Mercury Prize 2015

 

Hi guys!

It’s that time of year again: my compulsory annual power-rankings for the Mercury Prize. I would apologise for not having written since February…but I’m not going to, because it might be the topic of a future article…or not.

I do have my 2015 Review of Music to come late December, but for the meantime, I’ve listened to and analysed the 12 nominees for this year’s Mercury Prize.

This year seems to offer something similar to last year’s list, having taken a step back from the mainstream and focussed on trying to find artists who are trying to do something new which, in the end, is what the Mercury Prize tries to promote. Previous winners such as Klaxons and Portishead have found themselves at the forefront of a genre which then takes off. Whilst this didn’t occur after Talvin Singh won in 1999 for his eclectic mix of electronic and bhangra, there’s still something to be said for his creativity.

(Un)fortunately, electronica-bhangra doesn’t feature on this list, but there is quite a variety including soul, hip-hop, dream-pop, and many others, which should make this list somewhat interesting…

12. Roisin Murphy – Hairless Toys

I had to listen to this album quite a few times before I decided to place this bottom of my list this year. Last year, I put Young Father’s Dead in 12th place (below Royal Blood’s dreadful racket of an album) only to find that it won. In the end, I didn’t listen to this album as much, as it’s one of the longer ones, and didn’t figure for me first time, so I just left it.

Roisin Murphy’s Hairless Toys is, for lack of a better description, awkward. There are motifs that don’t hit the ear properly. There are lyrics that are just questionable. In Exploitation, Murphy repeats the line ‘Who’s exploiting who?’ to imply the sexual overtones, but instead sounds like a repeating advert against diamond mining in Sierra Leone. The word ‘exploit’ is a weird one to. Just try saying ‘exploit’, and annunciate. It doesn’t really tip off the tongue, does it? Well that’s what it sounded like, and it just made this album tough to appreciate.

Listen to: Evil Eyes

Odds: 14/1

11. ESKA – ESKA

ESKA is one of the more annoying albums on this list as it was never streamed on Spotify. It means the annoying large gaps between songs (especially long if WiFi is acting up), and sometimes even adverts. But even from what I’ve heard, this album seems to be a pretty standard attempt at creating a sort-of-world-music album and, well, not. Laura Mvula did the exact same thing in 2013 when she released Sing To The Moon (incidentally, that took 11th place as well on my 2013 list. Coincidence? Probably…).

I will confess, as a result of the while YouTube mess, this isn’t an album I’ve paid too much attention to, but from what I have heard, it is a little bit of a snoozer. Even with all of the instruments and effects and electronics implemented into this album, it just felt pretty dull, and so I’m not too convinced of its success this year.

Listen to: Shades Of Blue

Odds: 8/1

10. Florence and the Machine – How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

Everyone loves a little bit of Florence. It’s hard not to. Florence Welch et al. have a gift when it comes to creating massive stadium rock tracks which, paired with some nifty epilepsy-causing light displays and big screens, can create a brilliant night. Her third record, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, contains some really great examples of Spectrum-like songs, such as intro Ship To Wreck and second song What Kind Of Man. These are excellent specimens, but what about the rest of the album?

The issue with Florence is that the minute you get past the massive rock ballads, what’s left? Whatever it is, it doesn’t sound much like Florence. But how can it, when the basic foundation of ‘Florence and the Machine’ is stadium anthems? It means that the slower, smaller songs, such as Delilah and Caught are nowhere near as interesting as they could be. What is interesting is that whilst these songs are not designed to rival the lead singles, it’s almost like they try to be as maximalist as the rest of Florence’s great records, with big choirs and grand pianos, but it just ends up feeling like a bit of an anti-climax. And that is a word Florence, of all people, doesn’t like to hear.

Listen to: What Kind Of Man

Odds: 20/1

9. Aphex Twin – Syro

After a 13-year LP hiatus, in which, apparently, the world dance music scene was left seemingly without purpose, given Aphex Twin’s almost godlike status in the dance music world, Richard D. James finally released Syro to rave reviews, with many considering this album to be one of the best of 2014, even with FKA twigs and East India Youth providing exquisite albums as part of this genre. So when I found out that this album was on this list, I had mixed feelings.

