The Mercury Prize is an award which, year-in year-out, manages to unearth talent from all walks of British music. However it never does so without sparking a bit of controversy, and this year more than any other. With many people having Everything Everything and Foals down as the favourites, the industry got a shock to the system after neither of them even made the shortlist. The contest has been blown wide open, and it’s now anyone’s guess as to who will came this year’s coveted prize. Here’s a breakdown of who did make the cut:
Aphex Twin – Syro
After a career spanning 30 years, Aphex Twin has become a considerably established artist in the electronica music scene. His first album for 13 years incorporates elements of techno and jungle. This LP showcases Aphex Twin’s production ability brilliantly and possesses a lot of eerie synth-based tones throughout.
Benjamin Clementine – At Least For Now
London-born poet and singer/songwriter Benjamin Clementine was thrown into the limelight after appearing on Later… with Jools Holland back in 2013. Due to contractual reasons it took him two years to release his debut album and it received widespread acclaim. Exquisite piano aptitude combined with chilling vocals make for an excellent debut.
C Duncan – Architect
Mercury Prize always like to throw in a couple of albums that are new to almost everyone, and this is certainly one of them. Scottish singer C Duncan’s debut has an indie-folk vibe to it while integrating elements of dream pop through layered vocal harmonies. This LP shares a similar feel to it as Alt-J’s debut An Awesome Wave; which, of course, picked up the prize in 2012.
Eska – Eska
Arguably the most eclectic compilation on the list, encompassing soul, jazz, and funk with the sounds of her home nation of Zimbabwe. Her booming voice is exhibited excellently in tracks such as 'To Be Remembered' and 'Gatekeeper'. This is certainly an artist to keep your eye on if you want your music knowledge to be as international as possible.
Florence and the Machine – How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Undoubtedly their most mature album to date. This LP gets off to a rushing start with feel-good track 'Ship To Wreck', and rock anthem 'What Kind Of Man'. Florence’s volcanic voice is, as per usual, displayed for everyone to hear. After debuting at number one in the charts, there will be a fairly big group of angry Florence fans who won’t be happy if this doesn’t come out victorious.
Gaz Coombes – Matador
Former Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes released his second solo album in January and it exposed a much more intelligent and experimental side to his music; a world away from the simple Britpop tunes he and his bandmates were putting out in the ‘90s. The superb track 'The English Ruse' opens with a deep electronic backbeat, which moves into an unnerving interlude after around three minutes. Coombes flaunts his production capacity better than any other artist on this list. This album might just be a dark horse.
Ghostpoet – Shredding Skin
Having been nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2011 with debut album Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam, Ghostpoet has managed to make the shortlist once again with his sophomore LP. Lyrically this is one of the strongest albums of the bunch, but this isn’t a result of the instrumentals being compromised. The title track, for one, contains soothing sounds and samples throughout, which really work well with the lyricism.
Jamie xx – In Colour
As a founding member of 2010 winners The xx, music producer Jamie Smith would become the first artist ever to pick up the Mercury Prize as both a solo artist and as part of a group, if In Colour was to win. This album is a fantastic compilation of garage-infused dance music with enough reverberation to send you to another world. The closing track, 'Girl' pairs an infectious bassline with an admirable use of synthesisers.
Roisin Murphy – Hairless Toys
An album which proudly flies the art pop flag can be hard to come by nowadays but not according to Roisin Murphy. Her third LP executes the perfect balance between dreamy slow melodies and thrilling fast beats. The use of post-production is prominent in songs such as 'Exploitation' which is a nine-minute long thrill ride filled with crescendos.
Slaves – Are You Satisfied?
The only punk rock album to make the cut this year, Kent-based duo Slaves have made quite an impact with their debut. Singles 'Sockets' and 'Cheer Up London have had a noticeable amount of airplay, and they have gained a large following as a result. This album addresses very current and important issues and is understandably resonating very well with people of all generations.
SOAK – Before We Forget How To Dream
Irish singer/songwriter known as SOAK has had a very successful debut album. This LP is a compilation of a lot of simple, yet beautiful acoustic songs with haunting vocals to match. Her effortless voice is displayed magnificently in the penultimate track 'Oh Brother'. This is the type of album which teenagers can fall in love with.
Wolf Alice – My Love Is Cool
The breakout band of the 2015 festival season, Wolf Alice, released their debut LP in June. Fusing elements of folk and grunge to form anthems such as 'Lisbon', and lead single 'Bros'. This album generated a lot of buzz from NME and rightly so; the Ellie Rowsell-fronted band have something about them which we haven’t seen in this country for at least a decade.
The winner is announced 20 November 2015.