I'll admit it; I've been a bad music blogger. Since I abandoned my old music blog, Five Dollar Radio, I've become increasingly lax in exploring new music. Dare I say it?

I'm getting old -- the kind of old that says why listen to any new bands when they all sound like Joy Division anyway, and I got over Joy Division when I stopped wearing head-to-toe black and scowling at everyone.The shortlist for the Mercury Prize was announced earlier this week, and I embarrassed to say I don't recognize a single name. So I gave myself a crash course in Brit Pop, 2009. Before I go any further, here's a little history:

The Mercury Prize exist solely to champion UK music by Promoting the 12 Albums of the Year by British or Irish artists

The 2009 Shortlist:

• 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

The Guardian's Rebecca Nicholson notices something:

There are no less than five female solo artists on the Mercury music prize shortlist – a record. Does this mark a sea change in pop?

Florence Welch (Florence and the Machine), Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan, Natasha Khan of Bat For Lashes, La Roux, and rapper Speech Debelle all make the cut. From the same article:

"The nice thing about being a female pop star these days is that you can make stuff up as you go along," says former Mercury judge and TV presenter Lauren Laverne. When she was frontwoman of 1990s indie band Kenickie, the rules were different. "It was very serious and nobody was allowed to dress up. We used to wear glitter and crazy makeup, but we had to go to clown shops to buy it. In my day, you'd have got massively slagged off for wanting a flick of mascara before you went on Top of the Pops." The preposterous, glittery quiff worn by Elly Jackson, and Khan's feather headdresses, are an indication of how things have changed. "It's market forces," says Laverne. "There are more girls around making it OK."

Heather from I AM FUEL YOU ARE FRIENDS says singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan :

is the gorgeous-voiced Irish woman who essentially made up half of Damien Rice's majesty, through her haunting collaborations all throughout the O album --on songs like "The Blower's Daughter" and the secret and devastating "Silent Night"-- and on the recent 9 Crimes.

Not everyone is happy with the nominees, though.Related links:

Brit Pop Redux (We *heart* Music)

Mercury Prize Nominees Announced (All Songs Considered)

Mercury prize 2009 Nominees (Stereogum)