[新聞] 2013年水星獎得主 - James Blake

[Eeli2008 (Eeli2008)]

原文網址︰http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24745412


英國電子音樂人James Blake以第二張專輯Overgrown二次入圍並拿下今年的水星獎。

他在賭盤看好的Laura Mvula和有眾多支持者的David Bowie和Arctic Monkeys
中脫穎而出，評審團形容他的作品「具創新性、富詩意且動人」。

在他的感言裡感謝了父母以及得獎的驚喜之情，並稱讚入圍者之一的
David Bowie無窮的創造力對他的啟發。

宣布結果時場面略冷，因許多人預期Laura Mvula會得獎；
而獲好評的Arctic Monkeys新專也頗受看好。

Blake是古典鋼琴教育出身，之後到Goldsmiths University研讀流行音樂。
儘管由dubstep中發跡，他現在的曲風已經離該類型甚遠，
甚至其本人還對dubstep做了貶低的評論。

除了David Bowie和Laura Mvula外其他人均有參與典禮演出，
前兩人則是有特別錄製短片(據稱Bowie的影片只花了約13美元製作)。

1992年創立的水星獎，過去獲獎者包括Pulp以及Primal Scream。
評審名單在頒獎典禮之前不公布，評審結果也常出乎人意料。
像是2009年獲獎的饒舌歌手Speech Debelle，
甚至因為唱片公司沒預期得獎導致之後銷量大幅成長時供貨不足。

今年的遺珠包括London Grammar和My Bloody Valentine。
MBV表示是由於他們自己在官網賣專輯，不符入圍的規定，
並批評這種情況反而讓真正的獨立音樂受到忽視。

今年稍早名單公布時，就有許多人批評入圍者過度主流，且許多已多次入圍。

預估僅賣出27,000張的Overgrown之後銷量成長可期，
而一些入圍者已經有在銷售上獲得助益。



Mercury Prize: James Blake wins with Overgrown

By Mark Savage BBC News entertainment reporter

Electronic artist James Blake has won this year's Barclaycard Mercury Prize
with his second album, Overgrown.

"Well, I lost the bet," Blake said after beating bookies' favourite Laura
Mvula and stars like David Bowie and Arctic Monkeys to the ￡20,000 prize.

Judges called his record "inventive, poetic and poignant", adding "James
Blake makes music like no-one else".

The Mercury Prize, for the best British or Irish album of the year, was
handed out at the Roundhouse in north London.

In a brief acceptance speech, Blake thanked his parents "for showing me the
importance of being self-sufficient".

Speaking backstage, the 25-year-old said he felt "jubilant and confused".
"This is the first award I've ever won apart from a tennis trophy I won when
I was 12," he said.

Asked how it felt to beat Bowie, he replied: "I don't think I beat him.
"A lot of people do their best work when they're young - and it's always
disappointing when they don't keep going and don't keep innovating. So David
Bowie's an inspiration to people like me."

He added: "I feel like I deserved it as much as anyone else did."
The singer-songwriter had previously been nominated for the Mercury Prize in
2011 for his self-titled debut album.


Muted reaction

A classically-trained pianist who studied popular music at Goldsmiths
University, Blake emerged from the dubstep scene.

But his cerebral, ambient compositions have little to do with the genre he
has since dismissed as "testosterone-driven" and "macho".

However, reaction to his win was muted.

Many in the audience had expected soul newcomer Laura Mvula to take the
prize, for her inventive, heartfelt album Sing To The Moon.

There was also strong support for Sheffield's Arctic Monkeys, whose fifth
album, AM, has received across-the-board praise from critics.

The band, who won the Mercury for their debut in 2006, said they did not
expect to win.

Frontman Alex Turner added that the prize was a "huge accolade", which can
help "artists at different stages of their careers".

Mvula was happy with the result, telling the BBC "the nomination itself felt
like an award".
"I feel like the new girl," she added. "I don't feel like I deserve anything."

Dance acts Disclosure and Rudimental, as well as Nottingham teenager Jake
Bugg, were also on the shortlist.

Folk band Villagers, female punk group Savages, Oxford rockers Foals and
dance musician Jon Hopkins rounded off the 12 nominees.

Most of the artists took to the stage to perform a track from their
shortlisted albums, but David Bowie and Laura Marling did not attend.

Both sent specially recorded videos, and Bowie's self-shot film of the song
Love is Lost cost just $12.99 (￡8) to make - the price of the USB stick he
bought to send out the finished clip.

Unpredictable

Established in 1992, the Mercury Prize has been won by albums such as Pulp's
Different Class and Primal Scream's Screamadelica.

But the judges, who remain anonymous until after the prize-giving ceremony,
can be unpredictable.

In 2009 the prize went to little-known rap artist Speech Debelle. Even her
record company was taken by surprise and failed to get enough copies of the
album into shops to capitalise on the resulting publicity.

This year, notable albums by London Grammar and My Bloody Valentine failed to
make the list, with the latter band complaining bitterly about their
exclusion.

In an interview with the Guardian, frontman Kevin Shields said their
critically lauded release mbv had failed to meet eligibility criteria because
the band had sold it exclusively through their own website.

"Our album's not a real album because it's independent," he said. "The
corporateness has got to such a point where we've essentially been told that
we don't exist."

This year's nominees were whittled down from a long list of 220, submitted to
the jury by their record labels.

The 12-strong shortlist had been criticised for being too mainstream, with
five number ones and seven former nominees among the competitors.

Blake, whose album had only sold 27,000 copies before the ceremony, is likely
to enjoy a significant boost.

The Official Charts Company said Rudimental, Jake Bugg and Disclosure had
already benefitted, selling more than 23,000 copies apiece since nominations
were announced last month.


Mercury Prize nominees 2013

Artist          Album           Peak position   Sales    Previous nominations

Arctic Monkeys  AM                   1          321,300         2 (won 1)
James Blake     Overgrown            8          27,700          1
David Bowie     The Next Day         1          220,200         1
Jake Bugg       Jake Bugg            1          548,400         -
Disclosure      Settle               1          165,000         -
Foals           Holy Fire            2          123,300         1
Jon Hopkins     Immunity             63         9,100           1
Laura Marling   Once I Was An Eagle  3          44,100          2
Laura Mvula     Sing To The Moon     9          77,800          -
Rudimental      Home                 1          314,100         -
Savages         Silence Yourself     19         17,100          -
Villagers       Awayland             16         18,500          1

--

Mediocre people do exceptional things all the time.

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※ 編輯: Eeli2008        來自: 180.176.109.109      (10/31 19:15)
推 pentoxide:1月要來台灣
推 paulik:JB這張沒上張好 得獎有點意外
推 bochi91:以為是打網球的XD
推 hunter7973:得獎意外+1 XD
推 Hanabiayu:比較喜歡首專 這張有點難消化.......
推 billloung:我以為是disclosure
推 sphinx1003:第一張比較難消化，這張比較有旋律
推 fsi1003:第一張難消化+1
→ sphinx1003:第一張老實說 我有種不知道在聽什麼的感覺...
→ sneak: JB這張沒上張好 得獎 https://daxiv.com