Mercury 2010 Nominated Rundown

Nominated:

Corinne Bailey Ray - The Sea

Half written before and after her late husbands death, the album feels both new and fresh, and thick with yearning. This seems to be a feeling that Corinne has tapped into, not dwelling too much on her own pain it seems, but on the beauty that can be felt with it, and an empathy for everyone and everything surrounding her. The camaraderie she says she shared with her eclectic group of top musicians whilst creating this album, and healing her torn life, can truly be felt throughout each different thread running through this tapestry of tracks. It is a coming together of emotions and styles, elegantly structures and dripping with soul.

Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

One of the most beautiful albums i have ever come across, listening to the group discuss their debut, and the effort that went into the composition of each individual track is a truly beautiful thing, and effortlessly paints them as talented musicians with a deep and proficient talent, as well as a deep emotional connection to the music they make. With a driving force behind every sound, movement can be heard in every single track, soft or rough. Their choral lyrical moments are pure gems.

Kit Downes Trio - Golden

The only representation of Jazz in this mix, Kit Downes reaches into his deep well of musical knowledge and presents a whirlwind foray into the bands own particular brand of off-kilter tunefulness. At times sounding like you are standing between two music rooms listening to separate practices, there is a whimsy to their style. Golden, the title track unfolds, revealing layers to explore, as the tune subtly changes with each few bars.

Dizzy Rascal - Tongue N Cheek

There has been a lot of discussion surrounding Dizzy, and it cannot be said that he is a lazy artist. His tracks have evolved since he started to make music, and his shrewd take on each musical style he lends his hand to is palpable throughout the track. The tracks are upbeat and pithy, as is to be expected from Dizzy’s own style of lyrical banter. This album has already been given such critical Kudos, and bore Dizzy an embarrassment of number one singles in the charts, if this were a more mainstream commercial based award, there is not doubt this one would be in the bag.

Wild Beasts - Two Dancers

One of the most bizarre and baffling groups of this years nominations, with Hayden Thorpe’s falsetto yowl etched across many tracks throughout the album, Wild beasts have also one of the most powerful albums. With discussion of the ‘fulcrum’ between the two sides of the album being the title track ‘Two Dancers’, listeners can feel the pull between broken emotions riding high and a gentle goading love for fun and enjoyment. The album is like a tale of life, with no beginning or end, but it continues. This sense is captured in the last track, which the band members favoured as one which gives a hint as to what will follow upon their return.

Paul Weller - Wake Up The Nation

With Weller’s ‘key track’ being the title of the album, and feeling this best sums up his efforts on this record. As the proffered ‘Mod-father’ and veteran of rock, his appearance on this list sets up the Mercury’s as indifferent to length of service in the music industry, and only celebrating all forms of truly great music, whatever the background.

Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions

One of the more commercially popular albums, and from a background that stands out against the rest as more mainstream, Biffy Clyro have been rewarded for a long line of releases in this years Mercury awards. This certainly is one of their finest works, encompassing sensitive tracks, with the riff heavy larger numbers, inspiring moshpits across the festival scene this year.

Villagers - Becoming A Jackal

An irish artist and friends of the epic James Vincent McMorrow, links can be seen between the two pals, though his smooth and inviting voice sets him apart and places him in the Simon and Garfunkel era, recalling tracks such as America. With complex and insightful lyrics and a thunderous beat, sounding as though hacked out on the hull of his acoustic guitar, the title track becoming a jackal opens a new path to self discovery.

I am Kloot - Sky At Night

With gentle stirring riffs and rolling beats amongst some of the more powerful tracks, and lyrics which could make the most shallow person pensive, Kloot without question belong in this mix. You can sense the deep connection and understanding between band and producer in the shifting weight between dark and melodious, joyful and sweeping tracks. The most powerful has to be ‘I Still Do’, who’s bright and beautiful plucked guitar rhythm weaves a story behind its shimmering facade.

Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can

One of the most beautiful albums to come out of a painful experience that has ever been penned, recorded and presented before an already sizable fan-base. the meek and mystical Laura speaks to the heart and beseeches you to feel every note.