On the one hand, I knew that I had an opportunity to listen to a ‘great’ album which I had overlooked last year. On the other hand, I realised that this list might be a little more difficult than expected.

So when I put my headphones on for my first listen, I was so excited. But, really unfortunately, I couldn’t, and still cannot, think of why this album is supposed to be so good. During my first listen, as I walked from my flat to university, I realised about 40 minutes in that I had actually forgotten that Syro was even playing. That’s good when you are just looking for something to wash over you, but when you’re looking for a masterpiece, is background music really sufficient?

In the end, that’s what Syro is: background music. I won’t lie and say that it’s bad background music. This album is superbly arranged, and richly textured to create a beautiful atmosphere. But once the atmosphere has been created, then what? Well, not much in the case of Syro.

It does take skill to create an instrumental album with a story. Jon Hopkins succeeded with Immunity in 2013, and Fuck Buttons did create the best album ever written (see 50 Best Albums Ever post from January) with Tarot Sport in 2009. However, I’m not sure how much Aphex Twin has really achieved on this album.

Listen to: minipops 67

Odds: 12/1

8. Gaz Coombes – Matador

20 years after Britpop was in its prime, we’re currently in a phase where all of the bands have pretty much broken up, yet the frontmen are still trying to make something of themselves. Generally, it can go in one of two ways. On the one hand, they could go off and create Oasis-Mach-2-do-you-think-they’ll-notice-we’re-not-Oasis in the name of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. On the other, they can do a Damon Albarn and become a general Renaissance man of music, including creating Gorillaz, one of the most forward thinking bands of our generation.

So, what has Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes been up to? Well, neither of those. His second solo album Matador isn’t quite a remake of the whole devil-may-care outlook of Supergrass, but it still isn’t that massive a transition. This album is a decent album that is easy to listen to. But is it anything special? I don’t think so. So when I see adverts all over the London Underground describing this as his ‘masterpiece’, I can’t help but feel a little cynical. Whilst songs such as The English Ruse are fast-paced and about as exciting as Coombes will get, there are a few snoozers on this album too. The Girl Who Fell To Earth has the capacity to be a great song, but instead is uninspired. The song is supposed to be a bit of a stab at technology taking over our lives. ‘Blinded by computer love’ he will sing. But didn’t Radiohead cover that via OK Computer over 18 years ago? Inspired much…

The link to the whole ‘matador’ theme is also somewhat disappointingly understated, via a single 85 second song right at the end (plus maybe the intro song Buffalo. But unless Spain has spontaneously altered its culture, or I am suffering from a lack of culture, buffaloes and matadors don’t mix…this could be awkward…). Coombes ends the album with ‘I’ll take the pain and the scars of war, ‘cos I’ll face the beast and fight like a matador’. In contrast, in For Free (Interlude), Kendrick Lamar said ‘I need forty acres and a mule not forty ounces and a pitbull, bullshit, matador, matador’ in reference to the iconic Uncle Sam as a matador against Kendrick, the bull, deceiving him like America deceives black men into the false idea of success.

Now that, Mr Coombes, is how you make a matador analogy.

Listen to: 20/20

Odds: 16/1

 

7. Wolf Alice – My Love Is Cool

As one of the bigger albums on this list, Wolf Alice have already garnered acclaim from reviewers and artists alike for their debut My Love Is Cool, and rightfully so. They have written a very well-structured album, which peaks and calms at the correct times, and it is also one of the easier albums to listen to here. Lead singer Ellie Rowsell is refreshingly versatile as well, ranging from the almost tense intro Turn To Dust, to the explosive climaxes in songs such as You’re A Germ. This makes her, and indeed the rest of the band, one of the biggest breakthrough artists of the year in the UK.

Whilst this album is overall very good, there are a couple of awkward moments. Take the third song Your Loves Whore. What’s with the random gaps? And main single You’re A Germ, suffers from lyrics such as

They won’t win the Mercury Prize though. It’s nothing to do with their album, which is a pretty solid effort, but because they are a bit of a walking cliche. They remind me a bit of a heavier London Grammar, whose 2013 album If You Wait, was pretty understated regarding its quality. That was a sound I haven’t heard before. Wolf Alice just seem like a bit of an amalgamation of every band with a female singer and guys playing the rest of the instruments. And in that respect, despite a good quality album, I would be very surprised if they come out as winners.

