Artist Of The Day: King Creosote

The Mercury Prize has always had a pretty mixed reputation. The accolade - awarded to the best record for the best record in the UK and Ireland every given year - is often commended as a sales boost, clearly of great aid to artists that operate outside the mainstream and infinitely more helpful than the relatively paltry cash donation. The downside is that its judges are often hounded for their choices, especially those plucked from obscurity for no purpose other than to satisfy their own egos. However, even the most belligerent elitism can have its benefits. Case in point is King Creosote, a quite magnificent singer-songwriter whose work I may never have discovered had Diamond Mine, his collaboration with electronic musician  Jon Hopkins not been a surprise nomination for last year's gong.

Even by Mercury standards, this was a long shot. Hailing from Fife, Kenny Anderson has been relentlessly pumping out music since 1998, and currently has more than 40 LPs to his name; most existing in severely limited physical numbers. Seven years in the making, Diamond Mine saw songs from across Anderson's catalogue set against Hopkins' blissful ambient soundscapes, a combination which more often than not yielded truly mesmerising results. Now, with the additional Honest Words EP and yet another solo album already behind him, Anderson is embarking on his latest project, a series of EPs released through Domino records. The first installment, I Learned From The Gaels dropped in May, with its follow-up, To Deal With Things due later this month. As with the rest of his catalogue, it's sure to be worth investment.

To Deal With Things will be released on August 27. You can stream its lead track, "Ankle Shackles" here.