Choice nominees announced

Time for some Choice words…

The news may be a little antiquated now but for those who missed it first time around, the Choice shortlist for Irish Album of the Year 2013 has been announced and a bloody good list it is too. Ranging from post-rock (And So I Watch You From Afar) and folk (Lisa O’Neill) to electronica (Mano Le Tough) and chart-pop (Kodaline), the ten-name list is as strong a selection has been seen in any of the previous eight years of the prize that “will once again celebrate and acknowledge the best in Irish recorded music”.

Although it’s tough seeing past shoegaze legends My Bloody Valentine who returned with MBV, the band’s first new album in 22 years and first since their reformation in 2007, it is great to see the inclusion of O Emperor‘s Vitreous, marking a remarkable sonic jump since Hither Thither showing that sometimes it’s a wiser choice to break free from “big” labels and go your own route. With the awards taking place in Vicar Street on 27th February, a special highlights programme is scheduled to broadcast on RTE 2 on Sunday 2nd March, a first for the awards.

The nominees in full:

And So I Watch You From Afar – All Hail Bright Futures (Sargent House)
Bell X1 – Chop Chop (Belly Up Records)
Girls Names – The New Life (Tough Love)
Kodaline – In A Perfect World (Sony Music)
Little Green Cars – Absolute Zero (Universal Music)
Mano Le Tough – Changing Days (Permanent Vacation)
My Bloody Valentine – MBV (MBV Records)
O Emperor – Vitreous (Big Skin)
Lisa O’Neill – Same Cloth or Not (Song Seeds Records)
Villagers – {Awayland} (Domino)

For more on Choice visit:

– Choice music prize winner will be revealed at Vicar Street on 27th February 2014