The Uncut Music Award 2011 shortlist has been announced, with Radiohead and PJ Harvey just two of the nominations.
Eight acts have made the list, which recognises the “most exciting, inspirational and rewarding” album of the year.
Radiohead’s The King of Limbs will compete against PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake, which has already won a prestigious Mercury Music Prize this year.
Also nominated is Bon Iver’s self-titled album, Fleet Foxes’ Helplessness Blues and Bill Callahan’s Apocalypse.
Last Of The Country Gentlemen, the second studio album from Josh T Pearson and The Harrow & The Harvest from Gillian Welch, will both go up against music legend Paul Simon’s latest solo album So Beautiful Or So What.
The winner will be announced in the next issue of Uncut magazine, the sister publication of NME, on November 27th.
On the release of Radiohead’s album, the first since the band split from EMI, Uncut said that it is “timely”, having been released at a time when protests of the privatisation of the UK’s forests were being made. It also hints at further albums of a similar style yet to come.
The awards come just one month after Q magazine hosted their annual awards, which saw Bon Iver pick up a prize for Best Album, which could hint at the way the Uncut Award will go this month.
Celebrating 25 years of music journalism, the awards created a special award for the Greatest Act of the Last 25 Years, which was presented to U2.
More mainstream than Uncut magazine, other winners on the night included Gary Barlow, who was named as the Q Classic Songwriter of the year, while Adele picked up the greatest number of awards with two for Best Female Artist and Best Track for Rolling in the Deep.
New music talent was also recognised. Ed Sheeran won Breakthrough Artist and WU LYF was named Best New Act.