The Brit awards 2006

[hexagon_sun]

For me, the Kaiser Cheifs, Coldplay and KT Tunstall are about as bland and uninspiring as modern music gets. The music industry will have us believe that each year, the Brit awards represents a hotbed of homegrown talent ~ the best British music from the previous 12 months ~ but to me last night's winners (and to a degree they were typical Brits winners) are totally unindicative of the great music being made in this country by bands/artists that will never achieve the recognition they deserve because they refuse to play the industry game. At a time when it's never been easier/cheaper for new bands to record their music and expose others to it, why do we still rely on the media and industry taste-makers for guidance on what to listen to? Outside of electronic music, why is it still so impossible for artists who are genuinely innovative/groundbreaking to penetrate the mainstream? Why is it that Radiohead - who have effortlessly maintained their credibility in leftfield circles while continuing to push back/blur the boundaries of what a guitar band is supposed to be (and selling ever more records in the process) - are still the only British band who are an exception to this?

Thoughts?

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Brit Awards or should they be called the Sh*t awards?
Anything that rewards talentless dross like Blunt, Tunstall & Jack Johnson deserves to be ignored.

I can forgive Coldplay & The Kaiser Chiefs as to the uninitated masses this is the acceptable face of modern alternative music. The fact that Coldplay haven't moved on at all in 5 years + of recording & that The Kaiser Chiefs are a (very) poor man's Blur & I've not bothered with either of their latest albums have nothing to do with it.

Agree with you 100% about Radiohead, although probably difficult for them to win anything in a year where they've been holed up in various studios. Here's hoping to another amazing blow your mind album from them this year.

I'm finding most of the stuff I'm into these days is from the other side of the Atlantic; Interpol, The Postal Service (& Death Cab For Cutie), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Arcade Fire. Bands who continue to push the bar in innovativeness, not like the stale state of (popular) British music.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Quote[/b] (hexagon_sun @ Feb. 16 2006,10:43)]Why is it that Radiohead - who have effortlessly maintained their credibility in leftfield circles while continuing to push back/blur the boundaries of what a guitar band is supposed to be (and selling ever more records in the process)

Is that true? Have their latest albums really sold more than The Bends?

 

[Leeboy]

is anyone really surprised though at the winners? Doesn't everyone know by now that the Brits are a joke and not really a true representation of British music today?

 

[hexagon_sun]

Quote[/b] (glasgowsufc @ Feb. 16 2006,10:52)]Agree with you 100% about Radiohead, although probably difficult for them to win anything in a year where they've been holed up in various studios. Here's hoping to another amazing blow your mind album from them this year.

I'm finding most of the stuff I'm into these days is from the other side of the Atlantic; Interpol, The Postal Service (& Death Cab For Cutie), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Arcade Fire. Bands who continue to push the bar in innovativeness, not like the stale state of (popular) British music.

I wasn't suggesting that Radiohead should have been up for anything this year (except maybe a special award of their own - it could have been the "Radiohead have won everything award cos their the best band on the planet. The rest of you, f%&k off and listen to "Hail to the Thief" on repeat until you've learnt how to make a decent record"). As you say though, bring on the new album and let's see them win a bagful next year.

I'm glad someone else agrees with me that the only interesting guitar-based music is coming from across the water right now. Even with the International awards the Brits messed up - why wasn't Sufjan Stevens in with a shout? And how did Arcade Fire not win best band???

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (Uxbridge Shrimper @ Feb. 16 2006,10:57)]

Quote[/b] (hexagon_sun @ Feb. 16 2006,10:43)]Why is it that Radiohead - who have effortlessly maintained their credibility in leftfield circles while continuing to push back/blur the boundaries of what a guitar band is supposed to be (and selling ever more records in the process)

Is that true? Have their latest albums really sold more than The Bends?  

OK Computer ? ? ?

 

[Mad Cyril]

The awards are a complete joke.

Bring back the good old days when exciting new talents such as Annie Lennox, Eddie Reader, Mick Hucknall and Sting received the recognition they deserved.

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (hexagon_sun @ Feb. 16 2006,11:04)]And how did Arcade Fire not win best band???

