Mercury Music Prize 2010 - with a twist.

Ink Arcade

The nominees were announced earlier, personally I'm delighted that Conor O'Brien and the lads were given a mention.
Hopefully this year the winner wont be a disappointment following Speech Debelle total flop in sales after she won last year.
I haven't heard of Kit Downes Trio or I Am Kloot myself, does anyone know if they're worth looking up?

Heres the full list:

Biffy Clyro – Only Revolutions
Corinne Bailey Rae – The Sea
Dizzee Rascal – Tongue N’ Cheek
Kit Downes Trio – Golden
Foals – Total Life Forever
I Am Kloot – Sky At Night
Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
Mumford And Sons – Sigh No More
Paul Weller – Wake Up The Nation
Villagers – Becoming A Jackal
Wild Beasts – Two Dancers
The XX – XX

The winner will be announced on 7th Sept

MilanPan!c

Ink Arcade wrote: »

The nominees were announced earlier, personally I'm delighted that Conor O'Brien and the lads were given a mention.
Hopefully this year the winner wont be a disappointment following Speech Debelle total flop in sales after she won last year.
I haven't heard of Kit Downes Trio or I Am Kloot myself, does anyone know if they're worth looking up?

Heres the full list:

Biffy Clyro – Only Revolutions
Corinne Bailey Rae – The Sea
Dizzee Rascal – Tongue N’ Cheek
Kit Downes Trio – Golden
Foals – Total Life Forever
I Am Kloot – Sky At Night
Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
Mumford And Sons – Sigh No More
Paul Weller – Wake Up The Nation
Villagers – Becoming A Jackal
Wild Beasts – Two Dancers
The XX – XX

The winner will be announced on 7th Sept

hmmm, I'd say xx will probably win this one.

Though really, anyone could...

scargill

Ink Arcade wrote: »

I haven't heard of Kit Downes Trio or I Am Kloot myself, does anyone know if they're worth looking up?

I Am Kloot's Sky At Night is produced by some of the guys from Elbow - it is worth listening to alright

MikeHoncho

Wild Beasts would be my pick but cant see it happening.

Warm Panda Cola

Absolutely delighted for Conor O' Brien & The Villagers, and it's a brilliant album! Don't think they'll end up winning it though, I'd imagine it's going to be Laura Marling or The XX. Apparently Corinne Bailey Rae's album is actually quite good, wouldn't be my cup of tea though, and I think the fact that it's about her husband who died from a heroin overdose and all that story is overshadowing the actual album.

Xavi6

'mon the Biffy!

As long as The XX don't win I'll be happy.

Joe_Dull

Biffy or Foals and I'll be happy

Morzadec

Hope Villagers win this.

Not because he's Irish but because he deserves to

Howard the Duck

Loved the XX album so i'd like to see them win it.

lordgoat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZGvnI37mxk

This please.

pappyodaniel

Would be delighted to see Conor O'Brien win this, I think he's the first Irish nominee since Fionn ReganLisa Hannigan to be shortlisted, best of luck to him, well deserved.

MajorThom

Wild Beasts would be my pick as well. Two Dancers is the stand-out album of 2009 in my eyes. I wouldn't mind Foals winning it either tbf. The XX are favourites according to the bookies.

I wouldnt like to see Mundane Mumford and Sons winning this at all, at all.

Corholio

lordgoat wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZGvnI37mxk

This please.

It's a pity that song is a million miles from the radio crap he's putting out these days. Mercury will lose any credibility it had left if Dizzee wins with that album.

ElaElaElano

Villagers, what a buzz that'd be. Failing that the xx is a classy bit of work.

I'll cry if Biffy or Dizzee Rascal win it.

Creamy Goodness

pretty meh list to be honest.

foals and villagers being the best of a poor bunch.

KnifeWRENCH

The xx is the only one of those albums I've heard, but it's a brilliant album imo and would fully deserve to win. I reckon it would be one of the favourites, along with Corinne Bailey Rae (don't wanna sound cynical, but anyone who releases an album about their dead husband is going to fare well regardless of whther the alubm is any good or not. Haven't listened to it, so I don't actually know if it is good or not.)

They'll hardly give it to Paul Weller; he's far too established. Established acts tend not to get it (yeah, PJ HArvey and Elbow got it well into their careers but neither were ever as big as Paul Weller was.)

Not a fan of Dizzee Rascal, Mumford & Sons or Biffy Clyro, so hope they don't get it.

Have been meaning to listen to Laura Marling for a while but haven't got around to it.

A friend of mine insists that Foals album is very good, so might check it out.

