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The Mercury Prize Shortlist of Shortlists

Rory Connolly — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:53:35 +0000

So here we are, this year's Mercury Prize nominations are upon us, but who will make the final list? Over the past week the collective minds of music bloggers throughout the UK, Ireland and Canada (thanks Chromewaves) have been digging through the past twelve months of their collections in the hope of uncovering the gem of an album that had slipped our minds or passed under our collective noses.

We've had celebrations of shouty-ness, dubstep, female-fronted folk and lots and lots of Scots. But are we any closer to the truth? Even at this very moment Keep Hope Inside's Saam Das has weighed in, with the first post on his new Faded Glamour blog, to remind us of great albums by Fight Like Apes, Grammatics and Dan Black.

I've done my calculations, checked them again just to be sure and behold, I can now present you the Mercury Prize albums of the year 2009 (as chosen by music bloggers):

1. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
Recommended by eight different websites overall, surely Natasha Khan must be on her way to another nomination.

2. The Horrors - Primary Colours
Topping the list of impressive second albums in 2009 with seven votes.

3. Florence And The Machine - Lungs
Fresh out of the box and eager to please. Camberwell's Florence Welch makes it on to shortlists by six of our bloggers.

4. Dananananaykroyd - Hey Everyone!
It would surprise some and delight many if the Scots make the Mercury Prize judges' list.

5. Doves - Kingdom Of Rust
7/2 favourites at the bookies and like Dananananaykroyd chosen by five of our blogs.

6. Micachu And The Shapes - Jewellery
More than a few of our writers couldn't resist the inventiveness of the Surrey-born songwriter.

7. Fanfarlo - Reservoir
Their inventive sales strategy and the sheer quality of the music led to four votes for this debut.

8. Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires
It may seem like an age ago but the quality of the tracks, not to mention the dancing, won the Fires' a quartet of new fans from our list.

9. Glasvegas - Glasvegas
Another self-titled debut, another autumn 2008 release but the Scot foursome never left the minds of their blogging fans.

10. Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers
Their "best album in many years" according to blogger Frank Yang.

Which leave us with two spots, which could be taken up by anyone from Late Of The Pier to The Mummers, Little Boots or The Phantom Band, either way we couldn't decide. Not that it will be any easier for the Mercury Prize judges.

We'll all find out how close our guesses were around 11.30am tomorrow. At which point we recommend you make your way to our shiny new Mercury Prize website, where we'll be updating you on all the events of the day with breaking news of the nominations, interviews, reviews and all you need to know about the twelve lucky artists.

Mercury Prize Nominations – One Day To Go

Rory Connolly — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:06:24 +0000

Mercury Prize nominations are now less than a day away and the speculation on which twelve albums will make the shortlist gains pace. Yesterday's Independent offered a bluffers guide to the run down, which highlighted the likes of 7/1 shot La Roux, South London rapper Speech Debelle and Radio 2 favourite Gary Go for late nods.

Irish blogger Niall Byrne has also taken a late look of the runners and riders on his nialler9 website. Niall is another writer who pins his hopes on Blackpool songstress Little Boots, along with the likes of Friendly Fires, Fanfarlo, The Mummers and The Phantom Band.

Toddla T's Skanky Skanky crops up again following his spot on funfunfun's shortlist over the weekend, while blog support for the self-titled April debut from Blue Roses continues to grow.

Nialler9's home tip comes in a similar vein, as the Dublin writer looks to former Damien Rice collaborator Lisa Hannigan, and her solo debut Sea Sew to fill an Irish spot on the shortlist.

Over at Bleep43, writer Toby Frith has taken an alternative view of proceedings. The writer bemoans the lack of exposure given to dance music by the Mercury Prize panel over the years, and heralds a promising future from the likes of Zomby and Lukid, who follow in the footsteps of 2008 nominee Burial.

Bleep43's tips for the 2009 shortlist come from the "filmic lo-fi grain" of Hazyville from Darren Cunningham's Actress project, new hip hop venture Harmonic 313 from Jedi Knight Mark Pritchard and Heartbreak's Italodisco return on Lies.

