Mercury Prize
Le Mercury Prize (prix de Mercure en français) est une récompense annuelle qui consacre le meilleur album britannique ou irlandais des douze derniers mois. Créée en 1992 par le président de Virgin Records Jon Webster[1], la British Phonographic Industry et la British Association of Record Dealers, elle se veut une alternative aux Brit Awards. L'équivalent français est le prix Constantin et l'équivalent canadien le prix de musique Polaris.
Pour les articles homonymes, voir Mercury.
Histoire
Les albums pouvant être sélectionnés pour concourir doivent avoir été réalisés par un artiste britannique ou irlandais, ou un groupe dont plus de la moitié des membres sont britanniques ou irlandais, quel que soit le style musical concerné. La liste des albums sélectionnés est choisie par un jury de professionnels de la musique[2]. Le vainqueur remporte notamment une somme de 25 000 £[2].
Le prix a parfois fait l'objet de critiques l'accusant de privilégier les mêmes styles musicaux[3] ou mettant en doute son indépendance vis-à-vis des acteurs de l'industrie musicale[4].
Originellement sponsorisé par Mercury Communications, une marque possédée par l'entreprise Cable & Wireless[1], il a ensuite été sponsorisé par Technics[5] (entre 1998 et 2001), Panasonic (en 2002 et 2003), Nationwide Building Society (de 2004 à 2008), Barclaycard[6] (entre 2009 et 2014) et la BBC en 2015[7]. Hyundai est le sponsor du prix depuis 2016[8].
Palmarès
Années 1990
Proposés :
- Barry Adamson (Soul Murder)
- Erasure (Chorus)
- Jah Wobble (Rising Above Bedlam)
- The Jesus and Mary Chain (Honey's Dead)
- Bheki Mseleku (Celebration)
- Saint Etienne (Foxbase Alpha)
- Simply Red (Stars)
- U2 (Achtung Baby)
- John Tavener & Steven Isserlis (The Protecting Veil)
- Young Disciples (Road To Freedom)
Proposés :
- Apache Indian (No Reservations)
- The Auteurs (New Wave)
- Gavin Bryars (Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet)
- Dina Caroll (So Close)
- PJ Harvey (Rid of Me)
- New Order (Republic)
- Stereo MC's (Connected)
- Sting (Ten Summoner's Tales)
- Stan Tracey (Portraits Plus)
Proposés :
- Blur (Parklife)
- Ian McNabb (Head Like a Rock)
- Shara Nelson (What Silence Knows)
- Michael Nyman (The Piano Concerto and MGV)
- The Prodigy (Music for the Jilted Generation)
- Pulp (His'n'Hers)
- Take That (Everything Changes)
- Therapy?(Troublegum)
- Paul Weller (Wild Wood)
Proposés :
- Guy Barker (Into the Blue)
- Elastica (Elastica)
- PJ Harvey (To Bring You My Love)
- Leftfield (Leftism)
- James MacMillan (Seven Last Words from the Cross)
- Van Morrison (Days Like These)
- Oasis (Definitely Maybe)
- Supergrass (I Should Coco)
- Tricky (Maxinquaye)
Proposés :
- Artists for War Child (Help)
- Black Grape (It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah)
- Peter Maxwell Davies/BBC Philharmonic (The Beltane Fire / Caroline Mathilde)
- Manic Street Preachers (Everything Must Go)
- Mark Morrison (Return of the Mack
- Oasis ((What's the Story) Morning Glory?)
- Courtney Pine (Modern Day Jazz Stories)
- Underworld (Second Toughest in the Infants)
- Norma Waterson (Norma Waterson)
Proposés :
- The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole
- Beth Orton – Trailer Park
- Primal Scream – Vanishing Point
- The Prodigy – The Fat of the Land
- Radiohead – OK Computer
- Spice Girls – Spice
- Suede – Coming Up
- John Tavener – Syvati
- Mark-Anthony Turnage – Your Rockaby
Proposés :
- 4hero – Two Pages
- Asian Dub Foundation – Rafi's Revenge
- Eliza Carthy – Red Rice
- Catatonia – International Velvet
- Cornershop – When I Was Born for the 7th Time
- Massive Attack – Mezzanine
- Propellerheads – Decksandrumsandrockandroll
- Pulp – This is Hardcore
- John Surman – Proverbs & Songs
- The Verve – Urban Hymns
- Robbie Williams – Life thru a Lens
Proposés :
- Thomas Adès – Asyla
- Denys Baptiste – Be Where You Are
- Black Star Liner – Bengali Bantam Youth Experience!
