Sunday 27 September 2020

Brief 33: Mercury Rising

Here I am enjoying making playlists again ...

So, for this one, with the Mercury Prize being awarded to Kiwanuka this week, with me looking at the way American music criticism is by and large completely uninterested in Britain these days, I thought I'd put together a 60-song playlist of 2 tracks from each year of Mercury nominees, which makes 58, and then two bonus tracks from anywhere.

I've only allowed one song per artist, and, that being so, there's necessarily been plenty of fiddling round so there's not necessarily the best song from each artist, if it allows a better song in elsewhere. Some years, there are loads of songs I like; with some, there are pretty slim pickings.

Needless to say, I haven't listened to every album nominated. Needless to say, my own preferences are fairly clear - sadly, no jazz options, not much in the way of electronica. I've tried, though, based on what I like and know, to make it fairly balanced so not too full of indie rock.

Funny thing, the years 2000 and 2001 are so packed with albums and songs I like, I haven't found space for a song from my favourite Mercury-winning album, 'The Hour of Bewilderbeast'.

After this, I'm going to do a playlist from the best British albums not to be nominated for the Mercury Prize, with the same rules. See if it's better. Anyway, here's this - the order's fairly random, not year by year:

https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/mercury-rising/pl.u-11plmhBM0JV

  • Get Up - Young Fathers
  • Fix Up Look Sharp - Dizzee Rascal
  • Dreaming of You - The Coral
  • Witness (1 Hope) - Roots Manuva
  • Tender - Blur
  • Movin' on Up - Primal Scream
  • House of Love - East 17
  • Juxtapozed with U - Super Furry Animals
  • A Design for Life - Manic Street Preachers
  • Return of the Mack - Mark Morrison
  • Firestarter - Prodigy
  • Danny Nedelko - Idles
  • Class of Deja - Kano
  • Don't Delete the Kisses - Wolf Alice
  • No CD - Loyle Carner
  • London - Benjamin Clementine
  • The Cedar Room - Doves
  • Many of Horror - Biffy Clyro
  • Waving Flags - British Sea Power
  • Love is a Losing Game - Amy Winehouse
  • Bats in the Attic - King Creosote and Jon Hopkins
  • Wildest Moments - Jessie Ware
  • Like the Morning Dew - Laura Mvula
  • Buffalo - Gaz Coombes
  • So Here We Are - Bloc Party
  • See it in a Boy's Eyes - Jamelia
  • American Trilogy - The Delgados
  • Funky Days are Back Again - Cornershop
  • No Surprises - Radiohead
  • Glory Box - Portishead
  • Slide Away - Oasis
  • She Fell into My Arms - Ed Harcourt
  • Apparently Nothing - Young Disciples
  • One Night in Heaven - M People
  • Two Weeks - fka twigs
  • Shutdown - Skepta
  • 4 out of 5 - Arctic Monkeys
  • Venom - Little Simz
  • Default - Django Django
  • Let England Shake - PJ Harvey
  • Paris - Friendly Fires
  • Starlings - Elbow
  • The Ocean - Richard Hawley
  • Each Star We see - Kathryn Williams
  • Cobbler's Daughter - Kate Rusby
  • Teardrop - Massive Attack
  • Shadow of the Sun - Paul Weller
  • The Drowners - Suede
  • Fistful of Love - Antony and the Johnsons
  • Over and Over - Hot Chip
  • Piazza New York Catcher - Belle and Sebastian
  • Friday Night - The Darkness
  • Ice Cream - New Young Pony Club
  • Daniel - Bat for Lashes
  • Spanish Sahara - Foals
  • Black - Dave
  • Love and Hate - Michael Kiwanuka
  • No One Knows Me Like the Piano in My Mother's Room - Sampha
  • Where Are We Now? -David Bowie
  • Song for Our Daughter - Laura Marling


No comments:

Post a Comment