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Adele, Lana Del Rey, Florence & Jessie J Nominated For BRIT Awards

Robbie Daw — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:00:53 +0000

Adele and Jessie J are the leading ladies at this year’s BRIT Awards after nabbing three nominations apiece, while 20-year-old Halifax, West Yorkshire native Ed Sheeran got the most nods of all, with four. Sheeran’s 2011 UK hit “The A Team” will compete with nine other songs in the British Single category — including Adele’s “Someone Like You”, Jessie J’s “Price Tag” and The Wanted’s “Glad You Came”.

Ed Sheeran — ”The A Team”

Adele is also up for British Female Solo Artist and British Album Of The Year, the latter of which also garnered nominations for Florence + The Machine’s Ceremonials, Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto, PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake and Ed Sheeran’s +.

American acts who stand to win at the BRITs include Bruno Mars, Bon Iver and Ryan Adams, who are up for International Male Solo Artist, and International Female Solo Artist nominees Beyonce and Lady Gaga.

Likewise, Foo Fighters, Jay-Z and Kanye West (known together as The Throne), Maroon 5 and Lady Antebellum were recognized in the International Group category, while the International Breakthrough Act pool (Nicki Minaj, Lana Del Rey, Foster The People, Aloe Blacc and Bon Iver) is entirely comprised of acts from the States. (Well, technically, Minaj wasn’t born in the States, but she was raised here after the age of 5.)

As previously announced, Emeli Sande will be the recipient of this year’s Critics’ Choice Award at the BRITs. She’ll also compete with Jessie J for British Breakthrough Act.

Damon Albarn’s pre-Gorillaz band Blur have been singled out for Outstanding Contribution To Music this year. The 32nd BRIT Awards will be held on February 21.

2012 BRIT AWARDS NOMINEES

British Male Solo Artist
Ed Sheeran
James Blake
James Morrison
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Professor Green

British Female Solo Artist
Adele
Florence + the Machine
Jessie J
Kate Bush
Laura Marling

British Breakthrough Act
Anna Calvi
Ed Sheeran
Emeli Sandé
Jessie J
The Vaccines

British Group
Arctic Monkeys
Chase & Status
Coldplay
Elbow
Kasabian

British Single
Adele, “Someone Like You”
Ed Sheeran, “The A Team”
Example, “Changed The Way You Kissed Me”
Jessie J feat. B.o.B, “Price Tag”
JLS feat. Dev, “She Makes Me Wanna”
Military Wives/Gareth Malone, “Wherever You Are”
Olly Murs feat. Rizzle Kicks, “Heart Skips A Beat”
One Direction, “What Makes You Beautiful”
Pixie Lott, “All About Tonight”
The Wanted, “Glad You Came”

Mastercard British Album of the Year
Adele, 21
Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto
Ed Sheeran, +
Florence + The Machine, Ceremonials
PJ Harvey, Let England Shake

International Male Solo Artist
Aloe Blacc
Bon Iver
Bruno Mars
David Guetta
Ryan Adams

International Female Solo Artist
Beyoncé
Bjork
Feist
Lady Gaga
Rihanna

International Group
Fleet Foxes
Foo Fighters
Jay Z & Kanye West
Lady Antebellum
Maroon 5

International Breakthrough Act
Aloe Blacc
Bon Iver
Foster The People
Lana Del Rey
Nicki Minaj

Outstanding Contribution to Music
Blur

Critics’ Choice
1st – Emeli Sandé
2nd – Maverick Sabre
3rd – Michael Kiwanuka

British Producer
Paul Epworth
Flood
Ethan Jones

The “Parklife” Stamp: Even Better Than Sealing Your Letter With A Kiss

Maura — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:00:24 +0000

Next year, the UK will issue a series of stamps dedicated to the art of the British album cover. The Stones’ Let It Bleed, New Order’s Power, Corruption, and Lies, Primal Scream’s Screamadelica, and Blur’s Parklife will all be honored in this 10-stamp issue. If the US had a similar stamp issue, I wonder what albums would get the nod? You’d think Thriller would be a no-brainer, and Madonna’s True Blue would look kinda dynamite, but after that… ? (First person to shout “Merriweather Post Pavilion!” is fired.) The full issue of stamps after the jump.

Haha, Coldplay. Oh, you Brits.