- Blur – 13
- The Chemical Brothers – Surrender
- Faithless – Sunday 8PM
- Manic Street Preachers – This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours
- Beth Orton – Central Reservation
- Kate Rusby – Sleepless
- Stereophonics – Performance and Cocktails
- Underworld – Beaucoup Fish
Années 2000
Proposés :
- Richard Ashcroft (Alone With Everybody)
- Coldplay (Parachutes)
- MJ Cole (Sincere)
- Death in Vegas (The Contino Sessions)
- The Delgados (The Great Eastern)
- Doves (Lost Souls)
- Helicopter Girl (How to Steal the World)
- Leftfield (Rhythm and Stealth)
- Nicholas Maw (Violin Concerto)
- Nitin Sawhney (Beyond Skin)
- Kathryn Williams (Little Black Numbers)
Proposés :
- Basement Jaxx (Rooty)
- Elbow (Asleep in the Back)
- Goldfrapp (Felt Mountain)
- Ed Harcourt (Here Be Monsters)
- Tom McRae (Tom McRae)
- Radiohead (Amnesiac)
- Susheela Raman (Salt Rain)
- Super Furry Animals (Rings Around the World)
- Turin Brakes (The Optimist LP)
- Zero 7 (Simple Things)
Proposés :
- Guy Barker – Soundtrack
- The Bees – Sunshine, Hit Me
- David Bowie – Heathen
- The Coral – The Coral
- Doves – The Last Broadcast
- The Electric Soft Parade – Holes in the wall
- Gemma Hayes – Night on my Side
- Beverley Knight – Who I Am
- Roots Manuva – Run Come Save Me
- Joanna McGregor – Play
- The Streets – Original Pirate Material
Proposés :
- Athlete – Vehicles And Animals
- Eliza Carthy – Anglicana
- Coldplay – A Rush of Blood to the Head
- The Darkness – Permission to Land
- Floetry – Floetic
- Soweto Kinch – Conversations with the Unseen
- Lemon Jelly – Lost Horizons
- The Thrills – So Much for the City
- Martina Topley-Bird – Quixotic
- Radiohead – Hail to the Thief
- Terri Walker – Untitled
Proposés :
- Basement Jaxx – Kish Kash
- Belle and Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress
- Jamelia – Thank You
- Keane – Hopes and Fears
- Snow Patrol – Final Straw
- Joss Stone – The Soul Sessions
- The Streets – A Grand Don't Come for Free
- Ty – Upwards
- Amy Winehouse – Frank
- Robert Wyatt – Cuckooland
- The Zutons – Who Killed... The Zutons?
Proposés :
- Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
- Coldplay – X&Y
- Hard-Fi – Stars of CCTV
- Kaiser Chiefs – Employment
- KT Tunstall – Eye to the Telescope
- M.I.A. – Arular
- Maxïmo Park – A Certain Trigger
- Polar Bear – Held On The Tips Of Fingers
- Seth Lakeman – Kitty Jay
- The Go! Team – Thunder, Lightning, Strike
- The Magic Numbers – The Magic Numbers
Proposés :
- Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan (Ballad Of The Broken Seas)
- Scritti Politti (White Bread Black Beer)
- Guillemots (Through The Windowpane)
- Richard Hawley (Coles Corner)
- Editors (The Back Room)
- Zoe Rahman (Melting Pot)
- Hot Chip (The Warning)
- Muse (Black Holes and Revelations)
- Lou Rhodes (Beloved One)
- Sway (This Is My Demo)
- Thom Yorke (The Eraser)
Proposés :
- Arctic Monkeys (Favourite Worst Nightmare)
- Basquiat Strings et Seb Rochford (Basquiat Strings)
- Bat For Lashes (Fur and Gold)
- Dizzee Rascal (Maths and English)
- Maps (We Can Create)
- New Young Pony Club (Fantastic Playroom)
- Fionn Regan (The End of History)
- Jamie T (Panic Prevention)
- The View (Hats Off to the Buskers)
- Amy Winehouse (Back to Black)
- The Young Knives (Voices of Animals and Men)
Proposés :
- Adele (19)
- British Sea Power (Do You Like Rock Music?)
