Pictured: James Blake

The shortlist for the much coveted Mercury Music Prize 2011 has been announced today and there are some great records amongst them.

For those who aren’t fully familiar with the prize it was introduced in 1992 as an effort by the industry to expose and applaud the credible, experimental and independent albums released each year.

Previously winning albums come from artists like Primal Scream, Portishead, Roni Size, Dizzee Rascal, Arctic Monkeys, Elbow and The xx so you get the idea with the kind of acts on their radar.

The list below are the albums nominated and whilst it has some truly great ones there, we feel it’s missing one of the most exciting and talented British acts to release an album over the past year which is Jamie Woon’s Mirrorwriting. Where is it!?

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

Anyway, the results are to be announced on Tuesday 6th September and so why not spend the next 8 minutes watching the exclusive sessions that we shot with nominees Ghostpoet and Everything Everything in 2010 and earlier this year.

Ghostpoet – Us Against Whatever // Mahogany Session

Everything Everything – Schoolin’ // Mahogany Session