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Last Post 7/19/2005 9:51 AM by  Mully
Mercury Prize nominations
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Norman Schwarzkopf
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7/20/2005 5:10 PM
I'd be more into the Mercury if it was for bands on indie labels that might actually need that money or maybe if it was limited to debuts or something. A win for Coldplay would mean nothing to them critically or commercially. I cant imagine Chris Martin packing up 10 CDs in a jiffy bag and sending away his postal order for entry. Then again...
stroller
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7/20/2005 6:55 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Binokular
quote:
Originally posted by stroller Let's not forget that Roni Size's New Forms album won the award ahead of Radiohead's OK Computer. Which album seems more relevant now?
Thats a pretty unfair comparison, but thats ok, I think your comment stems more from a misunderstanding of why drum'n'bass no longer seems relevant.....Basically the problem with DnB is that its got such a singular almost blinkered aesthetic, searching for the perfect breakbeat, it leads to a logical conclusion and an artistic dead end really.
I'm sorry horse but I think you're the one who misundestands drum and bass. For years drum and bass slipped into a creative lull because producers STOPPED searching for the perfect breakbeat. They kept using the same one over and over again - the Amen Break (sampled from the track Amen My Brother by The Winstons), and rather than try and manipulate and restructure the break they just lifted it wholesale and churned out countless generic two-steppers. It's only in recent years with the emergence of artists like Paradox and labels like Breakin, that producers have gone back to the Amen Break and started chopping it up and programming their drums in a more innovative matter. Rather than leading to an artistic dead end these producers have ushered in some of the most interesting drum and bass records since it's mid-90's hey day.
Unicron
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7/20/2005 7:06 PM
Would anyone agree with me that the shortlist prize is the best crappy award in the world?
Binokular
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7/20/2005 7:58 PM
quote:
Originally posted by stroller
quote:
Originally posted by Binokular
quote:
Originally posted by stroller Let's not forget that Roni Size's New Forms album won the award ahead of Radiohead's OK Computer. Which album seems more relevant now?
Thats a pretty unfair comparison, but thats ok, I think your comment stems more from a misunderstanding of why drum'n'bass no longer seems relevant.....Basically the problem with DnB is that its got such a singular almost blinkered aesthetic, searching for the perfect breakbeat, it leads to a logical conclusion and an artistic dead end really.
I'm sorry horse but I think you're the one who misundestands drum and bass. For years drum and bass slipped into a creative lull because producers STOPPED searching for the perfect breakbeat. They kept using the same one over and over again - the Amen Break (sampled from the track Amen My Brother by The Winstons), and rather than try and manipulate and restructure the break they just lifted it wholesale and churned out countless generic two-steppers. It's only in recent years with the emergence of artists like Paradox and labels like Breakin, that producers have gone back to the Amen Break and started chopping it up and programming their drums in a more innovative matter. Rather than leading to an artistic dead end these producers have ushered in some of the most interesting drum and bass records since it's mid-90's hey day.
OK, fair enough, but what you're saying is than DnB is still relevant? So that makes New Forms pretty relevant. But heres the thing, if DnB is based mainly round the Amen Break, then theres a limit to what you can do really isn't there? Theres only so much one person can think to do with a sample before they need to move onfrom 2-step into something else, you have to waith for the next generation of artists to reinvent it again. The follow album to "New Forms", "in the Mode" saw Size/Reprazent move more into courting mainstrem hip hop, while the breakbeat elements didn't really progress, overall it was quite a disappointing follow-up. DnB is great and will have great moments every now and then, but its built on a fairly restrictive ideal.
Libero
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7/20/2005 8:15 PM
Norman Schwarzkopf said:
quote:
I'd be more into the Mercury if it was for bands on indie labels that might actually need that money or maybe if it was limited to debuts or something. A win for Coldplay would mean nothing to them critically or commercially. I cant imagine Chris Martin packing up 10 CDs in a jiffy bag and sending away his postal order for entry. Then again...
I hear ya... Thing is, the Mercury can do a lot of good if it recognises an outstanding album from the kind of new and/or indie act you mention, and proclaims it to a mainstream audience. That way, the kind of people who buy a handful of crap records a year might just sit up and take notice that a good but little-known act beat Coldplay and other big-hitters. Even for the likes of Maximo Park and Hard-Fi (both singles bands so far, I agree), they may be sneered at here as 'mainstream' but I wish to God that FM104 or 98FM would find an excuse to play them so as to turn on more kids to worthy music. Anyway, I'm sure Chris Martin is well capable of sending in his own entry... "Dear Mr. Mercury, I am a singer in a band called Coldplay. I loved A Night At The Opera and all you did for Live Aid. I think it's BRILLIANT. Here is our new album called X&Y."
eddiesheridan
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7/21/2005 12:53 AM
I think that bookies odds of 4/1 on Kaiser Cheifs winning looks like a good bet to me.
benni
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7/21/2005 8:51 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Unicron
Would anyone agree with me that the shortlist prize is the best crappy award in the world?
