Coldpay are out of this world

[KiwiCoromandel]

British rockers Coldplay followed the worldwide chart success of their latest album today with a nomination for the Mercury Prize, considered Britain's most prestigious popular music award.

Coldplay's X and Y, which has topped the charts in both Britain and America since its recent release, was among 12 albums up for the annual Mercury award, which takes in the worlds of jazz and folk as well as pop and rock.

"Coldplay take on the world ... and win," was the Mercury Prize jury's summary for the merits of the album produced Coldplay, led by singer Chris Martin, the husband of US actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

Rather than sales success, the Mercury award, now in its 14th year, aims to celebrate innovation in British popular music, as reflected in the eclectic shortlist.

Along with Coldplay were several other guitar bands who have enjoyed a run of hit singles in Britain, although not on the same scale, such as young four-piece Bloc Party and Kaiser Chiefs, who appeared in the US leg of the Live 8 charity concerts earlier this month.

Kaiser Chiefs' album Employment - a debut, like eight of the nominees - was made the initial favourite by bookmakers for the 20,000 pound ($A46,500) prize, announced on September 6.

Other nominations honoured bands whose career has barely begun, such as hotly-tipped retro-tinged guitar group The Magic Numbers, and suburban chroniclers Hard-Fi, both of whom released their first albums a matter of weeks ago.

The shortlist also includes esoteric artists such as M.I.A., the moniker of dance music innovator Maya Arulpragasam, a Sri Lankan Tamil who left her home nation for Britain with her family as a baby.

A folk album and a jazz album - by Seth Lakeman and the group Polar Bear respectively - were also put forward, although thus far none has gone on to win the main prize.

source:AFP

[Malicious Intent]

If anyone hasn't checked out Kaiser Chiefs and The Magic Numbers yet, I suggest that you do.

[DudeAsInCool]

If anyone hasn't checked out Kaiser Chiefs and The Magic Numbers yet, I suggest that you do.

How about posting something on their new releases?

[Malicious Intent]

Because I'm always last to know! Could be useful for the internationals, but I never know what is local and what isnt.

Just listening to Bloc Party. They are damn good too. All their albums except the latest is on indie labels.

For the record: Coldplay are big music and Kaiser Cheifs are currently indies.

So there - I dont want anyone whinging about new music to try until you have tried all three bands!

[method77]

Coldplay and Bloc Party are IT right now. Not because the rest are no better but because they have the newest albums out. Both of them are really good too. Kaiser Chiefs are a bit more pop IMO

[Malicious Intent]

Kaiser Chiefs are a bit more pop IMO

Kaiser Chiefs have only become pop as they are good. They have their own distinct, non-manufactured sound.

[method77]

I don't mean pop as in popular-higth sellers but I mean pop sound. Not pop-pop but a bit more pop than others like Franz Ferdinand compared to Interpol for instance. I don't think they are bad.

Do I make sense????

[DudeAsInCool]

Coldplay and Bloc Party are IT right now. Not because the rest are no better but because they have the newest albums out. Both of them are really good too. Kaiser Chiefs are a bit more pop IMO

I think the Killers are hot right now..

[Malicious Intent]

Weebl looks at this years nominees.

It is easier to read at their site here.

Fourteen long, mournful years after Freddie Mercury's death, the music awards created in his memory just keep on rocking. As always, nominees are chosen based on one criterion: what would Freddie be listening to if he was alive today? As always, this year's set of nominees strays unforgivably far from that golden rule. I haven't kept up with new music at all this year, and haven't read the NME for a good seven years, and as such I feel best placed to give a level-headed, realistic appraisal of this years nominees.

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

This band's name is of course a play on the phrase "block party" which was what we called LAN parties in 1989 when all we had to play was Tetris and the 'LAN' consisted of two Gameboys and a link cable. Of course Tetris was developed in Soviet Russia, part of the Eastern Bloc, and that's what makes it so very clever! The majority of the album focuses on reinterpretations of the music from Tetris, and the bands unlistenable attempts at original material have been mercifully positioned at the end of the CD so you and your Tetris buddies can get your block party started right.

Hard-Fi - Stars of CCTV

I saw one of this band's videos in a pub but the sound was off on the TV, so I can't yet construct any valid reason to dislike them. Being that their album is called "Stars Of CCTV" I suspect that might have actually been the intended way to view their work.

