David Bowie, Arctic Monkeys Lead Mercury Prize 2013 Nominations
Could David Bowie became the oldest winner of the coveted Mercury Music Prize? The 66-year-old music icon has been tipped as the leading favourite to take out the £20,000 cash prize against 11 other, younger nominees for The Next Day, the recent Arcade Fire-collaborator’s first album in a decade. Bookies also have good odds on Arctic Monkeys, who’s fifth and latest album AM could claim a second Mercury Prize for the Sheffield rock scamps, who first won it in 2006. Other nominated releases come from Laura Marling, Disclosure, James Blake, Foals, Jake Bugg, Rudimental, Laura Mvula, Villagers, Savages, and Jon Hopkins.
There’s been some negative discussion over the nods however, chiefly over the fact that its argued the prize should go towards an emerging artist who could best use the £20,000 as a leg-up (think of it as the UK equivalent of Australia’s AMP), with the likes of London Grammar, King Krule, CHVRCHES, Everything Everything, and Bat For Lashes tipped for the Mercury shortlist prior to today’s unveiling but missed out on a nomination. In any case, the latest winner to follow in Alt-J who claimed the prize in 2012 with An Awesome Wave, will be announced on 30th October. (via The Independent)
Bodyjar Are Back With New Album, Release Single
Australian punk legends Bodyjar have announced the details for their first studio album in eight years and their first since reuniting last year after four long years of separation. Role Model is the quartet’s first LP since their eponymous album of 2005 and will be released through UNFD on Friday 18th October, but Bodyjar have today dropped the first taste of Role Model in lead single “Fairytales” a classic slice of breakneck speed, melodic punk (watch/listen below or available as free download). “When we spoke about putting another record out we knew things had changed a lot in the industry since our last album 8 years ago, I’m pretty sure that one came out on cassette!” says vocalist/guitarist Cam Baines, “We asked around a few people that we trusted, they kept mentioning UNFD would be a good place for us. After meeting the guys from UNFD and having a beer or two we got along really well. They had a great system in place to put records out in the digital age. We were stoked it all worked out because they’re good blokes and a really relevant label.”
Sigur Rós To Appear In Game Of Thrones
First Springfield, now its next stop: Westeros for everyone’s favourite Icelandic purveyors of celestial rock. Following on from being cartoon-ified for The Simpsons, Sigur Rós are now set to appear in Game Of Thrones. Band members Jón Þór Birgisson, Orri Páll Dýrason, and Georg Hólm, are set to appear in the fourth season of the blindingly popular HBO series, currently shooting their role with the production crew in Croatia. Presumably they are making a cameo that will follow in the vein of Coldplay drummer Wil Champion and Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody’s appearance in the famous fan-torturing ‘Red Wedding’ episode (Google it). Game Of Thrones already has strong ties to the music world, with The National lending their dulcet tones, and The Hold Steady their blue collar rock, to the program in previous episodes; probably a good time to revisit our Game Of Thrones themed playlist (written pre-S3 so don’t tear us apart diehards), no word yet if Sigur Rós will lend their musical abilities to the George RR Martin-penned and producer TV show as well, but you it would be cool to see them do to the iconic theme what they did to The Simpsons, as heard below. (via BBC)
Archie Roach Wins Big At Deadly Awards
Celebrated indigenous singer-songwriter Archie Roach is going to have to clear some more space in the trophy cabinet. In the Deadlys 2013 ceremony, held at the Sydney Opera House this week, Roach not only won the coveted Album of the Year category for his critically acclaimed 2012 LP, Into The Bloodstream, but was also inducted into the Deadlys Hall of Fame with the Lifetime Contribution Deadly for Healing the Stolen Generations recognising his historical humanitarian work. Country musician Troy Cassar-Daley overtook Roach in the Male Artist of the Year category, while Street Warriors were named Band of the Year, Yung Warriors the best in the Hip Hop category, Queanbeyan’s Sik N Move were awarded Most Promising New Talent. Meanwhile singer Jessica Mauboy took two gongs, in Female Artist of the Yaer and Single of the Year for ‘Something’s Got A Hold On Me, taken from The Sapphires – which also saw co-star Deborah Mailman picking up a Deadly for Female Actor of the Year. View the full award winners below. (via Deadlys 2013)
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