armo27

half of his stubble seems to disappear!?

a) Grasshopper

I win!

A) Super Furry Animals

http://www.bluesq.com/bet?action=go_oc_grp&type_id=530&oc_grp_id=2060

Johnny Flynn might get a mention. He won't win though... it'll be Burial or possibly MIA.

although I wish they'd stop playing that godawful Reverend & The Makers song!

I find Lamb quite funny, particularly the coinage of the word 'wafty'!?

Rolling Rock Festival would be the coolest name?
But it'll probably become WKD-Fest or something...

Even though the winners in the last couple of years might not have been so inspiring, I do still think that the Mercury Music Prize and Polaris play some role in alerting the public to the lesser-known artists who are nominated. Also, although entirely subjective, they never pretend to be anything else, unlike The Brit Awards etc which are like the music industry equivalent of the Oscars.

There is also an argument that magazine-organised awards have some merit as, if they are voted for by readers and these same people are then interested in the ceremony and coverage, they are giving the people a voice.

But as for Brits, MOBOS and Vodafone thingummybobs (I've never even heard of them), they should definitely be binned.

Your review is, for the most part, fairly negative, yet you still give the album a 7? Anyway, I've only heard about half of it so far - 'Post Soothing Out' is my current fave purely because the riff sounds like the theme tune to Rainbow!

They were easily one of the most annoying bands I've ever seen, but got the best reception of anyone, so maybe it's just my sensibility. Also, it seems like they're mates with lots of much better local bands and the single's being released by Bad Sneakers which is normally pretty reliable, all of which bemuses me in the extreme. Hopefully they'll disappear after this single and other, more deserving Yorkshire artists like Napoleon IIIrd and The Lodger will get more recognition instead.

This lot make The Twang sound like mavericks

all style over content if you ask me.

Why does everything have to be scheduled for a Sunday the day before the first of my final exams?! Grrrrr.

by Damian/Martbowski's argument about this being their definitive 'pop moment'. 'Little Thoughts' is also poppy but still energetic and sounds different to other bands, unlike this which is, like 'Two More Years', bland and unrepresentative of the band's other work.

Still, if it converts more people to listen to BP instead of other schmindie bands whose songs all sound like this, it must be a good thing, I suppose?

I just bought their album; am listening to it now, in fact.

LOL! Nice review, although the generally positive tone makes the album sound more like a 7? I've not heard this, but couldn't get into her first solo effort at all.

Although musically quite impressive, I couldn't make out a single word the bloke was singing, and the whole thing was just... joyless

with the NME (readers), Best Band one year could easily become Worst Band the next... I'm crossing my fingers for Kasabian or Dirty Pretty Things in 2008!

faintly amusing, as opposed to MCR who are just cack.

the epitome of rock'n'roll cool! Hahaha, and how exactly does fronting a godawful 'emo' band for 12-year-olds qualify one as heroic?

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was RHCP the first few times I heard it, and I thought, 'Hey, at least it's not as bad as Snow '(Hey Oh)''. Hmmmm...

I was hoping he was dead.

by REM surely deserves a mention, if only for the line, "I count your eyelashes, secretly."
But yeah, agree with the Nick Cave fans - 'Into My Arms' is unbelievable.

Saw them supporting Noisettes last night - agree about the harmonies, but then the same can be said for Magic Numbers. They were overshadowed by both the second support, Mayor McCa, and of course the headliners themselves!

I'm sure I read an interview where the singer said they were named after the chocolates cos they're the ones which nobody wants... or something. Also, no review of VEGC? Saw them recently and they were great.

but then I realised that I had heard it briefly on the radio the other day before hastily switching it off. Truly horrible - it sounds like Robbie Williams singing Freddie Mercury, but even camper if that's possible!?

I've decided to go for the one which I've listened to most, which is The Long Blondes. I only just got Bat For Lashes, though, so maybe my answer will be different by new year. I also agree that GCWCF should have been nominated.

Love You But You're Green. They performed it on The Culture Show and I was pretty impressed. Not a big fan of the ska song on here, but otherwise a huge improvement on Down In Albion.

the best live band I've ever seen. If only more bands would put so much effort into making their concerts feel like an event, the world would be a happier place.

I saw these play in Leeds ages ago and thought they were fairly dull, Bloc Party copyists at the time. Then I heard this, and I feel exactly the same. The difference is, BP's songs have substance to back up the style; the same isn't true for Battle.

I've seen WAS 3 times in the last year (although only paid specifically to see them once) and they were really tight every time. I also like the fact that they avoid being over-indulgent with the comedy double-act by then reeling off 2 or 3 songs in a row. My only criticism the last time I saw them was that some of the B-sides from the new comp seemed a bit weak - anyone heard the album?

supporting We Are Scientists and they were dogshit. Didn't help that they had some guy introduce them onstage by making lame jokes about exchanging corn at the corn exchange and converting emo kids into gold... or something. And the lead singer was a gay midget.

and, whilst this is one of the highlights, I'd argue that there are plenty of other contenders for the best track on it - Phenomena, Dudley, Mysteries, and the previously mentioned Turn Into to name 4. However, I suppose the fact that Karen O's 'screeching' delivery has been toned down compared to, say, Rich or Tick from the first LP, can be seen as good or bad thing depending on your viewpoint. Personally, I think that Show Your Bones is more consistent than previous efforts, but lacks a standout track as good as Pin or Maps from FTT or Miles Away from the EP.

is actually Around The Fur and I've never really understood why everyone seeme to prefer White Pony - maybe cos it's slightly heavier on the whole? Eponymous was also pretty decent, but couldn't get into the Team Sleep album, although admittedly I only listened to it a few times before giving up - am I really missing out?

and even 'Mary', for all it's Elton John piano tinkling, was listenable. But this song is ATROCIOUS, and when I saw them at Benicassim this year, I had to leave halfway through the set cos they were making me feel violent.