Well, the nominations for this year's Mercury Music Prize have been announced:

 

Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare

Dizzee Rascal - Maths and English

The View - Hats Off to the Buskers

Maps - We Can Create

Bat For Lashes - Fur and Gold

Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future

Jamie T - Panic Prevention

The Young Knives - Voices of Animals and Men

Fionn Regan - The End of History

Basquiat Strings with Seb Rochford - Basquiat Strings

Amy Winehouse - Back to Black

New Young Pony Club - Fantastic Playroom

 

Now, the bookies have both Amy Winehouse and Arctic Monkeys as joint favourites, at 4/1. But surely Alex Turner's mob can't pick it up for two years in a row? Likewise, the deck surely has to be stacked against Dizzee Rascal, who of course picked up the award back in 2003 for 'Boy In Da Corner'.

 

The bookies have Dizzee tying with Jamie T, Klaxons, and The View at 8/1, with The Young Knives, Bat for Lashes and Fionnn Regan at 10/1. Poor little Maps and NYPC are at 12/1.

 

The winner will be announced on September 4th. I'm off to go stick a tenner on Bat For Lashes.