- Burial (Untrue)
- Estelle – Shine
- Laura Marling (Alas, I Cannot Swim)
- Neon Neon (Stainless Style)
- Portico quartet (Knee Deep In The North Sea)
- Rachel Unthank and the Winterset (The Bairns)
- Radiohead (In Rainbows)
- Robert Plant & Alison Krauss (Raising Sand)
- The Last Shadow Puppets (The Age of the Understatement)
Proposés :
- Bat For Lashes (Two Suns)
- Florence and the Machine (Lungs)
- Friendly Fires (Friendly Fires)
- Glasvegas (Glasvegas)
- Kasabian (West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum)
- La Roux (La Roux)
- Led Bib (Sensible Shoes)
- Lisa Hannigan (Sea Sew)
- Sweet Billy Pilgrim (Twice Born Men)
- The Horrors (Primary Colours)
- The Invisible (The Invisible)
Années 2010
Proposés :
- Biffy Clyro (Only Revolutions)
- Corinne Bailey Rae (The Sea)
- Dizzee Rascal (Tongue n' Cheek)
- Kit Downes Trio (Golden)
- Foals (Total Life Forever)
- I Am Kloot (Sky At Night)
- Laura Marling (I Speak Because I Can)
- Mumford & Sons (Sigh No More)
- Paul Weller (Wake Up The Nation)
- Villagers (Becoming A Jackal)
- Wild Beasts (Two Dancers)
Proposés :
- Adele (21)
- Anna Calvi (Anna Calvi)
- Elbow (Build A Rocket Boys!)
- Everything Everything (Man Alive)
- Ghostpoet (Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam)
- Gwilym Simcock (Good Days At Schloss Elmau)
- James Blake (James Blake)
- Katy B (On A Mission)
- King Creosote and Jon Hopkins (Diamond Mine)
- Metronomy (The English Riviera)
- Tinie Tempah (Disc-Overy)
Proposés :
- Ben Howard (Every Kingdom)
- Django Django (Django Django)
- Field Music (Plumb)
- Jessie Ware (Devotion)
- Lianne La Havas (Is Your Love Big Enough ?)
- Michael Kiwanuka (Home Again)
- Plan B (Ill Manors)
- Richard Hawley (Standing at the Sky's Edge)
- Roller Trio (Roller Trio)
- Sam Lee (Ground Of Its Own)
- The Maccabees (Given to the Wild)
Proposés :
- Arctic Monkeys (AM)
- David Bowie (The Next Day)
- Disclosure (Settle)
- Foals (Holy Fire)
- Jake Bugg (Jake Bugg)
- Jon Hopkins (Immunity (en))
- Laura Marling (Once I Was an Eagle)
- Laura Mvula (Sing to the Moon)
- Rudimental (Home)
- Savages (Silence Yourself)
- Villagers ({Awayland})
Proposés :
- Anna Calvi (One Breath)
- Bombay Bicycle Club (So Long, See You Tomorrow)
- Damon Albarn (Everyday Robots)
- East India Youth (Total Strife Forever)
- FKA twigs (LP1)
- GoGo Penguin (v2.0)
- Jungle (Jungle)
- Kate Tempest (Everybody Down)
- Nick Mulvey (First Mind)
- Polar Bear (In Each and Every One)
- Royal Blood (Royal Blood)
Proposés :
- Aphex Twin - (Syro)
- C Duncan - (Architect)
- ESKA - (Eska)
- Florence and The Machine - (How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful)
- Gaz Coombes - (Matador)
- Ghostpoet - (Shedding Skin)
- Jamie xx - (In Colour)
- Róisín Murphy - (Hairless Toys)
- Slaves - (Are You Satisfied?)