Oh no man not me. Well I think its much better than the Mercury's anyway. For example (and taking into consideration that this is an American award and thus their view of music is much more insular) last year (or the year before?) includeded nominations and performances from The Streets, The Black Keys, Cat Power, Bright Eyes, Interpol, Floetry, Damien Rice, Sigur Ros, YYY etc. Plus on the judging panel in the past there have been artists like Josh Homme, Erika Badu etc. A real mix and seems much more artistically focused. Granted that year Damien Rice won - is there no justice in the world?!?!?!
Norman Schwarzkopf
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7/21/2005 4:31 PM
I'd love to know how they decide which is the better album between say Coldplay and MIA. Silly.
Unicron
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7/21/2005 7:55 PM
quote:
Originally posted by benni Plus on the judging panel in the past there have been artists like Josh Homme, Erika Badu etc. A real mix and seems much more artistically focused. Granted that year Damien Rice won - is there no justice in the world?!?!?!
It has had an odd run of winners: NERD Sigur Ros Damien Rice TV On The Radio Although I do applaud the fact that TV on the radio won it last year, fantastic album.
ken
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7/24/2005 6:32 PM
what are the criteria for nominees anyhoo?
Unicron
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7/24/2005 8:10 PM
shortlist or mercury?
Una
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7/24/2005 11:06 PM
"Even for the likes of Maximo Park and Hard-Fi (both singles bands so far, I agree), they may be sneered at here as 'mainstream' but I wish to God that FM104 or 98FM would find an excuse to play them so as to turn on more kids to worthy music." and by 'worthy' music, surely you just mean rock music?
stroller
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7/25/2005 3:39 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Unicron Although I do applaud the fact that TV on the radio won it last year, fantastic album.
It is, isn't it? If you haven't heard it already you should check out the single New Health Rock which they released after the Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes album. You can check out an MP3 sample here; http://www.piccadillyrecords.com/mp3/TV%20On%20The%20Radio%20-%20New%20Health%20Rock.mp3 Also their debut EP Young Liars has got some great tracks on it including a bizarre barber shop quartet accapella version of Mister Grieves by the Pixies. Finally their lead singer appears on a track called Runaway on Apsci's debut album. Once again you can listen here; http://mp3.juno.co.uk/MP3/SF186612-01-01-05.mp3
Libero
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7/25/2005 1:53 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Una
"Even for the likes of Maximo Park and Hard-Fi (both singles bands so far, I agree), they may be sneered at here as 'mainstream' but I wish to God that FM104 or 98FM would find an excuse to play them so as to turn on more kids to worthy music." and by 'worthy' music, surely you just mean rock music?
Pretty much. You can see the FM104 playlist here: http://www.fm104.ie/chart.asp. I really do steer clear of them these days but when I had to work in a shop with it playing all day, FM104 was depressing stuff. It didn't matter that Radiohead had top 5 singles, were on Top of the Pops and sold 30,000 tickets to their RDS show, the stations still wouldn't play anything with guitars in it more 'challenging' than Cheryl Crow. I suspect it's all the same today: Stereophonics and Green Day being as adventurous as it gets. That said, there's some good pop music there - Mario, Jem, Gorillaz... By the way, I'm not sure how winning the Mercury Prize would change any of that, but it would help!
Una
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7/25/2005 6:57 PM
I don't really count rock music as any worthier than another genre, and yeah, radio stations don't really play good pop music - especially fm104 which is just filler s**t. I don't think Radiohead are particularly 'challenging', and rock music is played way more than any other genre on the radio - it's just that most of today's rock music that does commercially well enough to be played on Dec and Joan in the afternoon or whatever, is s**t.
Una
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7/31/2005 2:02 PM
anyway, let's remeber roni size http://jesuispie.herejezus.nl/weblog/pivot/entry.php?id=127
Gar
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9/6/2005 11:49 PM
And the winner is........Anthony & The Johnsons. Not who I would've picked now but at least Coldplay didn't get an award for a drowsy average album.
benni
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9/7/2005 11:27 AM
yea I'm still not really feeling that lot I mean I know everyone loves em but they just dont really do it for me.... yet.
Rev Jules
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9/7/2005 11:41 AM
In my view, the award was most deserved by either MIA or Seth Lakeman.
stroller
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9/7/2005 3:23 PM
Fair dues to him it's a great album.
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