That shortlist is soooo much better than anything on the Mercury list. Slowdive, Blanck Mass, Jane Weaver, Forest Swords and Laurel Halo probably constitute my top five albums of the year so far 
Was Honeyblood really in the last 12 months (or whatever the cut-off is)? Love that too…
Yeah, born in Michigan, based in Berlin. 
Voted for Sacred Paws but Actress was a very close second
Would’ve loved to give Forest Swords the nod but they’re just slightly outgunned by Kelly Lee Owens
Wikipedia says she’s from Michigan, so I guess that makes her American. Also says she’s currently based in Berlin if that helps… Really good album. I love Hyperdub.
I’d suggest you start with Stellular (Rose Elinor Dougall) and I Will Kill Again (Meursault). Friends are also excited by Honeyblood (I’ve yet to hear the LP or see them live)
Forgot to mention Desperate Journalist. but their ‘Grow Up’ LP is the album of the decade, not just 2017.
Hang on a biscuit minute. Why is Laurel Halo here?
“Laurel Halo is an American electronic musician and recording artist from Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is currently based in Berlin, Germany.”
The current top 8 albums is really strong:
Slowdive
Blanck Mass
KLO
Idles
Forest swords
Jane Weaver
Laura Marling
Actress
Good work, @sean
Can we not have a little longer than 3 days @sean?
If the purpose of this is to discover and find a record you might love as a result, it feels like there should be more time to explore the shortlist. Otherwise people are just likely to vote for whichever they’re already familiar with.
“She once competed in (and won) le tournoi”
Sacred Paws for me!
The honeyblood album is great (not my favourite from the list but still) and they’re really good live
Kelly Lee Owens, hell yes!
It’s so embarrassing that this list is about 10 times better than the official Mercury one. They dropped the ball really badly this year. Jane Weaver, Forest Swords, Clark, etc etc – actually most of them – deserved to be on the main list.
Meursault for me. With Forest Swords as a second choice.
Went for Actress but there’s not a cigarette paper between that, Idles, Blanck Mass and Forest Swords for me. Great list
This was a tough call but I had to go with ‘Slowdive’ that album knocked me off my feet when I first heard it.
the RIDE album is shite - hugely disappointing
Slowdive really showed them how it’s done