Day 18: Top 50 Albums Ever

Hello everyone!

Here it is then! My infamous albums post! I’ve just come back from the last, and also most efficient, Parents’ Evening of my life. My talk on modelling ebola epidemics was a success. But now I’m tired, and so will be sharing with you my 50 favourite albums! Because I genuinely have little else to discuss…

Of course, I won’t be writing at all for places 11-50, but will discuss the Top 10 in a little more detail.

Hopefully, I’ll post this up somewhere else nice for me to remember…

Here we go then!

50. Jane Weaver – The Silver Globe (2014)

49. Fuck Buttons – Slow Focus (2013)

48. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! (2012)

47. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns (2009)

46. The National – Alligator (2005)

45. Disclosure – Settle (2013)

44. The National – High Violet (2010)

43. Badly Drawn Boy – The Hour Of Bewilderbeast (2000)

42. Arcade Fire – Reflektor (2013)

41. The Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin (1999)

40. Neutral Milk Hotel – In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998)

39. Gorillaz – Plastic Beach (2010)

38. Destroyer – Kaputt (2011)

37. FKA Twigs – LP1 (2014)

36. Klaxons – Myths Of The Near Future (2007)

35. Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (19750

34. Caribou – Swim (2010)

33. Guns N’ Roses – Appetite For Destruction (1987)

32. Bjork – Homogenic (1997)

31. The Beatles – Revolver (1966)

30. PJ Harvey – Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea (2000)

29. Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006)

28. M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (2011)

27. Lisa Hannigan – Sea Sew (2008)

26. The Clash – London Calling (1979)

25. East India Youth – Total Strife Forever (2014)

24. Wild Beasts – Two Dancers (2009)

23. Radiohead – OK Computer (1997)

22. Outkast – Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)

21. Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand (2004)

20. Alt-J – An Awesome Wave (2012)

19. Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982)

18. Chromatics – Kill For Love (2012)

17. Paul Simon – Graceland (1986)

16. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake (2011)

15. Radiohead – In Rainbows (2007)

14. The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead (1986)

13. Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires Of The City (2013)

12. Elbow – Seldom Seen Kid (2008)

11. Tame Impala – Lonerism (2012)

10. The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream (2014)

I think I have listened to this album every day for the past two weeks. This album, the most acclaimed of 2014, is wonderful in the fact that it is not a complex album, requiring effort to listen to, but if you listen in, it will continue to blossom in ways in which you never thought it had. The War On Drugs have placed within every song several moments which stick in your mind during and after the album, reflecting on how perfectly sculpted the album is. This makes listening to the album, which is over an hour long, blissfully easy, something which most albums this long will outright fail to do.

9. Talking Heads – Remain In Light (1980)

I have listened to very few albums which possess the kind of originality, musically and lyrically, than that of Remain In Light. And how can you not when your lead singer is David Byrne? (“Take a look at these hands! Take a look at these hands! The hand speaks! The hand of a government man!”). Whilst the first half of the album is much more memorable than the second half, the album is packed with interesting beats and the sorts of sounds that would be experimental in this day and age. Fortunately, Talking Heads pull it off.

8. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (1977)

This album is simply admirable for how easy and feel-good the listening is. It’s very short, at just over 30 minutes, and is full of songs like Go Your Own Way or I Don’t Want To Know which make you smile every time you listen to it. No complexity. No thought. Just closing your eyes and allowing the incredible voices of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks flow over you. Many have commented on the simply drumming from Mick Fleetwood, but this is absolutely no problem, as it only exaggerates the ease of the album.

7. The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts’ Club Band (1967)

It can’t have been possible to write a Best Albums list and not include what is, arguably, The Beatles’ most innovative and creative piece of work. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts’ Club Band is loosely structured as if it is a circus show, thus making the beginning, middle and end, so essential for an album, only more clear cut. Whilst containing songs such as When I’m 64 or She’s Leaving Home which highlight The Beatles’ signature, simple style, songs like For The Benefit Of Mr Kite and Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds are unlike anything heard in music, creating a unique experience regarding this album, which simply can’t be replicated.

6. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs (2010)

It is unique of a band to create a sound so specific to not only the band, but also an album, yet this is what Arcade Fire have done. From now on, I can recognise a song from The Suburbs, maybe from just the first three notes. Not because I’ve listened to this album sufficiently, which I probably have, but because every song shares a texture which runs deep inside me at least. In addition, given that album’s theme of growing up and growing apart, there is a sense of yearning for the entire album, which only strengthens my intense emotional attachment to this album.

5. Broken Social Scene – You Forgot It In People (2002)

This album is so diverse in theme, ranging from the comparatively heavy Almost Crimes to the ballads of Lover’s Spit to the percussion driven Pacific Theme, this album represents the potential for scope which a supergroup can achieve. With the sort of talent expressed by Broken Social Scene, it shows that if you can create an album as beautifully crafted and as inventive as You Forgot It In People, you could write anything.

4. Pixies – Doolittle (1989)

If I had to describe this album in one word, it would have to be “mad”. This album is full of energy and pace, giving the listener some sort of adrenaline rush, yet is all over the place. There’s bass-driven rock in Tame and Gouge Away, simple mainstream styles in Here Comes Your Man and incredible vocal work in songs such as Debaser and No.13 Baby. This album has absolutely everything, and whilst it might not catch the ear as smoothly as some of the other albums as far high on this list, this album (which is less than 40 minutes, by the way) cannot be missed.

3. Sigur Ros – Agaetis Byrjun (2000)

In the indie music community, people can often be very cynical of a beautiful piece of work. So you can imagine their torn hearts when they listened to the magnum opus of Icelandic band Sigur Ros, Agaetis Byrjun. This album flows over you just like water in an Ice Bucket Challenge. Jonsi’s haunting vocals are exceedingly magical, even if they are in Icelandic. It is literally pure beauty.

2. Arcade Fire – Funeral (2004)

You can think of Arcade Fire’s third album, The Suburbs, as the calmer, less hormonal sibling of Funeral. Whilst The Suburbs encounters issue of love and loss, creating a more emotional element to the listening, Funeral  is filled with as much angst as Never Mind The Bollocks…Here’s The Sex Pistols. Very few albums involve the entire band screaming in the same way as Wake Up  or Neighborhood #3 (Power Out), yet also observe the calmer periods, with Haiti and In The Backseat, and then include Neihborhood #1 (Tunnels) which, in my opinion, is one of the best songs ever written. And then they create what may be my favourite Jools Holland performance of all time…

1. Fuck Buttons – Tarot Sport (2009)

When I first embarked upon the arduous task of compiling this list, I never thought that Fuck Buttons, a British electronica duo with such a name, would end up higher than any Arcade Fire album. However, I cannot find a fault with this album, in particular regarding my first listen. It starts rather slow, which had always discouraged me from continuing. However, after 90 seconds, a change was made. And then Fuck Buttons broke into their technique of layering sound upon sound, eventually creating climaxes or cooling down, or other aspects that make the album so three dimensional. The minute that first change album, I was hooked. Fuck Buttons use the element of surprise in this album, to the point where you know when a development will be made, but it is impossible to tell what that will be. And given that the album is one extended body of work, rather than lots of separated songs, you don’t stop after a song or two, otherwise you find you’re halfway through the album without realising. My first experience with this album, in the Sixth Form Common Room, is something that has defined me on a musical level, and is something I will never forget, and so it must bag first spot, even if that means placing it above Funeral.

Brit Awards 2014

Wow! A 2-month blogging hiatus ceases just two days before the UK’s most followed music awards. Now wasn’t that lucky?

And having seen the 2014 nominations, it seems that these awards will be very interesting to predict, with Bastille and Disclosure receiving four nominations each (all in the same categories, which will be very unlucky for one of them). So, in this post, I’d like to lay my cards out on the table and make my predictions for 2014. By all means, if you have a differing view, feel free to leave a comment for the post, and I would be very interested to reading it.

Anyway, let’s crack on.

