I watched this the other night, and was somewhat surprised that 'Dizzie Rascal' walked away the winner.

Was it just me that couldn't understand a word that he said? To my ears, he was rubbish. There seemed to be some great albums in the shortlist, but the judges seemed to have plumped for the trendiest/most surprising choice.

Although I couldn't understand a word the chap was mauling, some Radio 1 DJ informed us that he was singing about what he could see from his window. From this, I suspect the lyrics are a bit like this:

Car park, car park,
burnt-out Ford Capri.
(I'M DIZZIEEEEE RRRRASSCALLLL)
Crack den, post office,
jellied eels and chip shops.
(I'M DIZZIEEEEE RRRRASSCALLLL)
window box, curtains, sky,
some seagulls and a pigeon.
The man that knifed me last month for playing this dreadful din too loud.
(I'M DIZZIEEEEE RRRRASSCALLLL)

[karkus30]

Didnt see the awards. Dizzie is supposed to be the best of Brit Rap, direct competition for The Streets by all accounts.

[neilo]

didnt think I would like the album but I really do ..check it out

I hear what you're saying. However, The Streets are catchy, and you can undertand what he's saying. I'm a big fan of The Streets.

As far as I can hear, Dizzie Rascal is seriously overrated. I instantly hated what they played on the awards: he just doesn't come across as creative at all.

[Whiting]

neilo
didnt think I would like the album but I really do ..check it out

Yep. Same here.

Give the album a listen. It may take you by surprise.

The Darkness should have won it

[seany]

Two of the lads him on in the van every day...Sick of hearing it now. But he has talent. I can understand what he's saying fine, i do have a proble with heavy metal, thats because i'n not inot maybe.. He's much heavier then the streets..

There's no point in me giving the album a listen: I hated everything they played of his on the TV show.

I agree that The Darkness should have won (either them or Lemonjelly).

[karkus30]

I was suprised The Darkness didnt win, I have heard nothing by Dizzie and noticed his album has'nt charted which most Mercury Award winners do.

Thats not to say he isnt very good and innovative (which is generally what the awards are about, oh and the drinking bit ), I had a look for the album last night in the local shop...nothing.

Im sure the Darkness dont need an award, there already on the way to mega stardom.

I suppose it's a difficult award to judge: there really was a diverse selection of albums that made the shortlist.

I do like the Mercury awards: the shortlist is always interesting, and it airs some artists that I wouldn't have heard otherwise. Mind you, I didn't see the point in Radiohead or Coldplay making the cut: they've both done similar albums in the past, so they haven't really moved things on.

[Dimmy]

Dizzie Rascal - load of nonsense really. The Mercury's attempt to be perceived as not being genre-biased I'm guessing. Say what you like about his creative abilities, but to my ears all his music and music like it comes from a bad place, and it's the last thing I want to hear when I get in from work.

The nominee's list was interesting too, Never been Radiohead/Coldplay fan, good stuff, but I can't sit and listen to it as it's incredibly shallow.

The same is true of The Darkness, who are a god-awful fusion of everything past and present, and in doing this overlook every logical aspect of music making IMHO. Cannot stand their sound, a terrible melting pot of Hendrix, Queen, Brown influences and I can think of many others...

Fine for background music, but again I can't sit and listen to it.

It was also interesting to see Coldplay & Radiohead not showing up for the awards - too cool for school.

[karkus30]

Originally posted by Dimmy
Say what you like about his creative abilities, but to my ears all his music and music like it comes from a bad place, and it's the last thing I want to hear when I get in from work.

I hear ya

Originally posted by Dimmy

The nominee's list was interesting too, Never been Radiohead/Coldplay fan, good stuff, but I can't sit and listen to it as it's incredibly shallow.

Not sure about shallow, not in Radioheads case anyway. Coldplay I have never liked apart from Yellow.

Originally posted by Dimmy

The same is true of The Darkness, who are a god-awful fusion of everything past and present, and in doing this overlook every logical aspect of music making IMHO. Cannot stand their sound, a terrible melting pot of Hendrix, Queen, Brown influences and I can think of many others...

Fine for background music, but again I can't sit and listen to it.

Interesting choice of background music ! Not sure why you think they overlook every logical aspect of music making, they do it very well. You may not like 'em, but they are 'fun' and they have passion. Much as I like Radiohead et al, sometimes you get fed up of their whining and need to let rip with something more joyfull.

Originally posted by Dimmy

It was also interesting to see Coldplay & Radiohead not showing up for the awards - too cool for school.

