Be Kind To 'My Mistakes'

State Of The Nation?

Well, this year's Mercury Music Prize nominations have been announced which just confirm how snugly the prize has settled into cosy mainstream safe-bet territory (we're betting every single artist has been on Later... f'rinstance).

Last year we pointed you in the direction of eventual 7-1 winner Speech Debelle. No strong thoughts this time round, aside from one of The xx or Laura Marling should win, and that probably one of Paul Weller or I Am Kloot will. That said, decent odds about Laura Marling should be considered.

As for what's been left out, our own Half-Term Report on 2010 should be published here before Indietracks (that's by this Thursday, non-Anoraks) and without spoiling it there's certainly a few in the Top Ten that could have been included by The Mercurys but were shamefully ignored.

Poisoned Chalice

For anyone still concerned about the Mercury Music Prize the nominations have been announced and can be found on the official site. A pretty uninspiring list by any standards, the Best British Album during an era when the best music is coming predominantly from Scandinavia and North America seems like eternal damnation by faint praise to these ears.

No strong feelings on the outcome, either, but depending on the odds, Speech Debelle or The Horrors might give you a decent run for your money.

Legal disclaimer: Gamble Aware: Don't gamble unless you know the facts. Being responsible about gambling means knowing whether to gamble and how much money or time to spend.

The Eighth Annual Parallax View Premiership Predictions

1. CHELSEA
2. Manchester United
3. Arsenal
4. Liverpool

5. Portsmouth
6. Aston Villa
7. Tottenham Hotspur
8. Everton
9. Manchester City
10. Sunderland
11. Blackburn Rovers
12. Newcastle United
13. Middlesborough
14. Fulham
15. West Ham United
16. Wigan Athletic
17. West Bromwich Albion

18. Bolton Wanderers
19. Stoke City
20. Hull City

Talk your own balls in the comments box provided.

Gruff Justice

Off out shortly to Brum for the rest of the day, but in the meantime let your eyes have a lunchtime feast over The Mercury Music Prize nominations, which contain few alarms or surprises, and include a couple of top contenders for album of the year to date in our upcoming Half Term Report (due by the weekend) in Neon Neon and Laura Marling. Radiohead and Burial are also worthy choices from 2007 for the MMP, with Burial and Laura Marling probably the best value bets, as genre contenders with broader appeal usually do well in these kind of competitions. A second successive win for a dance-orientated record may be risky, so my money's on Ms Marling for the folkin' good album 'Alas I Cannot Swim'.*

*Remember, pop punters, always gamble responsibly, and with money you can afford to lose.