British Breakthrough Act

Nominees: BASTILLE, Disclosure, Laura Mvula, London Grammar, Tom Odell

Oh, how I would love to see London Grammar win this award. Their debut album, entitled ‘If You Wait’, was favourite to win the prestigious Mercury Prize prior to the shortlist announcement, with odds going at 15/8. And do you know why? Because the album is awesome. It is full of soulful songs intricately woven to form a beautiful piece of work. Whilst the voice of the lead singer, Hannah Reid, can take a bit of getting used to, and the general vibe was a bit depressing at times, it is nonetheless an album that I would thoroughly recommend. However, this is the Brit award which you can vote for, and no matter how much I love them, my vote is simply a drop in a limitless ocean.

In fact, it isn’t really, because I may very well be the only one who voted for them. Which is a true shame.

But despite my support for London Grammar, I am almost certain that this award will go to Bastille. No other band this year has had such a profound effect on British music in the way that Bastille have. Whilst some may brand them as a one-hit wonder with their insane hit ‘Pompeii’, 2013 witnessed their exhilarating ride all the way to the top of British music. Thus, the recipient of this award seems particularly obvious.

British Female Solo Artist

Nominees: Birdy, Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, LAURA MARLING, Laura Mvula

My first question concerning this award is a simple 0ne.

‘What is Jessie J doing here? She disappeared, didn’t she?’

Ok, that is not necessarily true, but it seems that her greatest achievements of 2013 were shaving her head and sitting next to Tom Jones on The Voice. But considering her work, the music industry has not had nearly the same reaction to her following her second album as they did to her first, which contains all of her greatest hits (including the ‘crotch-grabbing’ one. I never knew what people saw in that).

But if it was down to me, this award would be given to Laura Marling. Whilst I did slam her most recent album in my Mercury Prize post (as I did with Laura Mvula), I do believe that her achievements must be recognised. At the age of 24, she was nominated for her third Mercury Prize (the third most in history, behind PJ Harvey and Radiohead), and whilst I did not find her album particularly compelling, her soulful style has become well-recognised during her career, making her an active part of British music. And that is why she deserves this prize.

British Group

Nominees: ARCTIC MONKEYS, Bastille, Disclosure, One Direction, Rudimental

If we were to ignore one of these nominations (maybe someone might spot which one), I reckon that this is one of the strongest set of nominations of the awards. An intriguing race between Arctic Monkeys, probably the biggest UK band of recent times, and three new bands, all of who released their debut album last year. All have been incredibly well received by the critics and by the general public. However, I would still not hesitate in giving this award to the Arctic Monkeys, though the other nominees are worthy winners in themselves.

2013 was a phenomenal year for the Arctic Monkeys. Their 4th album, ‘AM’, was released, revealing a new approach and style to their music, earning them second-favourites at the Mercury Prize, behind Laura Mvula. They headlined at Glastonbury, with their performance better acclaimed than their headlining counterparts The Rolling Stones. And they have seen their status rocket, becoming instilled as one of the great bands to have come from the UK.

As I have said, recognition must go to Bastille, Disclosure and Rudimental. All of these bands produced wonderful albums, full of brilliant tracks for them to be remembered by. However, it just seems impossible to me that any band who had been around for 12 months can becoming Britain’s ‘best’ band.

British Male Solo Artist

Nominees: David Bowie, Jake Bugg, James Blake, John Newman, TOM ODELL

In contrast to my previous prediction, I do feel it necessary to mention that this award has not impressed me as much as the previous award. Whilst I am big fans of all the nominees (apart from Jake Bugg. It’s not his music. It’s just him), I just can’t quite understand why most of them have been nominated. Let’s take John  Newman. Whilst what I have heard from him has been enjoyable to listen to, there hasn’t really been much of it to listen to, doubting my credibility if I were to support him. And David Bowie. I really love his work, but am I the only one who really wasn’t impressed by his most recent album? Considering the creativity which he demonstrated in ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’ and ‘Space Oddity’, this album was a severe disappointment.

