Brits, New Pantheon nominees revealed; indies prevail

BY Cam LindsayPublished Jan 17, 2007

Both the Brit Awards and the New Pantheon Award nominations show a dominating presence by independent acts in 2006. Indie acts represent 18 of the Brits’ nods; nominees across various categories include Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, Antony & the Johnsons, Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, Kano and Arcade Fire. Winners will be announced at London Earl’s Court on February 15.

The New Pantheon Award, which takes over from the apparently defunct Shortlist Award, selects the best album of the past year to sell fewer than 500,000 copies. Six of the ten albums nominated are indies as well, including Arcade Fire, Antony, the Decemberists and Sufjan Stevens, who are up against Bloc Party, Kings of Leon and Death Cab For Cutie. The winner will be selected by a panel of judges that includes The O.C.’s Adam Brody, Elijah Wood, Beck, Elton John, and oddly, Death Cab’s Ben Gibbard, who can apparently vote for his own band.

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