Mercury Music Prize Nominations

[Jook]

Amy Winehouse - Frank

Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash

Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand

Jamelia - Thank You

Joss Stone - Soul Sessions

Keane - Hopes And Fears

Robert Wyatt - Cuckooland

Snow Patrol - Final Straw

The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free

Ty - Upwards

The Zutons - Who Killed... The Zutons?

I looked back at all the previous years, and I have at least one album from each year, apart from this year. That either means my music taste has gone all wrong, (Which it clearly hasn't ) or the Mercury organisers are wankers.

Keane? Fuck off.

On the basis of singles, I hope either The Streets or Snow Patrol win it, and I reckon it'll be tight between FF and The Streets.

Joss Fucking Stone?

What the fuck?

[supergrass]

They rarely pick the best album, it'll be something new or something not too many people like. Why this is I don't know.

I knew Muse didn't stand a chance of being nominated, but I was still a bit gutted they weren't. Absolution was as good as any album in the last year.

I'm with Snow Patrol or Franz Ferdinand. The best of not an amazing bunch.

Edited July 20, 2004 by supergrass

[Jook]

Yeah, I think to be honest, Muse deserved at least a nomination.

Granted, it wasn't a groundbreaking album, but it was better than frigging Keane.

[fineintent]

Franz Ferdinand, The Streets and Belle & Sebastian are cool - I hope the Streets win, but I have a feeling that Belle & Sebastian due to the largely unknown factor. If Joss Stone wins I'll be angry.

Last year I wanted Dizzie Rascal to win and he did, and weren't the fucking Darkness in it?

[Jook]

Yep.

But Radiohead were nominated last year, and they didn't win.

AND I'M STILL MAD GOLDFRAPP DIDN'T WIN IN 2001!

[J-Rod]

I'd like either Franz Ferdinand or The Streets to win because they're both quality bands.

[Guest Angry Baboon]

I'm rooting for Robert Wyatt and Belle and Sebastian.

Robert Wyatt is probably the only musician who's stayed absolutely at his peak throughout his career since his roots in Soft Machine (Apart from maybe Lou Reed, but that new techno remix of Satellite says differently >_>)

Belle and Sebastian, 'Cause they've made 4 crap albums and I thought they were on a downward slope, but they come back with something that is pure fucking greatness.

[TheArsenal]

Keane - Hopes And Fears

Snow Patrol - Final Straw

The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free

All good albums I think. And I have heard that the Jamelia album is a good liten, although that isn't my view as I haven't heard it yet.

[Colly]

Come on The Zutons! I own four of the albums on the list (Snow Patrol, Streets, FF being the others) and its the best of the four. When is the cutoff point for releases, because Final Straws been out for fucking yonks (haven't said yonks for yonks, great word), and if its ongoing where are The Ordinary Boys and the Futureheads?

[Jook]

Futureheads were nominated, didn't make it to the final list.

[Robsturgh]

Question time with Robbie Sargent!

Why are the Streets good?

Fact: They aren't, they suck, and I mean really REALLY suck.

[fineintent]

Question time with Robbie Sargent!

Why are the Streets good?

Fact: They aren't, they suck, and I mean really REALLY suck.

I guess the beauty of music is that everyone has their opinions and tastes, and obviously I can't and won't try to change your mind, but merely state why I like the Streets.

Primarily, I'm still a rock and metal fan. However, it's artists like Mike Skinner who got me to explore music which I would have previously turned my head from. I now listen to everything from intelligent dance (aphex twin, DJ Shadow, Goldfrapp), early and modern hip hop (The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest, Kanye West, De La Soul) to softer acoustic pop and rock. So I pretty much know little bits about a lot of music.

The thing about the Streets for me is the sheer skill he portrays lyrically which perhaps, although I like the song, isn't obvious on a track like Fit But You Know It. Once you delve deeper and listen to tracks like Has it come to this?, It's Too Late, Stay Positive, The Irony of it All, It was supposed to be so easy, Dry Your Eyes and Empty cans you can see a sharp mind and sharp, relevant lyrics. Sometimes cynical, sometimes tongue in cheek, sometimes touching but always relevant.

The lyrics themselves are also delievered in a unique way - perhaps the reason the Streets have such a 'marmite' love/hate quality - the sort of mixture of Brummie/Cockney accent. The music itself is also extremely homophonic (layered) and steers clear of the simplicity of some other modern hip hop/garage/whatever you want to call it artists.