Read Niall's full article on Nialler9.com

Read Toby's full article on Bleep43.com

Mercury Prize Nominations – funfunfun

Rory Connolly — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:09:46 +0000

Much like, fellow Mercury Prize blogger, Frank Yang, Londoner Tim Murray is a blogger come music photographer, as this picture of Mercury Prize nomination hopefuls Fanfarlo proves. His funfunfun blog has been running since February 2006 and was an early fan of the likes of Slow Club, Los Campesinos! and fellow Mercury Prize hopefuls Noah And The Whale.

He kicks off his personal Mercury Prize shortlist with the "best British debut of the year" from Glasgow's We Were Promised Jetpacks. June's These Four Walls was described as "tense, agitated and epic in places" by the writer.

Also making the list are Sheffield mathcore quintet Rolo Tomassi, with September's "bruising, challenging and aggressive" Hysterics, which Murray particularly hopes will get nominated if only to allow him to "watch Jools Holland's face as it melts from the awesome mayhem that would ensue" from the band's ceremony performance.

Other nods go to the "clever and spacious indie rock" of Sky Larkin's The Golden Spike and If You Leave It Alone from Wymeswold's The Wave Pictures.

Fresh faced female folk makes an appearance on the funfunfun list in the form of 18 year old Alessi's Ark and the "devastatingly beautiful" debut from Blue Roses' Laura Groves.

Finishing up the funfunfun list is Tim's "dance choice for this year's prize". Toddla T's Skanky Skanky is "full of dancehall enthusiasm, jungle energy and some body-bending beats". High praise indeed.

Read Tim's full article at funfunfun

Mercury Prize Nominations – Muso’s Guide

Rory Connolly — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:51:29 +0000

Muso's Guide's Mitchell Stirling alerted us earlier this week to a fine list of Mercury Prize nomination suggestions from the recently relaunched music website, not to mention a few tips towards those who may unfortunately miss out.

Muso's Guide again highlights the much lauded exploits of the likes of Doves, Bat For Lashes and Florence And The Machine, however it is in their list of "others that could make it" that things really get interesting. Many previously unmentioned possibilities from both the mainstream and leftfield crop up including Lily Allen, whose April release It's Not Me, It's You gained praise in many quarters.

An album of strong tracks to back up chart-topping single Don't Upset The Rhythm could see Noisettes make the list, while the late in the day return from the Pet Shop Boys could see the Brit Awards Lifetime Achievement holders sneak through to join them.

Muso's Guide also points to strong albums from 21 year old Laura Groves, and her Blue Roses project, Fanfarlo's self-released Reservoir and novella and album combo Bob and Veronica Ride Again from electro-pop quintet Morton Valence.

Stirling also points the Mercury Prize judges' eyes towards the urban category, with Speech Therapy from recent BBC Introducing performer Speech Debelle toping his list.

Read the full Muso's Guide article here

Mercury Prize Nominations – Muso’s Guide

Rory Connolly — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:51:29 +0000

Stirling also points the Mercury Prize judges' eyes towards the urban category, with Speech Therapy from recent BBC Introducing performer Speech Debelle toping his list.

Read the full Muso's Guide article here

Mercury Prize Nominations – Another Form Of Relief

Rory Connolly — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:23:49 +0000

Self-confessed bearded slacker Eddie runs the Another Form Of Relief blog. He found the temptation to create his shortlist of possible Mercury Prize nominees irresistible as he realised how good a year it had been for British music. Another Form Of Relief celebrates new and old music, including their Ed Is Dead section of sadly missed artists and one of the best collections of "great lost Weezer songs" on the web.

Kent based Eddie goes all Scottish for his rundown of potential nominees with four of his select seven coming from north of the border. Dananananaykroyd are tipped again with the "loud", "messy and a hell of a lot of fun" Hey Everyone! quoted as "one of the finest debut albums in years," while Aidan Moffat & The Best Ofs return to the shortlists, as the former Arab Strap frontman produces "an album more consistent than anything he and Middleton put out".

The previously overlooked Camera Obscura also make the grade. My Maudlin Career's "beautifully textured songs" have led Another Form Of Relief to claim "this is the album Camera Obscura were destined to make".

