Interview: Roar of approval greets the Wild Beasts

But such anonymity is finally set to change. Last week, their second album, Two Dancers, was shortlisted for the prestigious Mercury Prize – widely seen as recognising the best UK album of the year – and for lead singer Hayden Thorpe, the news came as a profound relief.

"It's just overwhelming and winning would be potentially life-changing," he says. "We'd been kind of holding a vigil, hoping we'd get a nomination because we endeavour to make creative pop music, and the Mercury rewards innovation. I think the fact we do something a bit different has so far been a barrier to commercial success."

As always, the Mercury Prize shortlist is an eclectic mix, with Wild Beasts sitting alongside the likes of pop superstar Dizzee Rascal, the Modfather, Paul Weller, understated cult favourites The XX, and folk sensations Laura Marling and Mumford & Sons. There's also a deserved place for fellow Leeds act Corinne Bailey Rae among the final 12.

"We don't exist in the same world as Dizzee Rascal, who's had four number ones, but we're happy to be at the left-field end of the list," says Thorpe, in his soft, thoughtful voice.

Two Dancers was released almost a year ago. Much like Wild Beasts' 2008 debut, Limbo, Panto it was lavished with critical praise upon release – making the Top 5 in the NME, Guardian and Sunday Times Album of the Year lists – but failed to make an impression on the charts.

Regardless, the album succeeds as a haunting yet invigorating work.

"I'm really proud of the clarity of vision on Two Dancers," says Thorpe. "We were in a tight corner because our first album didn't take off straight away, and I'm glad that we maintained our composure and conviction and didn't adapt our style to be more radio-friendly.

"We invest a lot in our music, and believe that if it means a great deal to us it'll mean more to those who listen to it. You can't be flippant about your music and expect it to mean something to other people."

Perhaps Wild Beasts are now reaping their rewards for this philosophy. It's perfectly possible that the Mercury Prize nomination will haul them into the mainstream, and as they're among the favourites to win, with Paul Weller tipping them for victory no less, a considerable surge in attention could well be on the cards.

Winning the Mercury Prize has, in recent years, cemented the reputations of bright young things such as Arctic Monkeys and Klaxons, and elevated the careers of highly-regarded, veteran bands such as Elbow. But it is also worth remembering that it failed spectacularly to generate any kind of meaningful surge for last year's victor, the still widely-overlooked Speech Debelle.

"The Mercury is what you make of it," muses Thorpe. "It isn't anyone's downfall. It's our job to capitalise on the nomination. Winning would be a firecracker moment for us, and bring us to a wider audience."

Wild Beasts certainly offer something different to the tired crop of stylish, tight-jeaned guitar-pop bands we have come to associate with the term "indie". There's an intelligence to their music which throws up countless surprises and quirks among the disco beats and energetic rhythms, with melancholic musings clashing with hedonistic mayhem amid haunting melodies and spine-tingling vocals.

Frontman Hayden Thorpe's astonishing falsetto is a wonder in itself, while bassist Tom Fleming's thoughtful baritone offers the ideal counter-balance on a number of tracks.

On Hooting and Howling, Thorpe's wailing tones relate the drunken, violent exploits of a young thug and his gang in ludicrously eloquent fashion; converting the subject's ugly, brutish behaviour into a vivid, elegant poetry that is typical of the singer's lyrics.

There's shades of Morrissey in the mixture of humour and despair; of banality and wonder. "The music I loved growing up – coming out of New York or London – never spoke to me about my life," he explains. "I like taking mundane, sometimes ugly moments and capturing them in a beautiful way. The hardest thing is to make people realise what they take for granted – what's in front of them all the time. People are eternally fascinating, and the everyday is marvelous."

Wild Beasts have their roots in the evocative landscape of the Lake District, hailing as they do from Kendal, but in 2005 they relocated to Leeds, and Yorkshire has shaped their output in compelling ways. It's hard not to smile when you hear Fleming sing pleasingly of "girls from Shipley" on All The King's Men. Thorpe agrees that the region has played a big part.

"The characters and landscape of Yorkshire has provided ample inspiration for us. The soil is very rich, so to speak. Growing up in the North you have this awareness of nature, and we used to rehearse on a farm 15 minutes out of Leeds."

The band play Kendal Calling this weekend and embark on a series of US gigs in August, before returning to their adopted home city for Leeds Festival – the third year in-a-row that they have graced it with their presence.

As for the Mercury Prize ceremony in early September, Thorpe can't wait. "I'm really looking forward to the experience. Afterwards there'll probably be this void, this feeling of 'What do I do now'? But we'll see. If we win we'll probably find the most wasteful, indulgent way of spending the prize money."

Wild Beasts are at Kendal Calling this weekend and play the Radio 1/NME

Stage at Leeds Festival on August 28.