[TMM]

Go FF! I like them, they're cool. But I'm still pissed off at the Mercury Prize dudes for not giving last years to the far, FAR superior Darkness, but gave it to a talentless shmuck like...what's his name again?

[Jook]

Dizzee Rascal

...or were you being sarcastic?

[TMM]

Dizzee Rascal

...or were you being sarcastic?

←

Was being sarcastic. Where is he now?

[Guest Ringmaster]

Belle and Sebastian are my pick. But then again my picks never win or are never nominated. Muse should have been nominated for sure though.

[Guest Angry Baboon]

Robster and Ringmaster know where it's at, yo.

I hate that talk townie talentless twat.

[fineintent]

Was being sarcastic. Where is he now?

2nd last on at Reading on the Radio One stage, being cited as the future of UK rap and selling a shitload of records. So nowhere.

How much money do you get for the prize? 10 grand?

[Jook]

I didn't know there was a reward :s

Isn't getting a 100% increase on album sales enough?

[Emperor Fuckshit]

Franz Ferdinand I guess. A decent album with a few beautifully kitschy singles, dragged down by uninventive indie dross. But better than the rest of that sheeyat.

Belle & Sebastian -- not my thing, really. I like some of their stuff, but they're just not my boat, and they struggle to float it.

Snow Patrol. Spitting Games is the only good song I've heard from them. They're just 'meh' kind of music. But better than Cold(grandad)play.

The Zutons - If they were any more sugary, they'd give us all diabetes.

The Streets - Decent hip hop. Then again, I'm not particularly into hip hop. And Skinner is a Kev.

Keane - The fact that these people are popular makes me want to kill myself.

The rest of the list are people I don't know (Winehouse, Ty, Wyatt), fucking dance/trance/whatever/I don't give a fuck (Basement Jaxx), pop (Jamelia) and Joss Stone, who is Joss Stone.

[YI]

I'm with Robster on this one. I don't honestly see what's so good about The Streets. He's not a competent rapper (Or if he is, he doesn't show it) and spends most of his time just talking (Making it sound bad IMO), and when he does sing it seems very forced and often goes slightly out of tune, a semi tone or so, if not more sometimes. Whilst some of the songs may be catchy, he doesn't seem musically very good, or his delivery doesn't seem that way.

And what the hell, has this year been so bad? It's the BLAND AWARDS 2004 (Excluding The Zutons).

I can't get into Belle & Sebastian, I just don't rate them that highly

Snow Patrol are so bland and generic. They are simply a rock band which cater for those who aren't rock fans. Saying that I do love Spitting Games, but that's only because of the "Ooooooo" bits ¬_¬

I'm going to say something at the risk of my own health (I could well be beaten up) I don't dislike Keane. Of course, I don't like them, I don't go out of my way to listen to them, but if i'm listening to the radio or music videos on TV, I don't turn it off if they come on (Which I do for Snow Patrol and The Streets). They're not the greatest band ever, in fact they are truly quite terrible, and their style is pretty much what our generation refer to as pop. But I find their songs relaxing, and are easy listening, it's the kind of thing that can play and not think about. But saying that, they shouldn't win this.

The rest is eugh, other than The Zutons and Franz Ferdinand. Franz whilst often seeming boring, there are little things which you can pick up which make them seem a hell of a lot better, just little chords etc. which you wouldn't normally here in a song. And The Zutons, are just amazing, plus they aren't boring as hell.

When did Muse's album come out? I'm sure it's been a good long time, might just be me though? What about FFAF's debut album, how longs that been out? Because if that falls into the right criteria, that deserved a nomination.

[Jook]

Muse in September 2003. FFAF's was in November I believe. Both could've been considered, but were criminally overlooked

[Guest Small Blue]

For me, definately FF or B&S, as they are the two albums I enjoyed. You know what, I am going to get some generic beats that always appear in Streets songs and just read the Bible over them.

[Robsturgh]

It seems a lot of albums have been overlooked here, FFAF's, Absolution are two albums I really got into and really enjoyed, and I know both had incredible popularity. It just seems these are.....crap, if I had to pick one I'd pick FF, since they're the only band there I would even consider listening to.

And my comments on the Streets were kinda trollish, for that I apoligize, but I seriously cannot see what talent they have. At all.