The XX - XX

Embodied as ‘A lifetimes work’ by band member ollie, this is one of the most expansive albums on the list, rivaling even foals in this field. with Both Romy and Ollie engaging with the lyrics, there is a bitter-sweet battle of the sexes involved, sometimes singing in turn, sometimes together, overlapping their voices in the same lyrical pattern, but never vying for the limelight. this represents a fantastically produced and epically involved collection.

Foals - Total life Forever

a master-class in the creation of space, and time. with barbed lyrics which bizarrely compliment the synthy backbeats and sneaky bass. All the undercurrents and over-exertion come together to form what can only be described as Ennui-Disco in my ears, though they may hate that. Its the culmination of being drowned in sound, and swept to a new and intuitive setting, which you will never tire of exploring

The Winner:

It has been announced and The XX have indeed won the coveted prize. The minimalist, futurist and deeply dark artistes have trumped all others and come out speechless in the award ceremony, bereft of a clever quip, or hundred mile and hour gabbled thanks. The XX have divided opinion in their figurative arrival centre stage earlier this year, and yet having had their track Intro used in the UK Election coverage this year, alongside other snapshots in adverts and television shows, they were tipped as one of the forerunners for the award.

Listening back to the album, you can see why the prestigious award was given to these bright young things- they have the gift of creating a world of space, and time to explore it. Through the sparse lyrical foreground, and the slow yet gaining rhythmic structures that support it, you can feel a strength grown and cultivated from inside out. there are no half measures within each track. Every composition has been thought about in depth, and with their own admittance that this album has been imbibed with everything they have ever written you get the sense that every single tune is their own baby, to be nurtured and set out into the world, but only when fully ready.

Under The Driftwood Tree - London - 17th June 2010

Opening with their trademark of mash-up covers, Under The Driftwood Tree skillfully work The Killers Mr Brightside, Kings of Leon’s Use Somebody and Stereophonics Local Boy in the Photograph into their own breezy summer model, Local Boy Mr Brightside Uses Somebody. It is a testament to their talent that this foray into their stylings on stage take three of the most recognisable tracks of the recent past and twists them into a creature of their own making. Beautiful in its own right. There can be no better way to describe the Welsh wonders than that. With a fabulous array of covers, and their own songs interwoven with banter and the odd impromptu free-styling from the gentlemen up front, Chris and Robbie, the magic and sparkle of their set is visible even in daylight.

Formed in 2009 it is amazing to see a collective who are so comfortable, at home even, in front of an audience, and indeed with each other. The fluidity of movement, and the sounds coaxed and spun from their instruments beautifully compliments the shared harmonious vocals, and all around them seem enraptured. The instruments on stage are swapped and tuned with ease as the set up seems to change from song to song. This adds a fantastic element to the set, as each member showcases their talents; Robbie and Kathryn on Accordion and Percussion, Chris on Ukulele, Guitar and Didgeridoo, Alex on lead guitar, and Sam on Bass.

With their stage presence and collective impish humour in full swing, they pull out of their repertoire a song apparently written by their neighbours, detailing their annoyance at having loud music played next door at all hours. The whimsey with which they retell this tale speaks volumes of each individuals easy going nature.

As the day moves on, and the sky gets hazy with the coming dusk, we are treated to a further mash-up cover. one which whips up energy within the sun dazzled audience and stirs some movement throughout. Weaving the pre-Kid Rock ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ and Reef’s ‘Put Your Hands Up’ into another hand-made classic Pink Alabama, we are swept along into their final song, a beautiful instrumental which conjures images of country village dance and large tankards of Cider and Guinness in the sun. Perfect for the days setting! We are left wanting more, and the juggling woman, who has stood by the stage the whole set rhythmically bouncing her balls in time with the music ceases. Just another example of the level of involvement the crowd feel with the band!