Design Classics: Classic Album Covers – 7 Janaury 2010 [Norvic Philatelics via NME]

Maura — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:30:52 +0000

If you’re awake and reading this right now, you probably missed this weekend’s Glastonbury Festival–and Blur’s fest-closing reunion set last night. Thanks to the Internet, though, MP3s of the performance are out there! Well, for now, anyway. [Deaf Indie Elephants / Pic via slint4587]

Blur In Surprise Gig Shocker (Although You Probably Missed It Before It Even Happened)

Maura — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:00:54 +0000

Blur’s career retrospective Midlife comes out in the UK today, and to celebrate that fact–not to mention their upcoming shows around that country–the band has decided to surprise everyone with a show at an undisclosed location in London today. According to Blur’s official site, the first 170 people to show up at the Brixton Academy box office would get tickets to the gig… although the queue for these tickets started at 11 a.m. local time, so they’re probably long gone by now. But!

There were rumors that the show would be at the famed record store Rough Trade, but those rumors were quickly scuttled. But 170 seems like an oddly… precise number of tickets to give out, doesn’t it? Now, I don’t live in the area, but traipsing around Google reveals that there’s one London music venue with both a 170-reveler capacity and an opening on the calendar for 15 June: The Buffalo Bar, which is conveniently located near the Tube and which hosted a tribute to the band earlier this month. Aw, so cute!

Mornin all [Graham Coxon via Drowned In Sound

Why Is Damon Albarn Wearing A Backpack While Rehearsing?

Maura — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:30:03 +0000

Blur’s first concert since 2000 is happening in London this Saturday, and to whet peoples’ appetites–and make Americans who don’t have the type of spending money to jet across the Atlantic to see Blur for a weekend insanely jealous–they’ve posted footage of themselves rehearsing three songs online: “Song 2,” “For Tomorrow,” and “Death Of A Party.” But as many astute YouTube observers noted, lead singer Damon Albarn is wearing a backpack during the test run of “Song 2.” Why would that be? Are there weights in there to help him get in shape for what might be a hyperactive performance of the most unlikely jock jam? Is he hoping to bring back raving? Did he really not want to lose his keys? So many mysteries. Video after the jump!

Blur post rehearsal footage of 3 songs [YouTube via Music Radar]

New Britpop Comp Ensures That It Will Be Hot Topic By Neglecting To Include Songs By Blur Or Oasis

Maura — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:00:24 +0000

The three-disc Britpop-of-the-’90s compilation Common People–named after the Pulp song, of course–comes out in June, and it will come packaged with liner notes written by Saint Etienne’s Bob Stanley. While the track listing does have more than its share of gems, the absence of feuding NME titans Blur and Oasis will no doubt cause lots of message-board handwringing, perhaps even more than the presence of Gay Dad. Get ready to argue over what songs were missed by checking out the full tracklisting after the jump!

CD1
The Auteurs – ‘Lenny Valentino’
Elastica – ‘Stutter’
Gene – ‘Be My Light, Be My Guide’
The Stone Roses – ‘Love Spreads’
James – ‘Laid’
Dodgy – ‘Staying Out For The Summer’
Saint Etienne – ‘You’re In A Bad Way’
Dubstar – ‘Stars’
Black Grape – ‘In The Name Of The Father’
Duffy – ‘London Girls’
Marion – ‘Sleep’
These Animal Men – ‘Speeed King’
S*M*A*S*H – ‘Shame’
Cast – ‘Alright’
Bluetones – ‘Slight Return’
Perfume – ‘Lover’
The Boo Radleys – ‘Wake Up Boo!’
Menswear – ‘Daydreamer’

CD2
Pulp – ‘Common People’
Supergrass – ‘Alright’
Sleeper – ‘Inbetweener’
Echobelly – ‘Great Things’
Powder – ‘Afrodisiac’
Northern Uproar – ‘Rollercoaster’
Paul Weller – ‘Thechangingman’
The Divine Comedy – ‘Something For The Weekend’
Babybird – ‘You’re Gorgeous’
My Life Story – ‘12 Reasons Why’
Denim – ‘It Fell Off The Back Of A Van’
Kula Shaker – ‘Tattva’
Mansun – ‘Wide Open Space’
Salad – ‘Drink The Elixir’
Placebo – ‘Nancy Boy’
Longpigs – ‘She Said’
Ocean Colour Scene – ‘The Riverboat Song’
Shed Seven – ‘Chasing Rainbows’

CD3
Super Furry Animals – ‘God! Show Me Magic’
Suede – ‘Trash’
Kenickie – ‘In Your Car’
Theaudience – ‘A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed’
Catatonia – ‘Mulder And Scully’
Space – ‘Female Of The Species’
Embrace – ‘All You Good Good People’
Gomez – ‘Whippin’ Piccadilly’
Geneva – ‘Into The Blue’
Rialto – ‘Monday Morning 5:19′
The Seahorses – ‘Love Is The Law’
Hurricane #1 – ‘Step Into My World’
Monaco – ‘What Do You Want From Me’
Spearmint – ‘Sweeping The Nation’
Lodger – ‘Always Round Here’
Earl Brutus – ‘SAS And The Glam That Goes With It’
Stereophonics – ‘The Bartender And The Thief’
Gay Dad – ‘Oh Jim’

