Barclaycard Mercury Prize

So it's that time again. The nominations have been released and anyone who is remotely interested in the state of British and Irish music are putting their two pennies worth in. For those who do not know; the Mercury Prize is a prestigious music award celebrating the album of the year in the UK and Ireland as chosen by the big wigs in the profession. Although the shortlist has now been announced, the ceremony is not until September so in the meantime it provides fierce debate with music journalists as to who should have been in, who should have been out and who will win.

Despite its illustrious stature within the profession and the initial impact it has upon nominated artists album sales, the winning award has been tarnished with the reputation of being a curse. Take last years winner Speech Debelle for example, her post-Mercury gigs were scarcely attended (even by the rapper herself) and she later parted company with her record label thus being blasted into the realms of obscurity. Damon Albarn has reportedly advocated such a view in withdrawing Gorillaz from a possible nomination although he has publically attributed his withdrawal due to the fact that the award should reward upcoming acts. This is a sentiment I can understand and reason with. Although there is a case for the nomination of certain established acts such as Hot Chip or maybe The Maccabees who have released outstanding albums this year, should the award encourage new acts and bring them to a bigger audience? It is for this reason that I am particularly disappointed in the nominations of Dizzee Rascal and Paul Weller. These nominations reflect a step into the mainstream for the award but are in my opinion distinctly average albums and are certainly not the best offerings from either artist.

The XX have arisen as the bookies favourite and are currently fetching odds of 15/8. I would not complain with the XX as winners as they have made an album that defies genre and has offered something genuinely exciting. Simarly, singer-songwriter Connor O'Brien a.k.a Villagers has produced an album full of passion, emotion and dark imagery (see his performance on Jools Holland) and has emerged as a genuine contender. My pick, in spite of contradicting myself would be for Wild Beasts latest offering, Two Dancers. The band have flittered on the mainstream and are known for their unique vocal intonation. Two Dancers is a masterpiece that is full of energetic, boldly original and quintisentially English (introducing Whitby in 'All the Kings Men') songs and should be celebrated.

The nominations are as follows:

• Biffy Clyro "Only Revolutions"


• Corinne Baily 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"

Dominique Tarlé- Recording of The Stones 'Exile'

Rollingstones.com have published part of the collection of Dominique's photographs from his time at the notorious Villa Nelcote during the making of 'Exile on Main Street'. The album has been re-released and is considered one of the Stones greatest despite being marred by tax evasion and heavy drug use. Click on the title above to view part of the collection which is being showcased in its entirety at Atlas, in London's West End.

Broken Bells - Broken Bells

Do not underestimate the talent of Brian Burton aka Danger Mouse. Lest we forget he masterminded the album that never was: The Grey Album. Mixing Jay Z’s vocals with instrumentals from The Beatles White Album, the album became an underground sensation and is arguably one of the best remix albums to date. Since then, he has helped form and produce two albums with Gnarls Barkley as well as the second Gorillaz album, Demon Days. In Broken Bells, a collaboration with The Shins, James Mercer, we see another string to his bow and further recognition of Burtons versatility.

Although Mercer’s vocals have been a distinct feature to the success of his ‘day job’, Burton appears to have given him a little extra attitude and a swagger that signalizes a progression to a more experimental sound. This is not to do any discredit to Mercer, whose influence in creating a softer song construction allows the album to float from one song to the next. This is evident in new single, ‘The Ghost Inside’ beginning with a swooning synth harmony matched with an uplifting chorus despite the album being centred clearly on some form of personal loss. In the opening track , ‘The High Road’ Mercer sings, ‘The Hard Road is hard to find, A detour in your new life, Tell all of your friends goodbye’ a possible nod to the fall out with his former band mates. The vibe however, remains a dreamy one full of wistful harmonies.

Despite previous musical diversions, no severe compromise has been made by either artist. However, the characteristics of both components have found a safe home in each other meaning that the boundaries are not fully pushed. Rather we have the incisive songwriting and galvanising melodies of Mercer submerged with the creative brush and electronic leanings of Burton. The result? A superb pop record.

Download

A Hard Road, Vaporize, Mongrel Heart

Weekly Playlist

Frown on me if you will, but sometimes I just don't have the patience to listen to an album in its entirety. Sometimes, you know, I like to blast out a playlist manufactured by myself, ready mixed by myself and I know it's going to be gold. Here is my playlist of the week.

