Barclaycard Mercury Prize 2014 judge: "Arguments definitely break out!"

With the exception of two or three acts (Damon Albarn, Royal Blood, Jungle), the 2014 Barclaycard Mercury Prize shortlist is one of the most obscure in recent memory (see the full list here). 

As such, who will pick up this year's prestigious prize feels like it's anyone's game. The favourite at the time of writing is electro-trip-hop singer FKA Twigs, but if previous years are anything to go by, that means very little indeed. 

But was this year's list of (mostly) newcomers and unknowns intentional? And what's the atmosphere like in the judges room on the night? We put our questions to Mercury Prize judge and Xfm presenter John Kennedy to find out. 

The majority of this year’s Mercury Prize shortlist is made up of relatively obscure albums. Were you surprised at how the list turned out?

“I guess I wasn’t so much surprised as pleased that such an interesting shortlist was pulled together. Reflecting a year in music can be tricky as some of the interesting and brilliant detail can get obscured by what’s in the foreground. The aim of the Mercury Prize is to try and highlight albums that might have got slightly overlooked.

"This year’s list is a good example of the Prize doing that. If the artists on the this year’s list are lesser known by the general public then hopefully the Prize will help get them better known as they certainly deserve to be.”

Were there any other albums you personally wanted on the list?

“I think for all the judges there are always going to be albums you would have liked to have seen on the list that haven’t made it. There are 12 people involved who all have a strong involvement and interest in music so inevitably there are going to be albums they feel are particularly special.

“But that’s the exciting thing about being involved in something that isn’t just about your taste or your area of expertise but instead brings together various different tastes to form another kind of collection. To get on the list an album needs to be able to connect to more than just one judge and have an appeal that goes beyond the sphere it’s been created in.”

There's been talk (as ever) that this year hasn't produced many great albums, is this shortlist the Mercury's way of saying 'Actually, yes there are, if you're willing to look a little deeper’?

“Totally. I find it very hard to whittle a list of fine albums from twelve months down to just twelve. There are loads of great albums being made but not enough of them get heard.”

With the exception of two or three records, album sales have been low this year. What’s going wrong here?

“I don’t know whether it’s a question of things going wrong more that people’s habits change as technology and culture evolve. Including streaming of albums as well as singles in sales figures seems like a sensible thing to do. Lower sales figures for albums reflect a change in consumption of entertainment, however it doesn’t necessarily reflect a lack of interest in the album both from an artist’s point of view or that of the listener.

“The album is still regarded by both artist and listener as something important and worthwhile. I often find when listeners make an enquiry about an artist I’ve played on the radio they ask whether that artist has an album. Similarly many new artists see writing and recording an album of material as an important milestone in their development. The idea and value of the album will continue for some time yet.”

Listen to a playlist of this year's Mercury Prize nominees below:

There seems to be greater transparency with regards to the Mercurys panel this year. You decide who’s won on the night - what's the atmosphere like in the judging room? We imagine a few arguments must break out!

“I think the people who organise the Mercury Prize try to protect the judges from attempts to sway them before the twelve albums on the list are finalised. They have tried various ways of doing this in the past which have been interpreted by some as obscuring the process involved but really have been intended as ways of making sure none of the judges get nobbled.

“The atmosphere on the night is apprehensive, tense and passionate. But also excited as it’s an exciting event to be involved in. Arguments or strong words definitely break out and occasionally steam comes out of people’s ears but that’s all part of the fun!”

What's your personal criteria when choosing a winner?

“There are so many! The winner has to reflect a particular year in music but also potentially to have a created a classic piece of work that can stand the test of time. Craft, skill, context, innovation, individuality and talent all come into play. You try to be objective about choosing a winner but it is also a very subjective thing to do. Feelings and emotions are important too.”

Most of the shortlisted acts - especially the winner - generally enjoy a healthy sales uplift thanks to their nomination. Have you ever been tempted to choose a winner based on an album the general public can handle?

“I don’t think choices are made in terms of whether the public can handle an album but the idea that the albums on the list can benefit from being included is definitely an inspiration.”

The 2014 Barclaycard Mercury Prize Awards Show takes place at the Roundhouse on Wednesday 29 October. Alice Levine will be presenting More4's live coverage of the event from 9.30pm.