As a survey of the state of the music industry there is little to compare with the big prizes – the Grammys above all, but also the MTV Awards, the Brits and the Mercury Prize.Here are five things that we learned from the UK’s Mercury ceremony last night.Number one: expect the unexpected As ever, things did not go to script, which is always the plan at one of the most prestigious awards of its kind. The bookmakers had David Bowie’s last album down as a runaway favorite to take the prize, and as is so often the case with the Mercury, the front-runner was overtaken.Grime artist Skepta looked as surprised as anyone else when he was announced the winner instead. One of the judges, Jarvis Cocker, said that the final decision came down to “two black stars,” a reference to Skepta and the title of Bowie’s album released days before his death.Number two: critical and commercial do not always mixThe Mercury Prize prides itself on selecting albums primarily on the basis of their musical qualities as opposed to their commercial clout. While, this time, the shortlist of 12 was one of the least obscure in years, including artists such as Laura Mvula and Radiohead, the year’s bestselling albums were still left on the sidelines. There was no place for Adele or Coldplay. Arguably the list did not include some of the outstanding records given critical raves over the last year such as the recent Blood Orange release.Number three: Bowie isn’t going away any time soonWhile the late star was unsuccessful this time, the audience at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London, were left spellbound by his song “Lazarus,” done by actor Michael C. Hall, who is due to take part in the Bowie musical of the same name shortly to open in London. Cocker remarked that Bowie’s influence could be heard in many of the shortlisted artists and Bowie was probably looking down on them all and hoping Skepta would win.Number four: rock and roll will never die An innovation of the Mercury Prize this year was the decision to allow the public a vote in narrowing down the selection. The result was a clear vote of confidence in rock band, the 1975. The opening up of the selection process to ordinary listeners follows 25 years of the Mercury making its decisions behind closed doors with what at one stage was an anonymous jury simply said to be “a mix of broadcasters, journalists and musicians.” The 1975 was not the only fast-paced band performing during the evening and there was a coruscating session by Savages too, so the ubiquitous midpace indie acts did not have it all their own way.Number five: grime is on the rise tooThe success of grime was most obviously demonstrated by Skepta’s win with “Konnichiwa,” but he wasn't the only grime artist among the dozen finalists. “Made in the Manor” by Kano was also on the list. The Mercury has a long record of support for music of black origin and urban beats. Speech Debelle was the winner in 2009 with her hip-hop collection “Speech Therapy.” Dizzee Rascal took the prize with “Boy in Da Corner” in 2003 and Ms. Dynamite was successful the previous year. The grime style, primarily known in the UK, borders on rap and dance while mixing in garage and jungle to exciting effect. It would be fairly safe bet to see it spreading wider. If it is successful on the streets of Brixton, just wait until it hits the Bronx.
↧