Listen to: Silk

Odds: 7/1

6. Ghostpoet – Shedding Skin

Obaro Ejimiwe is currently experiencing his second round of the Mercury Prize, after 2011 nomination for Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam. It’s not surprising, therefore, that both of these albums are pretty similar. It’s almost as if Ejimiwe has taken a bit of a Beach House post-Teen Dream approach to album writing in that ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ (except the first of their 2015 albums Depression Cherry, which is gorgeous).

Fundamentally, it means this album is pretty good. Opener Off Peak Dreams sounds eerily similar to the opener of Speech Debelle’s 2009 winner Speech Therapy, with its somewhat held-back approach to expressing the real message of the song. Ejimiwe also capitalises on his distinctive singing style, with its almost drowsy/’swag’ feel signified by the drones at the end of each phrase. It’s a really good style, which puts you at ease whilst listening to the album, but he does pull it off every single time.

At lease Ellie Rowsell rewards listeners with her impressive vocal range. Ejimiwe, as a ‘kind-of-hip-hop’ artist, probably doesn’t feel the need to display a range of that calibre. However, it would be nice to have seen him take a step back from this repeated sound.

Regardless of this factor, this is still an album worth listening to. Yes there are downpoints, as any album has, with songs such as the six-minute Be Right Back, Moving House, which never seems to end. But Ghostpoet has made use of his impressive production with his sparse electric guitars and backing vocalists, particularly on songs like Yes, I Helped You Pack, which does provide sufficient interest to keep this album turning over.

Odds: 8/1

5. Benjamin Clementine – At Least For Now

Baroque pop is something that isn’t really heard much nowadays. Sure, people say that good music is stuck back in the 60’s and that it’s been downhill since then, but when was the last time a new release really felt like it came from that kind of era. Tame Impala’s 2012 release Lonerism felt like a 70’s record, and dozens of artists, from Arctic Monkeys to Django Django, have tried to rip off The Beatles. But there’s something distinctly fake about all these records in reference to a proper era-album. Clementine, however, cuts straight through that. Whilst his music seems like a jazzed-up Belle and Sebastian, possibly one of the best baroque pop bands around, Clementine’s voice also harks back to a style almost derivative of Nina Simone.

Even the content is somewhat old-fashioned in that respect. In Adios, one of the many excellent songs from this record, he apologises for jumping into the train, ‘I waited but no one came’. Who sings about trains in today’s music? The idea of the train seems to be fundamentally vintage, and this style is very clearly translated out towards the rest of the album.

Unfortunately, this is precisely why he probably won’t win the Mercury Prize: no matter how good this album seems to be, it doesn’t have enough of a forward-thinking spirit. It would be awesome if this album inspired artists to bring back this kind of music from the depths of time, but the idea of a man singing at his piano with a glass of wine and cigarette smoke around isn’t currently the music scene’s cup of tea.

Listen to: Nemesis

Odds: 9/2

4. Slaves – Are You Satisfied?

Isn’t amazing how musicians are allowed to be cynical and angry about literally everything? They’re all Champagne Socialists, vegan, Buddhist, and believe all army funding should be redirected towards arts funding.

Okay, maybe that stereotype isn’t the most accurate, but when it comes to being angry about current affairs, Slaves have pretty much got it covered. But what is really good about this album is that despite all the crap, they’ve come out with a very solid punk-rock record. I like to think of them as similar to Royal Blood, except where Royal Blood just decided to make as much noise as possible, thus creating a pretty unbearable album, Slaves translate the ‘noise’ into something which, if removed, will not have created as solid an album.

