Mercury Prize 2010
Grosvenor House Hotel, London
7th September 2010 | Barclaycard
Mercury levels rise this year as The XX claim victory...
The Mercury Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in 1992 by the British Phonographic Industry and British Association of Record Dealers in 1992. It has had many different sponsorships over the years, and the current one is Barclaycard.
Nominations are selected by a certain panel of musicians, music executives, journalists and other figures in the music industry in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The award presentation usually takes place in September with the list of nomination being announced two months before, in July. Not surprisingly, bands who are either nominated or who win the prize usually experience a drastic increase in album sales. Despite this award being regarded as highly prestigious in the music industry, it is renowned for either making or breaking an artist.
The Mercury Prize has a distinct reputation for being awarded to outsiders or less known nominees, instead of the favourites. Previous winners are: Primal Scream, Suede, M People, Portishead, Pulp, Roni Size/Reprazent, Gomez, Talvin Singh, Badly Drawn Boy, PJ Harvey, Ms. Dynamite, Dizzee Rascal, Franz Ferdinand, Antony And The Johnsons, Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons, Elbow and Speech Debelle.
This years list of nominees was published after months of deliberation and in my opinion is one of the strongest dozen in recent years. The list is an ecletic mix of different genres and styles and each album displaying musical flair. The level of diversity in the 2010 shortlist demonstrates just how open-minded people are about British music now. The nominees are: 'Only Revolutions' by Biffy Clyro, 'The Sea' by Corinne Bailey Rae, 'Total Life Forever' by Foals, 'Sigh No More' by Mumford & Sons, 'Sky At Night' by I Am Kloot, 'I Speak Because I Can' by Laura Marling, 'Wake Up The Nation' by Paul Weller, 'XX' by The XX, 'Tongue N' Cheek' by Dizzee Rascal, 'Two Dancers' by Wild Beasts, 'Golden' by Kit Downes Trio and 'Becoming A Jackal' by Villagers.
The eagerly-anticipated result of one of the most coveted awards in music arrived in two words after that nervous pause in proceedings with 'The XX'. The XX had won the Barclaycard Mercury Prize 2010 for their critically-acclaimed debut 'XX' which was released in August 2009. The XX were always one of the clear-cut favourites since the nominations were unveiled and it is no surprise that they have succeeded here. I was always impressed with The XX's minimalistic, ethereal indie style music and I am pleased for a new and upcoming band to win. It seems the hushed, smoky soundscapes of this sleek and obfuscating debut swayed the judges to opt with 'XX' after over 4.5 hours of deliberation. Simon Firth (the chairman of the Mercury Prize judging panel) commented 'It's one of those records that picked up the mood of the moment. Also it's an incredibly coherent album that uses space in a special way'. Personally, I would not have minded if Biffy Clyro or Mumford & Sons had won it because they have each created excellent albums, but in the end, The XX deserved the award.
The Mercury Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in 1992 by the British Phonographic Industry and British Association of Record Dealers in 1992. It has had many different sponsorships over the years, and the current one is Barclaycard.
Nominations are selected by a certain panel of musicians, music executives, journalists and other figures in the music industry in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The award presentation usually takes place in September with the list of nomination being announced two months before, in July. Not surprisingly, bands who are either nominated or who win the prize usually experience a drastic increase in album sales. Despite this award being regarded as highly prestigious in the music industry, it is renowned for either making or breaking an artist.
The Mercury Prize has a distinct reputation for being awarded to outsiders or less known nominees, instead of the favourites. Previous winners are: Primal Scream, Suede, M People, Portishead, Pulp, Roni Size/Reprazent, Gomez, Talvin Singh, Badly Drawn Boy, PJ Harvey, Ms. Dynamite, Dizzee Rascal, Franz Ferdinand, Antony And The Johnsons, Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons, Elbow and Speech Debelle.
The eagerly-anticipated result of one of the most coveted awards in music arrived in two words after that nervous pause in proceedings with 'The XX'. The XX had won the Barclaycard Mercury Prize 2010 for their critically-acclaimed debut 'XX' which was released in August 2009. The XX were always one of the clear-cut favourites since the nominations were unveiled and it is no surprise that they have succeeded here. I was always impressed with The XX's minimalistic, ethereal indie style music and I am pleased for a new and upcoming band to win. It seems the hushed, smoky soundscapes of this sleek and obfuscating debut swayed the judges to opt with 'XX' after over 4.5 hours of deliberation. Simon Firth (the chairman of the Mercury Prize judging panel) commented 'It's one of those records that picked up the mood of the moment. Also it's an incredibly coherent album that uses space in a special way'. Personally, I would not have minded if Biffy Clyro or Mumford & Sons had won it because they have each created excellent albums, but in the end, The XX deserved the award.
Out of the dozen nominees, The XX are arguably the least equipped to deal with fame and tabloid scrutiny. Before the ceremony, they said the album was made 'with the utmost intention that no-one would ever hear it'. One of their first words in reaction was 'disbelief' and that they 'still haven't had a chance to take it in yet'. Romy claims 'I was so convinced that we weren't going to win'. From this, The XX appear to lack any degree of self-confidence. Their humble and appreciative speech reflects their overwhelming modesty, regardless of the rapturous applause they received when they were announced as the winners. This Mercury Award may emerge as a shock to them, but it is certainly not to us and they are definitely worthy of this praise. I strongly hope this award will serve as a boost to their bright career which lies ahead. However, despite the band having already made the decision to spend the lucrative £20,000 prize money on their own studio, Oliver Sim has said 'there's only a plan to be creative again. No plan or big intentions for a second album, though'. For now, as we wait patiently for The XX to capitalise on their Mercury Award success, we can truly cherish the genre-defining album 'XX' which propelled them to the ceremony in the first place...
Nominees
'Only Revolutions' by Biffy Clyro
'The Sea' by Corinne Bailey Rae
'Total Life Forever' by Foals
'Sigh No More' by Mumford & Sons
'Sky At Night' by I Am Kloot
'I Speak Because I Can' by Laura Marling
'Wake Up The Nation' by Paul Weller
'XX' by The XX
'Tongue N' Cheek' by Dizzee Rascal
'Two Dancers' by Wild Beasts
'Golden' by Kit Downes Trio
'Becoming A Jackal' by Villagers
Winner
'XX' by The XX
Nominees
'Only Revolutions' by Biffy Clyro
'The Sea' by Corinne Bailey Rae
'Total Life Forever' by Foals
'Sigh No More' by Mumford & Sons
'Sky At Night' by I Am Kloot
'I Speak Because I Can' by Laura Marling
'Wake Up The Nation' by Paul Weller
'XX' by The XX
'Tongue N' Cheek' by Dizzee Rascal
'Two Dancers' by Wild Beasts
'Golden' by Kit Downes Trio
'Becoming A Jackal' by Villagers
Winner
'XX' by The XX
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