International Band for me should have been Sigur Ros

 

[hexagon_sun]

Quote[/b] (Leeboy @ Feb. 16 2006,11:03)]is anyone really surprised though at the winners? Doesn't everyone know by now that the Brits are a joke and not really a true representation of British music today?

Why does it have to be like that though? I think it's really sad that the Brits is just a big back-slapping pi$$-up for the industry t%$&*rs. Call me cynical, but I really wouldn't be surprised if the awards are bought by the labels

. It'd certainly be a good investment - I can already hear the sheep scurrying down to HMV to buy the Kaisers and Tunstall albums in their thousands.

 

[hexagon_sun]

Quote[/b] (Uxbridge Shrimper @ Feb. 16 2006,10:57)]

Quote[/b] (hexagon_sun @ Feb. 16 2006,10:43)]Why is it that Radiohead - who have effortlessly maintained their credibility in leftfield circles while continuing to push back/blur the boundaries of what a guitar band is supposed to be (and selling ever more records in the process)

Is that true? Have their latest albums really sold more than The Bends?

Surely on a 'sales to length of time available' ratio each album has performed better than the last?

 

[EastStandBlue]

I was reading in, think it was The Sun, as part of there Brits warm-up they interviewed the Kaiser Chiefs. In the article, they were quoted to saying "Of course we're the bext band from England" and "We're better than Oasis".

Kaiser Chiefs are the single most overrated band still releasing music IMO. They market themselves as different and alternative, yet there a carbon copy of so many other distinctly average bands its unreal. There lead singer is a Grade A Investment Banker, and IMO there music is garbage...

The awards this year have been a joke more than ever, Best Urban Act went to Lemar, who has released a Grand Total of 0 Albums and 2 Singles since last years awards, when they overlooked Kano who's album, for a UK Hip Hop album, is Very Good...

 

[FeedTheGoat]

The popular music scene in this country is wholly lamentable. A friend who works in a bar received an email from his boss, basically listing all of the bands which NME has decided to "make big" this year. It's not through public appreciation that these bands are making it big, it's through corporate decisions enforcing it onto the masses of people too unintelligent to think for themselves.

People seem to be finding it more and more difficult these days to have an opinion outside of the norm, and this is represented by the totally one-dimensional music scene we are suffering at the moment

 

[dave cusaks nose]

bring back bronski beat

 

[Firestorm]

The Brits are the awards for the music industry as decided by the music industry. By that formula they will always come up with one of two criteria,
The Lets give a gong and a bit of much needed publicity to someone who has made us shedloads of dosh in the past (Madonna Sting etc) award
and Lets hype up the latest cash cow even more so we can milk the kids before they realise exactly how good/poor this lot actually are award

That said I quite like the Kaiser chiefs

 

[Napster]

Quote[/b] (dave cusaks nose @ Feb. 16 2006,16:12)]bring back bronski beat

hmmm. have a thing for jimmy somerville do you?

 

[maldonblue]

Its just plain wrong that Oasis and Arcade Fire didnt win anything! But then again, the Brit awards have always been sh!te!

NME awards everythime for me!

 

[Ron Manager]

Oh come on. They are the 'corporate' awards trying to tie together all of the various disparate genres of British music into one overall awards ceremony. It's always going to veer towards the MOR section of the community and will never please everyone (all the indie kids, rock kids, hip-hop kids etc etc.).

Just accept them for the backslapping corporate shin dig that they are and don't get so het up about it.

Besides, everyone knows that t'Arctic Monkeys are better than all the other artists put together anyway

 

[perth shrimper]

The Brit awards have become a little bit "smash hits' awards if you know what i mean.

Popular, TV/media friendly artists heavily marketed to make money for the record companies.

Maybe why Coldplay haven't released anything remotely different since their inception.

 

[Kris]

A few moans: I was astonished Goldfrapp were overlooked for any nominations; Gorillaz should have won something; and James Blunt can feck off; but Kaiser Chiefs, KT Tunstall and Coldplay were deserved winners in my opinion. Overall, a mixed bag.