Pulp, Elastica, Supergrass for “Common People” Britpop compilation [NME]

Damon Albarn And Graham Coxon Give It Another Go

Maura — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:30:00 +0000

Video footage of Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon performing “This Is A Low” at last night’s NME Awards in London—their first live appearance together since 2000—has finally surfaced, and man is it making me hope that Blur announce at least one Stateside date. The person who put it up disabled embedding on the clip, unfortunately, but I won’t be too mad at you if you click away. [YouTube]

“NME” Awards Show Little Consensus, Lots Of Interest In American Politics

Maura — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:15:00 +0000

xOasis, Alex Turner, MGMT, and Muse were the big winners at tonight’s NME Shockwaves Awards in London, which also doled out awards to the Killers (Best International Band), the Jonas Brothers (Worst Band and Worst Album), and YouTube (Best Web site) in between performances by half of Blur, Franz Ferdinand, and the Cure. Also honored and dishonored: newly minted U.S. President Barack Obama, who won Hero Of The Year honors, and recently departed Commander-In-Chief George W. Bush, who was named 2008’s villain. Full list of winners after the ump.

Best British Band: Oasis
Best International Band: The Killers
Best Solo Artist: Pete Doherty
Best New Band: MGMT
Best Live Band: Muse
Best Album: Kings Of Leon, Only By The Night
Best Track: MGMT, “Time To Pretend”
Best Video: Last Shadow Puppets, “My Mistakes Were Made For You”
Best Live Event: Glastonbury
Best TV Show: The Mighty Boosh
Best Film:
Best Dancefloor Filler: Dizzee Rascal & Calvin Harris, “Dance Wiv Me”
Best DVD: Arctic Monkeys, At The Apollo
Hero Of The Year: Barack Obama
Villain Of The Year: George W. Bush
Best Dressed: Alexa Chung
Worst Dressed: Amy Winehouse
Worst Album: Jonas Brothers, A Little Bit Longer
Worst Band: Jonas Brothers
Sexiest Male: Matt Bellamy
Sexiest Female: Hayley Williams
Best Website: YouTube
Best Venue: London Astoria
Best Album Artwork: Muse, HAARP
Best Band Blog: Noel Gallagher
Godlike Genius: The Cure
Phillip Hall Radar Award: The Big Pink
Outstanding Contribution To British Music: Elbow

Shockwaves NME Awards 2009 [NME]

Damon And Graham Reunite On Stage, Play A Blur Song, Make American Anglophiles Even More Jealous

Maura — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 10:15:00 +0000

Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon reunited onstage at the NME’s annual awards show tonight, where they played an unplugged version of “This Is A Low.” It was the first time the two had shared a stage since 2000. There’s no video/photo evidence of the performance online yet (the pic attached to this post is actually 12 years old), but apparently Pete Doherty was filming the whole thing with his cell phone so perhaps he’ll be buoyed enough by his Best Solo Artist gong to get his old YouTube channel up and running again. [NME]

Bernard Butler: Blur Reunion More Embarrassing Than The Black Kids Album

Maura — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:30:00 +0000

Well, the former Suede guitarist and producer of Partie Traumatic didn’t say that exactly. But he did tut-tut at the spate of Britpop-era bands that have been giving one last show a try lately, saying that such attempts at mining nostalgia fiends’ dollars had “no relevance to what’s going on at the moment.” Which means that you probably shouldn’t get your hopes up for a Suede reunion tour anytime soon—although to hear Butler tell it, no one’s been interested! Wait, what?

“I’ve never had an offer to do anything as Suede.

“I’m obsessively opposed to nostalgia. I hate the idea of it. It doesn’t work. And it doesn’t interest with me at all.

“What’s important is not what I did last week, it’s what I’m going to do next week. I made great records – I love them. My kids play them now. But that’s for them and everyone else.”

Of the raft of current reunions, he said: “I know it’s good fun and everything and sure, you can’t deny someone a good night out but personally I just feel uncomfortable with nostalgia.

“If I could dedicate six months of my life to one thing, would it be somebody who’s doing something that’s interesting and totally new, or something that reflects something I did 15 years ago?

“You couldn’t possibly be a human being and be motivated by that.”

This burn-down-the-past sentiment is kind of a strange one to come from the man who produced Duffy’s Rockferry, but I guess the difference there is that he wasn’t the one who engineered “To Sir, With Love”?

Suede star attacks revival trend [BBC]