More than anything else, this album is completely full of energy, courtesy of the endless stream of guitar distortion, the band’s roars-rather-than-singing and the general pace of the album. Whilst a couple of the songs closer to the end feel a little like filler, there isn’t a point in this album at which you are waiting for something to happen. This is amplified with songs such as intro Hunter, which manages to create excitement and build using just one riff. Another highlight of the album is outro Sugar Coated Bitter Truth, which, although not as noisy as the rest of the album, deserves credit in that it displays Slaves’ talent at not being a one-trick-pony, which is always the biggest worry regarding punk-rock. The genre needs bands that provide a bit of spice when all other bands sound the same. Slaves may be one of those bands.

Listen to: Hunter

Odds: 12/1

3. SOAK – Before We Forgot How To Dream

I think Tumblr would relate with this album…

Normally, that would be an insult on this blog, given my deep-rooted hatred of Tumblr as a breeding ground for exclusion, hatred and teenagers feigning depression in order to appear cool. SOAK does seem to try and fit the bill in this album of the ‘tormented teenager/myth of the artist’ who believes, like most of Tumblr, that in order to have feelings or opinions you must be damaged inside. Yes, this album may be oozing with more hormones than an alcoholic’s pituitary gland, but fundamentally it is a teenage album BY A TEENAGER.

This is probably why most of the reviewers credit her for being ‘wise beyond her year’, and having written profound, provocative, intelligent lyrics. The album opens with ‘the teenage heart is an unguided dart’. How Tumblr…but adults aren’t sick of it, so they will lap this stuff up until the cows come home. And if that wasn’t enough, just to prove how ‘deep’ this album is, the album cover and the music videos are all done in drab black and white, normally against a cold beach backdrop.

I do think it is a shame that the lyrics are the only things discussed about this album, because this album is pretty good going. It’s got all sorts of layers going on, and her somewhat distorted vocals compliment the harmonies beautifully. This, I believe, is where Bridie Monds-Watson is ‘wise beyond her years’. This is a really original album and a wonderful display of new talent which hopefully, in the coming years, will try and approach something more…not Tumblr.

Listen to: B a noBody

Odds: 12/1

 

2. C Duncan – Architect

As some of you may know, I moved to London a couple of months ago to study at UCL. The Mercury Prize nominations were announced about a month later, and suddenly, the walls of the London Underground were being covered with adverts for these albums. Gaz Coombes was quite a common one, his bewildered facial expression almost in awe at the review reading ‘masterpiece’. Benjamin Clementine had a simple blue and red advert with his album cover. Even Florence, Florence who has taken the world by storm, decided to join the game with an advert at Kings Cross St Pancras Station. But not C Duncan…

This was where the split between the nominees was seen. The BBC showed a statistic that sales of Eska’s album had risen by 2,965%. And this isn’t difficult to believe: an unknown album gets a nomination for (arguably) the most prestigious prize in British music, obviously the fan base will increase! And whilst C Duncan will have experience an increase in sales, it won’t be of 2,965%. Why? Because the only advert I saw for C Duncan’s album was a piece of paper on a little side street off Brick Lane (for my Mancunian friends, one of the main Curry Miles of London).

To be brutally honest, who is actually interested in a dream-pop album infused with classical training? Not Londoners, who seem to preserve the necessity of running around like headless chickens. Seriously, you’re in a rush at 7:30 am. Why didn’t you just get up earlier? Odd…

Despite this, C Duncan has obviously written an exquisite gem of an album. Edith Bowman called him an ‘architect of music’, in reference to the album title, and it’s true! Opener Say is calm and eases you into Duncan’s dreampop world. He Believes In Miracles is rich and layered, and provides a chink of the album’s optimism. And As Sleeping Stones, with it’s transforming harmonies and intertwining vocals, may be one of my highlights of 2015.

The album finally finishes with the effervescently beautiful I’ll Be Gone By Winter, somewhat reminiscent of Badly Drawn Boy’s Epitaph. Not only does it leave you satisfied that the album is complete, but it gives the impression that anything else would just be unnecessarily excessive. Frankly, C Duncan couldn’t have done anything more.

Odds: 20/1

1. Jamie xx – In Colour

There’s a brilliant moment about half-way through Jamie xx’s solo debut In Colour. Interlude Just Saying has just finished, and has returned the album to a form of relative calm. A motif echoes from a single synthesiser, and into the harmony, Oliver Sim sings. ‘You want to disappear in a crowd. Just a stranger in a room’. It is the first time that clear vocals are heard during the album, and it hits hard.

