen it. Human Skateboard by PES:

 

Wednesday
05Sep

Myths of the Near Future, Winner of the Present Day


It was revealed last night that the Klaxons have won this year's Nationwide Mercury Music Prize, with their debut album, Myths of the Near Future.

I bought the album myself earlier on this year, and it's interesting, because while in some respects the album conforms to a mainstream attitude and vibe, most notable with the singles released from the album and their respective chart positions, the album also has a sinister cult feel to it at times, that can be quite alienating, and indeed, surprising. But I think given the other nominees this year, Klaxons are, as such, a suitable candidate for winner, and a decision I respect a hell of a lot more than all of the Arctic Monkeys/Franz Ferdinand lark of previous years. Myths of the Near Future is by no means revolutionary, or indeed perfect-contrary to what the NME Review says- but as a solid, challenging, and altogether different fusions of style and genre, it is an album worth listening to, if only once to make your mind up about one of the most different and unique bands there is out there on the UK scene.

Current logic and empirical reasoning suggests the band will become utter d**kheads following the win (or indeed, more so), but subsequently if this is going to be the the current sound of mainstream music, then let it- I know i'd rather have these guys than a lot of the trash on the radio. Still, horses for courses and all that, I think favourite Amy Winehouse is/was as equally deserving a winner, but that's the music industry for you.

    Tuesday
    17Jul

    Mercury Music Prize 2007 Nominations

    There was a time when i'd look forward to the Mercury Music Prize nominations, and indeed the awards themselves, but judging from the 2007 nominations released today, the music industry is doomed and full of crap at the same time.

    Arctic Monkeys? The View? Ugh. Dizzee Rascal is nominated for the second time and that I can appreciate, but if the Arctic Monkeys win for the second time in two years no less, I will cut my arm off in anger with a rusty saw. Maybe.

    Mercury Music Prize 2007 Nominations.

    Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
    Dizzee Rascal - Maths and English
    The View - Hats Off to the Buskers
    Maps - We Can Create
    Bat For Lashes - Fur and Gold
    Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future
    Jamie T - Panic Prevention
    The Young Knives - Voices of Animals and Men
    Fionn Regan - The End of History
    Basquiat Strings with Seb Rochford - Basquiat Strings
    Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
    New Young Pony Club - Fantastic Playroom

    Klaxons for the win.


      Tuesday
      18Jul

      God Forbid if the Arctic Monkeys win...

      Nominations for the Nationwide Mercury Music Prize were announced today.

      The list on the whole is what you'd expect- parts guitar parts unknowns, as well as records that should be on the list missing, and records that are in there absolutely unworthy to be nominated in the first place.

      Naturally i'm absolutely against the Arctic Monkeys winning, I'd like to see Editors win, but ultimately, I think it could be between Thom Yorke or Muse. Of course, i'd be more than happy if Muse won. At the same time i'm a little dissapointed there's no Snow Patrol, Corinne Baily Rae or The Kooks, but I guess you can't have all your favourite albums in there.

      Mercury Music Prize 2006 Nominations

      Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am That's What I''m Not
      Thom Yorke - The Eraser
      Muse - Black Holes And Revelations
      Guillemots - Through The Windowpane
      Editors - The Back Room
      Richard Hawley - Coles Corner
      Sway - This Is My Demo
      Hot Chip - The Warning
      Lou Rhodes - Beloved One
      Scritti Politti - White Bread Black Beer
      Zoe Rahman - Melting Pot
      Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan - Ballad Of The Broken Seas