Mercurial: Songs from the 2009 British Mercury Music Prize

Chosen by Dr Pepper

Welcome to the liner notes for October, 2009 CD of the Month. The CD before you contains a selection of songs from the 12 artists nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, a British music prize which traditionally recognises quality recordings from independent and alternative musicians from genres as diffuse as pop, rock, indie, jazz, soul and folk.

You can find out more about the Prize, here, including a list of previous winners.

I know at least one DJ who's CD, on arrival, would not play. If this is also a problem for you, I apologise. I've posted a temporary link to mp3s with each part of the liner note here - they will be up for a limited time only, so be quick!

Find choons here (sorry, gone!)

1. Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Here it Begins

I know very little about this band I'm afraid, and after a quick listen on Spotify, I was left pretty disappointed! Not necessarily the way to start a CD of the Month! But luckily this little intro was a lovely introduction to the album and a mystical piece in its own right.


2. Glasvegas - It's my own cheating heart that makes me cry

You could listen to this and stop. If you did that of course, you would miss some other cracking tunes, but this, for me, is the band par excellence on the CD. Glasvegas are a 4-piece from Glasgow in Scotland and one listen to the lead singer's vocals will make you think watching Trainspotting was easy! With a painful, beautiful, raw and strong Glaswegian accent, it takes a certain dialect to turn the word "f***ing" into the word "f'ung" - listen out for it in relation to his "mis'us" about halfway into the track. Anyway, amongst many tracks on their self-titled debut album, this is one of my favourites, crescendoing into a magical aura about his painful, cheating heart towards the backend of the song, it's a brilliant, heart-rendering anthemic masterpiece.


3. The Horrors - Who Can Say?

The Horrors were new to me, but one listen had me hooked. A harder sound than Glasvegas and no Scottish accent here. Who Can Say? seems to hark back to an earlier sounds - perhaps the late 80s with its synthetic rock combo and dead-pan style lyrics. This was easily to my mind their stand out track, a racy, demanding tour de force, complete with spoken vocals laid over the top reminiscent of some of James's heavier tracks.


4. Florence and the Machine - Rabbit Heart (Raise it up)

It takes a big woman to follow up that rocking start. And luckily Florence, or Flo, kindly delivers in spades. You might already be familiar with their work, and if you are, you will know this song. If you don't, welcome. If you like this track, the rest of the album will also deliver in style. Tender, fragile lyrics backed up with poppy, catchy tunes serves to deliver an immediate and demanding listen, one you will soon find yourself impulsively re-listening too. Crazy lyrics too: who is the lamb and who is the knife is brilliantly laid to bare.


5. La Roux - Amour Love

La Roux has crazy ginger hair, crazy vocals and crazy lyrics. Rumour has it she is made from two parts flour, two parts milk and two parts butter. Choosing which track to choose from her album was tricky, all being brilliant synthetic dance-pop numbers, immediately cacthy and quirky (in equal parts). Apologies here for the minute long gap at the end of this track. Purely unintentional on my part.


6. Friendly Fires - Paris

Friendly Fires are probably one of the most hyped bands in the UK this year and whether the album is as good as the groupies will tell you is a matter of opinion. To my mind, think of a hybrid, almost-identical version of Bloc Party. Luckily, that's no bad thing, and Paris is a fine example of their work. Sweeping lyrics driven by an uptempo indie rock beat will soon have you dreaming of eloping to Paris to drink claret and eat brie with your lover!


7. Kasabian - Fire

Kasabian have been on the British, if not international, music scene for a few years now, producing antemic indie numbers for a while. But Fire and the album from which it was nominated updates their sound, with more complex lyrics and aspiring tracks. Worthy of a listen for sure.


8. Led Bib - Sweet Chilli

Led Bib provided the biggest challenge of this album - segwaying some crazy jazz-funk into the middle of an essentially modern pop album. Luckily the strength of their sound made this problem slightly easier, and Sweet Chilli, is an arresting example of their work. It isn't an easy listen and has taken me a while to get used to, but one which I am now revelling in. Kat, my partner, thought she had heard this track before, so maybe it's actually a cover, I don't know. Anyway, enjoy.


9. Speech Debelle - Go then, bye

Speech Debelle's debut album Speech Therapy was the winner of this year's Mercury Music Prize. Hailing from London, the album is full of demanding rap lyrics about social deprivation and problems of growing up in the poor inner-city, tackling the usual themes of drugs, gangs, love and so forth. Go then, bye is one of the more accessible tracks - no bad thing - for its a welcome change to the indie, rock and pop which dominate this year's list.


10. Bat for Lashes - Daniel

Another artist as hyped as friendly fires and it's going to take me a few more listens of her album too find out why. Luckily, Daniel, is a moving melodic introduction, and delivers the goods to match the quality found elsewhere on this cd.


11. Lisa Hannigan - Ocean and a Rock

Stripping it back to minimalist folk songs, Lisa Hannigan's work features delicate tunes, a fragile voice and simple guitars - and repeat listening helps to get you into the more gentle pace of her work. Not revolutionary in my opinion, but good, this approach is exemplified by Ocean and a Rock, a simple, romantic little ditty.


12. The Invisible - London Girl

I know little about The Invisible, but I like what I have heard. Within a listen of this track, you'll find yourself merrily dancing along to the infectitious lyrics and rhythm of London Girl, a catching ode to that London Girl you've once met and taken a shine to.


13. Glasvegas - Geraldine

We weren't going to wrap up this album without a return to the fine work of Glasvegas. How many bands do you know who have written an ode to the wondrous works of social workers determined to keep crack addicts of the smack? That's right: one - Glasvegas. And they do it in style with this, the flagship track from their first album. To set the context: the track they would play for their encore, so merry middle-class folk can sing along in anthemic bliss about all those tough times on meths. Don't ask me, but it works.