QTheMusic.com

The Barclaycard Mercury Prize shortlist is to be announced a week today (19 July) presenting us with the 12 best British and Irish releases of the last year - well in their opinion.

The list will be compiled by the Prize's jury of music industry movers and shakers, chaired as ever by Simon Frith, who will then argue it out on the night of the ceremony (held in early September) to pick one record to follow last year's winners The xx.

So who can we expect to see on the 2011 shortlist? From Adele's success on both sides of the Atlantic to dubstep reaching the mainstream - led by Magnetic Man, James Blake and Katy B - there are plenty of directions for the panel to consider. And with Laura Marling not releasing a record until September, who will fill the regular folk spot?

Here is Q's look at the albums we think could be in with a shout.

Adele - 21
21 transformed the loveable Londoner from a budding songstress to a global phenomenon, racking up six million sales worldwide and a record sixteen weeks atop the UK album charts in the process. The album's plaintive piano balladry is buoyed by gentle orchestral touches and candid lyrics.
Adele.tv

Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See
The return of Sheffield's finest has got to be in with a shout of a nomination, and a possible first double win for Alex Turner and co after their debut picked up the award in 2006. Still retaining the fuzz they developed with Josh Homme on their last release, Suck It And See adds pop sensibilities and plenty of wit to the already heady mix.
Arcticmonkeys.com

Katy B - On A Mission
Katy B's glossy spin on dubstep lifted it out of grimey basements clubs and into the charts, rubbing shoulders with pop's finest. The Magnetic Man collaborator's debut album is a full house of what can only be described as "CHOONS!"
Rinse.fm/katyb

James Blake - James Blake
Part soul, part dubstep, wholly enthralling. Blake's earthy electronics and sterling vocals made his self-titled debut album one of the most curious and intense listens of the year.
Jamesblakemusic.com

Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi
The influence of Brian Eno and fellow Mercury Prize contender PJ Harvey lurks in the backdrop of Calvi's self-titled debut, but with her virtuoso guitar player, matador dress sense and force of nature personality, the south Londoner has created something truly original.
Annacalvi.com/

Chase And Status - No More Idols
An album rammed with both euphoric underground-aping rave sounds and mainstream sensibilities, No More Idols saw the duo become an indomitable force of modern dance and near permanent presence on UK radio.
Chaseandstatus.co.uk

Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys!
Guy Garvey's nostalgia-laced ode to childhood is as affecting and gripping as anything Elbow have ever produced, and sees the band firing on all cylinders. The group already have won a Mercury Prize for The Seldom Seen Kid, and on the basis of the phenomenal response to this record, you wouldn't bet against them picking up another - or at the very least a nomination.
Elbow.co.uk

Esben And The Witch - Violet Cries
A gloriously languid traipse through soundscapes melded out of gothic guitars, cavernous echoes and the haunting vocals of singer Rachel Davies. The Brighton trio's music is too dark for some, but having seen them sign directly to acclaimed US indie label Matador they will be difficult to ignore.
Esbenandthewitch.co.uk

Everything Everything - Man Alive
Like a good country walk, Everything Everything's innovative art pop assault gets better with every listen. First time you're just trying to find your way around, but with familiarity rather then contempt you can start to enjoy a sprawling landscape of changing time signatures, killer falsettos and some borrowed hip hop production.
Everything-everything.co.uk

Gold Panda - Lucky Shiner
A tidy burst of electro goodness, Peckham-born producer Derwin Panda debut is a riveting listen. From the pulsating shards of vocal sampling in opening song You to the album's blissful finish, it's no wonder he's also a much in-demand remixer.
Iamgoldpanda.com

The Horrors - Skying
Skying is a formidable mix of '80s indie and shoegaze that with its July release just sneaks into consideration. Frontman Faris Badwan's - who might be up for a nod too with side project Cat's Eyes - broody growls are backed by a caterwaul of fierce synths and billowing guitars.
Thehorrors.co.uk

Hurts - Happiness
Easily the most stylish people in contention for this year's prize, slick electro-pop duo Hurts introduced themselves late last year with their impressive debut album, Happiness, a record brimming with style, sophistication and Kylie Minogue.
Informationhurts.com/gb/home/

Jessie J - Who You Are
Shortly after "doing it like a dude" all over British radio airwaves, the Brits Critics Choice winner released an album full of towering pop classics in waiting. Who You Are is loud, brash and boasts melodies that are almost abhorrently infectious - and it's just what British pop needs.
Jessiejofficial.com