In contrast to David Bowie, whilst I haven’t pipped him to win, credit must go to James Blake with his second album, ‘Overgrown’, winning the Mercury Prize which I have so religiously referred to throughout this post. This is because it was a brilliant album. Yet unfortunately, he has not received the recognition which I, personally, believe he totally deserves. Maybe it is because he will never be a mainstream success? Referring to the Brit Awards, that probably is the reason.

Therefore, I believe that this award is going to Tom Odell. For someone who burst onto the scene only last year, winning the Critic’s Choice Prize, he has done extraordinarily well for himself. 2013 has seen his rapid development into a national (at least) music star, which his ability deems him worthy of. So congratulations Tom Odell, I have placed you in front of James Blake. Though many may not like to believe it, that is quite a feat.

British Single

Nominees: BASTILLE, Calvin Harris, Disclosure, Ellie Goulding, John Newman, Naughty Boy, Olly Murs, One Direction, Passenger, Rudimental

For someone relatively unsuited to the chart music which the Brit Awards thrive on, this is actually a very positive shortlist, so long as we remove One Direction (or as I call them, The Skinny Jeans) and Olly Murs (whilst it may make me unpopular, this guy drives me up the wall).

The only issue I do see when looking at this shortlist is the prospect of one-hit wonders, with John Newman, Naughty Boy and Passenger (especially Passenger!) all carrying that burden. Whilst it may be unrelated to the award at hand, I do believe there is something to be said about tailoring a song for the sole purpose of being a hit. Though this may not be the case, it is what artists like Justin Bieber and One Direction have thrived on. A name in music should not be made based on four minutes of song, even if that is a phenomenal four minutes of song (Naughty Boy!).

But regardless of this trail of thought, my heart still goes with Bastille to win this award. I am still yet to find a person who does not like their single ‘Pompeii’ for which they are being nominated. Whilst being a thrilling and exciting song, Bastille also demonstrate brilliant writing skills, creating a textured song. If they can somehow continue like this, I swear they will go far.

International Female Solo Artist

Nominees: JANELLE MONAE, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Lorde, Pink

When I realised that I had to review this category, I realised that my input was going to go downhill, but here goes.

Right, I have decided to give this award to Janelle Monae, but rather than explaining why I awarded it to her, as I have done for the other categories, I will do it by ruling out the others.

First of all, I hate Pink. I just hate her, and I have from the very beginning. I find her songs irritating, overplayed and lacking substance, and I don’t think that she should have even been nominated. I’d say ‘with all due respect’, but that really isn’t true.

Now, Katy Perry. Yes her music is overplayed and has become very ugly to my ear, and for that reason, I just can’t give her the award.

Lady Gaga. Surprisingly to me, I actually very much respect Lady Gaga as a musician, or whatever she is. What I have heard from Gaga I have really quite enjoyed, with the vaguely Madonna-esque take on her work. However, the thing that really irritates me about Ms Gaga is the fact that she seems to treat image as more important than her music, thus epitomising everything I hate about the chart music industry, and therefore, despite a Christmas special with The Muppets, I will not be awarding this prize to Lady Gaga.

Finally, Lorde. It was hard for me to choose between Lorde and Monae, because her main/only/famous single ‘Royals’ is actually a really good song, and I am very glad that it has done so well. However, how can this song alone get this kind of title bestowed upon her? This specific award is supposed to award the best female artist in the world, bar the UK. Where have they all gone? Yes Lorde has had an extraordinarily successful year, but unfortunately, it is not worth this award.

And that leaves us with Janelle Monae. Now, I haven’t actually heard any of her music, but her Wikipedia page said that she was a soul singer. And Joss Stone is a soul singer. And I like Joss Stone. Therefore I am giving this award to Janelle Monae. Logic

(NB, Yes I do have two days to listen to Monae. But I’m writing this now, and I’m listening to Elbow. So there)

International Group

Nominees: ARCADE FIRE, Daft Punk, Haim, Kings of Leon, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Vampire Weekend? WHERE ARE VAMPIRE WEEKEND!?!?!?!?!

