From NME:

The nominations for this year’s NATIONWIDE MERCURY MUSIC PRIZE have been revealed this morning (July 19).

At a small ceremony in London the 12 albums that will battle it out for this year’s prize were announced by Jools Holland.

The nominations are:

Bloc Party – 'Silent Alarm'
Hard-Fi –'Stars Of CCTV'
Kaiser Chiefs – 'Employment'
MIA – 'Arular'
The Magic Numbers – 'The Magic Numbers'
Coldplay – 'X&Y'
The Go! Team – 'Thunder, Lightning Strike'
Antony And The Johnsons – 'I Am A Bird Now'
KT Tunstall – 'Eye To The Telescope'
Maximo Park – 'A Certain Trigger'
Seth Lakeman – 'Kitty Jay'
Polar Bear – 'Held On The Tips Of Fingers'

The overall winner of the £20,000 prize will be announced on September 6.

Immediately the Kaiser Chiefs have been installed as 4/1 favourites, however the band showed a distinct lack of confidence by only putting a £2 bet on themselves.

"The Kaiser Chiefs went into the Ladbrokes in Trafalgar Square this morning and backed themselves to win with £2 at odds of 4/1. If they win it will return £10," revealed Ladbrokes spokesman Warren Lush.

Elsewhere in the odds Bloc Party are second favourites at 5/1, with the Magic Numbers and Coldplayclose behind, while Antony & The Johnsons and The Go! Team seem a good outside bet at 12/1.

Rooting for Antony
Would be pleased with Bloc Party or Coldplay
Expecting MIA to get it

I wouldn't be disappointed with the Kaiser Chiefs, in all honesty, I'm spun it far more than the Bloc Party or Coldplay. I would expect M.I.A. to get it as well.

My bet is on Magic Numbers.

[quote="Aural Fixation"]backed themselves to win with £2 at odds of 4/1. If they win it will return £10[/quote]

Can somebody explain to me how this adds up?

I’m hoping that the Magic Numbers win this thing, as I really like that album. I doubt it will though but it deserves to win this. I made a post about them a while back but I don’t think I got one reply. It feels like M.I.A. has the most momentum this year.

Info:

Rockin' sibling quartet The Magic Numbers have set October 4 as the U.S release date for their self-titled debut album on Capitol Records. Comprised of two magical sibling duos, the band features the talents of lead singer Romeo Stodart and his sister Michele (bass), as well as Sean (drums) and Angela Gannon (melodica, glockenspiel, vocals).

The Magic Numbers have just finished supporting U2 and Brian Wilson during some of their European tour dates, and are currently gearing up to headline their own tour throughout Europe at the end of August.

Here is the track listing to their debut album:

1. Mornings Eleven
2. Forever Lost
3. The Mule
4. Long Legs
5. Love Me Like You
6. Which Way To Happy
7. I See You, You See Me
8. Don't Give Up The Fight
9. This Love
10. Wheels On Fire
11. Love's A Game
12. Try
13. Hymn For Her

I believe there is another thread on them too that had a little more response. I'm interested in the album but I guess I'll have to wait until they release it here.

If MIA wins

i don't want the kaiser chiefs to win. i guess they sound the most "british" when it comes to the wave of british-rock bands figuratively sowing their seeds in america, but their album doesn't do much for me and i dislike that one single.

magic numbers or antony would be my pick.

Original bet + odds. If you win a £2 bet at 4/1, you get your money back plus £8. If it were 1/2 odds, you would get back £3.

I uniformly dislike virtually everything on that list.

Antony is by far the best thing on there which pretty much excludes him from winning, I'd imagine.

Magical like sawing a chick in half - or magical like a card trick?

i'm thinking magical like elves or fairies

Or magical like Magic Johnson

My
Aass
Got
Infected,
Coach?

doesn't polar bear have a memberor two from jane's addition or do i have my head totally up my arse?

c.

Ditto.

whoooooaa, look at colin gettin' all racey!