Photo: WENN.com
Tonight in London (30 October, 2013) the nominees for the 2013 Barclaycard Mercury Music Prize find our how will take home the hotly-coveted prize. The shortlist included records that were surefire nominations and the typical curveballs the awards have become known for.
As the music world eagerly awaits the result (and even more importanly - will Bowie show his face?), the Gigwise team has chosen their personal favourites from the shortlist and revealed who we think should win the coveted award - and why.
James Blake - Overgrown
Once seen as a leading figure in the dubstep movement, the scene's move into the mainstream and subsequent collapse has worked wonders for James Blake, who found his feet (and how) on his magnificent second album. Ditching the experimental and hugely varied sounds of his debut album, Overgrown was a perfectly paced album of simply stunning electronic masterpieces. Every moment, every lyric and every production flourish seemed planned and perfected in intimate detail. Blake proved himself poised for the major leagues with Overgrown, and at the same time holding onto everything that made him sound so special in the first place. A beautiful album and a deserved Mercury Music Prize nomination. Michael Baggs
James Blake
Disclosure - Settle
Call it house, call it garage, call it pop, just don't call it EDM. Disclosure are the real deal. Hearing those first sexy, atmospheric demos such as 'Flow' for the first time was a revelation, and it seemed only a matter of time before everyone else caught on. And caught on they did, sending Guy and Howard Lawrence's debut, Settle, straight to No.1. The album itself is pretty much flawless, a continuous flow of spine-tingling tunes offset by the vocals of the most exciting UK artists out there. At the age of 18, I was stacking shelves in Asda, not co-creating a genre-pushing album. The Lawrence brothers deserve the Mercury prize for that reason and many more. Gaby Whitehill
Disclosure
Rudimental - Home
Right now it feels like music is plagued by the likes of Flo Rida releasing unbearable pop and dance tracks about nonsense. Amongst the rubbish, though is a shining light for electronic music, and that is Rudimental with their debut album Home. Experimenting with variety of sounds across the record, from soulful garage pieces to the fast-paced, drum ‘n’ bass anthems such as ‘Feel The Love’ and ‘Not Giving In’, the album also provides a platform for some of the UK’s finest up and coming vocalists. Home only provides the evidence of why Rudimental have been so successful the past year and why they’re becoming the kings of the dance and urban scene. Tamsyn Wilce
Rudimental
David Bowie - The Next Day
Regardless of hype, The Next Day is a brilliantly strange journey of wonderfully imaginative and excellently crafted songs from a rare talent. The rarest in fact. The playful defaced Heroes album cover says it all: the record is loaded with the sense of an artist looking back at a colourful life behind him, and instead of being weighed down or having to compete with his own legacy, carrying it with him to use all of his acquired artistry and experience to say something in a language that only Bowie can. The Mercury Prize tends to shy away from awarding the gong to legends and giants of such a monumental stature, but the very reason he's on the shortlist is because he sounds more relevant now than ever. Andrew Trendell
David Bowie (who probably won't show up at the Mercury ceremony tonight)
Savages - Silence Yourself
Silence Yourself is something completely apart from the other albums on the nominations list. Visceral, dark and thrilling, it is the one body of work capable of inspiring both anger in joy in equal measures. Let's be honest, that's what the best albums do isn't it? In Jehnny Beth they have a truly unique front-woman who combines Gallic sex appeal with the intensity and inner-darkness of Ian Curtis. On the album this comes through beautifully in her vocal delivery and lyrics. Backed up by a band who make a fearsome racket, this should be their year. If you're bored of established artits and electro-indie upstarts winning, Savages are the band for you. Hywel Roberts
Foals - Holy Fire
The Oxford art-rockers have come a long way since their debut single 'Cassius' in 2008. They've now well and truly come through as one of the top of their game in the rock-indie scene with album Holy Fire. It's more mature and has a gritty edge with added bite and emotion. They've always been known for their spikey, intelligent music making and this time they bring that and more for a much bigger album that shows their true range in talent. They deserve the Mercury award for their pure innovation in reworking rock music and making it their own. Sam Coombes
Foals
Jon Hopkins - Immunity
Immunity deserves to win as it is the only truly sonically challenging album on the list. If the awards truly are about being brave, adventurous and pushing boundaries, then he certainly has it, taking listeners on sonic journeys and tracks that occasionally run past ten minutes. Also, Hopkins has being pushing this agenda for years and deserves the recognition. The rest of the list is incredibly safe and too populist to win an award like the Mercury Prize if it is what it proffesses to be. Ed Keeble
Jon Hopkins
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