Choice Music Prize nominees announced

Much like the Mercury Prize across the sea, the annual announcement of the shortlist for the Choice Music Prize can always be relied upon to instigate a full-on mud-slinging debate, and this year is no different - just get a load of Jim Carroll's blog-post and the accompanying comments, including a lengthy one from a certain David Kitt: http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/ontherecord/2010/01/13/its-the-one-you-have-been-waiting-for-the-choice-music-prize-shortlist/ . The shortlist of albums is as follows:

And So I Watch You From Afar - “And So I Watch You From Afar” (Smalltown America)
Bell X1 - “Blue Lights On The Runway” (BellyUp)
CODES - “Trees Dream in Algebra” (EMI)
Adrian Crowley - “Season of the Sparks” (Chemikal Underground)
Dark Room Notes - “We Love You Dark Matter” (Gonzo)
The Duckworth Lewis Method - “The Duckworth Lewis Method” (1969/Divine Comedy Records)
Julie Feeney - “Pages” (Mittens)
Valerie Francis - “Slow Dynamo” (VF)
Laura Izibor - “Let The Truth Be Told” (Atlantic)
The Swell Season - “Strict Joy” (Plateau)

One thing i will say about these awards is that the stated objective - 'to select the album which best sums up the year in Irish music' - is still maddeningly vague and somewhat meaningless, considering the range of different albums released each year: how does any individual album 'sum up' the wider domestic scene? Sounds like complete gibberish to me. Anyway, artists that can feel aggrieved to be left out include Patrick Kelleher, Hunter-Gatherer and Holy Roman Army. As for the winner, this blog wouldn't mind seeing either And So I Watch You From Afar or CODES taking home the prize.

From On The Record: "The live event will take place in Vicar Street, Dublin on Wednesday March 3 and will feature performances from as many of the acts who can play on the night as possible (we’ll be announcing the full details in the next few weeks). Tickets, priced €27 euro including booking fees, go on sale on Monday next."