Mercury Prize 2014: mixed reaction to 'obscure' shortlist

The shortlisted albums for this year's Mercury Prize have been released to mixed reaction.

The selection "confirms that these are fascinating times for UK music", says Simon Frith, chair of the judging panel. He said all of the selected artists were pursuing music in "exciting new directions".

The biggest names on the list are Damon Albarn, the former Blur and Gorillaz frontman, indie band Bombay Bicycle Club and rock duo Royal Blood. Other nominations include electro R&B artist FKA Twigs, indie rocker Anna Calvi and modern soul music collective Jungle.

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The prize, awarded elusively to British and Irish artists, has reignited a debate between music journalists over the type of artists the awards should consider.

The Mercury Prize has been known to shortlist bands and artists that are relatively unknown, and Daily Telegraph journalist Neil McCormick calls the latest line-up a "parade of misfits" and questions whether the prize is relevant. "I suspect there are artists here their own family members would be hard pressed to identify," he says, admitting he was forced to Google several names.

McCormick criticises the list, saying it does not reflect what listeners are spending their money on. "This is not music that has caught the pulse of the nation," he writes. However, he does go on to acknowledge that "this might be exactly what the Mercury Prize is about, drawing attention to the maverick and marginal".

Many others have welcomed the announcement, saying it gives lesser-known artists much-needed exposure. The Guardian's Tim Jonze points out that judges were "perhaps conscious of criticism that the award has become dominated in recent years by established artists".

The award had also been previously criticised for focusing too much on popular guitar bands, but commentators say this isn't the case among this year nominees which includes jazz artists and poets.

And who did commentators think was missing off list? Many agreed that Ed Sheeran was notable in his absence as were Elbow. McCormick said Sheeran's absence was "indicative of the Mercury’s discomfort with genuine popularity".

The Guardian's Alexis Petridis says the "lack of huge names feels healthy". But he criticises the judges for failing to include a classical music artist for the 12th year in a row. "You do have to wonder whether the Mercury has just decided that classical music, like heavy metal, is a genre it doesn't engage with", he writes.

The winner of the Barclaycard Mercury Prize 104 will be announced at the awards show at the Roundhouse in London on Wednesday 29 October 2014 and receive £20,000.

Full list of nominees:

• Damon Albarn – Everyday Robots
• Bombay Bicycle Club – So Long, See You Tomorrow
• Anna Calvi – One Breath
• East India Youth – Total Strife Forever
• FKA Twigs – LP1
• Jungle – Jungle
• Kate Tempest – Everybody Down
• GoGo Penguin – v2.0
• Nick Mulvey – First Mind
• Polar Bear – In Each and Every One
• Royal Blood – Royal Blood
• Young Fathers – Dead