Established in the early ‘90s, the Mercury Prize has gone on to become the equivalent of England’s Album of the Year.

Notorious for nominating more pioneering (and often relatively fringe) artists than the long-standing Brit Awards, 2009 finds Mercury rounding up a panoramic cast to round out this year’s nominations.

Here’s a closer look at four potential winners of the coveted award

La Roux

With a gravity-defying coif that takes old-school cartoon character Tin Tin to a bright orange extreme, Elly Jackson and her band La Roux were a surprise nomination. La Roux’s bouncy brand of quirky analog dance-pop revives the classic synthesizer sounds found on early Depeche Mode records and marries them to Jackson’s yearning vocals. At their best, they play on the same dance floor as Erasure.

Friendly Fires

Powered by a crowd-slaying live show, this UK outfit combines angular guitar funk with big, anthemic hooks and rave-tastic dance-floor energy from singer Ed Macfarlane’s past making dance tracks for labels like Skam. Boasting a clutch of great songs (most notably their single “Paris”), these fellows are bursting with potential.

Speech Debelle

This year’s only black nominee comes with a press-ready angle. Born Corynne Elliot, this South London rapper was homeless only a few years ago. Mining a litany of substantial subjects, her thought-provoking lyricism is supported by space-jazzy tracks from Big Dada label-mate Lotek Hi-Fi. Speeche Debelle could easily prove to be this year’s Ms. Dynamite and take the award.  Let’s just hope she has better follow-through.

Florence and the Machine

Somewhere between Feist’s indie gospel and Joanna Newsom’s symphonic flourishes, Florence Welch crafts ornate and orchestral pop songs rife with genuine emotion and artistic dexterity. UK institutions like the BBC and NME have been fervent supporters of Welch’s music (“The Machine” is an amorphous band of musicians). Her quirky and free-spirited persona has made her an early favorite to take home the award this year. She also arguably feels like the artist on this year’s list with the best chance of really having an impact in America

A complete list of nominees:

Florence and the Machine – Lungs

Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

Bat for Lashes – Two Suns

La Roux – La Roux

Glasvegas – Glasvegas

Speech Debelle – Speech Therapy

Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires

The Horrors – Primary Colours

Lisa Hannigan – Sea Sew

The Invisible – The Invisible

Led Bib – Sensible Shoes

Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Twice Born Men