England’s 2008 Mercury Prize: The Nominees Are In

The 2008 nominees for England’s nationwide Mercury Prize are in.

Announced earlier today in London, the list of twelve finalists for the prestigious award includes albums by such artists as Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Radiohead, and teen singer/songwriter Adele. Conspicuously absent were such albums as Coldplay’s worldwide hit Viva La Vida and Duffy’s Rockferry.

The twelve nominees were announced by radio/TV presenter Lauren Laverne at London's Hospital Club. The final award winner will be announced in a ceremony to be broadcast live on British channel BBC2 on Sept. 12, and hosted by British musician and television personality Jools Holland. The show will also feature performances from some of the nominated artists.

Quoted in an article for Billboard.com, head judge Simon Frith said that the list reflects "a remarkably rich year for British music."

The Mercury Prize is decided each year by a distinguished panel of judges, that includes musicians, academics, and members of the media. The “shortlist” of twelve finalists was narrowed down this year from a field of more than 240 album entrants from British artists.

This year’s twelve nominated albums are:

Adele, "19" (XL)
British Sea Power, "Do You Like Rock Music?" (Rough Trade)
Burial, "Untrue" (Hyperdub)
Elbow, "The Seldom Seen Kid" (Fiction/Universal)
Estelle, "Shine" (Atlantic)
Laura Marling, "Alas I Cannot Swim" (Virgin/EMI)
Neon Neon, "Stainless Style" (Lex)
Portico Quartet, "Knee-Deep In The North Sea" (Vortex)
Rachel Unthank & The Winterset, "The Bairns" (EMI)
Radiohead, "In Rainbows" (XL)
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, "Raising Sand" (Rounder/Decca)
The Last Shadow Puppets, "The Age Of The Understatement" (Domino)


RELATED: robert plant, adele, radiohead

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