Mercury Rising

With its seemingly insatiable appetite for production line boy-bands (One Direction, JLS) and pappy pop princesses (Cher/ Cheryl), if the Great British public awarded Michelin stars, would KFC have a maximum three above its portals? How refreshing to see 2011 Mercury Prize winner PJ Harvey’s fine concept album, Let England Shake, shoot up Amazon’s chart to number two, just behind the deserved global phenomenon that is fellow Mercury contender, Adele. I may question the inclusion of certain past nominees - U2, Spice Girls, Keane, Kasabian - but any platform that helps bring a wider audience for the likes of Anna Calvi, Everything Everything and Metronomy (whose track, The Look, is a slice of sublimely infectious pop) is a positive. Even if that audience is more likely to currently own a P J and Duncan CD than any of PJ Harvey’s.