1. Aphex Twin – Syro
The sixth studio album by Richard D James, this is the first time Aphex Twin has been nominated for the Mercury Prize. NME says that "Syro is amazing: bug-eyed, banging rave that sounds quintessentially Aphex while not quite sounding like anything he’s done before." He also won the Grammy Award for the Best Dance / Electronic Album in February this year.
2. Wolf Alice – My Love Is Cool
The north London alternative rock band have bagged a nomination from their first studio album, which reached No 2 in the official charts last year. Speaking to Lauren Laverne on BBC 6 Music from LA at 2:30 in the morning, singer Ellie Rowsell said, "We're absolutely flabbergasted – if that is a word that people still use." Pitchfork's review of the album says that "My Love Is Cool indicates a band who have their own thing all figured out, who shouldn't veer from their own strange path to live up to outdated narratives that dictate what a young British band should be."
3. Róisín Murphy – Hairless Toys
Róisín Murphy, the Irish singer-songwriter who was once in the band Moloko, has been nominated for the Mercury Prize for the first time for her first solo album in eight years. "I'm looking forward to the shindig," she told Lauren Laverne. The Guardian says that "It’s an album that distracts from the tyranny of the norm – the rent-paying rigmarole and relentlessness of everyday life – with Murphy cooing as if lounging in a giant champagne glass."
4. C Duncan – Architect
Christopher Duncan, a recording artist and composer from Glasgow, is also a painter. How is he going to celebrate his Mercury nomination? "I'm going to be painting by bedroom," he told Laverne. He also recorded his album in his bedroom, with his songs depicting his hometown. The Quietus says, "The composer with the Radio 6 Music soul has constructed something elegant, thought-provoking and comforting that will genuinely make you wish it was October." Well, it now is.
5. Eska – Eska
Eska Mtungwazi, a folk and jazz singer from Lewisham, southeast London, has been nominated for her debut album. She's also made a name for herself working with other well-known artists, including The Cinematic Orchestra and Grace Jones. The Evening Standard says that her songs "are like sparsely furnished rooms you would happily rest in and admire for a while, decorated with upright bass, sighing harmonium and woodwind, shimmering electronics and the twinkling guitar of David Okumu."
6. Florence + The Machine – How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Florence Welch doesn't really need that much of an introduction! She and her band headlined at Glastonbury Festival this year, her latest album has topped the charts in eight countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, and now she's got another Mercury Music Prize nomination. This is Welch's second. Her first album, Lungs, was nominated in 2009.
7. Ghostpoet – Shedding Skin
This is the second time that Ghostpoet (Obaro Ejimiwe) has been nominated for the Mercury award, with his first album, Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam, being nominated for the 2011 prize. With three albums under his belt, "two out of three isn't bad, I guess" he joked to Laverne on this morning's show. The Telegraph says that this album is "effectively atmospheric, giving a raw, insomniac groove to the gritty notes draining from electric guitars and a twitch of dirty old fluorescent bulbs in the glitchy drum beats."
8. Benjamin Clementine – At Least For Now
Benjamin Clementine, a singer, poet, composer, and musician from London, has received a lot of acclaim for his debut album. He started out busking on the streets of Paris, but has since gone on to perform on Later... with Jools Holland. The Guardian says that "these piano-led songs sound unique, the lonely despair of 'Cornerstone' and the arresting lyricism of 'Condolence' signalling an exciting new talent."
9. Jamie xx
Jamie Smith, known as both a solo artist and as a member of the band The xx, has shone this year with his widely critically praised full-length debut. Pitchfork says that In Colour is "the dazzling culmination of Jamie xx’s last six years of work, gathering up elements of everything he’s done – moody ballads, floor-filling bangers, expansive and off-kilter collaborations with vocalists – and packing them tightly into a glittering ball that reflects spinning fragments of feeling back at us."
10. SOAK – Before We Forgot how to Dream
Bridie Monds-Watson, from Northern Ireland, wrote the songs for her first album when she was only 14 and 15 years old and much of her material looks back at her childhood. Clash says that "her evident authenticity means she will hopefully continue to push in new directions. Mostly, Before We Forgot how to Dream reads a little like a portrait of Bridie's hero Joni Mitchell as a young artist: irreverent, observational and soulful."
11. Gaz Coombes – Matador
Previously the lead singer of Supergrass, Gaz Coombes made this Mercury-nominated album in the basement of his flat and launched his new music career by playing intimate gigs to 40 or so people. The Line of Best Fit says that "Matador is a great record, the sound of an artist following his own singular path – an artist who becomes more interesting with each release."
12. Slaves – Are You Satisfied?
Slaves, a punk band consisting of Laurie Vincent and Isaac Holman from Tunbridge Wells, have been together since 2012 but only released their debut album this May, reaching No 8 in the UK album chart. They also performed at Glastonbury this year and will be performing on TFI Friday later this evening. NME says "they’ve used their major-label debut to rally the troops rather than just jeer at them from the sidelines. Every song here is a call to arms or an affirmative flip of the table."