The shortlist for this year's Mercury Music Prize has been announced. Last year Badly Drawn Boy won the £20,000 prize with his The Hour Of Bewilderbeast.
Simon Frith, the Chair of Judges, says, "With eight debut albums, this is one of the more intriguing Mercury Prize shortlists. There is the emergence of a new generation of singer/songwriters and a continuing breakdown in the distinction between rock and dance-floor sensibilities. But what's most striking is the verve with which British musicians draw on the full palette of styles and genres, past and present, to pursue their distinctive moods and visions."
The shortlist, chosen from an entry of over 180 albums by British and Irish artists, is:
- Basement Jaxx - Rooty
- Ed Harcourt - Here Be Monsters
- Elbow - Asleep In The Back
- Goldfrapp - Felt Mountain
- Gorillaz - Gorillaz
- PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
- Radiohead - Amnesiac
- Super Furry Animals - Rings Around The World
- Susheela Raman - Salt Rain
- Tom McRae - Tom McRae
- Turin Brakes - The Optimist LP
- Zero 7 - Simple Things
The winner will be announced at the Mercury Prize Show on 11 September. For the first time the event will be broadcast on Channel 4 on 12 September. As in previous years it will also be broadcast on Radio 1.
