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2008 Mercury Music Prize Nominees

22nd July 2008 | by Aidan Williamson

The twelve nominees for this year's Mercury Music Prize have been announced, the prize pits U.K and Irish artists against each other in the bid to win a £20,000 cheque for their efforts in musical excellence.

Last year saw The Klaxons walk away with the kitty for their album "Myths of the Near Future". This year, two giants head up the field, firstly, there is Radiohead, who made major waves in the industry via their non-traditional 'pay-what-you-want' distribution framework for "In Rainbows".

Equally likely to cause a stir is The Last Shadow Puppets' debut album "The Age of the Understatement" which will give Arctic Monkey Alex Turner yet another shot at the hallowed prize.

Newcomer Laura Marling has also snagged herself a surprise nomination for her subdued, yet expansive debut album "Alas, I Cannot Swim".

Likely to cause a stir by their absence are Coldplay and Duffy, two of the biggest selling artists of the year. Things get more confusing with the inclusion of Adele, the poor man's Duffy, who in turn was the sober man's Amy Winehouse. It should be noted that the Mercury prize has a long history of snubbing the views of the mainstream, instead opting to reward lesser-known artists. Although, with that said: where on earth are Foals, Future of the Left and Portishead on this list?

Here's the full list of nominees for the prize:

Adele - '19'
British Sea Power - 'Do You Like Rock Music?'
Burial - 'Untrue'
Elbow - 'The Seldom Seen Kid'
Estelle - 'Shine'
The Last Shadow Puppets - 'The Age Of The Understatement'
Laura Marling - 'Alas I Cannot Swim'
Neon Neon - 'Stainless Style'
Portico Quartet - 'Knee-Deep In The North Sea'
Robert Plant And Alison Krauss - 'Raising Sand'
Radiohead - 'In Rainbows'
Rachel Unthank And The Winterset - 'The Bairns'

The winner of the Nationwide Mercury Prize will be announced  at a live ceremony on September 4, 2008.

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