A Side
1) Bonobo-Kiara
2)Feldberg-Dreamin'
3)Cut Copy-Hearts On Fire
4) Bronski Beat-Smalltown Boy
5)Mark Ronson & The Business INTL - Bang, Bang, Bang (Russ Chimes remix)
6)Crystal Fighters-In The Summer (Brookes Brothers remix)
7)We Have Band-Divisive (Tom Starr remix)
8) Phoenix- Lisztomania (ClassiXX remix)
9)Blakroc- Dollaz & Sense (ft Pharoahe Monch & RZA)
10) MIA- Born Free
11)Crystal Castles-Baptism

B Side
1) Arcade Fire-We Used To Wait
2) The National-Secret Meeting
3) Bert Jansch-Angie
4) Johnny Flynn- Kentucky Pill
5) Gomez-Whippin' Piccadilly
6) Broken Bells-High Road
7) Best Coast-Boyfriend
8) The Black Keys- Next Girl
9) School Of Seven Bells-Windstorm
10) Band Of Horses- Factory

And finally for shits and giggles....
John Cooper Clarke- Majorca

My Albums of the Week

I thought it would only be fair to list some of my favourite albums of the moment. These may be new bands that I have discovered or golden oldies that I have rediscovered. Hopefully it will be a good reflection of what I have been listening to over the week.

1) Villagers- Becoming A Jackal
A 6 music favourite and highly tipped for this years Mercury Music Award. Connor O'Brien has certainly put his own stamp on the singer/songwriter format that has been tarnished in recent years with the mediocrity of James Blunt et al.
2) The Middle East-The Recordings of the Middle East
Originally released in 2008 before the band called it a day. Fortunately for us they reformed 8 months later and released an abridged version of the album.
3) Blakroc-Blackrock
I thought it was ridiculous when The Black Keys recently claimed their music was influenced more by hip-hop than it was the blues. However, the two genres crossover perfectly on this album which features an impressive guestlist of Mos Def, RZA, Ludacris and the late, great Ol' Dirty Bastard.
4) Bonobo-Black Sands
Run yourself a hot bath and press play. A textured and eclectic mix of influences that makes this a perfect chill out album.
5) Gill Scott-Heron- The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Having just been given the intimidating discography of controversial American poet, author and musician Gill Scott-Heron I decided to start with arguably his most critically acclaimed album, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". It is truly staggering to hear the amount of samples from the album that have since been used and the unquestionable influence he has had upon hip hop today.

When You’re Strange: The Doors at Idea Generation Gallery July 9 – September 5 2010

As the film of the same name, directed by Tom DiCillo and narrated by Johnny Depp is about to hit UK shores ( I've already seen it- get me!), London's Idea Generation Gallery helps to tell the story through photography. Using The Doors favourite photographers Henry Diltz, Bobby Klein, Ken Regan and Joel Brodsky, the exhibition will display rare and iconic photographs of one of the most charismatic and controversial bands of all time. The gallery is known to have a close relationship with Rock and Roll having recently held an exhibition on the unique and highly regarded Ray Lowry, best known for designing the album cover to The Clash's 'London Calling'. I hope to get down there on Wednesday 21st July so let me know if anyone fancies joining me.

The National - High Violet

I thought I would start this blog by writing about a band dear to my heart: The National. I first came across the band when trying to find bands to see at quite a left field line-up for Benicassim 2008 (headliners included Leonard Cohen, My Bloody Valentine and Richard Hawley). As fate would have it, the first song I heard was 'Fake Empire'; a powerful, anthemic melody fused with Matthew Berninger's distinct baritone. Berninger is joined by two sets of brothers: bassist Scott Devendorf and drummer Bryan Devendorf, along with guitarists Aaron and Bryce Dessner, the latter a forming member of The Clogs. As I became drawn in i found that the National were not another fleeting indie band but rather a band with a strong musical background, having released three albums after their formation in Cincinatti in 1999. Here was a band that in my opinion was "proper". 'Fake Empire' was coincidentally used in Obama's election campaign and the album, 'The Boxer' became the sombre soundtrack to my summer.
Two years on and with their discography getting a severe battering on my iTunes play count, comes the release of 'High Violet' and the explosion of the band on a global level. The album debuted in the top five in the U.S and the band have recently played to a packed out audience on the Other Stage at Glastonbury. High Violet, is a seductive collection of anti-anthems that have the ability to inspire but allow self reflection. Berninger, in a recent interview with the Rolling Stone confessed that at the turn of the century he spent many late nights in his Brooklyn apartment with headphones on his ears, a glass of wine in his hand and Nick Cave's darker offerings for company. Anyone seeking a similar evening of melancholy may do well with High Violet however, songs such as 'Anyone's Ghost' and 'Bloodbuzz Ohio' offer euphoric highs evident in their recent performance on the David Letterman show (published below). The combination of highs and lows make The National incredibly engaging and envoke a charm that requires you to listen again.
Despite their success, the National still feel like my band, a band cut away from all the other NME bullshit that you get with many bands you love. It looks therefore, as though the bastards will continue to dominate my listening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5C2WVCruPM