There is no doubt that Under The Driftwood Tree have the talent and energy to sustain interest from the audience, to engage with and perform to the crowd and generate a great reaction. There is a great deal of certainty within me that there will be so much more to come from a this Welsh band, who have come so far and achieved such beauty in their stylings in just over a year. Carving out their own perfectly formed bohemian niche in the weathered stone that is Folk. If they continue on this path, they will be unstoppable, and this is a fact.

www.myspace.com/underthedriftwoodtree

Canterbury - Thank You - November 2009

Right at this moment, Canterbury are giving out their album free. On their myspace. This is not a gimmick, this is free genius! Please go and download, then read this. or the other way round, it doesn’t really matter. I found these guys by accident, and that makes me worried. what if there is a whole host of amazing bands I will never hear because there aren’t enough hours in the day to hunt them down. All the more reason to up my game.

So, the album. It is an Über showcase of the talents encompassing these young men. With titles which follow a flow, like a semi concept album (titles follow in sequence, such as; Accident Ambulance & Hospital), the audio equilibrium is constantly rocked, as the lyrics whip from angry bitterness to soulful melancholy. But this isn’t an album of alternating rage and static. No, no. The tunes are full of fluid movement, whether pensive and endearing with dulcet tones and lyrics gently pulling you in (Hospital, Diver), or 11,12, which oozes an angsty energy. Generally the word angst makes me cringe, I use it in a good sense here, when that tightness in your chest rips through you, the chorus kicks in and you let it all go.

This album can be alloted a place alongside those of You Me At Six and artists of that ilk. perhaps, dare I say it, they go one better in creating a debut of this form. It would seem as though it is a dismissive action, but there is a reason there is such a collective who adore this style. It simultaneously argues for emotion and passion as well as F***ing S**t UP. This is what we should all choose embody in our lives, and as the opening of Ambulance crashes with symbols and drums, there can be no other case than for the latter. it really embodies the confusion and energy that would actually go with the appearance of an ambulance, funnily enough. That is where the concept lies, in the attention to detail with the lyrics and the cultivated sound. They make sense together.

This fluctuating mixture involves a touch of upbeat controlled chaos, with Set Your Right delivering a fast paced staccato beat with an impeccable sense of timing, leaving you feeling ready for a night out with your best male friends. Witness the amusing highlight of Friends_ We’re More Like A Gang. The sheer range of paces and ideas that are traversed within Thank You leaves you feeling slightly addled, but in a good way. Though we traverse the stages of joy and heartache with the foursome, there is little room for melancholy, and absolutely no room for boredom. With the hidden melancholic tang of the ending track Hometime, and lyrics ‘I never had something mess me up like this...You were a sunset, I was a hurricane’, it feels as though this story is unfinished. If music is set by the pace of a lifestyle, it is clear that these guys never have a dull moment.

Knock2Bag - Comedy Gold!

21st April 2010 - Shepherds Bush - Bar FM

Ascending the steps to the underground 'Bar FM', there seems to be no better setting for a comedy night than this. There seems to be an undeniable sense of other-worldiness in the plush darkness within. The Knock2Bag stage is raised almost imperceptibly from the ground as chairs tables and sofas occupy the surrounding space creating a sense of intimacy. We are all in this together, which is just as well as in a setting this small, very few can escape the ever watchful eye of the comics, especially MC Fergus Craig, starting off the evening with a tailored brand of childish imagery and musings, effortlessly delivered and sandwiched between his sharp wit and impeccable timing.

Tonight's ensemble are a charming mix of established and upcoming talents, and without much ado Mike Wozniak appears onstage, the embodiment of Tom Selleck after a nervous breakdown. With perfect diction he delivers an observational eye, twisted with a surreal cerebral vision, culminating in a story about his father taking a job cleaning mice on the underground. Perfectly executed with a remark about his fathers competency in such a job, given the state of underground mice these days, he exits to a roar of applause, replaced with an even fresher face, named Grainne Maguire.

