International News
CD sales hit all-time low
Despite every major record label’s best efforts to keep the compact disc holy,... [more]
In a crowded pool, the Mercury Prize has retained its significance as a musical yardstick. Artists actually want to win this one. This year’s nominees list is drawn from a refreshingly diverse field, with plenty of albums worth barracking for. Although usually made up of rock, indie and folk releases, this year there’s a few surprising inclusions from the electronic scene, with mysterious dubstep producer Burial popping up, along with electro-hip-hop duo Neon Neon who will tour Australa soon as part of Parklife!
Perhaps the ‘biggest’ contender is Radiohead’s zeitgeist-defining In Rainbows, which has already been tagged as a frontrunner. Arctic Monkey Alex Turner has notched up his third nomination in as many years – this time for his other band, The Last Shadow Puppets. Quiet achievers like Portico Quartet and Rachel Unthank & The Winterset up the niche value, but the buzziest inclusion is undoubtedly Burial’s melancholic masterpiece Untrue. Although a winner whose real identity remains unknown might make for an anti-climatic awards ceremony…
Mercury Prize shortlist
Adele – 19
British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music?
Burial – Untrue
Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid
Estelle – Shine
Laura Marling – Alas I Cannot Swim
Neon Neon – Stainless Style
Portico Quartet – Knee-Deep in the North Sea
Rachel Unthank & The Winterset – The Bairns
Radiohead – In Rainbows
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raising Sand
The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age of the Understatement
