 23/07/2008 So the Mercury Music Prize nominations are in, and yet again it’s a mixed bag of: “Thoroughly deserved old bean”. And: “Hold on a second squire”. And: “Oh, what a god-damn ruddy surprise”. Anyway, new website getcloser.com has uncovered a possible conspiracy with the whole shebang. Sort of.
Apparently all the nominees are linked together in some screwed-up form of ‘6 Degrees of Separation’ that getcloser.com has titled: 11 Degrees of Separation… See what they did there?
1) Burial to Radiohead: Apparently Mercury nominees Radiohead selected Burial’s ‘Archangel’ as the ‘Hottest Record in the World’ when they filled in for Zane Lowe on Radio 1. Radiohead refused to comment on the ‘Coldest Record in the World’, but if Planet Notion had a say it would be ‘Cold as Ice’ by Foreigner… One of the finest rock bands of the 80s!!!
2) Radiohead to Elbow: Radiohead were sighted by Elbow as one of their biggest inspirations. “There’d be no Elbow without Radiohead”, frontman Guy Carvey once commented. Which is like saying: “There’d be no Head without the Romans”…
3) Elbow to Neon Neon: Elbow featured in the cult film 9 Songs. You know the one; it basically included loads of shagging and a total of nine songs. Super Furry Animals, the project of Neon Neon’s Gruff Rhys, also starred in 9 Songs.
4) Neon Neon to Last Shadow Puppets: Neon Neon’s album, Stainless Style, includes a collaboration with Yo Majesty, who are signed to the same label as Last Shadow Puppets.
5) Last Shadow Puppets to Adele: Jim Abiss worked with Alex Turner on Arctic Monkey’s debut album, 'Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’, whilst also working on Adele’s debut album, ‘19’... A reference to Adele’s age, not her body-weight…
6) Adele to Estelle: You know when Estelle goes all mental and has one of her tantrums and goes all diva? Well she did it on Later with Jools Holland: “Adele ain’t soul. She sounds like she heard some Aretha records once and she’s got a deeper voice – that doesn’t mean she’s soul”.
7) Estelle to Portico Quartet: They both played the Jazz World stage at Glasto. [End]
8) Portico Quartet to Rachel Unthank: This is where things get a bit wank and getcloser.com starts clutching at straws. Basically, Portico Quartet and Rachel Unthank will both be playing at this year’s Big Chill Festival… Told you it was wank.
9) Rachel Unthank to Robert Plant & Alison Krauss: Rachel Unthank sights Plant’s band Led Zeppelin as an inspiration on her MySpace page. Bada-bing, bada-bong!
10) Robert Plant & Alison Krauss to British Sea Power: Phil Brown produced ‘Dreamland’ by Plant, and ‘Open Season’ by British Sea Power.
11) British Sea Power to Laura Marling: We’re at the end! The final furlong is in sight! We’re going to celebrate with volivonts and éclairs and cider and all the things that we hold precious and dear!!!!!!! Laura Marling and British Sea Power performed together at this year’s End of the Road Festival.
So there we have it… ‘The Mercury Music Prize 11 Degrees of Separation’ courtesy of getcloser.com; a site that enables folks to get closer to the music and films they love by sharing and discovering connections with other people.... DD |
