The debut solo album from Blur frontman Damon Albarn has been nominated for the Barclaycard Mercury Prize, in a year that big names including Lily Allen, Morrissey and Ed Sheeran all missed out.
Albarn's album Everyday Robots, which features musicians including Brian Eno, has been installed as favourite for the prize by the bookies.
The judges described the singer-songwriter as "a master of melodic texture and songwriting", adding that the album was "melancholic, wise, beautiful".
Among the more intriguing nominations was performance poet Kate Tempest's debut album Everybody Down, which Independent critic Andy Gill said "sets new standards for UK hip hop". The judges described it as "compelling and moving rap poetry".
William Hill made Brighton-based rock band Royal Blood joint favourites with Albarn, with judges describing their eponymous debut album as "a triumphant celebration of the primal power of rock.