Jamie xx, Florence, Aphex Twin, among Mercury Prize nominations

Jamie xx’s In Colour, Florence & The Machine’s How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful and Aphex Twin’s Syro were among those nominated for the Mercury Prize for the UK and Ireland’s most creative album in the past 12 months. 

Also on the list to receive the £20,000 (A$42, 515) cash prize were Ghostpoet’s Shedding Skin, Róisín Murphy’s Hairless Toys, Slave’s Are You Satisfied, Wolf Alice’s My Love Is Cool, Gaz Coombes’s Matador, Benjamin Clementine’s At Least For Now, C Duncan’s Architect, Eska’s Eska and SOAK’s Before We Forgot How To Dream. 

These were chosen from an entry of over 290 albums by an independent panel of musicians, music presenters, music producers, music journalists, festival organisers and other figures in the music industry in the UK and Ireland. 

“This year’s Mercury Prize shortlist includes seven debut albums and it celebrates artists from every stage of their careers”, said veteran music journalist and broadcaster Simon Frith, Chair of Judges.  

“These musicians come from a fascinating variety of musical places, cultures and histories. What they have in common is the ambition and the craft, the ideas and the imagination to make great music!”       

The Awards Show is held at Broadcasting House in London on Friday November 20 and hosted by radio presenter Lauren Laverne. The show will be broadcast live on BBC Four and BBC Radio 6 Music. 

In the run-up to the event, the BBC’s radio and digital platforms will feature the shortlisted artists through a series of studio sessions. 

The Prize has been criticised in the past for leaning too heavily on singer-songwriters and for ignoring genres like heavy metal. 

In 2015, bookmakers' favourites Everything Everything failed to get a gong. Other notable absentees including Blur, Laura Marling, Foals and New Order. 

Past winners of the Prize, set up in 1992, have been PJ Harvey, alt.j, Franz Ferdinand, Primal Scream, Young Fathers, The xx, James Blake, Arctic Monkeys, Suede, Pulp, Elbow, Antony & The Johnsons and Badly Drawn Boy.  

PJ Harvey is the only one to have won the Prize twice (in 2001 and 2011). She ties with Radiohead as the most shortlisted artist, although Radiohead has never won the prize. Gaz Coombs’ nomination comes 20 years after he was nominated as a 19-year old with Supergrass.