This album is full of these kind of moments; moments that make every song different. One of the main reasons why this album is better than all the others on this list is that Jamie xx hates filler. Every song has a role, even songs such as Hold Tight which, though it doesn’t feel like a song that makes progress, imagine listening to Loud Places immediately after Stranger in a Room without a break. Can you imagine? It’s not even worth thinking about…

In Colour is a suitable title for this album too. This album is full of vibrancy. Songs like Obvs and I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) make you want to get up and dance (and his DJ set at Green Man Festival was glorious). This is a drastic contrast to SOAK (ultimately, in my opinion, the only person stopping Jamie xx from winning), who seems to gain enjoyment from taking vibrancy and eating it (or, more likely, just being very passive-aggressive towards it). Even the album cover can’t really get more vibrant than literally every single colour. And fortunately, an album as depressing in content as Before We Forgot How To Dream hasn’t won since Portishead’s Dummy in 1995.

This album, though, has had split reception. However, the people who don’t rate this album as first class are normally electronica fans. For the sake of bookkeeping, In Colour has been branded as ‘electronica’. But it isn’t really. Would Young Thug really contribute to an electronica album? This album is clearly far more forward-thinking and unique than any other album on this list, and thus if it doesn’t win, I will be asking questions.

Listen to: Sea Saw

Odds: 4/1

Mercury Prize 2014

Is it that time of year again? Yes, yes it is. This year has made me both understand and experience the nature of fangirling, and it will all cumulate to a peak this Wednesday, when the winner of the 2014 Mercury Music Prize will be announced.

Unlike other music posts I’ve written, I have decided to refrain from preaching about the credibility of the prize itself (which will be greatly received by anyone who has had to sit through my preaching. Provided they actually read it.). What I will say, though, is that this year has been particularly interesting. In contrast to last year’s nominees, where many of the twelve had already been successful in the charts, this year has taken a step away from the mainstream, with acts such as Elbow (winners in 2008 for ‘Seldom Seen Kid’ and Clean Bandit not being considered for the prize. Even Metronomy, nominees from 2011, have (somewhat undeservedly) not been recognised for their critically acclaimed album ‘Love Letters’, which came as a huge surprise to me personally.

Anyway, I realise that the quality and relevance of what I’ve just written is probably pretty poor, so I’m just going to crack on with my power rankings. Enjoy 🙂 (odds are provided courtesy of Ladbrokes).

12. Young Fathers – Dead    Odds – 16/1

This experimental hip-hop group from Edinburgh has taken the hip-hop world by storm, and are credited for their ‘unique’ and ‘original’ style, which would normally make them ideal for a Mercury nomination. However, whilst the Mercury Prize does credit original ideas (Talvin Singh won in 1999 for his mix of electronica and Indian bhangra music), the originality is useless unless the album created actually has any quality. And fundamentally, this is what Young Fathers’ debut album is lacking. This album just felt like a mess, with no continuity between lyrics or the songs themselves, and whilst I found the harmonies quite interesting, they are oddly similar to another artist on this list, so I’ll come back to that.

Many people seem to have credited Young Fathers for their soulfuless, their heartfelt lyrics and their inventive drumming. Frankly, I could not help but disagree with every compliment anyone gave to them. Luckily for me, though, at just under 35 minutes, it is the second shortest album on the list.

Listen to: Low

11. Bombay Bicycle Club – So Long, See You Tomorrow   Odds – 16/1

Whilst this nomination did not surprise me in itself, Bombay Bicycle Club are the only indie rock band nominated this year, which was surprising given the quality of indie rock created over the past twelve months, including METRONOMY, Wild Beasts, London Grammar, METRONOMY, Chvrches, METRONOMY etc…

Sure, this is quite a nice album, and I’m not the only one who thinks that, given that this was one of two albums on the list to top the UK charts. However, as an album, did it really possess much artistic merit? Unfortunately, this is not supplied by ‘niceness’. Whilst this album was more exciting and original than some if their earlier stuff, compared to the rest of this list, Bombay Bicycle Club do remain within their musical box, making this album much less interesting than the rest.

