UNITED KINGDOM: Arctic Monkeys and Thom Yorke emerge as front runners for this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize

The shortlist for the Nationwide Mercury Prize were announced on Wednesday (July 18) with Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke leading the list of favourites. Hailing from the northern English city of Sheffield, the Arctic Monkeys were singled out for their skilful songwriting which was called "brilliant" by judge Simon Frith. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not became the fastest-selling debut in chart history, selling over 360,000 copies in its first week with hits like I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor and When The Sun Goes Down. The band were also the one of the first beneficiaries of the mass digital age when copies of their CDs were swapped between die-hard fans on the internet before the group topped the UK charts. At the helm of the one of Britain's most influential bands a decade ago, Thom York once again returned to the musical limelight. Along with the Arctic Monkeys, Yorke's The Eraser is 5/1 joint favourites by bookies to win the coveted gong. Guillemots, Muse and The Editors are in a three-way tie for 6/1 odds on favourite to walk away winners. Guillemots' singer Fyfe Dangerfield said whoever won didn't matter, as long as the band were acknowledge by their peers and critics. "Winning's great, but honestly being nominated is more than enough. Winning's just the bit of cherry on (British baked good) the Bakewell tart I think that's a better expression than icing on the cake - but um, being nominated is great, yeah." Hip-hop artist Sway whose grime genre is a product of London-based street sounds like two-step and UK garage impressed judges with his debut offer. "(The) Album when it first came out got loads of critical acclaim, like tabloids and stuff rating it five out of five and four out of five, and the hype was like this and the sales kind of reached it's target and then it went down like that and I'm trying to work on my second album. So for this to come on the first album - it's crazy," said Sway. The eclectic selection of artists has been a hallmark of the British music industry's most talked-about award. Lou Rhodes was half of Nineties musical duo Lamb and made her debut album in a commune where she lives with her two children and released the record on her own label. White Bread, Black Beer by Scritti Politti was a surprise. The band was founded in the 1970s and enjoyed chart success in the early 1980s. But singer-songwriter Green Gartside later refused to perform live after suffering a crippling panic attack before a gig in 1980 for which he required hospital treatment. He continued to make music and recorded occasional guest vocals for the likes of Kylie Minogue and Elvis Costello. The editor of New Music Express magazine Conor McNicholas said the various musical artists chosen reflected a change in record-buying habits of the public, which is in turn a product of the global digital revolution. "I think they've gone quite eclectic this year, much more eclectic than I expected them to be but I think it's brave in a way. But it is reflecting what people-- people's habits with music, people are experimenting more, it's easier to download stuff now that you can go on iTunes or Amazon and just kind of stuff before you buy it. So people are looking for things that are a lot more far out, stuff in hidden corners rather than just the big names coming time and time again," he said. Critics were shocked that Lily Allen and Kate Bush were snubbed. Allen currently tops the UK pop charts with her single Smile on her debut album Alright, Still. But as host of the nominations Jools Holland revealed, nobody is ever one hundred per cent satisfied with award's shortlists. "I think there will always be grumblings, everywhere I go there's grumblings, if I go in the pub there's somebody grumbling about something but I've always ignored a grumbler. I think it's good, however, if people are sort of complaining. I think that's good because that gets them debating, because then somebody says: 'No that's good' and somebody else says 'No, it's--' and I think the whole fact-- or if gets people talking about and thinking about and most importantly listening to new music, not just stuff on the prize but anywhere, then the Nationwide Prize has done it's job," he said. The full nominations are: :: 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 And Revelations :: Zoe Rahman - Melting Pot :: Lou Rhodes - Beloved One :: Scritti Politti - White Bread, Black Beer :: Sway - This Is My Demo :: Thom Yorke - The Eraser Last year Antony and the Johnsons took home the gong. The winner of the Nationwide Mercury Prize will be announced on September 5.

ITN Source | July 20, 2006

Tags:. .lily. .habits. .ballad. .mercury. .chosen