This year's nominees for the Mercury Music Prize have been announced with previous winners Arctic Monkeys appearing on the list for the second year running. This year they find themselves competing against Amy Winehouse, whose star has risen considerably in the last twelve months.
Also on the list of nominees are former winner Dizzee
Rascal for his album Maths and English, Scots punks
The View for Hats Off To The Buskers and dance rock
pioneers Klaxons for Myths of the Near Future. However,
iGuitar’s vote has to go to Jamie T, whose album
Panic Prevention remains one of the best of 2007.
Nevertheless, the Monkey’s Favourite Worst Nightmare
has quickly been picked up as favourite to win, with
Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black in hot pursuit.
As always with the Mercury however there are some outsiders
on the list who may yet steal the crown. Examples include
the hugely underrated Irish singer songwriter Fionn
Regan, the breathtaking Bat For Lashes, and the truly
fantastic Young Knives.
Proving that today's hellraisers still have a lot to learn about true rock and roll behaviour, Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx is publishing The Heroin Diaries, a no-holds barred account of a drug crazed year in the mid-eighties. As one of the hardest-living rock stars ever, the diary is likely to prove shocking to say the least.
Hugely respected metal label Roadrunner Records has announced the worldwide signing of metalcore titans Atreyu, whose last album A Death Grip On Yesterday exploded into the US Billboard chart at number 9 last year.
This year's nominees for the Mercury Music Prize have been announced with previous winners Arctic Monkeys appearing on the list for the second year running. This year they find themselves competing against Amy Winehouse, whose star has risen considerably in the last twelve months.
Metal favourites Porcupine Tree are set to return to the UK in November
for two dates in Oxford and London. Further dates are also expected to follow
in December.
