THE NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2008 PENGUIN AWARDS. It is with light heart and timourous beasties that I announce the nominees for the 2008 Penguin Awards: the music industry's most coveted honour since 1990!

THE NOMINEES FOR SONG OF THE YEAR:

• AMERICA - RAZORLIGHT
• CHASING PAVEMENTS - ADELE
• DAY TOO SOON - SIA
• DISTANT DREAMER - DUFFY
• ENJOY THE RIDE - MORCHEEBA
• FOUNDATIONS - KATE NASH
• FUNPLEX - THE B-52's
• GALAXY OF THE LOST - LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION
• GALILEO (SOMEONE LIKE YOU) - DECLAN O'ROURKE
• THE GIRL YOU LOST TO COCAINE - SIA
• HANDLEBARS - FLOBOTS
• MICHAEL MYERS RESPLENDENT - THE MOUNTAIN GOATS
• MISSION CONTROL - THE DANDY WARHOLS
• OXFORD COMMA - VAMPIRE WEEKEND
• SARAH (LAST NIGHT IN A DREAM) - DECLAN O'ROURKE
• SOON WE'LL BE FOUND - SIA
• STEPPING STONE - DUFFY
• VERTIGO - THE GUGGENHEIM GROTTO
• VON (LIVE) - SIGUR ROS
• WHAT'S A GIRL TO DO? - BAT FOR LASHES
• WORK THAT - MARY J. BLIGE

THE NOMINEES FOR ALBUM OF THE YEAR:

• DARK UNDERCOAT - EMILY JANE WHITE
• GROWING PAINS - MARY J. BLIGE
• HERETIC PRIDE - THE MOUNTAIN GOATS
• MADE OF BRICKS - KATE NASH
• Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust - SIGUR ROS
• 19 - ADELE
• ROCKFERRY - DUFFY
• SOME PEOPLE HAVE REAL PROBLEMS - SIA
• 22 DREAMS - PAUL WELLER
• VAMPIRE WEEKEND - VAMPIRE WEEKEND
• WALTZING ALONE - THE GUGGENHEIM GROTTO

THE NOMINEES FOR COVER SONG OF THE YEAR:

• FOLSOM PRISON BLUES - EVERLAST
• THE HARDER THEY COME - ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES
• HELLO IT'S ME - MARY J. BLIGE
• I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER - SHE & HIM
• NEVER, NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP - CAKE
• ONE (LIVE) - RODRIGO Y GABRIELA
• TAKE FIVE (LIVE) - RODRIGO Y GABRIELA
• VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY - KATE RUSBY
• YOU AIN'T GOIN' NOWHERE - GLEN HANSARD & MARKETA IRGLOVA

THE NOMINEES FOR DUET OF THE YEAR:

• GALLEON - NELLIE MCKAY & BOB DOROUGH
• I JUST CAN'T GET NEW ORLEANS OFF MY MIND - IRMA THOMAS & MARCIA BALL
• LITTLE DEALER BOY - STEPHEN COLBERT & WILLIE NELSON
• ONE - MARY J. BLIGE & U2
• SAILING TO PHILADELPHIA - MARK KNOPFLER & JAMES TAYLOR
• YOU AIN'T GOIN' NOWHERE - GLEN HANSARD & MARKETA IRGLOVA

THE NOMINEES FOR BEST ALBUM ART:

• DARK UNDERCOAT - EMILY JANE WHITE

• FIGHT WITH TOOLS - FLOBOTS

• HERETIC PRIDE - THE MOUNTAIN GOATS

• MADE OF BRICKS - KATE NASH

• MARY ANN MEETS THE GRAVE DIGGERS AND OTHER SHORT STORIES - REGINA SPEKTOR

• Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust - SIGUR ROS

• SONGS OF MASS DESTRUCTION - ANNIE LENNOX

• 22 DREAMS - PAUL WELLER

It appears that this year's tightest race is going to be for SONG OF THE YEAR with a particularly strong crop of songs vying for top position this year. For the second year in a row, the DUET OF THE YEAR race is particularly weak; however unlike last year at least there is more than one performer up for the award. You may recall that last year all the DUET OF THE YEAR nominated songs were from the same artists: Robert Plant & Alisson Krauss. At least there will be some mystery about that particular category this year. The COVER SONG race is pretty evenly matched with no particular favourite emerging before the voting while the ALBUM OF THE YEAR contest is no real contest with one album on the inside track and being the one to beat.

As always, the yearly announcement of the Penguin Award winners will take place sometime between Christmas and New Year's. Congratulations to all the nominees.