...Mercury Rising

Soooooo, in case you missed it the prestigious Mercury Prize nominees were announced today and the list is somewhat eclectic to say the least, even by usual standards:

• Adele -21
• Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi
• Elbow - Build a Rocket Boys!
• Everything Everything - Man Alive
• Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam
• Gwilym Simcock - Good Days at Schloss Elmau
• James Blake - James Blake
• Katy B - On a Mission
• King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine
• Metronomy - The English Riviera
• PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
• Tinie Tempah - Disc-Overy

The obvious front runners to take the title from last year's winners the XX are the hugely  successful UK 'urban' artists Katy B and Tinie Tempah who both had a brilliant year alongside 

Adele with her HUGE voice from her second album '21' that has helped her break the US. 

However, the Mercury's are famously unpredictable and I fancy a few of the dark horses for the £20,000 prize that's announced on September 6th; here is a pick of my top 3:

PJ Harvey: Let England Shake

Never has the same artist won the prize twice but much like the other established artist and serial nominees Elbow who won in 2008 for the brilliant 'Seldom Seen kid'; Polly Jayne, better known as PJ Harvey won the Mercury in 2001 for the genius album that is 'Stories from the city, Stories from the sea' and makes her the insiders tip.
'Let England Shake', is her 8th studio album and although written over a two and half year period wasn't released until February, charting in the UK top 10. The most moving track on the album has to be the title track, inspired by 'The West's asleep', a beautiful poem by Irish Poet Thomas Davis. The singles to be spawned from the album are the hauntingly gorgeous 'The words that Maketh murder' and utterly fantastic 'The Glorius Land', enjoy...

Everything, Everything: Man Alive! 

The Manchester based alt rock quartet Everything, Everything rose to fame as part of the BBC Sound of 2010 and I've loved them ever since I was told to check them out a few months back by a good mate of mine. 
'Man Alive' is their debut album, released in August 2010 to rave reviews from both the Fly, NME and an Ivor Novello nomination for Best Album. The album is definitely my favorite in the list, however, for this fact alone, I doubt it will win. Spawning 5 brilliant singles, 2008's 'Suffragette Suffragette', 2009 'Schoolin' and the latest single 'Final Form'. The musically brilliant 'MY KZ, UR BF' (otherwise known as 'My Keys, Your boyfriend') which was first released in 2009, then rerecorded and re-released this year similarly to my favorite track by them, the lyrically genius 'Photoshop Handsome' turn it up!

Ghostpoet: Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam

Easily this years biggest outsider hes my tip to scoop the price, even if he doesn't you should definately check out him out. English lad, Obara Ejimiwe, better known as Ghostpoet is only a year older than me but has achieved so much already. After releasing his 1st EP 'Sound of strangers; last year his debut album, 'Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam' should win an award for its genius title alone! Hes had a very busy year getting great prize from the likes of the Guardian and playing at the likes of Glastonbury, Sonar and Latitude. Music that reminds of a mix between Maxi Jazz's solo work and a super chilled Roots Manuva, his brilliant debut single 'Cash & Carry Me Home', which has since been remixed and now features Kano, i personally prefer the origional...