Vampire Weekend’s 2013 album ‘Modern Vampire Of The City’ has probably been the most highly acclaimed album of the past year, gaining 1st place in Pitchfork’s Albums of 2013 and bagging itself a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album (beating Tame Impala in the process). It is a brilliant album full of incredible songs unlike anything I have ever heard. So why is it not here? Therefore, as there probably is no answer to this question, I am awarding this prize to Vampire Weekend. The nominees are now competing for second place.

Now, despite my craze for Vampire Weekend (see above), Arcade Fire, most likely, are still my all time favourite band. However, that cites their first three albums, which everyone must listen to. 2013 witnessed the release of their long awaited 4th album ‘Reflektor’, which is one of the most original albums I have ever heard. But I still haven’t got my head around it, and much prefer their other work. Which seems weird, as I still want them to win this award.

Maybe its because they are really the best band in the world nonetheless, as shown by their 2011 Brit Awards success (where they beat Kings Of Leon. Twice). Or it is because 2013 was the first time Arcade Fire really became established as a force to be reckoned with in the music community, where people are actually saying, ‘Arcade Fire. I have heard of them’, for the first time ever. Or am I just giving excuses for Arcade Fire to win? I probably am.

The only issue I have with this category is one of the nominees: Haim. Why? Because they might win. Genuinely. They might win.

It’s not that I completely detest Haim, it’s just that I’m not suited to them.

International Male Artist

Nominees: Bruno Mars, Drake, Eminem, John Grant, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

Nope, not impressed by this category at all. Just because I’m not big fans of any of them. So I’m giving this award to Justin Timberlake, because he was in ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’, and I’ve seen that film twice already.

Mastercard British Album Of The Year

Nominees: ARCTIC MONKEYS, Bastille, David Bowie, Disclosure, Rudimental

This is, in my opinion, the highlight of the Brit Awards, because I listen to music for the albums, not the songs individually. That is why I follow the Mercury Prize so religiously. And this award seems to be the Mercury Prize’s less prestigious mainstream cousin, to put it bluntly

Anyway, the first thing I’m going to do is remove David Bowie again. Love the man to bits, but when I say ‘man’, I mean ‘Space Oddity’.

For the remaining four, I really enjoyed listening to them. All of the albums flow beautifully, with brilliant songs that make you feel very hopeful for the British music scene. Disclosure and Rudimental represent what is now great about the whole dance music scene, as shown by the multitude of nominations which they have received. Bastille are showing sure signs of success in the future, and it definitely isn’t just ‘Pompeii’ that shows that. It is their entire album.

However, I think that this award deservedly goes to Arctic Monkeys. Whilst this album is a huge leap out of their more rock-and-roll based comfort zone, the band have pulled this album off with wonderful results. Which is why they fully deserve this award.

And that concludes my predictions for the 2014 Brits. As I have said, if you would like to input your ideas, I would be fascinated to see what you all think.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mercury Music Prize 2013

The Barclaycard Mercury Music Prize is an annual award offered for the best British album, based entirely on the music on the album. This must be the reason why I, as a person who takes music very seriously, must care about this award in particular. Unlike other awards, this prize isn’t plagued by image and sales charts. And as the music is now the only thing that matters, what is left is the true raw talent of the artist, which is what makes this award so special.

The award also takes a slightly different, but interesting approach to the title ‘Best Album’. It recognises that a ‘good’ album is not just an album which contains good songs. It is appreciated that the album must possess order, theme, style. It is necessary for an album to flow. Anyone can make an album of good songs, but it takes true skill to enable these songs to work in harmony. And personally, I believe that no band does this better than Alt-J, who won the award last year. I rarely pick a song from their album. They can only be used to their maximum capability if played together.

For this reason, I decided to thoroughly review the 12 albums that have been nominated for this prestigious prize. Who will follow in the footsteps of previous winners, such as Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons, Elbow, Portishead, and even artists who have floundered, such as Speech Debelle and Ms Dynamite? Whilst the winner will be announced tomorrow evening, here are my overall rankings.

