The nominees for the 2014 Barclaycard Mercury Prize Album Of The Year have been revealed, with Blur frontman Damon Albarn, rock duo Royal Blood and indie outfit Bombay Bicycle Club among the shortlist.
Albarn's first solo album Everyday Robots is one of the favourites to take out the prize, while Royal Blood's self-titled release is also being touted as one of the front-runners. In fact there are a number of debut records in this year's shortlist — alternative R&B singer FKA Twigs and the recently solo Nick Mulvey are among the others whose debuts have been acknowledged.
Singer-songwriter and recent Aus visitor Anna Calvi (One Breath) has been nominated for the second time in her career, as has jazz outfit Polar Bear for In Each And Every One.
Mercury Prize Shortlist
Anna Calvi — One Breath
Bombay Bicycle Club — So Long, See You Tomorrow
Damon Albarn — Everyday Robots
East India Youth — Total Strife Forever
FKA Twigs — LP1
GoGo Penguin — v2.0
Jungle — Jungle
Kate Tempest — Everybody Down
Nick Mulvey — First Mind
Polar Bear — In Each And Every One
Royal Blood — Royal Blood
Young Fathers — Dead
The esteemed prize, won last year by electro crooner James Blake, will be awarded to one of the aforementioned artists on Wednesday 29 October.
