No doubt the Weighty Theme laden Let England Shake is set to sweep the Mercury but from this year's nominees my pick would be this lot













Pound for pound Metronomy's The English Riviera beats PJ's effort for melodic invention (plus it's not encumbered by a strained Great War allegory presented as contemporary-political-comment)

I don't think I've ever had melody-induced insomnia before, but the other night I was kept awake for a couple of hours by the unstoppable rotation of "The Look" in my brain

Not the sound but the effect of the record reminds me of Vampire Weekend's debut: that combination of freshness and inexhaustibility... and that upside-of-atemporality quality of being vaguely-redolent-yet-always-elusive ... The English Riviera doesn't yield to analysis, breaking down into its constituents and sources... the official account--a South Coast 00s take on West Coast 70s--I cannot hear at all... certain curls of vocal and melody remind me more of ... Gary Numan after Telekon? Except not really.