Listen to: Carry Me

10. Royal Blood – Royal Blood   Odds – 5/1

This happens to be the other of the two albums to reach top of the UK charts. With their debut album, Royal Blood have become this year’s breakthrough act, with their short bursts of bass-ridden energy gaining them a rather large crowd of followers. However, this is somewhat predictable, because even after only one or two listens to this 34-minute album, one can’t help but feel a sense of deja-vu. Namely, this album has The Black Keys written all over it. Maybe with a twist of Arctic Monkeys for colour.

That’s not to say this is inherently a bad album. In fact, it’s rather good, but a win for Royal Blood would go against everything the Mercury Prize seems to stand for regarding emerging sounds and originality. Hence, Royal Blood find themselves all the way down here.

Listen to: Little Monster

9. Anna Calvi – One Breath   Odds – 16/1

I can’t believe this album found itself so far down this list, but after several listens, I felt than Anna Calvi did not quite live up to her self-titled debut, which received a nomination in 2011. This album is a shade darker, with a combination of muted synthesisers and Calvi’s somewhat angry guitar solos, which far contrasts everything on this list. Whilst these factors make Calvi herself an interesting artist to listen to, this harmed the album’s continuity and inhibited the album from being considered as a whole body of work.

I would still give this album a listen though. I was also fortunate enough to see her incredible live set at Green Man Festival. I shall never forget some of her impressive solos, no matter how long they were.

Listen to: Eliza

8. Polar Bear – In Each And Every One   Odds – 25/1

Despite being one of only two acts to be receiving their second Mercury nomination (along with Anna Calvi), at 25/1, experimental jazz group Polar Bear still find themselves, similarly to their 2005 nomination, as outside chances, even including the other jazz act to be nominated. Whilst I did enjoy this album’s tempo, use of brass and general ‘jazziness’, there are still issues to be addressed. Namely, at 68 minutes, this is the longest album on the list. An album needs to have the excuse of being exceptional if it wants any chance of lasting 68 minutes. And the only reason an album can last this long is because the listener is made to feel a sense of progress in the album. Unfortunately, this album does not progress at the sort of pace required of such a long album.

Listen to: Chotpot

7. Jungle – Jungle   Odds – 7/1

Ah, this year’s Rudimental! Fortunately for Jungle, unlike Rudimental, they are not competing against another album from their own genre in the name of ‘Settle’ by Disclosure. This is a really fun album to listen to. The songs are catchy and approachable, and so Jungle find themselves as being a rather immediate band, which ought to do them some good in the future. I am pretty certain, however, that they aren’t going to win this prize, partially because they are this year’s Rudimental, but also because no matter how much you love listening to an album, it is not proportional to quality. This album still very much sounds like a collection of songs rather than an album in itself, and so how can I credit this as an album?

Listen to: Busy Earnin’

6. Nick Mulvey – First Mind   Odds – 10/1

I was disappointed not to get the chance to see Mulvey perform at Green Man Festival this year, but if I had listened to this album before I wouldn’t have missed it. This is a truly lovely album, with flowing harmonies, combined with a new style of guitar provided by Mulvey and his almost soothing voice. You can feel both the Latin influences from his time studying music in Cuba and the folk influences from his time in Portico Quartet, all combining to create an album with a lovely texture to it, similar to the likes of Ben Howard and Beirut.

Listen to: Fever To The Form

5. Damon Albarn – Everyday Robots   Odds – 16/1

With his endeavours in Blur and Gorillaz, nobody could dare predict what Albarn could come up with this time, having jumped from britpop-rock to alternative-indie-hip-hop (or however else you might like to describe Gorillaz). And even though this album is incredibly broad in terms of musical themes, Albarn is very direct in isolating the meaning of this album, starting with the opening lyrics, “We’re everyday robots on our phones”, and maintaining this idea throughout the album. Whilst this album owned the continuity a whole album ought to have, Albarn still managed to reach for the outer regions of his already enormous repertoire, meaning you had no idea how the next song could sound like, creating pleasant surprises throughout the entire album.

