2012 nominees: MasterCard British Album

Despite all rumours that the album is dead, evidence points to the contrary. The past 12 months have seen the release of countless astounding records that have captured the hearts of listeners across the UK and beyond. Which makes picking the most impressive albums of the year an all-the-more difficult task.

The nominees for MasterCard British Album of The Year are:

Adele '21'
Coldplay 'Mylo Xyloto'
Ed Sheeran '+'
Florence & The Machine 'Ceremonials'
PJ Harvey 'Let England Shake'

Adele flew the flag in 2011 for British music as her classic soul sound took this young singer to the international stage. After soaring to prominence at last year's BRIT Awards, her track 'Someone Like You' became a huge hit in 2011. The album also boasts the hits 'Rolling In The Deep', 'Set Fire To The Rain' and 'Rumour Has It'.

Five albums into their career and Coldplay remain one of the biggest bands on the planet, with a string of diverse and incredible albums to their name. Last year saw the release of Mylo Xyloto, which has already achieved platinum status across the world and given the band their second No.1 single, 'Paradise'. Coldplay previously won the MasterCard British Album award in both 2001 and 2003.

From stadium rock to the intimate acoustic sounds of a 20-year-old pop upstart. Ed Sheeran straddles the seemingly distant worlds of acoustic and hip-hop with his blend of delicate rap, folk and pop. He also made his mark on the single charts with three Top Ten hits in 2011.

How do you follow up an album as enormous as Florence & The Machine's debut, Lungs? The answer is simple - with a record as ambitious and epic as Ceremonials, the second album offering from singer songwriter, Florence Welch. Florence previously won the MasterCard British Album award in 2010.

Already an award-winning album, PJ Harvey will be hoping to add to her Mercury Music Prize success with an award at The BRITs 2012 for her critically acclaimed Let England Shake. A serial nominee, PJ Harvey has picked up nominations for British Female Solo Artist a massive seven times - but never taken home an award. Will this be her year?