It’s that time of year again: the announcement of the 2011 shortlist for the Mercury Prize. The list (with links to online streamable versions where I could find them) is:

• Metronomy The English Riviera
• Adele 21
• Everything Everything Man Alive
• Ghostpoet Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam
• Anna Calvi Anna Calvi
• Tinie Tempah Disc-Overy
• Elbow Build a Rocket Boys!
• Gwilym Simcock Good Days at Schloss Elmau
• James Blake James Blake
• PJ Harvey Let England Shake
• Katy B On a Mission
• King Creosote & Jon Hopkins Diamond Mine

The list already includes four of my favourite albums of the year: Anna Calvi, Elbow, James Blake and PJ Harvey’s efforts. I’m looking forward to giving the others a listen over the next couple of days.