Music critics have voted US psychedelic dance act Animal Collective's record "Merriweather Post Pavilion" the album of the year.
The New York-based indie band topped HMV's annual "poll of polls" for 2009 and reflected a strong showing from acts signed to independent record labels.
The poll was voted for by critics and writers from the music and national press in the UK and Ireland and online sites, totalling 34 organisations.
Merriweather Post Pavilion received 13 nominations and was named album of the year by Mojo and Uncut magazines and The Sunday Times.
The January release, which reached number 26 in the charts, saw off the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "It's Blitz" into second and The XX's self-titled debut into third.
Fourth place was claimed by Brooklyn-based experimental rock outfit Dirty Projectors for their album "Bitte Orca", while Grizzly Bear grabbed fifth with their highly-rated title "Veckatimest".
The rest of the top 10 was made up of albums from Horrors, Fever Ray, Florence And The Machine, a class=vlin href=/vcat.phtml?action=va&singer=16859>Bat For Lashes and Wild Beasts.
Releases from Manic Street Preachers, Arctic Monkeys and Bob Dylan made the top 25.
Kasabian's "West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum" - credited by Q magazine as the album of the year - was voted the year's 29th finest record.
The Mercury Music Prize album of the year - Speech Debelle's "Speech Therapy" - failed to make the top 50. Source: Ananova
2005-03-02
Bono wants Pavarotti to sing at his funeral
Bono has revealed what kind of music he wants played at his funeral.
The U2 singer says he wants the music to be supplied by Bob Dylan and Pavarotti reports NME.com.
He describes the funeral in a new book, Bono In Conversation, due to be published in April.
He said:"I would like lots of weeping and wailing. The music would have to be good. Bob Dylan singing Death Is Not The End. I think I'll have Pavarotti singing La Traviata."
In the book, written with interviewer Michka Assayas, he also reveals private conversations with the likes of Tony Blair, George Bush and Bill Clinton.
U2 's 2005 world tour kicks off in San Diego on March 28. The British leg opens in Manchester on June 14. Source: Ananova
2004-06-14
Belfast venue switch for Dylan
Bob Dylan's planned concert at Belfast's Stormont Castle later this month has been moved to the city's Odyssey Arena.
The change of venue is because the promoter was unable to obtain a government grant to stage the show in the grounds of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Jim Aiken, of Aiken Promoters, said the Northern Ireland Events Company, a body set up to provide funding for major entertainment events in the Province, has already allocated its budget for the current financial year.
He said: "Stormont is a wonderful setting, but all the facilities and services have to be built on the site.
"I am disappointed, but the costs of infrastructure make the promotion of this event impossible without the grant."
The concert will be held in the Odyssey on the same evening as originally planned, June 26.
Previous concerts at Stormont have included Sir Elton John, Rod Stewart, the Eagles and Pavarotti.
Dylan kicks off his UK tour at the Cardiff International Arena on Friday, June 18, and is due to play concerts in Newcastle and Glasgow and headline the London Fleadh, Finsbury Park, on June 20. Source: Ananova
2004-06-14
Jack White celebrates his best year
Jack White says the last year, despite breaking a finger and his well-publicised brawl with Jason Stollsteimer, was his best to date.
"It's been the best year of my life," he told VH1. "I've gotten the chance to play with or be on the same stage with Bob Dylan, Loretta Lynn, Beck, Jeff Beck, David Bowie, Iggy Pop.
"These are things that would never occur to me that they would ever be possible, let alone have my favourite aspect be acknowledged and able to share that with an audience."
Hightlights had included producing an album for country legend Loretta Lynn to whom he dedicated the White Stripes' White Blood Cells album.
He said: "I couldn't believe they let me do it. We got really, really close to the real Loretta making that record."
Another had been appearing in Hollywood blockbuster Cold Moutain, although White feels his motives have been misinterpreted.
"People misinterpret things like that. Me being in Cold Mountain was because of how much I loved American and Southern American folk music. It wasn't a step in the direction of fame."
And he said: "I hate the word celebrity! Celebrity is very empty It's like all the people talking about Paris Hilton or whatever.
"There's really nothing going on there. I've never wanted that; anything that's happened is sort of a by-product of creativity." Source: Ananova