Reports indicate that Coldplay and Radiohead have deliberately retired from the limelight due to, too much media attention and touring duties, both bands have been very candid about their 'pressures' in the music press. Mind you, I thought thats what being a Rockstar was all about, silly me.

[CrispyXUK]

Radiohead, shallow????

[Dimmy]

Originally posted by karkus30
Not sure about shallow, not in Radioheads case anyway. Coldplay I have never liked apart from Yellow.



Interesting choice of background music ! Not sure why you think they overlook every logical aspect of music making, they do it very well. You may not like 'em, but they are 'fun' and they have passion. Much as I like Radiohead et al, sometimes you get fed up of their whining and need to let rip with something more joyfull.



Reports indicate that Coldplay and Radiohead have deliberately retired from the limelight due to, too much media attention and touring duties, both bands have been very candid about their 'pressures' in the music press. Mind you, I thought thats what being a Rockstar was all about, silly me.

Radiohead's lyrics don't uncover anything that I'm not already aware of, I like musical lyrics and craftsmanship that's strictly 'new' and can provide you with a new way of thinking & perception, to my mind they simply retread old ground in an initially intreaguing way, which - one you've gotten your head around - immediately loses its appeal.

I won't discuss The Darkness situation any further, I simply can't stand them, their sound, their lyrics, or the way they play their instruments. Everything about them sounds wrong to my ears and they're basically a silly eccentric 70s rock band with Millennium marketting & surroundings - different, but that isn't everything surely!?

I can understand Coldplay's stepping away from the lime-light a little, and of course I can Radiohead, they must be exhausted after disappearing from our Record Shelves for years on end

[Whiting]

The Darkness have pretty much timed it right. If they'd pitched up in 1992 with the same act, they'd have been laughed out of town. We're far enough away from the 80's and Poodle/Cock Rock that The Darkness are (a) irony personified/nicely self-aware for the late 20-somethings or (b) a breath of fresh air for those younger. It's a decent enough album but then again, I thought Spinal Tap wrote some decent stuff.

Whilst it's not my favourite album on the shortlist (that would be "Hail To The Thief"), I do think it's the freshest and most contemporary of the albums on the list I've heard and deserved to win on that alone.

[karkus30]

Originally posted by Dimmy
[B I like musical lyrics and craftsmanship that's strictly 'new' and can provide you with a new way of thinking & perception
[/B]

Interesting comment and I know exactly where your coming from, so now I have to ask............................which music ??

To my mind, most of the music you refer to never surfaces above the underground and you have to really dig for new experiences. The only music that I have heard which tread that path are the likes of Cult of Luna, Sikth etc and Im not convinced its new, just a re take on prog.

Beefheart was very different, some modern orchestral stuff is radical.

Tell me more Dimmy, 'cos now you have me intrigued, its a question I asked a while ago re:cutting edge music and Im not sure I really had a satisfactory answer. If theres music out there that is different, Im interested.

[seany]

Originally posted by Dimmy
Dizzie Rascal - load of nonsense really. The Mercury's attempt to be perceived as not being genre-biased I'm guessing. Say what you like about his creative abilities, but to my ears all his music and music like it comes from a bad place, and it's the last thing I want to hear when I get in from work.

.

It's not ment for you mate in truth. Its from a bad place (I know you mean musically) but if you've got grafters knocking out £10 bags of rock near youf gaff, your not going to realate to a lot of people

[Miyazaki]

Originally posted by Whiting
I thought Spinal Tap wrote some decent stuff.

They did!!

Everytime i hear Sex Farm i collapse with laughter

"Ploughing through your bean field..."


Damn amazing

[Dimmy]

Originally posted by karkus30
Interesting comment and I know exactly where your coming from, so now I have to ask............................which music ??

To my mind, most of the music you refer to never surfaces above the underground and you have to really dig for new experiences. The only music that I have heard which tread that path are the likes of Cult of Luna, Sikth etc and Im not convinced its new, just a re take on prog.

Beefheart was very different, some modern orchestral stuff is radical.

Tell me more Dimmy, 'cos now you have me intrigued, its a question I asked a while ago re:cutting edge music and Im not sure I really had a satisfactory answer. If theres music out there that is different, Im interested.

I'd agree that this music rarely presents itself. You often have to find it for yourself.

My CD collection is rather vast, but the CDs I can listen to something new and have a new thought about each time I spin them vary. I think my personal favourite album at the moment is The Soft Bulletin, I also love India.Arie's work. And Norah Jones came oh-so-close to a descent album, but very rarely scratched beyond the surface of things & didn't uncover anything with her lyrics (apart from on One Flight Down, a rather sweet sentiment addressing Subconscious love, understanding & self expression).

