It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for: time for my favourite albums from this year’s Mercury shortlist. There’s little to unite these four contenders, varying from Irish folk and Scottish jazz to neo-soul and nu-metal. One common theme is that I was totally new to these artists, to their sounds, and to their undeniable talent before starting this piece.
The end is near, dear friends, so enjoy this final foray into this year’s Mercury Prize nominees.
Fergus McCreadie – Forest Floor
We start with an artist I’d never even heard of before the nominees were announced. Outside of my (very limited) research that indicated McCreadie was a 25-year-old Scottish jazz musician, I really did not know what to expect.
As a result, opener ‘Law Hill’ was a big shock to the system. Frantic and pacey, it reminded me of a chase scene in a dark crime drama, all the glamour of The Great Gatsby mixed with the panicked edge of Trainspotting. What’s great about this album is that it transports you out of your current life to a totally different location. You could be drinking a vodka martini in a seedy, velvet-clad, underground jazz bar or walking along a nature trail in warm autumn sunshine. I know next to nothing about this genre of music, and so I was worried that I would feel out of my depth, but this is the perfect starter-pack for anyone looking for something a bit different to their current playlists. Rarely am I able to sit through songs that are 8 minutes long, but the serene quality of songs such as ‘Morning Moon’ make it a delight. McCreadie is clearly immensely talented and, based off this record, deserves to become a household name.
Simple in its production but so effective in its conveyance of feeling, this could be a dark horse for the award this year.
For fans of: Matt Carmichael, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Nubya Garcia
Must-hear tracks: Morning Moon, Glade
Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler – For All Our Days That Tear The Heart
The combination of RADA graduate and Olivier award winner Jessie Buckley, and Suede guitarist and Britpop idol Bernard Butler, is certainly an unlikely partnership. But as with all the unexpected things this list provides, it’s a welcome one. The album encapsulates all there is to love about Irish folk and Nashville country, with Butler’s obvious song writing ability complimenting Buckley’s tone that conveys so much emotion without the need for vocal gymnastics and runs.
The danger, I felt, was that this album was going to be pretentious and quite frankly bleak. Whilst I wouldn’t say that this is a feelgood record by any means, moments such as ‘Footnotes on the Map’ and ‘Babylon Days’ provide a much-needed break from the very earnest and heart-breaking opening numbers (‘The Eagle and the Dove’, ‘For All Our Days That Tear The Heart’). Buckley’s vocal is haunting yet powerful, making the album feel like a journey through the hills of County Kelly, twisting and turning, building up and crashing down, sometimes within the same track. On the whole, there is a lot to like about this album.
It's acoustic bent means that it won’t set the world alight, but the traditional elements of Irish folk transport you to a rural pub where great craic flows almost as readily as the Guinness, and there’s something beautiful in that.
For fans of: Daughter, Joni Mitchell, Bess Atwell
Must-hear tracks: For All Our Days That Tear The Heart, Shallow The Water
Joy Crookes – Skin
Joy Crookes is one of many rising stars within chilled, soulful pop music. She also falls in the category of ‘oh god she’s only one year older than me, now I feel like a failure’, but that speaks more to my own issues than anything else. Growing up in South London, Skin is an emotional journey winding through her Bangladeshi-Irish heritage via the Caribbean communities surrounding her during her teenage years in Ladbroke Grove, drawing inspiration from Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra and Solange.
Love stories in the form of first relationships (‘When You Were Mine’) and subsequent situation-ships (‘I Don’t Mind’), as well as odes to her family’s support (‘19th Floor’), allow Crookes to show off not only her diversity of writing but also her buttery tone and shattering portrayal of emotion. Skin shows her mastery of her craft, using strong bass lines and jazzy syncopation to cover vital topics such as the abuse of power through sexual violence (‘Unlearn You’) and racism in the UK (‘Kingdom’, ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me Now’) whilst maintaining a level of tranquillity and sheen.
This is pop music at its unapologetic best. Devastating vulnerability delivered through jaunty rhythms by a voice smooth as silk. I cannot speak highly enough about this masterpiece of an album.
Top tip: don’t listen to this just after a break-up. Very bad idea.
For fans of: Jorja Smith, Greentea Peng, Amy Winehouse
Must-hear tracks: Wild Jasmine, When You Were Mine
Nova Twins - Supernova
Woah. Ok. I suppose I should’ve expected what came from this album given Nova Twins are a favourite of Radio 1 DJ Jack Saunders and metalcore heavyweights Bring Me The Horizon. But still. Woah.
I do have to start by saying I hate the album cover; it looks like one of the girls has let their little cousin go nuts with Photoshop and felt too bad to tell him it might be a bit much. Also, I wouldn’t listen to this with your gran, the language is obscene at points. After that, however, it’s all very positive! Nova Twins seemed to come from nowhere and burst onto the scene across the music world, from Kerrang! to BBC Radio 1.
They’ve dragged metal music kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. Traditional elements, most notably thrash guitar, violent screamo, and heavy bass-drum punctuation are sprinkled throughout the entire record. What sets it apart, however, is the use of electronic keys and voice-altering microphones mixed with rap-rock heat that made Linkin Park so popular. Black history (‘Cleopatra’) also gives this album an edge that is beginning to be more widely seen within rock music (Bob Vylan, Meet Me @ The Altar) but is nowhere near as prevalent as it should be. If Nova Twins continue on their current trajectory, though, I don’t see any reason why that won’t change. They grab you by the throat at the top of the record with ‘Power (Intro)’ and continue to kick you in the ribs until finally letting you come up for air once final track ‘Sleep Paralysis’ concludes.
This took me back to my emo days c.2015, and I loved every second. Someone pass me a heavy eyeliner and some slip-on Vans, I’m ready for a mosh pit.
For fans of: Bob Vylan, Enter Shikari, Prophets of Rage
Must-hear tracks: Antagonist, Fire and Ice