OMEN
07-18-2006, 08:25 PM
LONDON: The Arctic Monkeys made it on to the Mercury Prize shortlist of the 12 best British albums of the last year, where they were joined by 1980s act Scritti Politti, on the comeback trail with White Bread, Black Beer.
Editors, Guillemots, Muse and Sway also made the nominations for the annual awards, as did Thom Yorke, lead singer of Radiohead who has gone solo with The Eraser.
The Arctic Monkeys' Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not became the fastest-selling debut album in British chart history, with more than 360,000 copies sold in the first week.
"Great songs astonishingly performed. Essential," the Mercury judging panel said of the record, which includes hits I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor and When The Sun Goes Down.
"Above all, this year's shortlist for the Nationwide Mercury Prize is about the art of the songwriter – if you want to know what life is like in Britain today, listen to the country's musicians," said panel chairman Simon Frith.
The prize has regularly courted controversy since it began in 1992.
Seen as an alternative to the annual Brits awards, it has been criticised for ignoring breakthrough acts in a bid to maintain the element of surprise.
In 1994, M People's Elegant Slummin" beat competition from Blur's Parklife, Pulp's His'n'Hers and The Prodigy's Music For The Gilted Generation, to the consternation of the music press.
Last year, Antony and the Johnsons won the top prize for I Am A Bird Now" Lead singer Antony Hegarty, while born in England, has spent more than 20 years in the United States, raising questions about his eligibility for the prize.
Following is the list of nominated albums for the Nationwide Mercury Prize, the winner of which will be announced on September 5.
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 & Revelations
Zoe Rahman - Melting Pot
Lou Rhodes - Beloved One
Scritti Politti- White Bread Black Beer
Sway - This is My Demo
Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Reuters
Editors, Guillemots, Muse and Sway also made the nominations for the annual awards, as did Thom Yorke, lead singer of Radiohead who has gone solo with The Eraser.
The Arctic Monkeys' Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not became the fastest-selling debut album in British chart history, with more than 360,000 copies sold in the first week.
"Great songs astonishingly performed. Essential," the Mercury judging panel said of the record, which includes hits I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor and When The Sun Goes Down.
"Above all, this year's shortlist for the Nationwide Mercury Prize is about the art of the songwriter – if you want to know what life is like in Britain today, listen to the country's musicians," said panel chairman Simon Frith.
The prize has regularly courted controversy since it began in 1992.
Seen as an alternative to the annual Brits awards, it has been criticised for ignoring breakthrough acts in a bid to maintain the element of surprise.
In 1994, M People's Elegant Slummin" beat competition from Blur's Parklife, Pulp's His'n'Hers and The Prodigy's Music For The Gilted Generation, to the consternation of the music press.
Last year, Antony and the Johnsons won the top prize for I Am A Bird Now" Lead singer Antony Hegarty, while born in England, has spent more than 20 years in the United States, raising questions about his eligibility for the prize.
Following is the list of nominated albums for the Nationwide Mercury Prize, the winner of which will be announced on September 5.
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 & Revelations
Zoe Rahman - Melting Pot
Lou Rhodes - Beloved One
Scritti Politti- White Bread Black Beer
Sway - This is My Demo
Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Reuters