The 10 finalists for the 2004 Shortlist Prize were just announced, an amazing feat considering the potential albums they had to choose from. The Shortlist, a sort of US version of the UK Mercury Music Prize, honors critically acclaimed albums that have not yet been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for U.S. shipments of 500,000 copies. Were this year’s noms filled with surprises? Me thinks not.
The 10 finalists are:
Air’s Talkie Walkie (Astralwerks)
Dizzee Rascal’s Boy in Da Corner (Matador/XL)
Franz Ferdinand’s self-titled Domino/Epic debut
Ghostface Killah’s The Pretty Toney Album (Def Jam)
the Killers’ Hot Fuss (Island)
Loretta Lynn’s Van Lear Rose (Interscope)
Nellie McKay’s Get Away From Me (Columbia)
the Streets’ A Grand Don’t Come for Free (Vice)
TV On The Radio’s Desparate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes (Touch & Go)
Wilco’s A Ghost Is Born (Nonesuch).
“As the Shortlist Music Prize becomes more established, the artists who win our award have a wonderful chance to grow their audience,” says Shortlist co-founder Greg Spotts.
The winner will be crowned Nov. 10 at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles during a concert featuring nominees. To be eligible, an artist’s latest album must have been released between July 1, 2003, and June 30, 2004.
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