Villagers and Wild Beasts - heard of them but don't know anything about them.

The others I have never heard of.

Creamy Goodness

actually i would love for biffy to win a mercury award, god knows they toured endlessly especially in their early days and tour the world now. don't think i've seen a harder working band.

they used to come to ireland at least 4 times in in the early-mid 2000's and have some of the best albums out there in that decade, but only revolutions is a shadow of what they are capable of (still an alright listen though).

ElaElaElano

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

actually i would love for biffy to win a mercury award, god knows they toured endlessly especially in their early days and tour the world now. don't think i've seen a harder working band.

they used to come to ireland at least 4 times in in the early-mid 2000's and have some of the best albums out there in that decade, but only revolutions is a shadow of what they are capable of (still an alright listen though).

I can see where you're coming from...but that'd be giving them the prize for their past efforts rather than this particular record. Yeah they were outstanding back in the day, but they traded in everything that made them unique to make a shítload of cash...if they released vertigo or infinity land in 2010, fúcking right it should win the mercury, but OR doesn't deserve it. There's at least three albums in that list far, far better than it imo.

Creamy Goodness

ElaElaElano wrote: »

I can see where you're coming from...but that'd be giving them the prize for their past efforts rather than this particular record. Yeah they were outstanding back in the day, but they traded in everything that made them unique to make a shítload of cash...if they released vertigo or infinity land in 2010, fúcking right it should win the mercury, but OR doesn't deserve it. There's at least three albums in that list far, far better than it imo.

ohh yeh i didn't mean they should win it for their past work. i'm a firm believer in that you're only as good as your latest work. on that thought biffy shouldn't win.

but what you said if any of the first three albums had a bit more exposure they deserved the win for sure.

whatawaster

Laura Marling’s album gets better and better every time I hear it, I think she will win, and probably deserves it.

X-Calibre

I would have to say Laura Marling from that list as well. Fantastic album. If she doesn't win it'll probably be the XX.

I wouldn't be surprised if they picked one of the less known nominees though, they have had a tendency to do that in the past.

Ink Arcade

After having listened to about half of the nominees, I'd like to see the XX or Foals win. After the shambles that happened last year i'd say they'll try and pick a more well known artist so that there will be some sort of a guarantee that the winners album sales will pick up after the announcement.

I think Biffy Clyro's album isnt as good as some of their older stuff but it's still good without ever being mind-blowing
The Villagers album is brilliant but I dont see them winning it. Same with Wild Beasts, it was a really great follow-up album but not really contenders

Id hate to see Mumford and Sons win it anyway and Ive never listened to Laura Marling so I dunno.

Total Life Forever by the Foals is probably my favourite album of the lot, but Id still like to see The XX win it as well

e0ghan

come on; Biffy Clyro, Mumford? It's gotta be Dizzy by a mile

Joe_Dull

e0ghan wrote: »

come on; Biffy Clyro, Mumford? It's gotta be Dizzy by a mile

Dizzee. And why does it have to be him? Tongue N' Cheek is godawful.

cashback

Not heard that many from the list but I hope The Wild Beasts win it. Great album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sxh5zMbNAo

Joan Fontaine

I'm delighted that Villagers got nominated, the odds aren't great but you never know with the Mercury prize. Put a tenner on them/him in the bookies anyway for the craic.

As for the xx being 2/1 favourites; I really don't know if I'm that bowled over by them. While there are two distinctive songs on the album the rest's very all the samey.

Will defo be looking up Foals and Lara Marling

Pauleta

The majority of those acts wont be around in a few years. The Mercury prize is a joke.

AnonoBoy

Pauleta wrote: »

The majority of those acts wont be around in a few years.

Yeah that Paul Weller fellah is a real one hit wonder alright.

JerryHandbag

Pauleta wrote: »

The majority of those acts wont be around in a few years. The Mercury prize is a joke.

You could be wrong, could be right....as Johnny Rotten once sang.

Past winners include Franz Ferdinand, Badly Drawn Boy, Elbow, Klaxons, Primal Scream, Artic Monkeys etc etc. All still going strong.

If I had to pick a top 3 it would be

Foals - Biffy - XX

e0ghan

Arctic Monkeys are hardly still going strong. I'd pick Dizzy cos Tongue n cheek is actually pretty good, even tho people are saying it's not, but mainly I just think all the other acts are boring as hell

Miguel_Sanchez

e0ghan wrote: »

Arctic Monkeys are hardly still going strong

Well they've hardly disappeared now have they?

krustydoyle

Morzadec wrote: »

Hope Villagers win this.

