The 2018 Mercury Prize shortlist was released last week to a mixed reception. Highly criticised by many for ignoring upcoming bands and promoting established artists, we have our say on this year's nominees.
Many see music awards as a marker of popularity rather than talent, yet the Mercury Prize has always seemed different. There's only one winner, and simply being nominated is a treat in its self. Decided by a panel of artists, producers and broadcasters rather than fan bases competing over who can vote the most, it's certainly the most credible award out there, yet this year's shortlist has tarnished some of that credibility.
Compared to 2017, this year's shortlist certainly takes a step backwards after favouring established artists over unique debut albums with Shame and Goat Girl both being overlooked whilst Let's Eat Grandma's sophomore LP is also shunned, a huge surprise to many given its genre-defying diversity.
'Groundbreaking albums' is the tagline the Mercury Prize always uses and whilst both Lily Allen and Florence & The Machine produced two brilliant records, both are hardly groundbreaking, whilst Everything Everything's A Fever Dream is potentially their weakest LP yet, and certainly not as strong as some of the debut records produced in the last year.
Whilst the inclusion of Wolf Alice and Arctic Monkeys is justified, both albums adventurous in a day and age of repetition and mundanity, the inclusion of the Allen, Florence and the Machine, Everything Everything and, despite its brilliance, Noel Gallagher's new record, seems like a waste of time in comparison to what the nomination would do for some newer bands.
The fact that the newly rising scene of schmaltz which Tom Misch and Matt Maltese represented strongly with two stellar debut albums this year has been ignored is an abomination. Whilst the grunge, low-fi punk messages of the aforementioned Shame and Goat Girl is more important in this day and age than ever, and deserves the promotion that comes with a Mercury Prize nod.
After artists like The Big Moon, Blossoms, Sampha and Loyle Carner were nominated in 2017, it's simply a shame that 2018 couldn't have followed suit.
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