The is designated to the UK’s best album of the year, according to a panel of music industry heads in the UK and Ireland. And as with things like this, depending who you ask, they never get it right.
Wednesday, the shortlist for the 2013 Mercury Prize will be announced in a ceremony that will have artists tugging at their collar for two different reasons. While the prize can give huge exposure to a band and essentially launch their careers, there’s some who say it’s cursed, an albatross rather than a feather in the cap. Look no further than past winners like Roni Size, Talvin Singh and Gomez. You’ve never heard of them? Case in point.
Still, the prize is a tremendous honor for the non-superstitious. took home the prize last year, and so far, it’s done them nothing but good. This year, house/techno DJ duo Disclosure are favorites to bring the award down, but the panel has surprised in the past.
Come along with us as we take a look at 10 great albums that nabbed a Mercury Prize over the award’s contentious 22-year history.
1992: Primal Scream — Screamadelica
Scottish alt-rockers had a modest fan base until their third album, “Screamadelica,” hit shelves in 1992. With that, of the sudden, they exploded. “Screamadelica” shouldered off the band’s once strictly indie sound for a more inclusive one that embraced house, psychedelia and Rolling Stones-style classic rock (e.g. “Movin’ On Up” and “Come Together”). The album won near every top spot it was eligible for in the UK that year — including a freshly minted award called The Mercury Prize.
“Movin’ On Up”
1994: M People — “Elegant Slumming”
Looking at the first two years that preceded ‘s Mercury Prize, it would be easy to assume the award was reserved for pasty indie rock groups. M People’s fist-pumping house album “Elegant Slumming” turned that all on its head, and paved the way for future winners like Roni Size and Talvin Singh.
M People will tour this October to mark the 20th anniversary of the album, their first tour in nearly 10 years.
“One Night In Heaven”
1995: Portishead — “Dummy”
‘s entrancing debut “Dummy” netted the Bristol-based group a silly amount of plaudits. To be sure, it was a new breed of music — one initially called “The Brisol Sound,” now referred to with the gauche, unmistakably ’90s handle “trip-hop.” Neither of those labels do “Dummy,” justice, though, an album that’s almost better described visually than with clunky music descriptors like “jazzy” or “groovy.” A Mercury Prize well deserved.
“Sour Times”
1999: Talvin Singh — “OK”
“The world is sound,” we’re told in the beginning of ‘s sophomore LP, “OK.” Over the next hour of music, he creates a beautiful one. The Mercury Award usually goes to some variety of guitar pop music, rendering Singh’s tabla/electronic concoction a welcome breath of fresh air in the winner’s circle. Singh’s often cited as evidence of the Mercury Prize curse, however, as his follow-up albums garnered much chillier receptions, perhaps for painting less accommodating worlds.
“Butterfly”
2001: PJ Harvey — “Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea”
The fifth time proved to be the charm for alt-rock bad-ass , who’s pretty fifth album, “Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea,” netted her a Mercury Prize in 2001. She went up against Damon Alburn’s Gorillaz that year — that is, before he pulled their name from contention. For PJ, the eighth time proved pretty swell, too: With 2011’s “Let England Shake,” Harvey became the first artist to win two Mercury Prizes.
“This Is Love”
2002: Ms. Dynamite — “A Little Deeper”
The debut album from R&B songstress (Niomi McLean-Daley) brought some much needed soul to the list of Mercury Prize winners. The album features a synthesis of McLean-Daley’s musical taste in hip-hop, funk and reggae, with a little help from Ky-Mani Marley on the latter. With her unique blend of talents, it isn’t hard to see why some consider her the Lauren Hill of the UK. She too has been cited as evidence of the prize’s inauspicious nature, but she’s working to change that with a new album slate for release soon.
“Dy-Na-Mi-Tee”
2003: Dizzee Rascal — Boy In Da Corner
Dylan “” Mills was only 17 when he dropped his debut album “Boy In Da Corner” 10 years ago to near universal acclaim. Working closely under fellow UK MC Wiley, Dizzee Rascal spearheaded his mentor’s Grime genre — a mishmash of hip-hop and techno drippings — into the mainstream with “Boy In Da Corner.” He became the first rapper to win the Mercury Prize when he took the award in 2003, beating out Radiohead and Coldplay among others.
“Fix Up, Look Sharp”
2005: Antony & the Johnsons — “I Am A Bird Now”
‘s quavering vibrato is one of the first things you hear on their breakout album, “I Am A Bird Now,” and will either delight you or send you on a punching tangent. The Mercury Prize board obviously liked it well enough, pinning the prize on Antony’s metaphorical lapel despite some unrest in the panel due to Antony’s living in the United States. They eventually lost out to the fact that despite his travels to the colonies, he was indeed still a Brit. Good thing, too: the band’s win gave the album a jolt from #135 on the UK charts to #16 within the span of a week, the biggest boon for any Mercury Prize winner.
“Fistful of Love”
2006: Arctic Monkeys — “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not”
‘ quadruple-platinum debut album made quite the splash when it came out in early 2006, so much so that Rolling Stone ranked it as the 371st best album of all time. They took out Thom Yorke’s “The Eraser” and Hot Chip’s “The Warning” to nab their well-earned Mercury Prize later on in the year.
“I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor”
2010: The xx — “xx”
In 2009, London-based put their best foot forward with their gloom-and-boom debut album, “xx,” an instant hit on the sundry music blogs criss-crossing the web. By the time 2010 rolled around, their Mercury Prize was almost assured. Right? While they did take the prize, they faced stiff competition in the now-gargantuan Mumford and Sons — a victory that seems almost impossible just three years on.
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Dylan Owens is Reverb’s indie and bluegrass blogger. You can read more from him in Relix magazine and the comment sections of WORLDSTARHIPHOP.
