Mercury

 Next week they'll announce the winner of the 2026 Mercury Prize.

When they announced the shortlist, a couple of months ago, I noticed that I'd already listened to nearly all the albums, which is pretty unusual.

They are:

Artists for War Child – Help(2)

Dave – The Boy Who Played the Harp

Dove Ellis – Blizzard

Florence + The Machine – Everybody Scream

Jade – That's Showbiz Baby!

Knats – A Great Day in Newcastle

Kojey Radical – Don't Look Down

Nia Archives – Emotional Junglist

Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving

Paul McCartney – The Boys of Dungeon Lane

Raye – This Music May Contain Hope

Suede – Antidepressants

I don't have a particular dog in the race - I think, honestly, the one that gave me most pleasure was the Help album, and it would be quite fun to give it to a compilation for the first time, but that's not a strong feeling.

One of the two or three I hadn't listened to before the list came out was the album by Knats, which has a real pizzazz to it, and I think is probably the most striking and singular, so, though I probably won't listen to it much, that would be quite a fun winner too.

Apart from that, the truth is, there's not much anymore that distinguishes this list from what you might see at the Brits or any other mainstream awards, which is not necessarily terrible, and might be a necessary evil to keep the prize financially viable, but most of the artists here don't need much help. Ironically, I really like the Harry Styles album, which has not made the list.

The albums by Dave and Raye were, in my view, and that of quite a few critics, big swings that missed, large, personal albums with some great bits, but just a bit too self-indulgent and ultimately a bit boring. I don't think either of them should win.

I really like Nia Archives - I like this and her last album - if I was to try to describe her sound, there is really nothing better than the album title - Emotional Junglist.

I also think Olivia Dean winning would just be a bit pointless, though that is a very good album. 

There were some good albums that didn't make the list - but, who knows, not everyone enters. 

So, anyway, we'll see. Maybe the most fun choice would be first-time nominee Paul McCartney - get John Lennon spinning in his grave, if nothing else ...