Listen to: The Selfish Giant

4. Kate Tempest – Everybody Down   Odds – 3/1

Favourite to win the prize prior to the release of this shortlist, Kate Tempest has already taken the world by storm. Not the rap world, which she is in the process of doing with this album, but the spoken word world. She has already won the Ted Hughes Prize, and plans to turn this album into a book sometime in 2015. Yet whilst Tempest herself did not produce this album independently, this album, which tracks the relationship between Harry and Becky, is full of powerful prose and incredible experimentation, making my first listen to this album an awesome experience. It is common for a Mercury-nominated album to tell a story, citing Bat For Lashes or Jon Hopkins as prime examples. This means that the album has to have the air of continuity which I seem to have so frequently mentioned in this post.

Listen to: Chicken

3. GoGo Penguin – v2.0   Odds – 20/1

It’s unfortunate that this album, by Manchester jazz group GoGo Penguin, is considered such an outside chance by the bookies just because it’s jazz. However, contrary to the bookies, this is a beautiful album in every way. It’s full of both peaceful relaxing music and exciting, quicker points. And, even though only the piano, double bass and drums ever feature, there is no sense of repetition or boredom, as this album rests in the hands of such a capable, diverse band. This album opens beautifully with ‘Murmation’, and ends in a similarly peaceful way with ‘Hopopno’, bringing the excitement of v2.0 to an ending which is not as abrupt as most of the other albums on this list. I could not help but love all of this album, so maybe a jazz act will finally be honoured?

Listen to: Kamaloka

2. FKA Twigs – LP1   Odds – 5/2

Whilst FKA Twigs has been in the public eye less so for her music and more for her relationship with Robert Pattinson, as favourite to win this award, FKA Twigs has been critically acclaimed for her debut album ‘LP1’, which has already featured on Pitchfork’s Top 50 albums of the last five years. This may be the only album where its overproduction is strongly credited, as it creates a sound unlike anything else before; a fascinating break away from the mainstream whilst also ethereal and magical. The fact that everything in this album has been produced and changed indicates that everything in this album is structured and thoroughly considered, meaning not a single note is wasted throughout the entire 40 minutes. Unfortunately, structurally speaking, it is far too similar to the 2013 winner James Blake’s album ‘Overgrown’: both ten songs with the same length and style of production. This has to be why I am not placing FKA Twigs top of this list. However, our winner is still  very much worthy of this award.

Listen to: Two Weeks

1. East India Youth – Total Strife Forever   Odds – 10/1

‘Recorded in bedrooms between November 2010 & July 2013’ reads the back of East India Youth’s debut album. How much more representative of the current UK music scene can you get than bedroom producers, with the likes of James Blake and Jon Hopkins, who were both top tips for the prize last year. And even though it was produced and written entirely by one person, this album is just stunning. No album is so beautifully ethereal and visionary, allowing the listener to let this album flow over them. He represents something wholly different in house music, where drops and bass are relied on. Here, East India Youth focuses on the space and the movement of Total Strife Forever, which only enhances the beauty of this piece of art. Yes, you should be patient when listening to this album, but I have not been able to put this album down.

I’ve included the intro to the album here. Annoyingly enough the entire song is not on YouTube, but if this does not make you want to listen to the rest of the album then I don’t know what will.

Listen to: Glitter Recession

If you have any thoughts as to who will follow in the footsteps of James Blake to take the £20,000 prize please leave them as a comment.

Happy listening!

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Klaxons – Love Frequency

January 2007 saw a revolution in the British music scene when Klaxons, a group of arts students who had been together for only two years, creating what is arguably the most innovative, intense, exhilarating album ever released in the UK. Myths Of The Near Future was named the best album of 2007 by the music magazine NME and bagged Klaxons two Brit Award nominations, and Ivor Novello and, most importantly to me, the coveted Mercury Prize, where the album beat competition from joint favourites Bat For Lashes and Amy Winehouse.

Truly, this album is absolutely incredible. From the very beginning, Klaxons created a 38-minute adrenaline rush which never ceased, mainly created by the constant presence of an extremely distorted guitars, fast pace and the pairing of two singers with very different ranges of pitch, creating a vocal texture which still seemed to rise above their already bolshy new sound, which made them the poster boys for the new-rave revolution, thus changing the face of British music.

