As Sean is unavailable today, Iām posting this to get it online today (with his blessing) so we can start the ball rolling on the annual NEPTUNE MUSIC PRIZE!
Yes, Itās time again for our annual alternative to the Mercury Music Prize, to highlight some really special records that we love, and to have a public vote to see which one you rate the best.
As per previous years, weāve used the same eligibility criteria (albums by British and Irish artists with a UK digital release date between 22 July 2017 and 20 July 2018) and havenāt included anyone who was nominated for the Mercury.
One vote each. Hopefully youāll find a record youāve not heard before that you go on to adore (thatās the real point of this). In alphabetical order, the nominees are:
Sean usually does a discussion about what should go onto the Neptune list so everyone has a bit of involvement instead of just publishing a vote list. I wouldāve picked Pesimist too.
Time has been a bit short this year and both him and I have been manically busy. So, between us and Andrzej and Dom, we thrashed out what we thought were the best 20. Of course, some peopleās favourites miss out - that canāt be helped. But we stand by these being 20 outstanding albums, all of which deserve acclaim (and listens).
My third favourite album by a British artist in 2017/18 is on the list so Iāll be voting for that. However there are some weak albums on this list. I appreciate your time in creating it but Bicep, Shame and Jon Hopkins are never better than Mogwai, James Holden and Pessimist.
