LED BIB'S CD *SENSIBLE SHOES*, ON CUNEIFORM, SHORTLISTED FOR 2009 MERCURY AWARD "ALBUM OF THE YEAR"
Cuneiform Records is proud -- indeed, THRILLED -- to announce that our new CD, Sensible Shoes by the British group Led Bib, was yesterday, July 21st, announced on the short-list for the Barclaycard Mercury Prize's 2009 "Album of the Year"
The prestigious Mercury Prize is of ground-shaking importance within the UK, and has been called the United Kingdom's "most influential music award". Unlike the UK's Brit Awards, which concentrate on more commercially successful acts and is more widely known in the US, the Mercury Prize is devoted to celebrating quality. It is given to the CD that a panel of experts feels is the best album of the year by a UK artist, regardless of musical genre, position on radio charts, or sales numbers.
Previous Mercury winners include the Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, PJ Harvey, Dizzee Rascal and Franz Ferdinand.
Previous Mercury shortlisted nominees include Radiohead, The Jesus and Mary Chain, U2, Blur, Oasis, The Chemical Brothers, David Bowie, Belle & Sebastian, Robert Wyatt, John Surman, M.I.A. and Muse.
Yesterday, on July 21st, the panel announced its short list for the prize – the 12 best albums of 2009 by UK artists. In announcing its shortlist, the Mercury Prize noted that:
"The 2009 Mercury Prize Albums of the Year represent exciting times in music from the UK and Ireland. As well as big names who've made an impact all over the world there are young, up and coming artists who make music that's exciting, inventive and implicitly indigenous. ...There's also the marked return of the classic Rock band, with some of the biggest names on the circuit accounted for courtesy of bold, brave albums."
The 12 nominees will perform and the winner of the award will be announced in a ceremony in London on Tuesday, September 8th, broadcast nationally on BBC Two, Radio 1 and Radio 2.
"Mercury Prize chair of Judges Simon Frith has commented on this year's list, saying: "This has been a rich and creative year for British and Irish music. There are seven fine debut albums on the list and five outstanding records from more established acts, all marking out new ground. What most impresses is the imaginative verve with which British and Irish musicians continue to explore musical possibilities, push musical boundaries and refuse to be pinned down by genre."
Led Bib are indeed adventurous young artists who push the boundaries of jazz and even the concept of genre. Since being released by Cuneiform in May, their CD Sensible Shoes has garnered an avalanche of favorable press in the UK and worldwide.