The Nominations are in - Mercury Prize 2010

It’s that time of year again as last week saw 12 of the finest releases of the last year selected for the Mercury Prize short-list. Launched in 1992 the Mercury Prize remains one of the few awards to still hold some merit in these X-Factor driven times and once you’re a UK or Irish artist and actually bother to apply (it’s £195.50 if you fancy your chances…) then you’re in with a shout. The eventual winner will receive £20,000 but more importantly a shed load of press coverage which should see a healthy jump in album sales in the coming months (cue dollar signs in Record Label executive’s eyes).

There have been some outstanding albums this year so this was always going to be an interesting set of nominees in terms of wild cards and exclusions and perhaps the most notable name on the list, certainly to us on the Irish shores, will be the inclusion of Villagers. The brainchild of former The Immediate member Conor O’Brien, Villagers debut album Becoming A Jackal (my review of which can be found anseo) shot to the top of the charts here in April and still remains in the Top 40 at present. Despite this Villagers have remained relatively unknown in the UK to date (bar a stirring performance on Jools Holland) and this nomination is both a welcome surprise and another high in an incredible year for O’Brien and chums who have made this music lark seem like a walk in the park. With songs this good it really was only a matter of time before people from further afield began to notice and this nomination should prove to be another big step in their seemingly meteoric rise to the top.

Another band who know all about quick rises to the top are The XX, who having been virtually unknown this time last year, have gone on to release one of the most universally praised albums of 2009 and were recently joined on stage at Glastonbury by Florence of Florence and The Machine…not bad for a bunch of whipper snappers. Their debut, a shimmering and seductive journey which is catchy and dark in all the right places, is fully deserving of such plaudits as well as this nomination and draws favourable comparisons with Portishead’s seminal 1994 album Dummy.

My personal tip is for the Prize is the weird and wonderful Wild Beasts, who have attracted something of a cult following with their outstanding second LP Two Dancers. Beautifully dark and disconcerting, this is an album with tales of anarchy and bedlam wrapped in the gripping vocals of front men Hayden Thorpe and Tom Fleming, whose distinctive howls and snarls complement each other perfectly. This is as good a set of songs as you’re likely to hear all year and it cements their place in the small band of artists making genuinely innovative and refreshingly interesting music. Highly recommended.

Laura Marling’s ferocious talent meanwhile has again found favour with the judges as her follow up to Alas, I Cannot Swim, (which itself was nominated in 2008) has been selected. I Speak Because I Can sticks close to Marling’s trademark sound of rousing and emotive folk-led tracks which are underpinned by her wonderfully distinctive voice. This is a strong follow up to an excellent debut and though not quite her masterpiece, it can be deemed a healthy progression and suggests she may not be far off it.

Also nominated are Foals, who have shed their ‘one trick pony’ tag with Total Life Forever arriving as a surprisingly expansive, layered affair which gains traction with repeated listens. Fresh from a sterling set at this years Oxegen, the ever popular Mumford and Sons also make the cut with their brand of banjo led anthems, while hop hop’s loveable rogue Dizzee Rascal somehow also sneaks in (maybe the panel are trying to prove they’re hip with the kids these days…). Biffy Clyro’s platinum selling Only Revolutions makes the cut as does acoustic soulstress Corinne Bailey Rae and the list, which is in full below, is completed by Paul Weller (is this 1979?), I Am Kloot and the obligatory obscure choice this year is Kit Downes Trio.

In terms of notable exclusions, Gorillaz excellent Plastic Beach misses out most likely thanks to Damon Albarn’s ‘history’ with the event itself while Two Door Cinema Club’s infectious debut Tourist History would have been on my list. My personal album of the year was David Kitt’s The Nightsaver, though considering he didn’t even make the cut for the Irish equivalent to the Mercury’s, the Choice Music Prize, such an appearance here was always highly unlikely!

The winner is announced on September 7th and in terms of predictions my heart hopes for Villagers or Wild Beasts but my head says The XX, who have also been installed as the early favourites by the bookies.

Who’s your money on?

Biffy Clyro - ‘Only Revolutions’
Villagers - ‘Becoming A Jackal’
Corinne Bailey Rae - ‘The Sea’
Mumford & Sons - ‘Sigh No More’
Paul Weller - ‘Wake Up The Nation’
Wild Beasts - ‘Two Dancers’
Kit Downes Trio - ‘Golden’
Laura Marling - ‘I Speak Because I Can’
Dizzee Rascal - ‘Tongue N’ Cheek’
Foals - ‘Total Life Forever’
I Am Kloot - ‘Sky At Night’
The xx - ‘xx’