This year's Barclaycard Mercury Music Prize nominations have been released, and in the opinion of Flashlight (well me, at least) they're not brimming with genius. Maybe we're just an utterly misogynistic site, as this year's noms indicate a big sway towards female artists. La Roux, Bat For Lashes, Florence & The Machine, and Speech Debelle all garnered nominations with Damien Rice associate Lisa Hannigan taking the token folkie place.

Elsewhere, The Horrors, Glasvegas and (ahem) Kasabian are nominated with Led Bib filling the slot of 'jazzy band that noone has ever heard of, but will sell a few albums off the back of a nomination'.

This year's ceremony will be held in London on September 8th where the winners will be announced. They will follow in the footsteps of such illustrious acts as Elbow, Dizzee Rascal, PJ Harvey, Portishead, Primal Scream and Pulp. So it seems that having a name beginning with P helps. Unfortunately, that bodes badly for all this year's nominees...

The list in full -

Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
Florence And The Machine - Lungs
Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires
Glasvegas - Glasvegas
The Horrors - Primary Colours
La Roux - La Roux
Led Bib - Sensible Shoes
The Invisible - The Invisible
Lisa Hannigan - Sea Saw
Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
Speech Debelle - Speech Therapy
Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Twice Born Men

For the record, William Hill has Florence & The Machine and (ahem) Kasabian as joing favourites at 5/1...