Nominees for the annual Mercury Prize were announced this morning. The award recognizes achievement in music from the British Isles (it includes Ireland, not just the UK) and is one of the least predictable of its class. Recent winners include Elbow, Klaxons, and Arctic Monkeys, but there’s no guarantee another band will take home the cash winnings this year. While the list includes some predictable fare – Friendly Fires, The Horrors and Glasvegas are like, Mercury bait. Bat for Lashes was also nominated for a second time in her career (a rarity) for Two Suns, and Kasabian earned their first nom for their third album, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. Speech Debelle will get a Ms. Dynamite-like career boost from her nomination, and as long as she doesn’t squander it later, that’s a-ok. The shocker really is La Roux, whose album came out just a few weeks ago, meaning the group’s label must have submitted it to the prize committee as an advance before the June 2 submission deadline. We thought there was a release date deadline of June 13, but maybe that’s flexible when an album is leaked?
Also surprising are the list’s omissions. Lily Allen and Patrick Wolf have never been Prize picks, though they enjoy a great deal of critical acclaim. Little Boots’ Hands was completely ignored. The Prodigy and Polly Jean Harvey have each been nominated (and Harvey won in 2001), each had albums out this year, and were wholly omitted from nomination. In addition to 7 Allen, whose It’s Not Me It’s You came out in February, commented simply this morning via Twitter, “I hope La Roux wins.”
Oh, we should mention it’s now called the Barclaycard Mercury Prize, thanks to it’s new sponsor, Barclay Banks’ Barlcaycard. The cash prize and media attention will be doled out on September 8.
Bat For Lashes – ‘Two Suns’
Florence And The Machine – ‘Lungs’
Friendly Fires – ‘Friendly Fires’
Glasvegas – ‘Glasvegas’
The Horrors – ‘Primary Colours’
La Roux – ‘La Roux’
Led Bib – ‘Sensible Shoes’
The Invisible – ‘The Invisible’
Lisa Hannigan – ‘Sea Sew’
Kasabian – ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’
Speech Debelle – ‘Speech Therapy’
Sweet Billy Pilgrim – ‘Twice Born Men’
