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— by Jem Aswad, Joe D'Angelo, James Montgomery and Rodrigo Perez
A 20-year-old, a 70-year-old, a pair of Frenchmen, a pair of British rappers, a trio of Brooklynites, a quartet of Scots, a quartet of Chicagoans, a quartet of Killers and a former Killah are the finalists for the Shortlist Music Prize.
In other words, Nellie McKay, Loretta Lynn, Air, Dizzee Rascal, the Streets, TV on the Radio, Franz Ferdinand, Wilco, the Killers and Ghostface — respectively — have been voted finalists for the annual award, for which a group of tastemakers (most of whom are prominent musicians) nominate and vote for their favorite albums that have sold less than 500,000 units.
The judges — known as Listmakers — include Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba, Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, Jack Black, John Mayer, Norah Jones, the Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am, System of a Down's Serj Tankian, the Roots' Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, the Cure's Robert Smith and others. The list amounts to a tag-team mixtape of their favorite below-the-radar albums from the past year (see "John Mayer, Chris Carrabba, ?uestlove, Norah Jones Sign On For Shortlist Prize").
Previous award winners were Damien Rice, N.E.R.D. and Sigur Ros.
"These are artists who deserve special attention, because they don't fit the mold of the label priority — you know, the Times Square-billboard kind of thing," John Mayer said. "And when you can appeal to a music listener's sense of nurturing something — that is when people, I've found, have the deepest connection with music."
The winner will be announced at an award-ceremony concert to be held at the Avalon Theater in Hollywood on November 15. Shortlist finalists Air, Dizzee Rascal, Nellie McKay and TV on the Radio are scheduled to perform, and more performers — both Shortlist finalists and acts associated with them — are expected to be announced. The event will be broadcast on MTV2 on November 20 at 9 p.m. ET.
Chris Carrabba added, "It's really validating for somebody that is doing something their own way to have somebody say, 'Maybe this is quirky, maybe it's different, maybe it's not the norm — [but] that's why it's special. You don't have to be like everybody else."
Following is an overview of the finalists, including video and sound clips.
Air
From: Paris, France
Formed: 1995
Nominated Album: Talkie Walkie
Infogram: The suave, sophisticated French duo pulled in thousands of fans with their smooth 1998 debut, Moon Safari, but scared them off just as quickly with 2001's abrasive 10,000 Hz Legend, which found the group experimenting with vintage electronics and odd voices. They rebounded with Talkie Walkie, an album that combines their retro leanings with forward-thinking dance music. Arty and subtly cool, Air also know how to throw a curveball or two: Their anti-war single "Surfin' on a Rocket" recently popped up in a Nissan commercial.
Dizzee Rascal
From: Bow, London, England
First Single Released: May 2003
Nominated Album: Boy in Da Corner
Infogram: With the onstage energy of Busta Rhymes and the on-mic diction of Busta's drunken cousin, Dizzee — a.k.a. 19-year-old Dylan Mills — compelled and confounded fans and critics alike in 2004. His debut album, Boy in Da Corner, is an oddly irresistible pairing of unintelligible slang and space-age beats — it won Britain's prestigious Mercury Prize last year, so Dizzee's already got the award-show scene down pat. And if he doesn't walk away with this year's Shortlist, he'll certainly have plenty of opportunities in the future: He released his second album, Showtime, last week.
Franz Ferdinand
From: Glasgow, Scotland
Formed: 2001
Nominated Album: Franz Ferdinand
Infogram: These sartorially savvy Scots have become one of the year's hottest tickets with a sound that combines the scratchy guitars of post-punk with insistent hooks and dance-friendly beats. Both fans and critics are showing the band much love: The album has sold nearly half a million copies in the U.S. alone, it recently won Britain's prestigious Mercury Music Prize, and the group has been touring the U.S. relentlessly all year (see "The Franz Ferdinand Dance Party Resumes In September"). Rookies of the year? Very possibly ...
Listmaker Testimonial: Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am
"I elected Franz Ferdinand to the Shortlist from hearing that song 'Take Me Out' — I was taken, swept by the artistry. The video was great and they perform really well. A lot of bands can't play live; I'd rather listen to the record. But they're grinders: they tour and they're hard, and it all comes back to playing live anyway, so that's why I picked them."
Ghostface
From: Staten Island, New York
Debut: Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers (1993)
Nominated Album: The Pretty Toney Album
Infogram: Starting fresh by dropping the "Killah" from his moniker, Wu-Tang member Ghostface has made his bid to become the most out-there and inspired MC by dropping the unique and wildly imaginative Pretty Toney Album. Although clearing all of the soul samples Ghost — a.k.a. Tony Stark — had intended for the album proved to be prohibitively expensive, even at half-mast, [Toney] is one of the best and most innovative hip-hop releases of the year.
Listmaker Testimonial: The Roots' Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson
"Ghostface is the mad genius of the Wu-Tang Clan. Each member of that crew has a very specific agenda when it comes to executing their craft and for me, the joy of Ghostface is when he is making absolutely no sense whatsoever. He's done songs about him and his watch having an argument, [with] him taking on the role of his watch. He's also notoriously known for skipping sampling altogether and just putting a record on and rhyming over it while the lyrics are playing. [Toney] is definitely one of the most satisfying records of 2004."
