Mercury Prize 2015 Nominees Include Aphex Twin, Jamie xx, Florence + The Machine
Every year since 1992, a panel of British music-industry types convenes to decide which album will win the Mercury Prize, the award given to what they deem the best album to come out of the UK during a particular year. The people behind the prize just announced the 12 albums nominated for this year’s prize, as the BBC reports. They include some big records, including Aphex Twin’s SYRO, Jamie xx’s In Colour, and Florence + The Machine’s How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. Other nominated artists include people like Ghost Poet, Eska, Soak, Slaves, Roisin Murphy, and former Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes. You’d have to figure that Jamie xx would be the early favorite, even if his band the xx already won it in 2010 and there’s only one two-time winner in Prize history (PJ Harvey). But this jury has a history of going with left-turns and unknowns; avant-rap group Young Fathers won it last year. Below, check out the list of albums nominated.
• Aphex Twin – Syro
• Benjamin Clementine – At Least For Now
• Gaz Coombes – Matador
• C Duncan – Architect
• Eska – Eska
• Florence + The Machine – How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
• Ghost Poet – Shedding Skin
• Jamie xx – In Colour
• Roisin Murphy – Hairless Toys
• Slaves – Are You Satisfied
• Soak – Before We Forgot How To Dream
• Wolf Alice – My Love Is Cool
The Prize winner will be announced in a ceremony Broadcast on BBC Four and BBC 6 Music 11/20.