Barclaycard Mercury Prize 2012.

The winners of the Barclaycard Mercury Prize 2012 are Alt-J with their debut album "An Awesome Wave".

There have been mixed reviews for this Indie-rock band, but mostly it has been hailed as new, unique, fresh and highly original. The narrative lyrics and the harmonies are indeed beautifully crafted and well suited to the voice of Jo Newman.

The album took five years to create and we could have to wait a long time for the next one as in the words of Jo Newman they "spent ages on the little things". So is this prizewinning  new album as awesome as the title? Well a lot of music lovers and critics seem to agree so it's worth adding to any CD collection.

Although Alt-J were the favourites to win the prize the rest of the nominees were quite formidable challenges . Take a look at the list and make your choice.