The Killers
From: Las Vegas, Nevada
Formed: 2002
Nominated Album: Hot Fuss
Infogram: From a town best known for slot machines, showgirls and all-you-can-eat buffets, the Killers are a rare Vegas combo of substance and style. Their debut album, Hot Fuss, is a love letter to Morrissey, the Cure and Depeche Mode — except it's fun. With big hooks and thumping beats, the group brings the sound of the early '80s fully into the present.
Loretta Lynn
From: Butcher's Hollow, Kentucky
First Single Released: 1960
Nominated Album: Van Lear Rose
Infogram: The coal miner's daughter has always been the epitome of country cool in Nashville circles, but when the 70-year-old singer hooked up with Jack White, her allure moved from the honky-tonks to the hipsters. The White Stripes' main man not only played guitar on some tracks, his production techniques (the album was recorded quickly in a living room) returned Lynn to her gritty roots. The result is an LP that balances broken hearts with good old Southern sass, a beautiful encapsulation of this great-grandmother's simultaneous affection for tradition and getting trashed on pitchers of sloe gin fizz.
Listmaker Testimonial: The Roots' Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson
"I bought her CD in the airport, and that's the only CD I [listened to] for nine hours. I have to tell you, not since Rick James worked with the Temptations have I seen a greater example of a new jack elevating his mentors to a higher level [as producer] Jack White with Loretta Lynn. I think that's a perfect example of how a veteran should present music to a new generation. Oftentimes I'll meet veterans in the R&B or the soul field and they'll feel like they need to compete with what's at the top of the charts, and I don't think that should be the case at all. I think you should do what's comfortable for you, and I think as a producer, Jack White knew that well. I'm not a connoisseur of country music, but that album has definitely made me a fan for life."
Nellie McKay
From: New York, New York
Began Performing: 2000
Nominated Album: Get Away From Me
Infogram: Ms. McKay is truly one of a kind: So eclectic is this 20-year-old singer-pianist that her debut album couldn't be confined to a single disc. The double album Get Away From Me (the antithesis of Norah Jones' lovey-dovey Come Away With Me) finds the brash, sassy, free-thinking and musically dexterous McKay dabbling in jazz, cabaret, pop and show tunes; and if that's not enough, this girl packs raps to rival Eminem. And if that's not enough, a recent show found her singing songs in German, Spanish and Japanese (don't worry: her album is all in English).
Listmaker Testimonial: John Mayer
"Nellie McKay is one of those people whose talent is so extensive that it almost might be her only obstacle — [there are] so many different things she can do. Her music defies category; it's just challenging. See, when music is challenging and then [you get a] payoff at the end, with a connection to it that's really huge, that, to me, is the best music in the world: 'Now I'm at the other end of it, and I get it.' For a long time, I kept listening to it, going, 'I don't know yet — but I'm fascinated by it!' I've never heard anything else like it before. I'm different as a music listener than I was before I had it."
The Streets
From: Birmingham, England
Debut Single Released: 2000
Nominated Album: A Grand Don't Come for Free
Infogram: British rap was rarely taken seriously until a skinny, smart-mouthed white kid named Mike Skinner — a.k.a. the Streets — started dropping startlingly clever, surprisingly sensitive rhymes over throbbing garage beats in 2000. The Streets is actually more of a talker than a rapper, but his vivid portrayals of the lives of British youth — "birds" and "geezers," in his parlance — provide a fascinating look into a subculture that Americans rarely see. His second LP, A Grand Don't Come for Free, finds him branching out both lyrically and musically, providing elaborate and ambitious settings for his street-smart tales.
Listmaker Testimonial: Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am
"I don't know what the Streets is. I don't know if it's hip-hop, I don't know if it's garage, I don't know if it's two-step — but it's brilliant. The rhythms that he chooses to rhyme over, his cadences and his beats are just brilliant. I love the Streets — when we were on tour, all we listened to was the Streets."
TV on the Radio
From: Brooklyn, New York
Formed: 2001
Nominated Album: Dangerous Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
Infogram: Undoubtedly Brooklyn's finest futuristic, minimalist doo-wop combo, TVOTR showed promise on 2003's Young Liars EP, but truly delivered the good with the full-length Dangerous Youth. A wild fusion of styles — indie-rock, prog-rock and hip-hop are just three references — the album is not the most cheerful thing you'll ever hear (sample lyric: "All your dreams are over now/ And all your wings have fallen down"). But thanks to snazzy synths and some impressive vocal work, you'll be rocking all the way to therapy. The group begins a major U.S. tour October 6 in Chicago, with the Faint and Beep Beep.
Wilco
From: Chicago, IL
Formed: 1994
Nominated Album: A Ghost Is Born
Infogram: Wilco's 2002 album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, became a watershed moment in the history of these Chicago underdogs. They not only shattered the "alt-country" tag that had hounded them for years, but they won widespread critical and commercial acclaim after the album was initially rejected by their now-former label. The group became America's answer to Radiohead and this year, Wilco has raised the bar for their creativity even higher with A Ghost Is Born. With moments of krautrock, Replacements boogie, Beatlesque grandeur and sonorous ambience, the group has proved you can't put a cap on their sonic ambition. Wilco are currently on an extensive North American tour (see "Another Wilco Book On The Way — But This One Comes With An Album").
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