Arctic Monkeys
Everything Everything
Richard Russell
Wolf Alice
Florence and the Machine
King Krule
Lily Allen
Sons of Kemet
Jorja Smith
Nadine Shah
Novelist
Noel Gallagher
Imagine thinking these were the best British albums of the last twelve months.
Kid Dynamite says
Would have hoped / expected to see Jon Hopkins, Daniel Avery, Hookworms, Lets Eat Grandma, Mogwai, Lump, Gwenno, Bicep, Gaz Coombes, Four Tet, Young Fathers, etc etc on there instead of a load of Q pap and a millionaire label owner’s dead in the water vanity project. This smacks of the Brit Awards back when Annie Lennox won every year regardless of what she’d actually done.
timtunes says
Couldn’t have put it better – an appalling, depressing yawn of a list
I winder whether the Hyundai sponsorship might have pushed it more “blandstream”
Another Will Smith says
Hi maggieloveshopey
Kid Dynamite says
Hi Ron!
Vulpes Vulpes says
Le Kov. Fab.
Tiggerlion says
I’ve heard all of these and am unimpressed, except for Sons Of Kemet and King Krule. I thought the Mercury prize was designed to assist the public in exploring the byways of popular music. It’s a list that makes the Quietus one seem very appealing.
Grime is an interesting case. It is a UK product, well liked by the youth and the subject of great imagination, creativity and innovation. However, it isn’t a genre for albums. It’s all on mixtapes, EPs, dropped tracks. This year it is best represented by Skepta and Lady Leshurr but neither have an album out, so we are stuck with Novelist. The Mercury Prize is wedded to the album as a format that young, vibrant, modern music makers aren’t bothered about. Old fashioned geezers in suits who run record labels are putting this list together, hence Noel Gallagher, Artic Monkeys, Florence, Everything Everything etc.
H.P. Saucecraft says
“Young, vibrant, modern music makers …”
WAITER!
The Good Doctor says
I float around music these days and get into whatever catches my ear either at gigs or through recommendations from others.
You’re spot on Tigs, the rules of engagement in how Pop works have changed so much the Mercury Prize is more irrelevant than ever. ‘The Kids’ won’t give two shits and all it does is fill a bit of music content in the broadsheets, generate a few tweets and maybe the BigMouth podcast will get 20 mins out of it.
So some learned music critics are locked in a bunker somewhere deciding whether the latest Noel Gallagher solo album is better than the latest Florence and the Machine album? Someone go and let them out, release them into the wild and let’s fuck this off
duco01 says
I was rather hoping that the GoGo Penguin album would get the “token jazz act” nod. But no.
Leedsboy says
I tried the Artic Monkeys album. I couldn’t make it past the first 3 tracks. Tuneless smug nonsense.
Rigid Digit says
Is pretty much still my reaction.
I have tried (honest) but haven’t found a way in yet, and probably never will
RedLemon says
I too tried and failed.
Mind you, I thought all their previous stuff was shite too.
MC Escher says
I guess they are, if you like them.
SteveT says
GoGo Penguin is okay but its a bit like Shakatak on steroids don’t you think? Lounge piano with an impressive but repetitive drum background.
Out of those listed I am most impressed with the Nadine Shah which I like v.much
fentonsteve says
Nadine for me, too.
Leicester Bangs says
Yup, real answer is:
Gnod — Chapel Perilous
Gas — Rausch
Om Unit — Self
Overlook — Smoke Signals
Pessimist — Pessimist
Perc — Bitter Music
Floating Points — Reflections, Mojave Desert
Amoss — Everything is Temporary
Blocks & Escher — Something Blue
Acid Lab — A Matter of Time
Claro Intelecto — Exhilarator
Ivy Lab — Death Don’t Always Taste Good
Special Request — Belief System
Kid Dynamite says
Point of order – Gas is German, shurely?
Leicester Bangs says
Oops. ‘British’ albums only, of course. It’s probably only a coincidence if the rest of them are.
Sewer Robot says
British and Irish, mate.
We used to have a token entry every year like the classical dude/dudette who never had a hope of winning – or like Radiohead, for that matter..
johnw says
Just shows how daft a seemingly random this sort of prize is. I understand it’s there to benefit British acts but for the average music fans it’s just a bizarre list of not the best albums of the year! I really don’t care where the person that makes the best music is from. In these days of downloads and no sleeves, I often don’t even know what they look like!
Paul Wad says
Now, you see what you’ve done here don’t you, You’ve probably cost me a bit more money!
Blocks & Escher for me though, but having seen the people who sit on the Mercury Panel it’s hardly surprising a load of tosh usually ends up on the shortlist. I’ve got 18 out of the 26 winning albums though, but I bet my hitlist of the nominees isn’t as high as that. I’ve never even heard of two of the winners.
Leicester Bangs says
Tee hee.
It’s not eligible for the Mercury but do check out The Orkyd Project by Scar on Metalheadz. It’s an absolute stunner.
