Hurrah, a list!
I’ve heard three of them. Get me!
Mercury Prize 2023 shortlist
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Musings on the byways of popular culture
Musings on the byways of popular culture
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Heard…….2
Heard of……5
Modern life really is rubbish!
Ezra collective pretty decent
Have heard of Lankum but not got round to listening to them.
The others have no interest.
I have two of them – one from this year. It will be on my EOY list but not at the top.
Heard of…4
Heard…nil!
And now – Scottish League Division 2…
East Fife -1
Hamilton Accies – nil
I own 1, but do wonder why I keep buying Arctic M9nkeys albums. The last decdnt one was AM in 2013
I feel your pain – I’ve been there (with other bands, admittedly).
Well I’ve heard of Arctic Monkeys and I remember hearing I bet you look good on the dancefloor back in the day, though nothing knowingly since. I don’t think I’d make a good Mercury judge.
Heard three.
Listen to two of them.
Own one.
Heard ‘em all apart from Ezra Collective and The Monkees. The only one I think of as a play-through album is Raye.
I never know what the exclusion dates are and wonder whether such as Gabriels, Alison Goldfrapp, The Big Moon and Jamie T are disfavoured or just ineligible. (I gather you also have to put yourself forward – bit of a dilemma for SAULT having to pick one to submit..)
I bought the Raye, as I enjoyed her Glasto set on the iPlayer, and Offspring the Elder saw her support SZA at the 02 the day after.
I rather wish OTE had bought me the Raye LP for Father’s Day, instead of the SZA.
I think Raye is a fantastic singer. I wish she would just sing.
I know what you mean… she’s the R&B Kate Rusby.
Ah. God bless Kate. Fifteen albums plus five Christmas albums. She is busy every December like a Santa’s Little Helper. 😉
And she makes a half-decent cuppa.
Essential skill when helping Santa.
Heard of 6 of them and amazingly I’d actually listened to one – Young Fathers, which was nice.
I really hope that Lankum win. Fantastic album.
Need I comment?
Lankum Lankum Lankum!!!
Lankum squared. Lankum to the power of five!
I find the Lankum rather worthy and hard work to be honest. The Jessie Ware is anything but – it’s not deep but full of good tunes and terrifically enjoyable pop production.
Lankum is the only one I’ve heard, after recommendations here, and my problem is that if I didn’t already know I honestly couldn’t tell if it was meant to be a parody or not.
I know and like 4 of them – Fred Again, Jessie Ware, Raye, Young Fathers
I’ve heard of 3 more – Arctic Monkeys, Ezra Collective, Lankum
(You didn’t really need to know that, did you?)
I have four of them – Ezra Collective (excellent, should win), Fred Again (I like it a lot), Jockstrap (also excellent, a worthy contender) and Young Fathers (again, I like it a lot but need to revisit).
I have also heard Arctic Monkeys a few times – I just find it a bit dull.
Following comments above I will investigate Jessie Ware (Mrs H is very fond of her, but I have found it a bit glossy in the past) and, with a little trepidation, Lankum.
Lankum’s is the least accessible album in the list. I like ’em but only in single-track doses thus far. F*ck knows why Arctic Monkeys are in there.
Easy don’t win prizes. Or shouldn’t.
My tally:
– Know the album and act and listened to it: 1 (False Lankum – so this is my favourite to win)
– Heard of the act and album but not listened: 1
– Heard of the act, but never heard of the album: 5
– Never heard of the act at all, not a clue: 5
Go me!
I bought Arctic Monkeys, Jessie Ware, Loyle Carner and Olivia Dean, and like them all. Arctic Monkeys are a very different band now from what they were and haven’t taken everyone along on that journey with them, but I like the last two a lot more than Humbug and Suck It And See.
I’ve heard of all the other artists but am not very familiar with their work – I must check a few of them out. But back in the day I probably would have owned 5 or 6 of those others.
EZRA COLLECTIVE!! Yeeeesssss
Worthy winner; great album. At last the British Jazz Renaissance has garnered mainstream recognition, which is long overdue. A huge amount of the most creative and progressive contemporary music in this country is ‘jazz’.
Also, my son is named after the winners. He’s 7 months old. Good year to be an Ezra.
Agree with you 100%. And congratulations on your new son.
Thanks! He’s a very jolly little fellow and continues my children’s theme of having great contemporary British bands contained within their names; my daughter’s middle name is Lau
With a Lau, you needed more a Lankum, surely. Lankum Hillbilly has a nice ring to it.
From the pen of Jude Roger:
https://open.substack.com/pub/juderogers/p/stop-look-and-listen-6-on-mercury?r=97b3d&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Awards are of course a nonsense but Ezra Collective was the right decision. It’s a fine example of how the most arresting, jubilant and interesting music currently being produced in the UK is frequently from the young urban jazzers. I’ve said it before but it bears reiterating that UK jazz is currently enjoying a golden age. Long may it continue.
Only last Friday Matthew Halsall, Yussaf Dayes, Alabaster Deplume, Irreversible Entanglements and Lack Of Afro released new albums into the wild. All well worth a listen.
I played Kansas Smitty’s latest in a hi-fi shop earlier. All the staff and other customers came to listen. I think I sold six copies in half an hour.
That’s as good to read as Kansas Smitty are to hear. 👏