This morning’s announcement of the Barclaycard Mercury Prize 2010 Album of the Year nominees, by Lauren Laverne at The Hospital Club in Covent Garden was an interesting one – and just as eclectic as we’ve come to expect.

Bookies’ favourites The xx are in there, as are the peoples’ favourites Mumford & Sons. But who’s representing the North this year? Let’s have a bit of a gander.

• Biffy Clyro with ‘Only Revolutions’: There’s not much more we can say here that hasn’t been said before, but the mighty Biff’s stomper, Only Revolutions carries on from where they last left off with previous long player. Nothing new, but nothing bad, either.
• Wild Beasts with ‘Two Dancers’: TheNorthernLine.com favourite Wild Beasts have already taken 4th spot in the NME’s 50 Best Albums of 2009 megalist. Judging by The Mercury judges’ tendency to head down unexpected paths, lookout for this one.
• Corinne Bailey Rae with ‘The Sea’: Always a bit tricky pitting something like this against something like a Biffy album, but then again, it’s the Mercury. Back from a 2 year break after the death of her husband, Rae’s 2nd album might just live up to what the first promised.
• I Am Kloot with ‘Sky At Night’: Mancunian monkeys the Kloot make up the last cornerstone of our Northern quartet with their 5th pressing. Business as usual and still with slightly less funnybone than Elbow, we’re pleased to see them in the Mercury nominees list, but we’ll not hold our breath.

So that’s that. last time the North triumphed was 2008 with Elbow’s ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’. Will 2009 be the Year Of The Beasts?

By Barry Bell on July 20, 2010