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"Think of the Shortlist as your CD shopping list for the fall."
——Greg Spotts, Shortlist Organization

SHORTLIST GETS SHORTER

Aphex Twin, The Avalanches, Bjork, Cee-Lo, DJ Shadow, Doves, Flaming Lips, The Hives, N.E.R.D. and Zero 7 Are 10 Finalists for Prize
Move over Grammy, it's time for the Shortlist.

The 10 finalists for the org's second annual Shortlist Prize for Artistic Achievement in Music have been announced. And they are:

Aphex Twin, Drukqs (London/Sire)
The Avalanches, Since I Left You (XL Recordings)
Bjork, Vespertine (Elektra)
Cee-Lo, Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections (Arista)
DJ Shadow, The Private Press (MCA)
Doves, Last Broadcast (Capitol)
Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Warner Bros.)
The Hives, Veni Vidi Vicious (Sire/Reprise/Burning Heart/Epitaph)
N*E*R*D, In Search of…(Virgin)
Zero 7, Simple Things (Palm)

The 10 albums were selected by a panel of 24 “Listmakers” including U2’s Larry Mullen, Jr., Iggy Pop, Alanis Morissette, Beck, Mos Def, Jill Scott, members of The Strokes and film directors Baz Luhrmann and Spike Jonze.

Elevation to the Shortlist is the second of three steps towards winning the Shortlist Music Prize, which will be presented on October 29 at a public awards concert at the newly restored Henry Fonda Theater in Los Angeles. Two hours before the concert begins, the Listmakers will convene in a private room high above the theater to select the winner of the 2002 Shortlist Music Prize. The result of their deliberations will be revealed at the end of the concert by a presentation to the winning artist.

The Shortlist Music Prize was created by Greg Spotts and Tom Sarig. This year’s Finalists include artists from the U.S., the U.K., Sweden, Iceland and Australia, and range from established artists (Bjork, Flaming Lips, Aphex Twin) to debut artist The Avalanches.

"Think of the Shortlist as your CD shopping list for the fall," said Spotts. "Each album was hand-picked by a well-known musician, producer or journalist in the spirit of recognizing artists who take risks and push the boundaries of contemporary pop music."

Co-founder Tom Sarig noted: "The Shortlist honors creative achievement across all genres of music, from the energetic punk of The Hives to the late-night grooves of Zero 7. This year’s panel of Listmakers were inspired by all sorts of experimentation, from the layered guitar soundscapes of the Flaming Lips to the lyrical diversity of rapper Cee-Lo, who is opening new doors for personal expression in hip-hop.”

Seventy-five albums were originally nominated to the Long List, which was published on August 22. To be eligible for nomination, a record must have been released between July 1, 2001 and August 19, 2002, and must not have been certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of 500,000 copies at the time of its nomination.

In the last week of August, each Listmaker voted for his or her 10 favorite albums from the Long List, and the top ten vote-getters were elevated to the Shortlist. The complete Long List, including the nominating Listmaker for each album, can be found at www.shortlistofmusic.com, which also features over 30 full-length songs from the nominated albums in Windows Media format. Tickets for the October 29th Shortlist Awards Concert can also be purchased at the Shortlist website.

This year’s group of Finalists also includes N*E*R*D, a group founded by the production duo The Neptunes, who served as Listmakers on this year’s panel. The Neptunes will sit out the Listmaker dinner since their group is now in contention for the Prize, and Shortlist rules prevented them from voting for their own album in the previous round which determined the 10 Shortlist Finalists.

Last year's inaugural winner was Icelandic band Sigur Ros.

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