- Soak - (Before We Forgot How To Dream)
- Wolf Alice - (My Love Is Cool)
Proposés :
- Anohni – (Hopelessness)
- Bat for Lashes – (The Bride)
- David Bowie – (Blackstar)
- Jamie Woon – (Making Time)
- Kano – (Made in the Manor)
- Laura Mvula – (The Dreaming Room)
- Michael Kiwanuka – (Love & Hate)
- Radiohead – (A Moon Shaped Pool)
- Savages – (Adore Life)
- The 1975 – (I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It)
- The Comet Is Coming – (Channel the Spirits)
Proposés :
- alt-J – (Relaxer)
- The Big Moon – (Love in the 4th Dimension)
- Blossoms – (Blossoms)
- Loyle Carner – (Yesterday's Gone)
- Dinosaur – (Together, As One)
- Glass Animals – (How to Be a Human Being)
- J Hus – (Common Sense)
- Ed Sheeran – (÷)
- Stormzy – (Gang Signs & Prayer)
- Kate Tempest – (Let Them Eat Chaos)
- The xx – (I See You)
Proposés :
- Arctic Monkeys – (Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino)
- Everything Everything – (A Fever Dream)
- Everything Is Recorded – (Everything Is Recorded)
- Florence + the Machine – (High as Hope)
- Jorja Smith – (Lost & Found)
- King Krule – (The Ooz)
- Lily Allen – (No Shame)
- Nadine Shah – (Holiday Destination)
- Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds – (Who built the moon?)
- Novelist – (Novelist Guy)
- Sons of Kemet – (Your Queen Is a Reptile)
Proposés :
- Anna Calvi – (Hunter)
- Black Midi – (Schlagenheim)
- Cate Le Bon – (Reward)
- Foals – (Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1)
- Fontaines D.C. – (Dogrel)
- Idles – (Joy as an Act of Resistance)
- Little Simz – (Grey Area)
- Nao – (Saturn)
- SEED Ensemble – (Driftglass)
- slowthai – (Nothing Great About Britain)
- The 1975 – (A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships)
Années 2020
Proposés :
- Anna Meredith – (Fibs)
- Charli XCX – (How I'm feeling now)
- Dua Lipa – (Future Nostalgia)
- Georgia (chanteuse) – (Seeking Thrills)
- Kano – (Hoodies All Summer)
- Lanterns On The Lake – (Spook the Herd)
- Laura Marling – (Song for Our Daughter)
- Moses Boyd – (Dark Matter)
- Porridge Radio – (Every Bad)
- Sports Team – (Deep down happy)
- Stormzy – (Heavy Is The Head)
Proposés :
- Arlo Parks – (Collapsed in Sunbeams)
- Berwyn – (DEMOTAPE/VEGA)
- Black Country, New Road – (For the First Time)
- Celeste – (Not Your Muse)
- Floating Points – (Promises)
- Ghetts – (Conflict of Interest)
- Hannah Peel – (Fir Wave)
- Laura Mvula – (Pink Noise)
- Mogwai – (As The Love Continues)
- Nubya Garcia – (SOURCE)
- Sault – (Untitled (Rise))
- Wolf Alice – (Blue Weekend)
Notes et références
- (en) Trevor Dann, « 'By the time the list is agreed you wonder whether you like music at all' », sur the Guardian, (consulté le )
- « About The Prize », sur www.mercuryprize.com (consulté le )
- (en) Alexis Petridis, « Back to basics », sur the Guardian, (consulté le )
- (en) « Why Is Everyone at Mercury So Cagey About the Mercury Prize? », sur www.vice.com (consulté le )
- « BBC News | Entertainment | Manics lead Mercury shortlist », sur news.bbc.co.uk (consulté le )
- « Barclays | Barclaycard Mercury Prize Sponsorship Announced | EDF Media Centre », sur web.archive.org, (consulté le )
- (en) « A Zimbabwe-born singer and British-Ghanaian pianist lead a global Mercury shortlist », sur The Independent, (consulté le )
- « Hyundai |Hyundai Partners with Mercury Music Prize », sur web.archive.org, (consulté le )
- Portail de la musique
- Portail du Royaume-Uni
- Portail des récompenses et distinctions