A music enthusiast has completed a careful assessment of the year’s albums by waiting to find out which one a panel of experts considers best.
Listener Dominic Shore says his musical opinions are deeply personal, although they often arrive at exactly the same time as an awards announcement.
Throughout the shortlist campaign he described several records as strong contenders, a phrase that allowed every possible outcome to become evidence of his judgment.
Once the winner emerged, he located an earlier message containing the words really good and prepared to distribute it as a document of historical significance.
He is particularly pleased that the result challenges the mainstream. He will explain this in a playlist featuring the winning artist beside several other mainstream-challenging artists chosen by large mainstream institutions.
Friends recall that he initially dismissed the record’s production, but Dominic says they are confusing his first reaction with his more mature understanding, developed shortly after the ceremony.
Next year he plans to discover the winner even earlier by studying the betting odds.
He insists this is not outsourcing taste. It is simply recognising talent with the confidence that comes from knowing other people have already recognised it.
