Arctic Monkeys, Thom Yorke up for UK music honours

LONDON - Indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, whose recent debut album was the fastest selling in UK chart history, have made the shortlist for the Mercury Award, one of the country's top music honours.

The prize, which has been awarded since 1992 by a committee of industry representatives, honours 12 record albums produced by British and Irish artists. This year's winner will be announced during a ceremony September 5.

Other albums on the shortlist include Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke's solo release "The Eraser," current chart-topper "Black Holes & Revelations" by Muse, "The Back Room" by Editors, and "Through a Windowpane" by Guillemots.

Mercury panel chairman Simon Frith said in a statement, "Above all, this year's shortlist is about the art of the songwriter. If you want to know what life is like in Britain today, listen to the country's musicians."

The judging panel's citation called the Arctic Monkeys album "essential," adding, "Great songs astonishingly performed."

In a statement, the Arctic Monkeys said: "We are really pleased and grateful to have been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. It's been such an overwhelming year in every respect and this is another really exciting thing to happen us."

The Mercury Prize is seen as an artistic alternative to the more commercial Brit Awards with previous winners including "Different Class" by Pulp, "Boy in Da Corner" by Dizzee Rascal, and "The Hour of Bewilderbeast" by Badly Drawn Boy." Last year's winner was "I am a Bird Now" by Antony and the Johnsons.

Mercury Prize 2006 shortlist

Arctic Monkeys - "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not"
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - "Ballad of the Broken Seas"
Editors - "The Back Room"
Guillemots - "Through the Windowpane"
Richard Hawley - "Coles Corner"
Hot Chip - "The Warning"
Muse - "Black Holes & Revelations"
Zoe Rahman - "Melting Pot"
Lou Rhodes - "Beloved One"
Scritti Politti - "White Bread Black Beer"
Sway - "This is My Demo"
Thom Yorke - "The Eraser"

- REUTERS/Hollywood Reporter