Nominations for this years Mercury Prize are

The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers
M.I.A. - Arular
Polar Bear - Held on the Tips of Fingers
Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger
Hard-Fi - Stars of CCTV
KT Tunstall - Eye to the Telescope
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Seth Lakeman - Kitty Jay
Coldplay - X&Y
Antony and the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now
The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike


My vote goes to Kaiser Chiefs. Not groundbreaking, but most entertaining CD of the year

I like the Go Team best out of that lot. The smart money would be on either Antony and the Johnsons or chav favourite MIA.

*Yawn*

Gotta be Bloc Party bought that day of release and have listened to it every day since it's a fantastic album. Coldplay have been nominated?! I always thought the Mercury was a prize for innovation, not for trying to sound like U2

I'd go for Bloc Party, although I haven't heard the Go! Team and friends have said good things about them - need to hear a bit more of MIA as well I think. Bands like The Magic Numbers, Maximo Park and Kaiser Chiefs do nothing for me - I don't dislike them but it's pretty much meh.

Compare this list to the usual Brit Award winners! Perspective!

After comparing it to other lists...

*BIG yawn*

So who should be up there?

Damn good list this year, I think. No bloody Dido or U2 for a start, though KT Tunstall's there to represent from the drippy female contingent.

I'd like to see Bloc Party win it since their album is great and it would, at least in my mind, make up for the fact that Hope Of The States weren't evern nominated, but there's no one on the list who I would hate to see get it. Harf-Fi, the Kaisers and Maximo Park have all made solid debuts that are fun and interesting if not necessarily ground breaking, although Hard-Fi's is the most eclectic of those three. MIA and the Go! Team have both made great albums that I'm happy to see have been recognised, though I doubt that either will win since they aren't quite high-profile enough, although that has benefitted some winners in the past. The rest are all quite good a,though I'm not so keen on KT Tunstall, though I don't think she's as awful as Dido et al.

Hmmm...

Don't necessarily have songs, but I would say... where are Queens of the Stoneage, NIN and Velvet Revolver?

It's only for British acts.

And NIN and Velvet Revolver suck.
That would be the other thing.

Well, that explains why it makes me yawn... most British bands at the moment are beyond BLAND!

And you take that back about NIN and Velvet Revolver or you may find your house burning down around your ears!

Eliza Carthy should have won last year/year before... She didn't, did she? Am I getting agitated over something that didn't happen again? I still don't understand the Dizzee Rascal Phenomenon.

Have you heard The Go! Team?

For every bland Coldplay wannabe being pushed by the mainstream labels there's an exciting new band struggling to be heard over the drone of the Keanealikes.

I know... Crimson Altar's one of them, but it doesn't help when the airwaves is saturated with that bland wannaberockgottabekidding crap!

That's why I've switched my alleigance to J-pop. You can't go wrong with something so cheerful!

..or J-Punk (Guitar Wolf & Thee Michelle Gun Elephant) or J-Indie (Hoover Oover)

Oooh

or J-Sixties-Dance-Beat (making them up now) like Pizzicato Five...or J-Power Pop like 5,6,7,8's and Shonen Knife.

You should also give K-Pop a go....I've heard it's nearly as good as its J neighbours!

I have some stuff by the Apricots, they're very cool in a 'sixties girliness' kinda way. Anyway, we're getting off the point here, I'm sure none of those bands are nominated for t'Mercury .

I want Kasier Chiefs to win, purely because I want to marry Ricky Wilson, and anyone who gets the phrase "I can't believe once you and me did sex" into a song, is a lyrical genius.

Boy In Da Corner was an amazing album, never heard anything like it before musically, and the lyrics were pretty good in places as well - and all from an 18 year old.

I suppose not having heard the album I shouldn't judge. But what I've heard hasn't impressed me, it's just irritated.

His second album has got much more airplay, and it ain't as good.

