Last year PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake album took the coveted pole position again strong competition which included the monster of an LP, 21 from Adele. Today (Wednesday 12 September) the 12 Albums of the Year, shortlisted from an entry of almost 250, for the 2012 Barclaycard Mercury Prize has been announced.
This year the shortlist includes some fantastic LP’s that have been on repeat over here at SC:HQ since release, from the likes of Michael Kiwanuka, Plan B, Lianne La Havas, Jessie Ware, Alt-J and more. Check out the full list below.
Alt-J – An Awesome Wave
Ben Howard – Every Kingdom
Django Django – Django Django
Field Music – Plumb
Jessie Ware – Devotion
Lianne La Havas – Is Your Love Big Enough?
Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again
Plan B – Ill Manors
Richard Hawley – Standing at the Sky’s Edge
Roller Trio – Roller Trio
Sam Lee – Ground of its Own
The Maccabees – Given to the Wild
“This year’s Barclaycard Mercury Prize shortlist showcases a wonderful variety of musical voices, emotions and ambitions”, says Simon Frith, Chair of Judges. “There are eight debut albums on the list and four albums from more established artists. The sheer range of music here celebrates the abiding ability of British musicians to find new ways to explore traditional themes of love and loss while making an exhilarating soundtrack for life in 2012.”
In addition to the Barclaycard Mercury Prize Awards Show at the Roundhouse on Thursday November 1st, where the overall winner will be announced, this year will also see the Prize introduce a new series of one-off gigs featuring the shortlisted artists being held ahead of the Awards Show on 1 November. Register for more information HERE.
[...] Past winners of the award include Dizzee Rascal, Ms. Dynamite, Speech Debelle and The xx, and you can see this year’s shortlist here. [...]