Mercury Music Prize shortlist announced

Radiohead, Estelle and the Last Shadow Puppets will all go head to head in the competition to win the Nationwide Mercury Prize this year.

The shortlist of 12 nominated acts has now been published and the winner will be announced on Friday September 12th.

Debut albums such as Londoner Adele's 19 have been included alongside Elbow's fourth studio album The Seldom Seen Kid.

Alex Turner has notched up his third Mercury Prize nomination in a row for The Age of the Understatement, the debut album from his side-project The Last Shadow Puppets with Rascals frontman Miles Kane, as his band Arctic Monkeys either won the prize or were nominated for their albums in both 2006 and 2007.

Of course this year could see a long overdue win for Radiohead for their seventh album, the ethereal In Rainbows, although many fans would say their earlier works were more deserving of the prize.

Lesser-known acts to be nominated include Rachel Unthank & the Winterset, Neon Neon, Portico Quartet and the shadowy figure Burial.

Simon Frith, the chair of judges, said 2007-08 had been a "remarkably rich year for British music".

He added: "What is most striking is the continued resilience and flexibility of the album as a way of organising music-making.

"It remains an unrivalled source of musical invention and imagination, a way of linking songs, exploring themes and developing sounds that is endlessly thrilling, surprising and worth celebration."

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