I lived next to a girl who played 'Dream' on a continuous loop. It made me want to break things. Usually against her head.

Ah, well, there ya go.

Yeah, Boy In Da Corner was a great album, it was the only really decent thing to come out of the 'grime' scene in London, and still is, baring a few exceptions.

Second album had a few decent songs on but it was more a chance for him to show off his skills as a producer and so he didn't really spend as much time crafting decent songs.

And where the hell was Awfully Deep by Roots Manuva? An absolutely blinding record and, although it might not be the best album of the year, it certainly deserved to be nominated.

definately Bloc Party. The deserve it more than Coldplay, that's for sure. Not that I don't like Coldplay as I think they are great. Just that Bloc Party were'nt really known a yea ago and they have done well.

As for Franz Ferdinand last year, it seemed as though they took their prize and vamooshed of the face of the Earth. Typical.

i've not heard them for ages - might have to dig one of their cds out.

i'd love to see anthony and the johnsons win, though i think the smart money will be on bloc party.

Actually an interesting list there, quite pleased about that.

I'm a bit torn to be honest. I'm inclined to vote between either Kaiser Chiefs, Hard-Fi (although I love it so far, I've not heard their new album anywhere near enough yet to formulate a more balanced opinion, but unfair to dismiss them out of turn for an impulsive Kaisers vote), and Antony and the Johnsons. Again, not heard enough of the latter's album yet (got a copy on loan I really must listen to properly). But what I have heard of it has been lovely stuff.

Can't vouch for any of the other nominees, as I am not yet familiar with any of their output, with the exception of Coldplay (and while I like their new one, it hasn't particularly blown me away, so they wouldn't be getting my vote).

It'd be a much more interesting list if it didn't include:

Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
Hard-Fi - Stars of CCTV
KT Tunstall - Eye to the Telescope
Coldplay - X&Y

I'm not a huge fan of Bloc Party either, though I realise I'm somewhat in the minoroty here. Can anyone spell "substandard Franz Ferdinand"?

are block party anything like franz ferdinand?

are you sure you're not thinking of kaiser chiefs?

I'm sure.

Like I said... I'm probably in the minority.

Bloc Party were fucking bollocks. Waste of the £8 I spent on the CD.

you can give it to me

You knows it.

I dunno... people like them. So they're probably good. But I can't see it. Which makes me feel old.

Though, people liked Babylon Zoo for a few minutes, so what does that prove?

But I like them and you're younger than me - now I'm confused. That reminds me - the colmnist in Time Out wrote some bollocks about blokes over thirty not wearing trainers or listening to The Killers & Bloc Party in last week's issue, otherwise they're committing cultural paedophilia - meant to email the cunt and slap him one but I forgot.

Trainers = comfort

Music = personal choice

Although he did have a point about The Killers, but that's just bad taste, not cultural kiddy fiddling.

PM me your address if you are serious.

i will give you a few quid if you like. do you have paypal by any chance?

Nah, don't worry about the cash - it's just cluttering up the seat-back pocket of my car anyway!

but what about postage? i feel bad - you're too nice!

Don't worry, from the looks of this weeks letters page a few people had the same idea

This is less hassle than eBaying it, or something! I'll PM you...

what else you clearing out, clart?

There's got to be a GLC CD going soon...

Nah, man, and again under amusingly coincidental circumstances as the Mighty Nicky Clarke Boosh thing, I put my GLC CD on in the car only today as I came home for lunch. Inspired by my own username. That, or they were playing N-n-n-nineteen on the radio...

Did I mention... I saw them playing live at the weekend?


Time for a trip to "lyrics that make..." I think

I'm all philanthropised out, I'm afraid, for tonight.

I love the Bloc Party album, I've heard snatches of the Go! Team and that's pretty good and Kaiser Chiefs and Magic Numbers also float my boat considerably. Not sure who should win though, although I've never heard of Polar Bear.

Wassat sound like?