Not because he's Irish but because he deserves to

pappyodaniel wrote: »

Would be delighted to see Conor O'Brien win this, I think he's the first Irish nominee since Fionn ReganLisa Hannigan to be shortlisted, best of luck to him, well deserved.

I'll add my +1 to both of these comments... id love to see him win it.. great album and lets hope he's around for years...

deeks

Pretty happy with this years list to be honest. I'd be happy to see any of the following win it:

The XX
Villagers
Wild Beasts
Laura Marling
Foals

Haven't heard the Biffy Clyro album so I reserve judgement on that, and if the truth be known I actually quite like the Mumford and Sons album even though that's not very cool around here anymore:)

Overall, my vote would probably go to Wild Beasts.

pappyodaniel

I think Villager's Day of the Jackal would have had more of a chance of winning if it contained Down Under the Sea and On a Sunlit Stage. There possibly my 2 favourite songs of his.

ElaElaElano

pappyodaniel wrote: »

I think Villager's Day of the Jackal would have had more of a chance of winning if it contained Down Under the Sea and On a Sunlit Stage. There possibly my 2 favourite songs of his.

And also, to a lesser extent, I can't figure out why they put the new version of 'Meaning of the ritual' on, the way it ends abruptly is such an anticlimax compared to the EP version that has an amazing ending.

AdMMM

Laura Marling please. Such an amazing songwriter!

RikkFlair

Foals would get my vote.

That Villagers goes over my head tbh, sounds like a bad Bright Eyes tribute band. Yer mans voice annoys me, he trying to sing in a fake-Conor Oberst accent? Meh...

mal1

I have only listened to:
Villagers – Becoming A Jackal
Wild Beasts – Two Dancers
The XX – XX

and my vote would go to Wild Beasts. I'd be surprised if The XX won it, i'm just not sure about their album. Sounds like a hell of a lot that I've heard before. Very catchy stuff though.

Choochtown

Can't agree with the sentiments about the Villagers ... wtf? Did he write the lyrics when he was 12? Sounds like a pissed up Bright Eyes on the make up a song round of "Who's Line is it anyway?"

Ironically the freshest and most original sounding album on the list was made by an old man (Weller). Easily his best album since the Jam. If it was made by a 21 year old, critics would be fawning over it.

lordgoat

Choochtown wrote: »

Can't agree with the sentiments about the Villagers ... wtf? Did he write the lyrics when he was 12? Sounds like a pissed up Bright Eyes on the make up a song round of "Who's Line is it anyway?"

Ironically the freshest and most original sounding album on the list was made by an old man (Weller). Easily his best album since the Jam. If it was made by a 21 year old, critics would be fawning over it.

Weller = snoozefest yet again but it probably is his best album in a long time, not saying much though in my opinion. Dizzee should win this and i hope he does. Not that i'm a massive hop hop fan but of the albums i've heard on that list i like his best.

pappyodaniel

lordgoat wrote: »

Weller = snoozefest yet again but it probably is his best album in a long time, not saying much though in my opinion. Dizzee should win this and i hope he does. Not that i'm a massive hop hop fan but of the albums i've heard on that list i like his best.

I'd say you get home with the downies too.

A V A

for me: its a toss up between foals and the XX

MilanPan!c

Not a fan of the villagers... Very happy for them and their success, but the record seems so formless and ... Unmelodic.

Hate to say it publicly, because I'm very happy for an Irish band to have such success... But I don't like the record.

GGGareth

I'd love to see The xx or Wild Beasts getting it. As much as i adore Foals I just can't see them getting it but The xx and WB, they're don't sound like many other bands out there. The xx are constantly pushing things forward, and Wild Beasts make 3 minute masterpieces.

(Then again, Foals are excellent.)

lordgoat

Constantly pushing things forward? With their one album? Insert different cliche....

A V A

lordgoat wrote: »

Constantly pushing things forward? With their one album? Insert different cliche....

which band you talking ??

pappyodaniel

A V A wrote: »

which band you talking ??

XX

A V A

oh ok i say there next album wont be as good !! or as hyped

GGGareth

I meant it in the sense of them playing live. They've changed every song with either extended intros or ending, been adding interludes and generally just adding to everything despite having a band member leave.
Pushing things forward was probably the wrong thing to say, but they don't sound like any band i know(At least not that i listen to any ways)

A V A

i think they are better since the extra guitarist left , the drummer dude does her job now anyway !!! i just think the xx are 3 emotial normal people that are very honest with instruments in their hand

Orando Broom

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Yeah that Paul Weller fellah is a real one hit wonder alright.

Speech Debelle?
Talvin Singh?
Ms. Dynamite?