Mercury Prize Shortlist

Here it is, hot off the presses:

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Ballad Of The Broken Seas

Editors - The Back Room

Guillemots - Through The Windowpane

Richard Hawley - Coles Corner

Hot Chip - The Warning

Muse - Black Holes And Revelations

Zoe Rahman - Melting Pot

Lou Rhodes - Beloved One

Scritti Politti - White Bread, Black Beer

Sway - This Is My Demo

Thom Yorke - The Eraser


Witty and erudite deconstruction of the nominees will follow in due course.

Update One: Well, it's hardly inspiring, is it? I admit that I haven't heard the majority of these records. The ones I do know are generally over-rated turgid indie bollocks. Sway's biography is more interesting than his album is, Hot Chip are a personality void, and Editors are just The Auteurs without Luke Haine's magnificent irony.

If I had to choose a favourite it'd be Arctic Monkeys - but how crushingly predictable is that? Very crushingly indeed.

And what happened to the pop? Where are Goldfrapp? How has Lily Allen's eye make-up been overlooked? And what about McFly? (nb: joke)

Update two: I've just heard Richard Hawley's album and it's lovely. Lots of steel guitar and American-style baladeering. It won't win, but I think I may end up buying it. Curse you, the Mercurys!

Update three: Sorry for being neither witty nor erudite, but there wasn't much to go on, was there? Maybe next time...

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