Here’s the shortlist for the Mercury Music Prize
Today, the Mercury Prize shortlist for album of the year has been unveiled. Often considered the high-brow alternative to the Brits, the Mercury is always hotly contested.
This year’s nominees range from the pop-croonings of Lilly Allen to the R&B of Jorja Smith to the experimental jazz of Sons Of Kemet, so there’s plenty on offer for all tastes. Also included on the list are The Arctic Monkeys, who’ve been nominated four times and won once before for their debut album.
As always, there’s some notable absentees from the list. Considering the Mercury markets itself as an institution invested in emerging talent, Shame’s stellar debut didn’t make the cut. There’s also a notable shortage of electronic artists, with George Fitzgerald and Jon Hopkins being among the first who come to mind. Of course, because the Mercury requires a small capital investment to apply, we’re never quite sure which albums were submitted and which were not.
Here’s the full shortlist.
- Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino
- Everything Everything – A Fever Dream
- Everything Is Recorded – Everything Is Recorded
- Florence + The Machine – High As Hope
- Jorja Smith – Lost & Found
- King Krule – The Ooz
- Lily Allen – No Shame
- Nadine Shah – Holiday Destination
- Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Who Built The Moon?
- Novelist – Novelist Guy
- Sons of Kemet – Your Queen Is A Lizard
- Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life
