The Results Are In!

So the nominations for the Choice Music Prize, awarding the best Irish albums of 2007, have been announced. Nialler and I got seven of our predicted ten correct which isn’t a bad score. The three neither of us guessed were David Geraghty, Kila & Super Stanley 800. Although, I had considered David Geraghty, I would have never predicted Kila or Stanley Super 800.

It’s an interesting list and fairly wide open. The smart short money will probably be on Cathy Davey. The gambling man, however, might risk a punt on Stanley Super 800 to sneak up from behind and snatch the gold medal. I do think it’s a shame that neither So Cow or Mumblin’ Deaf Ro have been included, if not hugely surprising.

The prize will be announced on February 27th in Vicar Street.

The Choice Music Prize 2008 Predictions

The ten nominees for the Choice Music Prize for the Best Irish album of 2007 are announced tomorrow (Wednesday Jan 9th) and take place on February 27th in Vicar Street. Personally, I think there were lots of great Irish tracks this year and some excellent EP’s but I don’t think there were many standout albums. But I’ve made a list of what I think may well be the shortlist. Last year, I made a list beforehand and guessed 8 out of the ten nominees (I didn’t have Snow Patrol and, the eventual winner, The Divine Comedy). Because there are fewer standout albums this year, I feel less sure about my chosen ten this time around. There are actually about 20 albums that could all easily be on the list. I left off some of the more mainstram acts (Paddy Casey, Sinead O’Connor, Damien O’Rourke, Damien Dempsey) because none of these releases seemed to garner much interest or hype. I haven’t even included one of my two favourite Irish albums of the year – ‘These Truly Are End Times’ by So Cow as I think it is probably a little too far off most people’s radar and I think Nina Hynes’ album should be on there but I have a hunch that it won’t be. And I have included records that I would not choose to have on my own personal list but no-one is going to like every record on the list anyway. Ultimately, it depends on who the judges are.

Anyway, here’s my possibly totally incorrect guess at the shortlist:

Cathy Davey – ‘Tales of Silversleeve’

Delorentos – ‘In Love with Detail’

 

Super Extra Bonus Party – ‘Super Extra Bonus Party’

Róisín Murphy – ‘Overpowered’

Mumblin’ Deaf Ro – ‘The Herring and the Brine’

Adrian Crowley – Long Distance Swimmer

Dry County – Unexpected Falls

Future Kings of Spain – Nervousystem

The Flaws – Achieving Vagueness

Hooray For Humans – Safekeeping