Thom Yorke, Arctic Monkeys make Mercury Prize shortlist

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke's solo album andBrit rockers Arctic Monkeys are the frontrunners for this year's Mercury Music Prize.

A short list of 12 acts vying for the 20,000 (about $41,000) honour was unveiled in London Tuesday morning.

The annual prize isintended to highlight the year's best new albums by British and Irish artists, regardless of musical genre.

Simon Frith, the former rock critic and sociologist who has chaired the prize jury since its creation, hailed the finalists as artists who reflect modern life in the U.K. with their music.

"This year's shortlist for the nationwide Mercury Prize is about the art of the songwriter," Frith said. "If you want to know what life is like in Britain today, listen to the country's musicians."

The 2006 finalists are:

• Arctic Monkeys, Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not
• Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, Ballad Of The Broken Seas
• Editors, The Back Room
• Guillemots, Through The Windowpane
• Richard Hawley, Coles Corner
• Hot Chip, The Warning
• Muse, Black Holes & Revelations
• Zoe Rahman, Melting Pot
• Lou Rhodes, Beloved One
• Scritti Politti, White Bread Black Beer
• Sway, This Is My Demo
• Thom Yorke, The Eraser

British bookmaker William Hill has already predicted a win for either the Arctic Monkeys, who had the fastest-selling debut in U.K. chart history earlier this year, or Yorke, whose album was released just last week.

First awarded in 1992, the Mercury Prize has recognized artists such as Primal Scream, PJ Harvey, Franz Ferdinand and Dizzee Rascal. Last year's winner was Antony & the Johnsons for the album I Am A Bird Now.

The 2006 winner will be announced Sept. 5.