Miles Kane - Colour Of The Trap
Having finally stepped out of the - er - Shadows, Alex Turner's Last Shadow Puppets collaborator has served up a series of high-octane, 60s infused pop rock, as the one time Rascal has surprised many on his solo debut.
Mileskane.com

King Creosote and Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine
Domino veteran King Creosote's collaboration with electronic whizz Jon Hopkins was seven years in the making - but, as the old saying goes, good things come to those who wait and Diamond Mine was a tender, innovative success.
Kingcreosote.com

Magnetic Man - Magnetic Man
An dubstep dance supergroup combining the tlaents of Skream, Benga and Artwork. Their debut album brings together an exhilirating body of club beats and grimey synths, and is largely credited with helping to bring dubstep and the likes of Katy B to mainstream attention.
Magneticman.co.uk

Metronomy - The English Riviera
The Brighton quartet delivered a stunning slab of danceable indie on their third album. Made up of shimmering keyboard textures, crisp guitars and unrelenting percussive snaps, it's also probably the first indie record to pay tribute to band leader Joesph Mount's native Devon.
Metronomy.co.uk

Noah And The Whale - Last Night On Earth
Upgrading from their folk debut, Charlie Fink and friends' Last Night On Earth pushed Noah and the Whale to the forefront of British music with its added bleeps and anthemic moments.
Noahandthewhale.com

PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
The revered Dorset songwriter amped up the emotion on her eighth studio album. The album's anti war title track was premiered live in a TV performance on the Andrew Marr Show, while then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown looked on uncomfortably. Harvey's songs about the traumas of war are at once personal and universal, and could follow up her 2001 Mercury win with a nomination.
Pjharvey.net

Radiohead - The King Of Limbs
For a man who once sang No Surprises, Thom Yorke certainly knows how to spring a surprise or two. The group's eighth studio album came almost completely out of the blue with its online release following days after the record's existence was announced.
Radiohead.com/

SBTRKT - SBTRKT
The mysterious masked producer's slick electronic rumblings boast plenty of spectral quirks and invention and an added R&B edge. Including a contribution from Little Dragon, it's unclear if he's nominated whether he'll wear the mask all night at ceremony.
Sbtrkt.com

Skream - Outside The Box
Possibly more famed for his chart storming remix of La Roux's In For The Kill and his work with Magnetic Man, but Skream - real name Oliver Jones - turned the right heads with his second full length album that he might just squeeze onto this year's list all on his own.
Myspace.com/skreamuk

Tinie Tempah - Disc-Overy
Hip-hop, rock and rap collide on Tinie Tempah's debut album Disc-Overy. Grinding synths, big beats and impressive lyrical flow are Tempah's calling cards, and he uses them to thrilling effect on songs that seem to have taken up residence on the UK's airwaves, like Pass Out and Written In The Stars.
Tinietempah.com

Jamie xx and Gil-Scott Heron - We're New Here
We had to double check that this re-imagining of the late Gil-Scott Heron's last album was eligible, but having won the prize with his main band, Jamie XX is in the running. Based on I'm New Here, Heron's poetic musings slide effortlessly into a world of newly crafted sprawling soundscapes. Much, much more than a remix album and rightly eligible for the 2011 shortlist.
Myspace.com/jamiexxlondon

The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
The Londoners survived the early, beginning of the year hype to charm the UK with their Ramones-fuelled indie rock debut album. With the band already warming to the bigger stages following a few festival appearances this summer, it seems we're beginning to expect a lot from The Vaccines
Facebook.com/thevaccines

Wild Beasts - Smother
Having featured on last year's shortlist with second album Two Dancers, the Kendal band hope to make it two in two years with this wintery follow-up. Singer Hayden Thorpe's operatic tones can be an acquired taste, but indulge in the group's theatrical inflections and you'll find a highly rewarding piece of crisp, emoting indie.
Wild-beasts.co.uk

WU LYF - Go Tell Fire To The Mountain
The mysterious Manchester collective have been as famous for not giving interviews as for their music. Their self-released debut album recorded in a church changes that. Mixing luscious pipe organs, gravel-throated vocals, reverberating guitar sounds and pounding drums it's a darkly euphoric debut album to remember.
Wulyf.org

Yuck - Yuck
Tender vocals, distorted fuzz and shoegaze awkwardness, this London four piece - formed by survivors from Cajun Dance Party - make an racket reminiscent of Dinosaur Jr and Sonic Youth on their debut album. Who knows - it could be the first ever grunge record to make the Mercury shortlist...
Yuckband.blogspot.com

The shortlist will be announced by Lauren Laverne at 11.30am (BST) on July 19. See Mercuryprize.com for more on this year's competition.

9:35 AM | 12/07/2011