If music needed saving, I'd die for it

[venta]

Earlier this week, the nominations for the Mercury Music Prize were announced. I know people grumble about the prize, about how the entrance fee freezes out small bands, and so on but if nothing else the nominees do provide a cross section of decent albums from the recent year.

Browing the nominations is interesting, but what's much better is that the NME have provided a handy page where you can listen to all the nominated artists:

Listen!

For some artists it's just links to videos, but for others you can stream the entire album.

Thus far I have been:

• blown away by PJ Harvey


• unexpectedly impressed by Tinie Tempah


• underwhelmed by Ghostpoet


• oblivious to Metronomy


• currently deciding about Everything Everything

Get your bets in now :)

What should have been on the list that wasn't? What's your best album from a British band in the past twelve months? (I'm not entirely sure how the Mercury panel define "of the year", I'm decreeing that it means July 2010 - June 2011.)

I'm considering adding Into the Murky Water by The Leisure Society and Drown Your Heart Again by The Strange Death of Liberal England.

Comments

[zenithed.livejournal.com]

My British albums of the year:

Help Stamp Out Loneliness by Help Stamp Out Loneliness
The Phantom Forest by Bearsuit
Life! Death! Prizes! by Shrag.

I'm shocked that none of these were nominated (not really). Of the list I quite like Everything Everything, have heard good things about Metronomy and should probably get around to listening to PJ Harvey.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I have a copy of Six Songs By Shrag hanging about somewhere[*], but I never really got into it at all. Is it representative, or have they moved on a bit?

Not heard of the other two, or at least not heard anything by them. Will investigate.


[*] probably under S, to be honest

[zenithed.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Shrag have become a lot more focused since then - they're at their best live but the album's great as well, Rabbit Kids is probably the standout track.

[lnr]

I saw Metronomy before they were famous, and have an album knocking round somewhere, but haven't heard anything recent.

Actually I don't think I've heard anything recent by *anyone* :) I do love PJ Harvey though, so should definitely go find her new album.

[venta.livejournal.com]

The new PJ Harvey album seems much more... melodic than some of her recent offerings. I like it, but it probably depends which of her earlier albums you were most impressed by :)

[lnr]

I like some of the shouty stuff, but the more melodic ones are definitely my favourites so it sounds ideal.

[onebyone.livejournal.com]

I saw them at the Zodiac supporting CSS, so they can't have been all that famous. They don't seem to do the lightshow routines with the push-lamps on their chests any more. Which might help explain why they're more famous now than they were then.

[lnr]

Aww, shame :)

[onebyone.livejournal.com]

I went off Everything Everything as a band when I discovered that my mobile phone contract was being transferred to them.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

But think of the ringtones!

[onebyone.livejournal.com]

Aren't they on their farewell tour?