What with everyone from Drowned in Sound to Uncut coming up with their own awards these days to cater for their marginally-different-to-Mercury-panel tastes, I thought I'd give it a go. After all, I have a lot of love to give.
Analysys of the competition first: DIS set up their Pluto Prize, Sean Adams bemoaning the Mercury Prize's "somewhat predictable list of names" and coming up with a possibly-more-generic, definitely-more-kiddie-oriented list from which Johnny Foreigner were picked out as the godlike genii.
Fair play to DIS for recognising great albums by Fuck Buttons and Wild Beasts, but that aside, their list was more predictable than the Mercury one. I mean, Foals? Fuck off!
Unceremoniously jumping on the bandwagon is NME's fat uncle, once a good mag in its own right, Uncut. They'd have been better off doing their own version of the infamous (read 'ridiculous') Cool List, in which they could praise the fat white shirt wearers who most resembled their contributing journalists.
But they haven't. They've drawn a long list of 25 albums and got a mixed panel (which does include Bob Harris, to be fair) to peruse them. Unsurprisingly, it reads like a cross between the Mercury and Pluto, with the really interesting stuff taken out and a couple more Americana/alt country CDs chucked in for good measure. Good luck Bon Iver! You'll need it!
Finally, the moment you've both been waiting for - the JJJs. I will now announce the mid-length list of nominees. The only criteria is that I've heard the album over the last year - it could have been released at any point over the past century. Also, votes can be submitted to jamie.janakov (at) googlemail.com, and I will count them all, then disregard them, because only I get to choose because it's my award so screw you all. Nominees:
Sir John Betjeman Vs Jim Parker - Betjeman's Banana Blush (19??)
Burial - Untrue (2007)
Cadaverous Condition Versus... - Destroying The Night Sky (2008)
Gentle Touch – In Memory of Savannah (2008)
(:-o)/Illogo - When Liquids Stay Dry (2007)
The Indelicates – American Demo (2008)
Katie Melua - Pictures (2007)
Rolo Tomassi - Hysterics (like, this week or something)
Spiritual Front - Armageddon Gigolo (2006)
The Triffids - Born Sandy Devotional (1986?)
Two Gallants - Two Gallants (2007)
Rachel Unthank & The Winterset - The Bairns (2007)
Who will win? We simply don't know! What we do know is that the lucky winners, as chosen by unanimous me, will go home with a lovely hand drawn document which proclaims them the winner, and a whole cake!
The award will be announced forthwith. Or fifthwith. Possibly sixth...