Of course this remains a subjective concept, and music I find infinitely fascinating (some of which contains no lyrics) others would instantly stamp as distinctively bland.

However, I'll Re-Iterate this again, The Darkness are a subject I refuse to budge on

[edit]

Oh and I almost forgot to mention, Nitin Sawhney - stunning talent & some of the best music every written IMHO.

[Dimmy]

Originally posted by keanyboy
It's not ment for you mate in truth. Its from a bad place (I know you mean musically) but if you've got grafters knocking out £10 bags of rock near youf gaff, your not going to realate to a lot of people

No it's not meant for me, but I don't like it anyway . I'm sure a lot of rap isnt meant for rich white kids whilst horse riding but hey - if it's that good it should be able to span beyond 'target audiences'.

And no I didn't mean musically

[david plunkett]

Well I personnaly think the Thrills should of won it. I hadnt even heard of this Dizzie Rascal chap at first, but then realised he was that awful Busta Ryhmes copy cat off the radio.

Dont like the Darkness, I feel they are a novelty pub band at best, his yodeling really grates on me.

[seany]

Originally posted by Dimmy

And no I didn't mean musically

Oh dimmy i was giving you the benifit of the doubt. I never thought you'd come out with something like that. It's from a bad place, but it's a hell of a lot more real then the darkness.



Edited because of my crap spelling

[Dimmy]

Yes, but I don't like to re-iterate the bad places of the world when I listen to music. I can understand why some people might want to. And indeed my previously higlighted argument of 'A new way of perception and thinking' is easily attainable from Dizzie Rascal type music as it's an insight into something some people aren't a part of and relatable for those that are. However I'm neither of those people, so ultimately my intreague in Dizzie Rascal's music is bourne from how 'Musically Sound' it is - which it isn't!

It's nothing to do with prejudice values or anything of the sort, but I can't listen to something like that just because it has one resemblence to one reality, and I can't endorse its musicality for being so either. So I guess I did mean musically afterall.

Yes it's more real than the darkness, but I don't like them either.

[seany]

It's given hope to a lot of youth from inner city's. It's proved they have a voice that should be heard. There is a voice out there, that needs to be heard, people need to know the reality of living in the inner citys. That there is a flip side to this green a pleasent land.

But each to their own of course.

[Dimmy]

I haven't disputed that

But I'm not a politician and I'm not a rights campaigner, I don't appreciate the album's musicality and thus I have little reason to buy it.

[karkus30]

Originally posted by david plunkett
Well I personnaly think the Thrills should of won it.

Dont like the Darkness, I feel they are a novelty pub band at best, his yodeling really grates on me.

The Thrills are OK, I bought their album and went to see them at The Corner House in Middlesbrough. They were very poor live, guitarist was stoned and they lacked any real fire.

You can complain as much as you like about the Darkness, banging out retreaded music, but The Thrills are no different, just a lot less interesting. The difference is the Darkness have never pretended they were knocking out completely new music, but are prepared to thrill the crowd and entertain, something bands like the Thrills could learn a thing or two about.

Novelty pub band, two weeks at number one says otherwise, they may be mining a rich seam of dis-illusioned teenagers, but hey, dont all rock bands work that way.

The Darkness came through the ranks the hard way, they were a prog rock band at one time and have weathered some rough gigs, bands like that are usually stayers, dont be suprised if they are around a lot longer than you think.

[Dimmy]

Originally posted by karkus30
Novelty pub band, two weeks at number one says otherwise

A lot of british people spend their time in pubs

Can't comment on The Thrills as I've never listened to them.

[CrispyXUK]

Hail to Theif had a lot of very interesting songs on it, like "We suck young blood" and "Wolf at the door" which is a lot different to anything else I have heard, but the fact is that you can only write songs about so many things until you are writing about the same stuff as everyone else. I prefer lyrics that I can relate to, something I can understand.
"No alarms and no surprises, please" works for me everytime.

[Whiting]

Karkus :
You can complain as much as you like about the Darkness, banging out retreaded music, but The Thrills are no different

Totally spot on.

[david plunkett]

Originally posted by karkus30


The Darkness came through the ranks the hard way, they were a prog rock band at one time and have weathered some rough gigs, bands like that are usually stayers, dont be suprised if they are around a lot longer than you think.

And I agree with you. I have said in a previous thread I think they will do well in the states. I just keep expecting the guitarist to crank the amp upto 11.