The Shortlist Music Prize has announced its, erm, shortlist, and can I be the first to say what a good shortlist it is? Can I? Good? "Wow, what a good shortlist the Shortlist people have put together this year". There, done it. Now the rest of you are at liberty to do likewise, providing you don't forget who said it first. On the list this year are: Band Of Horses, Beirut, Bonnie Prince Billy, Cat Power, Girl Talk, Hot Chip, Joanna Newsom, Regina Spektor, Spank Rock and Tom Waits.
As much previously reported, the Shortlist Music Prize is something akin to the Mercury Music Prize - though only albums that have not sold over half a million units in the US are eligible. The whole thing took a year off last year, and the future of the Prize was thrown into doubt when one of its founders set up a new rival prize based around a similar model. But everything has been resolved, the Shortlist Music Prize is back, and the overall winner from that list of ten will be revealed on a date tbc.
Among the music pundit types voting on the Shortlist this year were Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody, The Killers' Ronnie Vannucci, Franz Ferdinand, KT Tunstall, Panic! At The Disco, The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne, Sufjan Stevens and journalists Toure and Rev.