However, people often talk about the ‘curse of the Mercury Prize’, where artists who won with a debut album have failed to recreate their successes, though this has included some of the Prize’s outright winners, such as Speech Debelle, Portishead and Gomez, but I believe that its effect on Klaxons had been possibly the most detrimental.

The thing with the Mercury Prize is that not only does it represent artistic quality and prowess, but it also represents innovation. This is where debut artists have an advantage, as they are unattached to any prior sound, and so have the artistic freedom to be as inventive and new as they want. However, if this debut album is a success, the band now has two doors through which they can base the future of their careers.

The first door is the safe door. You take the sound of your successful album, which has obviously pleased an enormous fan base, and exploit it, creating an album in the same way, thus inciting exactly the same reaction in the followers, generating mainstream success and a big pot of cash. A perfect example of this is Mumford and Sons. When their debut album Sigh No More was released in 2010, it caused a wave of excitement. After all, who would have thought of banjo rock? However, whilst their second album Babel bagged them an (undeserved, if you ask me) Grammy for Best Album, all it seemed to be was a constant repetition of one sound, namely a slow, peaceful introduction, most likely building up to a big banjo solo, then descending back into silence again. Thus, whilst cementing their popularity, the creative spark, unfortunately, has been lost.

The other door is, essentially, the opposite. Rather than giving in to the prospect of mainstream success, one can choose to continue reinventing, though this is risky, as now you are under pressure to create something fresh, with the very real possibility of failure. However many artists are suited for this. PJ Harvey, the only artist to have every won the Mercury Prize twice, released a statement including her saying, ‘when I’m working on a new record, the most important thing is to not repeat myself … that’s always my aim: to try and cover new ground and really to challenge myself. Because I’m in this for learning.’ And this hasn’t always worked out for her. Three years after her first win in 2001 with an original, though down-to-earth album, she released Uh Huh Her, featuring the song Who The Fuck, involving a giant leap from her typical ‘guitar band’ style into the world of extreme punk. Her sound changed, her voice changed, her image changed, her group changed. And nobody really liked it, yet PJ Harvey still continues to reinvent, hence her second win with Let England Shake, ten years after her first success.

However, the same has not occurred for Klaxons. For it seems that Myths Of The Near Future is an impossible album to replicate, as the band would be sounding exactly the same. So, Klaxons tried to reinvent themselves, and unfortunately, Surfing The Void was met with disappointment. The ingenuity with which Klaxons had treated their first album seemed to have been lost. The energy had disappeared, the original sounds had not been replicated, and expectation paved the way for a bittersweet sensation.

And all this set up the stage for Klaxons to return with a third album. After recent disappointment, though many are aware of the brilliance of their 2007 album, Klaxons have been able to treat this album, Love Frequency, as a clean slate for their music careers. They have taken a point of view that is not completely off their radar, but still demonstrates that they are still an original band. And do you know what? It has sort of paid off.

The only massive difference between this album and Myths Of The Near Future is that Love Frequency makes the most of technology, with a lot of synthesisers and different techniques being made full use of, creating much more of a disco-esque vibe. It has even been suggested that the penultimate song, Atom To Atom, will be the main event at ‘rave’ festivals, particularly Leeds and Reading, where they are scheduled to perform. This cites the album as having a definite energy returning to their music, which is refreshing after it was abandoned after the first album.

In terms of the stylistic technique for the album, I’d say its been pretty successful. Obviously it doesn’t provide the same energy as Myths Of The Near Future, but then again no album seems to ever have. This reinvention has shown a broader range to Klaxons’ skill, though it does seems to show a massive call to mainstream radio, with songs that do not seem out of place with some of the other DJs on the radio. Though Klaxons have still retained some original aspects of their music, such as the bassist’s falsetto vocal, which were not fully utilised in Surfing A Void.

In conclusion, it was unexpected that Klaxons were ever going to produce an album of the calibre that they have shown, but this album is still something to be proud of. They have shown a definite recovery from their faltering, and whilst this album certainly isn’t perfect, it sets them in good stead for a fourth album return. I look forward to hearing it!

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