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Mercury shortlist announced. Oh.
The shortlist for this year's Mercury Music Prize has flopped out into the world, for all the world almost impossible to tell from a 'two new albums for a tenner' list you'd see in HMV, with a non-rock album tacked on as a treat:
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
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
Dizzee Rascal? Again? I suspect that he now only releases albums so the Mercury panel can feel they're doing right by young black music. There are some acts we love on the list, but can't help but feel they're diminished by being lobbed into this lumpen mix.
The Guardian blogged live from the announcement of the list. It's interesting that Nationwide make much in their ads about how they don't take cash from customers to buy stuff for shareholders, yet quite happily sponsor the Mercurys, taking cash that could have been spent on savers to buy musicians and music journalists booze.
4 comments:
But the Nationwide money raises its profile which brings in more customers (hopefully) who themselves raise the profile and profits of Nationwide.
(Books away. Marketing 101 is over, next class children.)
But what does Gennaro Castaldo think? Lets find out!
"It will be interesting to see if the judges are prepared to open themselves to potential accusations that they are going too mainstream by voting for the Arctics for a second year in a row or by selecting Amy Winehouse - both of whom have enjoyed massive commercial success - or whether they deliberately go for a less obvious choice in order to show that they remain unpredictable and independently minded.
"You'd have to say this is a fairly well-balanced list, which reflects the diversity and vitality of the British and Irish music scenes right now."
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article2089624.ece
Pretty incisive stuff, I think you'll agree! Sounds like his money is on Maps, then!
Money on one of the more "avantgard" acts. Every second year! 2 years ago I am a bird(/twat) now by anthony and the johnsons, last year The Arctics and therefore its time for more crap. To keep up the image ;)
Incidentally, I was delighted to see Mr Castaldo being interviewed on Channel 4 News last week.
Until recently, I'd presumed he was just an invention on the part of HMV.
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