12. Laura Marling – Once I Was An Eagle          Odds – 8/1

As one of the more famous artists nominated for this award, and having been nominated for her third Mercury Prize from four albums, you would think/hope that Marling will have produced something worthy of a Mercury Prize. And whilst her odds have placed her fourth of the twelve, I didn’t find anything in any way new, or special, or particularly eye-opening concerning her album. Whilst some songs sounded pleasing to the ear, Marling has taken a much quieter approach to her work, making it, for me at any rate, significantly tougher to discern anything that was actually going on. As a result, this album did not appeal to me, and so I have placed it right down here.

For fans of: Mumford and Sons, Fleet Foxes. Listen to: Master Hunter – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO2gm29rI7E

11. Laura Mvula – Sing To The Moon          Odds – 5/2

As favourite to win the Prize, according to the bookies, Mvula’s critically acclaimed debut album has made her one of the biggest breakthrough acts of the last year. Why? To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. Again, whilst some of her songs were enjoyable, whilst listening I had to succumb to specific songs that didn’t appeal to me. And is it a coincidence that the songs I did enjoy are the ones being used to promote her album? I’d think not myself. It seems that a strong focus has been placed on a select few songs which, although are good in themselves, reflected badly on the album as a whole. Which is a shame, as elements of her style, such as the African origins and her deeper voice created a potentially successful sound.

For fans of: Adele, Nina Simone. Listen to: Green Garden – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5akYnlwubDo

10. Jake Bugg – Jake Bugg          Odds – 33/1

Unlike the previous two nominees, Jake Bugg has not had the most successful start to his Mercury Prize campaign. And to be honest, problems are similar. Whilst there are hopeful songs, it doesn’t help that they all feature at the beginning, creating an unfortunate, bitter anti-climax thirty minutes later. It seems to be a technique of various artists to place all of their good songs at the beginning, thus attracting the love and support of those with a significantly shorter attention span. And if that, if we assume this to be true, is the actual route taken by Bugg, then quite frankly he doesn’t deserve even a nomination. However, he is placed above Laura Mvula simply due to those hopeful songs.

For fans of: Bob Dylan, Oasis. Listen to: Lightning Bolt – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY0oPg1h8fQ

9. Rudimental – Home          Odds – 20/1

I surprised myself placing Rudimental so far down this list, because when I first listened to them, I did really enjoy listening to them. I would say that it is unfortunate that, of their genre, they are the lesser performers of the two. However, this album did succeed in making me feel slightly more positive about this kind of dance/disco music. Whilst it did seem to me to be a simple list of songs, Rudimental deserve points for actually providing good songs. So whilst I don’t believe that this album is that great in the Mercury Prize sense, they do deserve credit.

For fans of: Chase and Status, Katy B. Listen to: Feel The Love – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oABEGc8Dus0

8. David Bowie – The Next Day          Odds – 25/1

Coming into the Mercury Prize, Bowie was probably my favourite of the artists, with such songs as ‘Heroes’ and ‘Space Oddity’. And whilst this album, though not living up to his previous standards, is a good album, there is absolutely no reason for him to win this award. No song really stands out as being particularly good, and in the light of his previous revolutionary, experimental style (you just need to take a look at him when he did Space Oddity), this album seemed rather boring. And in the light of the experimental styles of some of the artists I am yet to mention, I’d much rather listen to something else.

For fans of: Iggy Pop, New Order. Listen to: The Stars (Are Out Tonight) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH7dMBcg-gE

7. Arctic Monkeys – AM          Odds – 10/1

Arctic Monkeys, not taking their album into account, are downright favourites to win, having just headlined at Glastonbury and being the only nominees this year with a previous Mercury Prize under their belt (with Whatever People Say I Am, I’m Not in 2006). That shows that this Sheffield four-piece certainly have the capability to produce an album of the necessary calibre. Whilst their fifth studio album, AM, may not be that song, it is definitely an original piece, at least for Arctic Monkeys themselves. This album is definitely thought through, and the underlying theme of a relationship both surprised and impressed me.