Completing the Scottish quartet is Belle & Sebastian founder Stuart Murdoch and his new God Help The Girl project that "unashamedly embraces the album format when everyone else seems to be fleeing from it."

Elsewhere in the article Eddie pinpoints the "stunning songwriting" of Emmy The Great as "the slightly left of centre singer-songwriter style that seems to have made the lists in previous years", and a voice in Thomas Tantrum's Megan Thomas, which floats between "gentle and slightly unhinged".

Honourable mentions go to It Hugs Back, Sky Larkin and Fanfarlo, but its to Wales and Los Campesinos! We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed that Another Form Of Relief travels to find an album that has "emotional depth and philosophy...while still continuing to sound like quite nothing else that's around at the moment."

Read Eddie's full article at Another Form Of Relief

Mercury Prize Nominations – Another Form Of Relief

Rory Connolly — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:23:49 +0000

Read Eddie's full article at Another Form Of Relief

Mercury Prize Nominations – Clash Music

Rory Connolly — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:25:24 +0000

The good people at Clash Music have also had there thinking caps on in the run up to Tuesday's big announcement of the Mercury Prize's albums of the year. Mike Diver has gone on tour around Clash towers to tap the informed minds of their editorial team and come up with some interesting results.

Again the wave of support for indie electro garners weight as the "head spinning mix of percussively punchy tracks, part indie-rock and part salsa party" of Friendly Fires self-titled debut joins the cross-audience appeal of Metronomy's Nights Out and Fantasy Black Channel by Late Of The Pier in proving "that the youth of this country could craft remarkably individual records that stand completely separate of movements in both music and fashion".

Clash Music also call for the Mercury Prize panel to celebrate the "individuality, experimentation and creativity" of Micachu And The Shapes on Jewellery and the 80s embracing Golden Silvers, whose True Romance debut "swaggers to a perfectly pitched pop beat entirely of its own design".

Also making the shortlist is the "strong blend of soul and indie, mixed with unashamed flourishes of future funk" from London trio The Invisible, and the collision of punk, kraut, scorched soul and confrontational combat-rock from an album by The Horrors which "still impresses" dozens of plays on.

At which point the Clash Music shortlist gets a little more shouty. Clash find is difficult to think of a more fun British album released in 2009 than fight pop group Dananananaykroyd's Hey Everyone!, while in the "arresting listen" of Grey Britain, hardcore band Gallows have created an album "audacious of conceptual design, and predictably brutal of execution."

Read Clash Music's full article here

Mercury Prize Nominations – It’s Getting Boring By The Sea

Rory Connolly — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:29:01 +0000

Regular Drowned In Sound and This Is Fake DIY contributor David Renshaw has also weighed in with his views on this year's Mercury Prize nominations on his It's Getting Boring By The Sea blog.

It's Getting Boring By The Sea's Quarterly Reviews should provide the basis to any Mercury Prize conversation, while his new bands segment regularly provides an early look at some of the UK's freshest talents.

Friendly Fires' "intergalactic disco" again gets a recommendation in this shortlist, with the writer finding the trio's ability to "make songs about falling in love across the artificial smoke and strobing neon lights" a "devastating blend".

Renshaw also casts the spotlight on often overlooked indie quintet The Maccabees and May release Wall Of Arms which is "the sound of a band growing in confidence and defying all expectations in the process".

Other It's Getting Boring By The Sea favourites included the much tipped Florence & The Machine and her Lungs debut which "sounds so lost in its own passion that you lose all cynicism and find yourself looking for the nearest forest to go stage an impromptu party in."

Before that however, David has found time to highlight BBC Introducing tipped Sky Larkin and their impressive John Goodmanson produced Golden Spike, Glasgow fight poppers Dananananaykroyd and the "furious rant against the ills of society" that is Future Of The Left's Travel's With Myself and Another.

Read David's full article at It's Getting Boring By The Sea

Mercury Prize Nominations – It’s Getting Boring By The Sea

Rory Connolly — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:29:01 +0000

Regular Drowned In Sound and This Is Fake DIY contributor David Renshaw has also weighed in with his views on this year's Mercury Prize nominations on his It's Getting Boring By The Sea blog.

Read David's full article at It's Getting Boring By The Sea