The Short List of Music!

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The US equivalent of the Mercury Prize, says the press. Here's the Shock-heavy website (which you might want to avoid). And here's the Pitchfork news tidbit that lead me to the site.

― David Raposa, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Nikka Costa, anyone?

― David Raposa, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Looks like a landslide victory is imminent for the Blind Boys of Alabama.

Ohh darn, no Strokes.

― Andy, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

There was a little tidbit about this in Entertainment Weekly a couple of weeks back. It sounded Scary and Bad, but then I think that about any and all awards.

― Nicole, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

the continued critical acclaim of nikka costa is nothing more than a sign that more male music writers need to get laid on a regular basis. ick.

― maura, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Yeah, wtf? Is Nikka the Britney it's alright to like for thirty/fortysomething male critics? Because musically, she makes Lenny Kravitz look like Isaac Hayes.

― Nicole, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

I only saw some lame video of hers and yawned. Crit porn, then.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

I suppose Kristin Hersh has too many children?

― Andy, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

This Shortlist should be limited to just artists from the US, if it is US equivalent of Technics Mecury Music Prize.

This open all nations policy is just plain dumb ass. It is bad enough the TMMP panel botching up what gets selected each year and that is limited to just the UK & Ireland !

Going back to the shortlist, here are 10 that should have made the shortlist

Albums were only eligible if they were released after July 1st, 2000, and if they haven't sold more than 500,000 copies (certified gold) at the time of their nominations. [and they should have added this..US only]

Where is Cex - Role Model? Where is Cave In - Jupiter? Where is Trans Am - Red Line? Where is Isis - Celestial? Where is Collide - Chasing the Ghost? Where is Mice Parade - Mookondi? Where is 310 - After All? Where is Drowningman - Rock and Roll Killing Machine ? Where is Trance to the Sun - Atrocious Virgin ? Where is Clouddead - Clouddead ? ..there are many others

Next year - they should limit it to US only, all the other countries should have their own individual awards.

― DJ Martian, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

one could argue that most of the acclaim for peaches is also directly attributable to what will now be called nikka costa syndrome.

― maura, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

the reason the UK prize is UK only is to avoid the dominance of US acts, as always happens by the Brits Best Internation being the biggest Event award. a similar act by a US award would probably be too insular, not encouraging critical diversity as the prize seeks to.

and PJ Harvey, what? that album flagrantly shit.

― mathew james, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Flagrantly shit to you, m'friend -- but not me. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Its a good list, eccleticc and well curarted. Sigur Ros and Blind Boys on the same lsit is a good sign

― anthony, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Um, Clinic, hello? < /Ally >

― bnw, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Um, the Clinic album was (I believe) released prior to the deadlines delineated by the Powers that Be. Either that, or _Internal Wrangler_ went gold, which I sincerely (& unfortunately) doubt.

― David Raposa, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

I can understand the Oscars, where degree of convincing performances are weighed against each other (in theory), but I've never seen the point of music awards. The Mercury seems to be steeped in tokenism and giving Simon Frith something to do in his dotage.

How can a folk album be pitched against a classical album, a gospel album and an indie rock album on grounds of merit? It's akin to saying "which is best, crime fiction or sci-fi?"

― Dickon, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

What in the world is In Flames doing there?

― Kris, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

That list looks like a Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll from hell--if the P&J were only voted on by writers for CMJ New Music Monthly and The Fader.

― M. Matos, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

If all the nominees dressed up in designer Oscar dresses, it would then win my seal of approval. But I somehow doubt I'll ever see the Beta Band in see through Chanel. Damn.

― Nicole, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Damn you and your infernal logic. And yet Ágætis Byrjun came out in 1999...

― bnw, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

It only got released this year in the US.

― Damian, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Which brings us back to Internal Wrangler. Released in the States in 2001.

― bnw, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

How can a folk album be pitched against a classical album, a gospel album and an indie rock album on grounds of merit? It's akin to saying "which is best, crime fiction or sci-fi?"

Whereas I'd say that asking those kind of questions is the best way to learn about yourself and what you like. Though admittedly "learning about yourself and what you like" isn't the stated aim of this thing.

Why is it uncool to like the Strokes cos the rip off the Velvets but cool to like Clinic, who rip them off less well?

― Tom, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Why is it uncool to like the Strokes cos the rip off the Velvets but cool to like Clinic, who rip them off less well?

The Strokes just rip off the affectations and have very simplistic, typical alt-rock songwriting. Clinic change it up a bit more, and have many more influences and glimmers of originality that come together for a much more interesting whole.

― Melissa W, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Tom, I seem to recall you liking Clinic, at least initially. Regardless, maybe the answer is that The Strokes' uncoolness is that they rip off the Velvet Underground too well - there's no inspired mistakes? Of course, whether Clinic's mistakes are inspired or not is a question for the jury, of which I am not a member.

― Tim, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Damn - Melissa beat me by, like, five seconds.

― Tim, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

its cool to like Clinic?

― gareth, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

I don't think my comment above precludes my liking Clinic, Tim. As Melissa says, they do other things apart from their VU rip offs, which I think are the least interesting part of their thing. I like the Strokes' album more than theirs, though.

Actually though I think and have always said that Internal Wrangler isn't much cop compared to the fiery singles comp.

― Tom, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

I'm not that much of a Clinic fan, but one thing they do hold over the Strokes is that they don't sound as mapped out or pre-determined. The Strokes strike me as the equivalent of one of those pre- fabricated homes. I don't know if the UK or elsewhere has them (seems like a very American concept), but people build giant doll houses in massive warehouses and then load them onto trucks and dump them on a plot of land. There you have it -- it's a house. It might look like one of those houses from The Truman Show, but it's a house nonetheless.

I reckon I could have just said that the Strokes seem fake to me.

― Andy, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

one month passes...

hmm. good point there buddy

― Mike, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

So They had their big shebang yesterday. Why doesn't their web site name the winner? Or does nobody even care by this point?

― Dan I., Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Sigur Ros won.

― DJ Martian, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Sigur Ros got the winner's rose. That is almost like a rose is a rose is a rose (Gertrude Stein). Apart from that little pun this is a sad choice. I write that without knowing who else was on the list. How ignorant and arrogant of me ;-).

― alex in mainhattan, Wednesday, 21 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

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