Gawky and nervous as she is, her comic style takes some getting used to. There is a fine line between comic awkwardness and a nervous disposition. Nonetheless, a fair few laughs bestowed to us from this 2009 Mercury New Act Of The Year finalist, especially in her take on our relationship with the new Conservatives, drawing links between the British public and a battered wife. "They've changed! They recycle now!". Finishing with a terribly awkward but lovable 'reclaiming of the belly' rap, which only serves to reinforce her naive charm, she scurries off stage indulging us in a quick break to sate our thirst for booze.

The next portion of the event is reserved for the well established comics which took the headlines of this particular event. Doc Brown takes to the stage, armed with a folder and an amazing penchant for comic rapping. His swagger and charm are a winning combination, and rapping about anything from his love of David Attenborough, to the correct pronunciation of urban 'gang speak' and its middle class translation, a quick scan of the audience will see most people bent double in silent fits, or choking on their chips. As usual, this particular set is not long enough. We move on to the mysterious 'top secret telly guest'.

Award winning writer and actor Stephen Merchant is not one best known for his standup. A change he is prepared to make, as he introduces himself thus, stating his interest in having something "he can't get his hands on". No need to ask to whom he refers! unleashing his wealth of observations on the responsibilities men have in the dating stakes, height and levels of 'geek', he is every bit as brilliant as you can imagine. Here is a wealth of talent which we hope he will continue to utilise to great effect. His personality, passion and delivery smack of his unique writing style, a winning combination it seems.

We end on an absolute high, as Robin Ince spews bile on all and sundry, covering a ten mile radius in enraged ramblings. Prophecising the failure of his set due to his 'good mood', he is soon berating all those who own up to "guilty pleasures", calling for these pleasures to be far more guilty, crossing the lines into downright illegal. Just how far into guilt is a bit too rich to put into print! After too short a time, the end is nigh, and we are spilling out on to the streets once more, a gaggle of half remembered jokes, too rare to be repeated, and too blue to be aired on television! With the wealth of amazing upcoming and well-known comics treading the boards within the realms Knock2Bag enterprises, it is a perfect gem of brilliance which never fails to deliver. A cheap night out at £8 per ticket, the only solution is to go and see it for yourself. You will choke on your chips, so be careful!

Fionn Regan - A Late Review If You Please!

The Shadow of an Empire – 8^th February 2010

With a grand chasm opening up between Regan’s last album, ‘The End Of History’ in 2006, one could be forgiven for thinking hope had been lost for the Mercury award nominated Dandy-haired wonder. However, time has given birth to his latest little capsule of Irish folk-itude in the form of ‘the Sahdow of an Empire’, an album that doesn’t so much ask for your attention, but forcibly pulls you to the ground and shouts in your face, urging you to give a damn.

If Fionn Regan’s debut album envisions the “morning after”, then ‘The Shadow of an Empire’ is most definitely the fabled “night before”. With much the same vocal tones that made his brand of magic unique, and an extra unmistakable tinge of Bob Dylan as exemplified on House Detective and Coat Hook, Regan shatters his easy acoustic image and spins a revved up electric country-folk concoction, engorged with harmonica soundscapes, banjo rhythms, and the odd piano solo. Even with tracks like Little Nancy, which is slower than most, the resulting effect is louder than any you will find on ‘The End of History’.

The single release Protection Racket continues on the Dylan trail, rich as it is in Americana culture reference such as the perfect lyrics “you curse the darkness and I’ll strike a match’, and of course “Let’s raise our glasses to Mr Onasses”. Its upbeat nature and untiring rhythm is sharply backed up by Catacombs, who’s lyrics “Let’s take it outside…I’ll pay you to do me some damage” support the overall Texan bar-brawl feel, along with the atmospheric Genocide Matinee, with its classic rock overtones.

Fionn Regan has broken radically with expectation, and while it is clear that the long wait has proved necessary for personal growth and upheaval, there are still those tell-tale glimmers of the route taken to reach this altered perspective. This is obvious in Violent Demeanour, where the deep and dark lyric prevails over all others “and now there’s pennies on your eyes”. Again, in Lines Written In Winter Lord Help and My Poor Soul, with the raw and beautifully under-produced vocals we had become accustomed to, arching over those nostalgic lilting acoustics, we are treated to a celebration of his old youthful melancholy. This is harking back to times of a more authentic innocence, whereas Fionn Regan’s subtly deeper newfound voice heaves with the challenge of maturity and experience.

