May 1, 2007 14:29

Shortlist finalists announced

Cat Power and Hot Chip are up for 'US Mercury' prize

Cat Power, Hot Chip and Regina Spektor are among the finalists up for this year’s Shortlist Music Prize.

America's answer to the Mercury Prize is back to honour exceptional albums from the past year which have not yet sold 500,000 in the US.

The full list of finalists, whittled down from 61 nominations, is as follows:

The Band of Horses - 'Everything All The Time'
Beirut - 'Gulag Orkestrar'
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - 'The Letting Go'
Cat Power - 'The Greatest'
Girl Talk - 'Night Ripper'
Hot Chip - 'The Warning'
Joanna Newsom - 'Ys'
Regina Spektor - 'Begin To Hope'
Spank Rock - 'YoYoYoYoYo'
Tom Waits - 'Orphans, Brawlers, Bawlers And Bastards'

This year's listmakers include Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody, The Killers' Ronnie Vannucci, Franz Ferdinand, Panic! At The Disco and The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne, Billboard reports.

The Shortlist Prize was first launched in 2001, when it was won by Sigur Ros. Subsequent winners have included N.E.R.D and Damien Rice.