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Arctic Monkeys up for top prize
19/07/2006 11:25 - (SA)
London - Internet sensation Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and 1980s act Scritti Politti were among those shortlisted on Tuesday for the Mercury Prize, Britain's most prestigious music award.
Twelve albums out of 200 entries were nominated for the prize, to be awarded on September 5.
"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," chair of the judges Simon Frith said.
Arctic Monkeys' Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not smashed the British record for the fastest-selling debut album in January.
The Mercury Prize judges said it contained "great songs astonishingly performed".
The indie foursome built up a hardcore fan base by making their early demos free to download from the internet before releasing a record - eschewing the corporate music industry route to the top of the chart.
Yorke, who has sold millions of albums with Radiohead, was nominated for his debut solo album The Eraser. The judges said the record was "a compelling new setting for Thom Yorke's unique voice and lyrical vision".
Scritti Politti's White Bread, Black Beer, their first album since 1999, was a surprise choice.
The band had a string of hits in the 1980s but main man Green Gartside, 51, soon retreated to a cottage in Wales.
The Mercury judges labelled the singer's comeback "an album of sublime and uplifting pop that showcases one of Britain's unique musical voices."
They reckoned 2006 was "a rich year for musical excellence and creativity".
Frith said: "The list contains songs that are witty, sad, angry and reflective; songs exploring emotions and debating attitudes; songs about love lost and love found; songs both personal and political, happy and anxious; songs using a wonderful variety of genres, beats, sound and moods."
Isobel Campbell (Belle and Sebastian) and Mark Lanegan (Queens of the Stone Age), Editors and Muse are among the other nominees.
Antony And The Johnsons won last year's prize.
Shortlist:
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Isobel Campbell and 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
- AFP
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South Africa
