By Samantha Nwaoshai
Are you tired of sell-out hitmakers winning all of the awards? Does Beyoncé really need that many Grammys? Are you tired of the big industry events focusing their attention on the mainstream instead of the up-and-coming new artists? Does going platinum equal artistic merit? Well if your answers follow the pattern of “yes, no, yes, no,” you are not alone. “MTV’s Video Music Awards spectacle is fun,” says Rob Brunner for Entertainment Weekly, “but it makes serious music fans long for an award based purely on artistic merit…enter…Greg Spotts and…Tom Sarig.”
Who are Greg Spotts and Tom Sarig? Spotts is a music industry consultant and Sarig is an A&R exec for MCA. Together, they are the co-founders of The Shortlist Organization. Founded in 2001, The Shortlist Organization is best known for its annual award show, The Shortlist Music Prize. The founders were dedicated to creating opportunities for the counter-culture to become mainstream. Their long-term objective is to make the Shortlist name a recommendation engine that would expose listeners to new music and adventurous, yet relatively underground artists to a whole new audience.
The summer of 2001 brought about the first Shortlist Music Prize. It honored albums that were creative and entertaining, as well as pushed the musical boundaries. It was not only limited to rock, but included music of all genres. Finalists of the Shortlist Music Prize received airtime on MTV2 during a Shortlist-branded hour of videos that ran during the week of the awards. Also, finalists’ albums had listening posts in designated Shortlist-branded sections at Virgin Megastores across the country.
One might wonder how the Shortlist Music Prize works. Contrary to what the name would have you believe, the Shortlist doesn’t start off so short. In fact, it starts of as a list of 49 albums called (what else) The Longlist. Albums eligible to be part of the Longlist have sold less than half-million copies in the US at time of nomination. Also they have to be single artist, full-length albums released in the US between July 1 of the past year and June of the present. A panel of musicians, record producers and music journalists, dubbed the “Listmakers,” pick out their favourite underground albums. Each Listmaker picks up to 10 albums. The albums that make the cut become part of the Longlist. After the initial Longlist is made, they whittle down the Longlist of 49 albums to a Shortlist of 10. After the finalists are picked, the Listmakers convene and pick a winner. This year the winner receives a $10,000 cash prize,
Ever since 2001, the Shortlist Music Prize has gotten bigger and better. Now there is a one-hour concert special that will air on MTV2. XM Satellite Radio has Shortlist-themed programming and is this year’s co-sponsor. The idea of a multi-city concert tour of finalists is being considered.
This year’s Longlist included artists like David Bowie, PJ Harvey and Cee-Lo. Unfortunately these artists didn’t quite make the Shortlist this year. 2004 Listmakers Norah Jones, John Mayer, Will-i-Am (from the Black-Eyed Peas), Jack Black and others thought that those albums didn’t quite stand out and are already established artists. This year’s Shortlist is diverse, spanning different spectrums of music from rap to country to rock.
Representing country is country music veteran, Loretta Lynn. What happens when you mix a candy coloured man, a country music veteran, couches and pitchers of sloe gin fizz? Loretta Lynn’s Van Lear Rose. She has been in the business longer than some of her fellow nominees have been alive. She has been big in Nashville for ages, but when the country crooner met up with White Stripes’ Jack White, her sound became gritty. White not only produced the album, but also played guitar on some tracks. The album was recorded in a living room, and is a mix of young and old, southern sass and northern cool.
Now what would happen if you put Eminem’s raps and politics, Alanis Morisette’s anger, Norah Jones’ piano and Brian Seltzer into a blender and set it on liquefy? You’d get another nominee, the one of a kind Nellie McKay. On her debut double album, Get Away From Me, she displays a diverse background of influences. Though McKay is a classically trained pianist, the album reflects sounds of jazz, cabaret, pop and show tunes. You even hear a little bit of piano-reggae in the first track, “David.” This dextrous musical over-achiever does it all: she plays piano, does cabaret and she raps too. Her rhymes put Vanilla Ice to shame. McKay can also sing in Japanese, Spanish and German, though Get Away From Me is in English. “Nellie McKay is one of those people whose talent is so extensive that it might be her only obstacle,” Listmaker John Mayer said of the young artist. “There are so many different things she could do.”