Tim Ten Yen - Everything Beautiful Reminds Me Of You

In October 2008 I attended a gig, a Club Fandango three day city festival event in a bar I cannot even recall now, and I saw the most amazing thing that had graced my tiny mind to that date. The event went by the name of Tim Ten Yen, and his method of wonder was a performance of sorts, of his own musical styling. He is in fact a one man band, but the performance is so much a part of his art that it cannot go without being mentioned. Awkward thrusting arms and funky leg-kicks make him seem less than comfortable in the limelight, but his stage presence refuses to let him depart from it. Even on the street, there is a spotlight following this awkward lord of the dance.

I duly bought his album ‘Everything Beautiful Reminds Me Of You’, which came out the following week, and have never looked back. Mr. Ten Yen harnesses a wealth of Divine Comedy style croonings, reggae based 80’s synth pop, the occasional thrum of the steel drum, and the odd stealthy guitar solo to create a heady base of joy, which frolics unchecked with his wonderfully naïve and creatively deep lyrics. This album, which slipped by unnoticed in 2008, and indeed latterly, is quite simply a cult classic. Confusing though his style is there are songs like ‘Radio Nowhere’ which forms the perfect basis for an electro re-mix, whilst the acute rhythmic step and subtle production of ‘Move with the Wildpalms’ was made for radio play. A coveted favourite at the minute is ‘Sea Anemone’, which wouldn’t sound out of place in a collection of nursery rhymes, an bears the lyrics ‘the kind of enemy, that gets hold of me, and gently lets me go with an apology’, along with the extremely sage line ‘if I ever had complete control of my life, would I ever keep hold of what I have?’. Pure genius! This is one for you all ladies and gents. Disregard your particular ‘tastes’, because this defies genre, and your expectations.

Designated Graffitti Moan

With the ‘Banksy Years’ well under way, Bristol has had quite some time to bask in the reflective glow of his magic touch. Whilst every cultural outlet indulges in naked profiteering from another’s talent (in the form of Coasters, Card and Canvas bearing their chosen graven image) and stars such as Angie Jolie clamour to collect various pieces, or so I’m told, I can help but feel a little sorry for those little graffiti imps forever in the shadow of the lord of spray-can. Well, with this chosen method of self expression not favoured by the more ‘society conscious’, maybe they are used to it? It may even be preferred. Whilst the art market is now claiming graffiti as one of its own, I am forced to wonder how much the profile of its art has changed. Is it really more acceptable? Or more except-able, failing under the light that only Banksy brand Graf is good. I am using the term ‘good’ loosely to mean ‘worth money’. The gentleman is an exception to the rule.

With almost every surface he touches turning to concrete gold, it seems that he is standing on the shoulders of other artists such as himself, pushing them further underground, where it is much darker and there is no golden ticket. Whilst the savvy among you will know of and appreciate other artists, this IS what they are, those who didn’t know before Banksy, will care less about others as they have their own acceptable form of defacement, which they can display with pride and purchase at great expense, all the while feeling edgy and ‘out there’.

I have nothing against Banksy, he deserves his rewards for being talented and insightful, but the artist hasn’t changed, just the canvas. Whether we like it or not, graffiti hasn’t been lifted higher as an art form, one man has, and the rest have been sentenced to a lifetime in the gloom, unless they copy the golden child, then losing the meaning of what this method of self expression is. Self expression is now just another mode that we use to congratulate or castigate. It seems if it is ‘good’ (worth money) it is art, if it is ‘not good’, it is vandalism. Those who love it, will always appreciate, but for now, I have half a mind to hold an impromptu cocktail party on the streets of Stokes Croft, loudly applauding and discussing other artworks, whilst ignoring those already famed. Maybe even hold mock auctions to buy a piece of the wall, complete with price tag stickers. Graffiti-ing graffiti? How postmodern.