From: bzangy@removethisbitgmail.com 
  
 On 2005-09-10 18:24:37 +0100, Anthony Chapman 
  said: 
  
 > I like the Antony & The Johnsons album a lot, and I had a feeling it 
 > would win (although foolishly I didn't put any money on it). 
  
 You missed out there! This time next year, Rodney... 
  
 > But the performance on the awards show I enjoyed the most was Polar 
 > Bear.  I expected a Mercury-nominated jazz album to be muzak shite. 
 > But it was pretty wild actually. 
  
 They were certainly different. It wasn't as good a performance as when 
 they were on Later but it still woke me from my slumber. Not sure about 
 the bloke doing the joystick solo though, bit too ICA for me. 
  
 Come on Ant - admit you wanted to shout DONKEH! all they way through. :-) 
  
 > Maximo Park wound me up enormously - I just couldn't believe all the 
 > DEAD SERIOUS moves they were pulling, when they're playing infront of a 
 > load of pissed up music biz slime, who have paid a grand per table to 
 > be there.  Fucks sake, I wonder if you're that INTO IT when you play at 
 > some 300 capacity venue in Northampton or wherever. 
  
 See, maybe it's age but they didn't annoy me at all. They just went 
 woosh, over my head. Didn't connect. Another year, another hugely hyped 
 schmindie band that will unite all peoples and save the universe from 
 heat death. 
  
 > But... somebody please tell me.  The Go!Team.  What the fuck?  I picked 
 > up the album after being told I'd love it about a hundred times.  What 
 > did I hear?  Piss weak samples over piss weak beats, with some piss 
 > weak vocals buried in the mix.  Saw them live supporting LCD 
 > Soundsystem and Soulwax (who were both stunning), and they were 
 > embarrassing to watch - it was like a big youth club jam.  The Mercury 
 > performance was a joke. The reference by the singer to Memphis 
 > Industries "selling their souls" for the band was surprisingly close to 
 > the truth - Sony now "own" them. 
  
 I didn't mind a couple of tunes off the album, 'Panther' and another 
 one. But I haven't listened to the rest much. I also had a lot of 
 people telling me I'd love it, presumably because I like "that kind of 
 stuff."  :-) 
  
 > Antony & The Johnsons - if anything, it was probably the most 
 > conventional record (in terms of structure) on the shortlist.  Torch 
 > Songs / ballads, some with a light, jazzy backing.  It's the voice that 
 > sets it apart. And I entirely understand it's not to everyone's taste. 
  
 I got the album a while back and gave it a few listens but, again, the 
 songs didn't connect with me. I got used to his voice after the first 
 couple of listens. I'm pretty harsh on singer-songwriters though - they 
 have to match up to people like Tim Hardin, Phil Ochs and of course 
 Lauging Lenny before I think they can be called geniuses. Who knows, 
 maybe I'll love A & The Js next album? 
  
 > But it seems churlish for people to get all haughty about Antony's 
 > brit-credentials when rhyming-dictionary crap like The Kaiser Chiefs 
 > are the favourites for a prize supposedly meant to celebrate diversity 
 > and innovation, and Deacon-Blue-In-A-Tight-Indie-T-shirt session wanks 
 > like Razorlight sell a lot of records. 
  
 Who's being churlish? Whuh? 
 love and kisses, 
 Jyoti 
  
 --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05 
  * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)