Mercury Music Prize Nominations

[Mr Wooly]

Antony and the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Coldplay - XandY
The Go! Team - Thunder,Lightning,Strike
Hard-Fi - Stars of CCTV
KT Tunstall - Eye to the Telescope
Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers
Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger
M.I.A. - Arular
Polar Bear - Held on the Tips of Fingers
Seth Lakeman - Kitty Jay
 
Some crackers in there. My choice would be Bloc Party though...

 

[C C Csiders]

Often a kiss of death winning this prize. Think Gomez, Talvin Singh etc....

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Of the ones I've heard I'd say I'd like it to be either The Magic Numbers or Maximo Park but as has been said this "award" is often the kiss of death.

X&Y is overproduced tat with probably only 1 or 2 tracks that are of the standard Coldplay should be at on their 3rd album.

Outside bet perhaps The Go Team! if the judges are fancying an indie/dance album this time around.

Not sure if The Kaiser Chiefs holds together as an album & I've not got hold of Hard-Fi yet. I'm blissfully unaware of any of the others, apart from KT Tunstall which isn't my kind of thing!

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

What are Bloc Party like - can anyone do a pen-portrait of their sound / style / influences...?

 

[blues_r_best]

Bloc Party - Quality is about the best I can describe them.

Some of their songs can be downloaded or listened to from here, I recommend Little Thoughts.

http://www.blocparty.net/mp3.html

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ July 19 2005,15:01)]What are Bloc Party like - can anyone do a pen-portrait of their sound / style / influences...?

I can definitely hear Jam/Style Council influences in there, possibly also early Echo & The Bunnymen stuff. Guitars are quite heavy, but also tuneful with a good layered effect (such as hammond organ/guitar pedals). They tend to fit in with a lot of these bands who gone down this early/mid 80s retro scene that's going on (e.g. Kaiser Chiefs, Maximo Park, Futureheads)

I know one of them is a Bournemouth fan. The lead singer is black which for an indie band is very very unusual (not a racist comment, just seems to be fact).

There are caning the festival circuit this summer so if you can get to see them, do it. They also usually get one play on every XFM programme these days. Album is worth a buy, if not at the very least a download (keep it legal kids - Home Taping is killing Music!!!!!)

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Cool - bearing in mind that a number of the musicians in Bloc Party went to King's College London, my alma mater (indeed, the band may have formed at KCL), then I'm quite inclined to give 'em a try.

 

[The General]

Bloc Party = The next Coldplay. Overated garbage.

Cant really comment on who should win as i only have the Hard-Fi, K.C and Maximo Park albums although i've also been told the Magic Numbers album is very good. Was going to get it today but got Subways and Nine Black Alps albums instead!

 

[Song of the South Upper]

Antony and the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now – Heard a couple of bits, not really my cup of tea, but the single “Until then I am a boy” or something, is growing on me. You’ve never heard a voice like his, though…

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm – Fantastic.

Coldplay – XandY – OK. Tune of the year in Talk, though…

The Go! Team - Thunder,Lightning,Strike – Who?

Hard-Fi - Stars of CCTV – Like the singles, not heard all the album.

KT Tunstall - Eye to the Telescope – See Hard-Fi.

Kaiser Chiefs - Employment – See Bloc Party.

The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers - Love the singles, not got the album yet though.

Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger – Apply Some Pressure one of the singles of the year IMO, not heard all the album.

M.I.A. - Arular – Heard one single, not my thing.

Polar Bear - Held on the Tips of Fingers – How do they play anything with paws that big?

Seth Lakeman - Kitty Jay – Sounds like he should be running a haberdashery in Cudworth.

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (The General @ July 19 2005,15:43)]Nine Black Alps album

Did that come out yesterday?
I'll have to get it!
When's Editors out?

 

[blues_r_best]

Quote[/b] (Song of the South Upper @ July 19 2005,15:52)]Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger – Apply Some Pressure one of the singles of the year IMO, not heard all the album.

I prefer Graffiti to Apply Some Pressure, it is just so much better.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (glasgowsufc @ July 19 2005,15:19)]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ July 19 2005,15:01)]What are Bloc Party like - can anyone do a pen-portrait of their sound / style / influences...?

I can definitely hear Jam/Style Council influences in there, possibly also early Echo & The Bunnymen stuff.  

I see what you mean.  A touch of The Cure in there as well, I reckon.

Hilariously, it appears that I've gigged in the same venue as them on at least one occasion - The Wheatsheaf in Oxford.  Classic.

 

[blues_r_best]

I'm also surprised that The Subways didn't get nominated, as I feel it is the best album so far this year, maybe they brought it out too late?

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (blues_r_best @ July 19 2005,15:56)]

Quote[/b] (Song of the South Upper @ July 19 2005,15:52)]Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger – Apply Some Pressure one of the singles of the year IMO, not heard all the album.

I prefer Graffiti to Apply Some Pressure, it is just so much better.

100% agree although I really like "The Coast Is Always Changing" too (that's the track that switched me on to Maximo Park).

 

[The General]

Quote[/b] (glasgowsufc @ July 19 2005,16:07)]

Quote[/b] (blues_r_best @ July 19 2005,15:56)]

Quote[/b] (Song of the South Upper @ July 19 2005,15:52)]Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger – Apply Some Pressure one of the singles of the year IMO, not heard all the album.

I prefer Graffiti to Apply Some Pressure, it is just so much better.

100% agree although I really like "The Coast Is Always Changing" too (that's the track that switched me on to Maximo Park).

Agreed. This (T.C.I.A.C) was getting played on MTV2 about 6 months ago and thats how i originally got into them. Thats my favourite track of the album i think.

As for Nine Black Alps, it was out a couple of weeks back but along with Subways wasn't in Asda so went town to get it. Editors album is out Monday so i'll have to get that when im back from Spain.

If the list has just been announced then i'd imagine the Subways album was out a month too late for that. Most on the panel had probably already heard the original Stars of CCTV album from Hard-Fi and thats how it got on the list.

Kev

 

[* ORM *]

Damn, she missed out again !!!

 

[keefmoon]

Editors is out on July 25th. They reached number 18 in the singles chart on Sunday.
Magic Numbers all the way for the Mercury if I was choosing. It'll probably go to the Kaisers tho.
Bloc Party, if you're wondering, are just proper rip off merchants of Gang of Four.
Though, obviously (Glasgowshrimper) if I was choosing then we'd be shortlisted...

 

[Olisadavey]

i don't think coldplay or kaiser chiefs should win. both have some good songs (chiefs have more) but also include some stinkers

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (keefmoon @ July 19 2005,18:25)]Though, obviously (Glasgowshrimper) if I was choosing then we'd be shortlisted...

I can't fault those sentiments!
I'm still enjoying the album & each time I listen to it I think that my only downside of it is it's too short & then I realise I've just lost 40 mins of my life (this is in a good way, by the way!!!)

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (Olisadavey @ July 19 2005,22:19)]i don't think coldplay or kaiser chiefs should win. both have some good songs (chiefs have more) but also include some stinkers

E.g. Swallowed in the Sea. As much as I usually like Coldplay, that track is pure and utter twaddle - a contender, perhaps, for the worst song they've ever written...

You cut me down a tree-e-e
And brought it back to me-e-e...

Oh, shut up, Chris. Keep writing the good stuff - What if?, White Shadows, Fix You and The Hardest Part are all crackers, and there are plenty of other good songs on the album, but don't forget to leave the studenty sh*t tracks off as well, eh?