2009 Mercury Prize Nominations, Videos and Winner Predictions

photo credit: doug88888

Music fans–particularly fans of British and Irish music–might be excited to learn that the nominations for the 2009 Mercury Prize for best British or Irish album of the year have been announced, including Bat for Lashes, Florence & the Machine, Friendly Fires and nine others.

Although there are couple of jazz and  rap acts in the mix, this year’s nominations are heavy on indie bands and low-key electronic acts, which seems to have been the big trend over the past year. Florence & the Machine and Kasabian have been chosen as favorites by oddsmakers, but we’ve got a different pick.

If you’re not familiar with the chosen artists, don’t worry: We’ve compiled a collection of music and videos from the twelve nominated bands and musicians to help you through the list.

Checkout the 2009 Mercury Prize nominees below, then tell us who you would pick as the winner.

2009 Mercury Prize Nominees (with music, videos):

The Mercury Prize is awarded to the best British or Irish album of the year (released between July 2008 and July 2009). Nominations and winners are determined by a panel of musicians, music executives, journalists and other figures recognized as experts of the British and Irish music industries. According to the BBC’s Mercury Prize page, the winner “is judged solely on the strength of the recorded album as opposed to record sales or media profile of a particular artist.”

The winner will be announced in September.

1. 1
   Bat for Lashes
   
   2009 Mercury Prize Nominee: Bat for Lashes - Two Suns
   This sleepy electronic song about the Karate Kid is generating enough buzz to make Bat for Lashes the hot choice for top winner of the Mercury Prize 2009.
   
2. 2
   Florence & the Machine
   
   2009 Mercury Prize Nominee: Florence & The Machine - Lungs
   Likely to appeal to fans of everything from Feist to the Eurythmics, Florence’s solemn indie sounds are balanced with what we hope is a sense of humor: She has recorded a cover of Beyonce’s “Halo.”
   
3. 3
   Friendly Fires
   
   2009 Mercury Prize Nominee: Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires
   Disco, for people who think they’re too hip for disco.
   
4. 4
   Glasvegas
   
   2009 Mercury Prize Nominee: Glasvegas - Glasvegas
   Scottish attention-getters that are more fun than Belle and Sebastian, but not as entertaining as Franz Ferdinand, silly pompadours notwithstanding.
   
5. 5
   Lisa Hannigan
   
   2009 Mercury Prize Nominee: Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew
   Hannigan made her name as the duet partner of Damien Rice, whom she routinely up-staged with her effortless vocals on hits like “Volcano.” Easily the best, most natural female singer working today, she doesn’t rely on silly gimmicks to get her music across: She gets our vote for the prize. Surprised? Yeah, so were we.
   
6. 6
   The Horrors
   
   2009 Mercury Prize Nominee: The Horrors - Primary Colours
   A favorite of Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor (the Horrors appear on the NIN Breakup tour dates). When the band swings towards kitschy ’60s garage it’s fun, when it swings towards Joy Division, it’s a drag. We’re starting to think the good bits are an accident. Still, one of our top picks for this year’s prize.
   
7. 7
   The Invisible
   
   2009 Mercury Prize Nominee: The Invisible - The Invisible
   Often described as modern jazz with an electronic edge. Enough said.
   
8. 8
   Kasabian
   
   2009 Mercury Prize Nominee: Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
   Known for clubthumpers like “Club Foot,” the band seems to have mellowed out. Shame.
   
9. 9
   La Roux
   
   2009 Mercury Prize Nominee: La Roux - La Roux
   The most interesting thing about this is probably the singer’s gravity-defying hair, but we think she knows that already. (If, for some reason, you want to imitate La Roux’s makeup, there are plenty of detailed instructional videos online. We’re not sure why.)
   
10. 10
    Led Bib
    
    2009 Mercury Prize Nominee: Led Bib - Sensible Shoes
    Modern jazz? Yeah, we’re not sure how it made the list either. But it’s a nice change from the samey electro stuff.
    
11. 11
    Speech Debelle
    
    2009 Mercury Prize Nominee: Speech Debelle - Speech Therapy
    Reminds us of a female version of the Streets, but less whiny.
    
12. 12
    Sweet Billy Pilgrim
    
    2009 Mercury Prize Nominee: Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Twice Born Men
    Named after a character from Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5, and, well, that’s the most interesting thing about this band. Sorry, boys.