For fans of: The Strokes, The Black Keys. Listen to: Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6366dxFf-Os

6. Savages – Silence Yourself          Odds – 14/1

When I first heard Savages performing on Later…with Jools Holland, the way I would have described this band would have been ‘the British Pussy Riot’. That pretty much says it all. Feminists high on cocaine expressing their political viewpoints through violence and graffiti. However, it wasn’t until I listened to the entirety of their album that I recognised what Savages were actually getting out. This album is truly exhilarating, and whilst it probably won’t appeal to the faint-hearted, I’m not questioning the idea of a live-show? (Just don’t introduce yourself to them through ‘Husbands’. Bad call)

For fans of: PJ Harvey, The Dead Kennedys. Listen to: She Will – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kim-REn8ecg

5. James Blake – Overgrown          Odds – 16/1

Most likely being the hardest artist to truly grasp on this shortlist, the first thing that I would say about James Blake is that he is for an acquire taste. If you do decide to give him a go, the trick is to let the album sink in. Yes, it is slow going, but the result is particularly rewarding. Blake’s quiet and gentle style, being used for this album, create almost an ambience, until briefly interrupted by his small encounters with hip-hop. However, in this album, nothing is in excess, creating a well-balanced album that I would thoroughly recommend.

For fans of: Thom Yorke, The xx. Listen to: Retrograde – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV7kCEzXr2g

It gets tougher from here

4. Disclosure – Settle          Odds – 3/1

Remember that ‘other album’ I mentioned when talking about Rudimental? That’s this. Within their genre, between Rudimental and Disclosure, it is truly a no-brainer. Where Rudimental make mistakes, Disclosure have corrected it. It has pace. It has theme. Almost everything about this album works perfectly, thus creating an enjoyable, feel-good album that I assure that everyone will enjoy. Unfortunately, there are points where the songs seem too similar, or songs don’t work in harmony. But overall, this album still seems to work.

For fans of: Artful Dodger, Groove Armada. Listen To: You and Me ft. Elize Doolittle – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_vM8ePGuRM

3. Jon Hopkins – Immunity          Odds – 10/1

Despite the lack of lyrics throughout this album, Hopkins’ first solo Mercury Prize nomination is surprisingly easy to take in. There is the perfect balance of faster pace and strong beat, countered with the slower, smoothed out aspects. Don’t be scared off by the length of most of the songs, for the overall result is extraordinary, with a well made album that simply washes over you, as any good album would do. So I thoroughly suggest that you all try this album. If it doesn’t work for you, try it a second time. For as you invest in this album, you slowly appreciate how phenomenal it truly is.

For fans of: Four Tet, Brian Eno. Listen to: The Entire Album. It doesn’t make sense if you don’t – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqhCDbagWh8&list=PLgQbV_vE1YK1IHTw6xmHylgwfz00nazqH

2. Villagers – {Awayland}          Odds – 16/1

I really love this album. Of the 12 albums nominated here, in terms of an album that flows, Villagers have done this perfectly. This album varies so much, but in all the right places. Most of this album is pretty immediate, but odd songs really stand out as being special, which would appeal to anyone like me. There are loads of fantastic songs that all work in harmony, with great effects that compliment all that is going on. So no matter what sort of music you would attach yourself to, please check out this album. This is their second nomination from two albums. If they continue to write with this sort of calibre, soon, Villagers will be the Mercury Prize’s first Irish winners.

For fans of: Paul Simon, Radiohead. Listen to: The Bell – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2bzaH_wPhk

1. Foals – Holy Fire          Odds – 7/1

It has taken me ages to separate these last four insane albums, but after careful consideration, I have awarded my own little Mercury Prize to Foals. This album is simply extraordinary. Everything simply works, and whilst Foals have recently been accredited with a good album by recent articles for the upcoming Mercury Prize, it occurs to me that no one has recognised how well made this album is and how talented this band really are as song-writers. And on the back of a Q Award for Best Live Act, Foals truly deserve this award.

For fans of: The Maccabees, Talking Heads. Listen to: Bad Habit – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74kHhw_oa8M