Wilco, known mostly for alternative-country, finally ditched that label with their album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. That album not only ditched the title, but also garnered them critical acclaim, as well. Luckily, they didn’t lose their huge cult following. Then, as if they couldn’t do any better, they raised the bar for themselves with their nominated album, A Ghost is Born. On this album they showcase a mixture of blues guitar, catchy bits and even Randy Newman. They recently played to a sold out audience at Radio City Music Hall.
Rap representatives Dylan Mills, AKA Dizzee Rascal and Tony Stark, AKA Ghostface (he dropped the Killah from his name recently) prove that rap isn’t all “bitches and hoes” and that it is an artistic creative outlet. Mercury Prize (think the Shortlist of the UK) Winner and UK born, Dizzee Rascal’s debut album, Boy in Da Corner, brought him critical acclaim. Known by his peers and the rap underground as a member of Roll Deep Crew, the single “I Luv U” set the stage for his solo career, with the release of his full-length Boy In Da Corner. Since then, he made an appearance on Basement Jaxx’s Kish Kash and his album made its way to American shores. If he is not top of the Shortlist this year, he just released Showtime, his follow-up this year.
Unlike Dizzee Rascal, Staten Island’s Ghostface is no stranger to the business. He was once a member of rap group the Wu-Tang Clan. Following Redman, Method-Man and other members of the Wu-Tang Clan, he used the group to launch a solo career. The Pretty Toney Album has the former Killah rhyming over old school soul samples (all cleared). ” Ghostface is the mad Genius of Wu-Tang Clan,” ?uestlove says. “Toney is one of the most satisfying records of 2004.”
From an ex-Killah to a quartet of Killers, The Killers’ Hot Fuss proves that the 1980s can still be cool. With hooks and thumping beats, “Somebody Told Me” is completely reminiscent of the 1980s. The Killers are the first thing from Vegas that isn’t all flash. Album motifs include paranoia, AIDS and Studio 54 to name a few.
Also holding it down for rock is Scotland’s Franz Ferdinand. Hot off of winning the Mercury Prize, Franz Ferdinand seem ready to be top of the Shortlist as well. They released their self-titled debut in March of this year. The first single, “Darts of Pleasure,” had critics hailing them the Scottish Interpol. What brought them to the open was their second single, “Take Me Out.” The song became a hit thanks to a cutting edge video and an undeniable hook. “I was taken, swept by the artistry,” states Listmaker Will-i-Am of the Black-Eyed Peas. “The video was great and they perform well.”
Also representing the UK is The Streets. White men can’t jump, British white boys don’t rap. If even after Eminem you still think that skinny-little-white-boys can’t rap, then Mike Skinner, AKA the Streets, will prove you wrong. On the album A Grand Don’t Come for Free, The Streets rap about what it’s like to be young and British. Rapping over gritty garage beats, The Streets stand out. “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,”says Will-i-Am. “The rhythms that he chooses to rhyme over, his cadences and his beats are just brilliant.”
Another nominee is Air. Air is the perfect name for this French duo, because their music blends perfectly into the atmosphere. With their hypnotic synths, they had the public mesmerized with their first album, Moon Safari. Then they worked on the film score for the Sofia Coppola film, The Virgin Suicides, which brought the single “Playground Love.” After working on the soundtrack to The Virgin Suicides, they released the harsh, sonic failure, 10,000 Hz Legend. Fans and critics hated it. This time around the nominated album Talkie Walkie. On this album they combine the experimental with their classic sound.
Last but not least, TV On The Radio’s full length Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes, could take the prize this year. It has already proven to be a favorite with Listmakers, being picked five times. TV On The Radio’s fierce, wild style infuses many different genres of music from indie-rock to progressive-rock, hip-hop and electronica, to name a few. Their first single “Staring at the Sun,” blends crazy synths and intense bass and guitar riffs, courtesy of Nick Zinner from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The former visual arts students gave it a video to match.
The competition looks steep for this year’s Shortlist Prize. The winner will be announced Nov. 11, and it’s anyone’s game here, ladies and gentlemen. One thing is for sure though; whoever gets it will not be selling out. This is an alternative to stuffy awards shows like the Grammy’s, and has more artistic merit than MTV’s annual Video Music Award. Too bad there isn’t an award for award shows!
( www.southern.com)