Paul Wad says
Already got that one from your previous recommendation! Some of the drum and bass albums recommended to me are impossible or really expensive to track down on CD, similar to some of the more obscure underground hip hop albums, so I’ve had to resort to downloading them from blogs in the deep dark corners of the interweb. These can be good places to further educate myself in various genres and I’ve discovered loads of good stuff from these blogs. I am quite old fashioned though, so anything I particularly like I track down on CD if possible. I find Discogs to be the best place for the more obscure stuff these days.
The Good Doctor says
Why don’t I know about new Claro Intelecto and Perc?
H.P. Saucecraft says
Here’s my list:
Longing Arc Of Hopelessness – O! Gardenias In The Rain
Snotgobble – Grindcore Bubblebath
Amarintha deBeers – Otherwhere
Boggy Breetches – The Harvest And The Sword-O
Molly and Polly Gollygosh – Harmony Hoedown
YyYyYyYy – 9823976
minibreakfast@vinlyvan.net
paulwright says
Record by Tracey Thorn (by a country mile) for me
chiz says
Kandy Krustacians – Boggle Night
J.D Salinger – American Fist
Tent – Diverse Aromas
Lampost – Legitimate Erection
Simply Fresh – Meal for Tonight
MC Nutbag – Don’t Vote For Tent
Moose the Mooche says
Jonny & The Spoonbenders – Harpenden
The Orchitis – Swollen With Pride
Sgt Harry Trubshaw of the Medical Corps – Brute Force and Ignorance
Shitpot Georgie – X X X Y X
Rotary Wanking Engine – Comin’ Your Way
Floaty Folk Girl – Your Midlife Crisis, Feller
DJ Chlamydia – Special Educational Needs
chiz says
Blind Jeremy – Mojo Woking
Klimt – Swarfega Burns
Grey Pubes – Antipasti
Miss Ann Thorpe – Misanthrope
Wibble – Wobble
Derek Trucks – Sucks
H.P. Saucecraft says
Young People – Songs
Young Man With Beard – Songs
Young Woman With Hairstyle – Songs
Young Person – Songs
Young People With Nothing Better To Do – Songs
Young Man With No Mates – Songs
Young Woman With Guitar – Songs
Young People With Record Collections – Songs
Young Man On Gap Year – Songs
Young Woman Having Breakdown – Songs
Young Men With Synthesizers – Songs
Young People Who Can’t Sing – Songs
Young Women With Issues – Songs
Young People In Band – Songs
Young People On Bandcamp – Songs
Young People Who Can’t Write Songs – Songs
chiz says
Statement Haircut – Furrowed Brow
H.P. Saucecraft says
Young Vibrant Modern Music Makers – We’re Making Young Vibrant Modern Music
chiz says
Mercury Boxtick – Forgotten By Tuesday
Wilson Wilson says
They’ve all sold out – I preferred the earlier stuff, it wasn’t so song-based.
RedLemon says
The list did inspire me to listen to Sons of Kemet, which I found I liked a lot.
Tiggerlion says
Good man!
Mike_H says
The Usual Suspex – Snarx.
O My Ears ‘n’ Eyes – Don’t Care Won’t Care.
Somebody Wossname – Seminal Strum.
ClemFandango says
Yes/No, Yes/No – debut self titled album
Bumgrinder – Dutty Professor
The Klank – Shadows of a Fleeting Empire
King Biscuit Barrel Jr – Blues Odyssey
Pinwheel – The 12 Tone Smart Phone
Sons of Barry Shitpeas – The Rigours of Justice
Esmie McBhodran – Shanties in me Scanties
H.P. Saucecraft says
Esmie McBhodran made my top fifty, too! Stunning. Absolutely … stunning. Stunning.
Sewer Robot says
I’m picturing in my mind those poor souls who are attracted to dip into The Afterword by yourguessisasgoodasmine but, upon seeing our end of year list, crunch into reverse gear faster than 3 Lions dropping down the charts..
Tiggerlion says
I think you are right. I didn’t like any of 2017’s Afterword Top Ten.
Rob C says
I only truly vaguely know it but fuck its finer irrelevancy.
count jim moriarty says
Is this still a thing? Rendered entirely irrelevant by the presence of the appalling Foghorn Flo.
Uncle Wheaty says
Can’t be arsed with new music.
Just finished listening to The Jam boxset from years ago (Creative..etc) followed by Boston’s debut album at full volume in the car driving back from a work meeting.
That’ll do me.
Arthur Cowslip says
I can’t work out how the Arctic Monkeys sit in today’s pop world. I mean, I’m not really bothered about them and I’ve never really listened to them, but I’m still interested:- are they now a mature, heritage act or are they seen as cutting edge, breaking new ground? In short, does You Look Good On The Dancefloor still get the biggest cheer of the night?
Blue Boy says
So, Wolf Alice. Are they any good? My twenty something daughter wanted Arctic Monkeys to win but reckons Wolf Alice are a decent alternative choice.
Kid Dynamite says
Tough one. I want to like them off the back of their press and so on, but then I listen to the albums and it doesn’t really happen for me.
Moose the Mooche says
I had a tenner on Sgt Harry Trubshaw of the Medical Corps.
Send ’em to the knacker’s yard.
hubert rawlinson says
I think it was brave to give it to a band called Wool Phallus.
Moose the Mooche says
That logo of theirs… oh dear. Drop one, pearl one.