Monday, July 25, 2005
I don’t know that I actually said “untoward,” but it’s possible.
Same week-old paper reports the Mercury Prize shortlist, which inc. Maximo Park, Bloc Party, and Kaiser Chiefs. I suppose the obvious thing is to say, esp. after last year’s F-Ferd. win, “oh, now those sounds can be ‘recognized,’ now that they’ve been, not to put to fine a point on it, defused.” But Arular is nominated as well, which goes to show, well, what? I’m a bit curious about at least one nominee that no one seems to have thought exportable to the U.S. (less so than those already mentioned, in any case): Hard-Fi, described here as “abrasive techno bloke-pop.” What, like Jesus the Unstoppable Tubthumper? And in a sidebar, some surprising words from a surprising source: “Dance music seems to be fading,” Simon Frith, the chairman of the judging panel, said. “Very few records from that genre are being nominated by judges. One of the themes which came through this year was that all these bands are about live performance.” Which goes to show, well, what?
Same week-old paper reports the Mercury Prize shortlist, which inc. Maximo Park, Bloc Party, and Kaiser Chiefs. I suppose the obvious thing is to say, esp. after last year’s F-Ferd. win, “oh, now those sounds can be ‘recognized,’ now that they’ve been, not to put to fine a point on it, defused.” But Arular is nominated as well, which goes to show, well, what? I’m a bit curious about at least one nominee that no one seems to have thought exportable to the U.S. (less so than those already mentioned, in any case): Hard-Fi, described here as “abrasive techno bloke-pop.” What, like Jesus the Unstoppable Tubthumper? And in a sidebar, some surprising words from a surprising source: “Dance music seems to be fading,” Simon Frith, the chairman of the judging panel, said. “Very few records from that genre are being nominated by judges. One of the themes which came through this year was that all these bands are about live performance.” Which goes to show, well, what?
