Pitchfork

Let's get ready to rumble! Pitchfork is pleased to reveal the first round of nominees for the New Pantheon Music Prize, the brand spankin' new award created to honor the best new music bubbling just under the mainstream's radar. Founded by A&R; veteran Tom Sarig, one of the men behind the defunct Shortlist Music Prize, the New Pantheon will go to an album released in the United States between July 1, 2004 and October 30, 2005 that has yet to sell 500,000 copies at the time of nomination.

The winning record will be chosen by a panel of 27 entertainers, journalists, and industry types, including Ric Ocasek of the Cars, Elton John, Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots, Elijah Wood, Margaret Cho, Shirley Manson of Garbage, Beck, John Legend, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, country superstar Keith Urban, Adam Brody and Josh Schwartz from "The O.C.", and Pitchfork's own Ryan Schreiber.

Each panelist began the process by nominating seven albums. Here's the (very) long list of what they collectively picked:

Amadou & Mariam - Dimanche a Bamako (Nonesuch)
American Analog Set - Set Free (Arts & Crafts)
Andrew Bird - Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs (Righteous Babe)
Animal Collective - Feels (Fat Cat)
Antony and the Johnsons - I am a Bird Now (Secretly Canadian)
Aqualung - Strange and Beautiful (Red Ink)
Arcade Fire - Funeral (Merge)
The Ark - State of the Ark (EMI)
Atmosphere - You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having (Rhymesayers)
Bettye LaVette - I've Got My Own Hell to Raise (Anti)
Björk - Medulla (Elektra)
Blackalicious - The Craft (Epitaph)
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (Vice)
Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase (Warp)
Brazilian Girls - Brazilian Girls (Verve)
Brian Wilson - SMiLE (Nonesuch)
Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (Saddle Creek)
The Bravery - The Bravery (Island)
Broadcast - Tender Buttons (Warp)
Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene (Arts & Crafts)
Chad VanGaalen - Infiniheart (Sub Pop)
Charlie Haden - Not in Our Name (Verve)
Clinic - Winchester Cathedral (Domino)
Damian Marley - Welcome to Jamrock (Universal)
Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask (Epitaph)
The Dears - No Cities Left (Spin Art)
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans (Atlantic)
The Decemberists - Picaresque (Kill Rock Stars)
Deerhoof - The Runners Four (Kill Rock Stars)
Devendra Banhart - Nino Rojo (Young God)
Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill (Anti)
Emiliana Torrini - Fisherman's Woman (Rough Trade)
Explosions in the Sky - How Strange, Innocence (Temporary Residence)
The Faint - Wet From Birth (Saddle Creek)
Fantomas - Suspended Animation (Ipecac)
Feist - Let It Die (Interscope)
Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine (Sony)
The Futureheads - The Futureheads (Sire/679)
The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike (Sony)
Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike (Side One Dummy)
Inara George - All Rise (Everloving)
Jamie Lidell - Multiply (Warp)
Jamiroquai - Dynamite (Sony)
John Vanderslice - Pixel Revolt (Barsuk)
Kaiser Chiefs - Employment (Universal)
Kasabian - Kasabian (RCA)
Keren Ann - Nolita (Blue Note)
Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak (RCA)
Langhorne Slim - When the Sun's Gone Down (Narnack)
Laura Veirs - Year of Meteors (Nonesuch)
LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem (Capitol)
Le Tigre - This Island (Universal)
Leela James - A Change Is Gonna Come (Warner Brothers)
The Like - Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? (Geffen)
M.I.A. - Arular (XL/Beggars)
M83 - Before the Dawn Heals Us (Mute)
Maria Taylor - 11:11 (Saddle Creek)
The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute (Universal)
Mary Gauthier - Mercy Now (Lost Highway)
Matt Costa - Songs We Sing (Venerable Media)
Matisyahu - Live at Stubb's (Sony/Or Music)
MF Doom - MM..Food? (Rhymesayers)
Mia Doi Todd - Manzanita (Plug Research)
Mike Doughty - Haughty Melodic (ATO)
My Morning Jacket - Z (ATO)
Mylo - Destroy Rock & Roll (Breast Fed)
Nada Surf - The Weight Is a Gift (Barsuk)
The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema (Matador)
Pinback - Summer in Abaddon (Touch & Go)
Quasimoto - The Further Adventures of Lord Quas (Stones Throw)
Ray LaMontagne - Trouble (RCA)
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous (Brute/Beaute)
Rogue Wave - Descended Like Vultures (Sub Pop)
Roisin Murphy - Ruby Blue (Echo)
Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters (Universal)
Seu Jorge - Cru (Wrasse Records)
Sleater-Kinney - The Woods (Sub Pop)
Sons and Daughters - The Repulsion Box (Domino)
Spoon - Gimme Fiction (Merge)
Stars - Set Yourself on Fire (Arts & Crafts)
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (Asthmatic Kitty)
Thrice - Vheissu (Island)
Tim Robinson - Money in the Woods (CD Baby)
Tom Vek - We Have Sound (Star Time)
William Bolcom - Songs of Innocence and of Experience (Naxos)
Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary (Sub Pop)
Z-Trip - Shifting Gears (Hollywood)

That list will be whittled down to 10 finalists, and the winner will be announced at a celebratory concert taking place on February 6 in Los Angeles. Yes, that's two days before the Grammys, and no, that's not a coincidence.

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