Kaiser Chiefs - Employment

These guys have a song called "Na Na Na Na Naa", which is tribute to Free From Desire by Gala, a song about a man who has no money but makes up for it with something I can't quite make out. Is it "he has a trampoline"? Maybe!

M.I.A. - Arular

I first heard about this girl when I inadvertently read a magazine interview with her, but the only thing I really remember about the interview is that it left me without even the slightest urge to hear her music. Her Indian-tinged dancehall antics make her a suitably dull choice for the token "urban" nominee. I guess having awarded the prize to Ms. Dynamite (where did she go? nobody cares!) and Dizzee Rascal in recent years the Mercury people feel the urban niche is satiated, leaving them free to concentrate on rural bands like the Wurzels.

The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers

As De La Soul correctly identified, the magic number is 3. This band has 4 members, and they are as such clearly not worthy of your time. I won't even bother coming up with quirky random bullshit about them.

Coldplay - X&Y

This exciting up-and-coming band met in a community centre on a particularly grim Leeds estate where they vowed to quit robbing random grannies cold-turkey style and get straight to work on charming the world's middle aged men with a carefully balanced mix of melody and whining. Despite their first two albums selling disapointingly, their plucky underground record label, Parlophone, kept the faith and it looks like it's starting to pay off. X&Y has received enough airplay from maverick radio DJs to sneak its way into this year's Mercury lineup and the band finally have a chance of getting some of the recognition they so clearly deserve. Chris Martin, more than anyone, yearns for the chance to accept this prize and finally upstage his gawky girlfriend with a 4-hour long weepy acceptence speech in which he thanks every Hindu god, all set to catchily morose piano music and a laser show.

The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning Strike

I'm not going to do any research on this band because I fear it would tarnish the utterly fantastic first impressions I get from their name. Both the band name and album title sound like text from poorly translated a Japanese computer game. You just can't stay angry at a name like that. Or become angry, for that matter.

Antony And The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now

This harrowing concept album charts one man's sex change operation, the consequent realisation that he wasn't actually a woman trapped in a man's body, and finally his inevitable suicide. What saves this album from being inexcusably unpleasant is the rather perky secret track where we are informed that it was all a dream and the protagonist has learned a valuable lesson about being an attention whore.

KT Tunstall - Eye To The Telescope

I know of KT Tunstall because of the TV advertisment for her album. It said something to the effect of "KT Tunstall is the hot new voice for 2005!", as if they assumed the 'hot new voice' from 2004 was no longer satisfying me but - wait! - they have the prescription to make it all better! And it comes in the form of a tomboy with initials instead of a first name! I don't know what her music is like, she only exists in adverts as far as I'm concerned. In early 2006 the freshly obsolete KT will be replaced by another "hot new voice" and you won't care.

Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger

Maximo Park, as you really ought to know by now, are the explosive supergroup which formed early this year when members of Linkin Park met little-known German trance producers Maximo on tour and became best friends forever. The fusion of Linkin Park's awesome double-team of annoying lyricists and Maximo's extreme nosebleed-trance fury somehow resulted in something even greater than the sum of its parts. Potent.

Seth Lakeman - Kitty Jay

This guy launched his album by performing a gig in Dartmoor Prison. Similarities to Johnny Cash end there, as should your interest.

Polar Bear - Held On The Tips Of Fingers

While the decision to put a jazz band in the list instead of another bland indie rock band might seem interesting, it is almost certainly a bizarre error on the part of the lone 17 year old NME subscriber who is in charge of nominations. Clearly, he meant Snow Patrol. Move along, nothing to see here.

Who should win?

It's a clear toss-up between Maximo Park and The Go! Team, but who cares? More often than not the Mercury winner quickly falls back into the relative obscurity in which they previously languished and remain there for the rest of their career.

Freddie would be rolling (not rocking) in his grave, if indeed the awards genuinely did have anything to do with him, and it wasn't just a cheap shitty joke on my part.

Visit the site: http://www.weebls-stuff.com/

[Malicious Intent]

I've been trying to get through as many as I can ready for the big day, Sept 6th.

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

Kaiser Chiefs - Employment

The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers

Coldplay - X&Y

Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger

I've enjoyed them all :)

I'm still going with Kaiser Chiefs as my favourite, but I need to listen to Maximo Park a few more times and try the others.

[method77]

catch them both...

http://www.beatking.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=40&t=14596