The selection of Australian musicians who have had their albums nominated for the coveted Australian Music Prize (AMP) continues to grow.
With entries for the 9th Coopers AMP now officially closed, the ‘Longlist’ lives up to its name with the addition of another 14 artists now in the running for the $30,000 cash prize and Australian Album of the Year honours.
There’s already been three rounds of nominees ushered into the the AMP Longlist – beginning with nods for The Drones, Big Scary, and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds among the initial six, before ; the second round additions last month adding seven more names, including PVT, Kirin J Callinan, and Jen Cloher; followed by Dick Diver and Pikelet leading a third batch of albums.
The additional 14 artists includes a number of high profile artists the likes of Cloud Control, Paul Kelly, and Jagwar Ma, as well as adding more left-field or lesser-known release from Aussie acts to the AMP ranks, presented by the PPCA and new partners Spotify, bringing the total tally to 33 nominees.
Steadily working their ears through 2013′s best Australian LPs, the AMP judging panel have named Adalita’s All Day Venus, among the new additions. The Magic Dirt frontwoman recently claimed victory in the Best Female category at The Age Music Victoria Awards off the back of her second studio album. The additional 14 artists… to the AMP Ranks brings the total tally to 33 nominees.
Fellow Melbournite Paul Kelly, who claimed multiple wins at The Age Music Victoria Awards also gets an AMP nod for his ARIA-winning work on the Conversations With Ghosts soundtrack with collaborators James Ledger and Genevieve Lacey, and ANAM Musicians.
Blue Mountains quartet Cloud Control are also nominated for their second album Dream Cave. The follow-up to their 2010 debut Bliss Release finds the four-piece delivering “a refined, mature, and addictive new sound that delivers on the band’s full potential,” according to our Tone Deaf reviewer.
Another much-touted follow-up, Boy & Bear’s Harlequin Dream, earns a spot on the AMP Longlist. Also joining the nu-folk favourites as new additions are fellow Sydney-siders – the internationally renowned Jagwar Ma for their debut album Howlin.
Though the forthcoming Laneway Festival 2014 act have been slaying it internationally, including ‘the next Tame Impala’ tags from British press following this year’s Glastonbury, one of Noel Gallagher’s favourite bands are yet to earn trophies for their cabinet here in Australia, despite nominations in the AIR and J Awards, though they have another chance at next month’s ARIA Awards ceremony along with their AMP Longlist placement.
Also in the new AMP nominations pool is Josh Pyke, for his fourth and latest album The Beginning And The End Of Everything, the latest from the mesmerising Machine Translations – The Bright Door, the straight-up rock of Step Brothers from Sydney’s Palms, and Beloved, the newly released debut LP from Little Red alumni, New Gods.
Rounding out the new additions is Aussie hip hop from Fluent Form’s Flu Season and the multi-talented MC Jimblah’s Phoenix record, The Still And The Sleep from soulful singer-songwriter Heath Cullen, Golden from the misleading moniker of Jimmy Tait (the non de plume of Sara Retallick), and former Snout leader Ross McClennan’s latest, The Night Deeds Are Vapour.
Last year’s AMP long list consisted of a final pool of 71 albums from over 332 submissions, with the final $30,000 Coopers AMP going to funk-hop duo Hermitude for their album HyperParadise, beating out finalists Urthboy, Tame Impala, Flume, the Presets, to join the list of previous AMP winners: The Jezabels (2011), Cloud Control (2010), Lisa Mitchell (2009), Eddie Current Suppression Ring (2008), The Mess Hall (2007), Augie March (2006), and inaugural winners The Drones (2005).
Following on from shaking up the entry conditions last year, including removing the entry fee and automatically considering ALL Australian releases for the prize (at least those with nine or more track and over 33.3 minutes in legnth) while setting up a new platform for digital submissions rather than the previously restrictive ‘CDs only’ policy.
The winner of this year’s 9th Coopers AMP will be announced in March 2014, with our Tone Deaf writer putting forward the Top 6 reasons that Melbourne twosome Big Scary deserve to take out the 9th Annual Coopers AMP for their second album Not Art.
The 9th Coopers AMP Long List Selections
Adalita – All Day Venus
Cloud Control – Dream Cave
Palms – Step Brothers
Boy & Bear – Harlequin Dream
Fluent Form – Flu Season
Jagwar Ma – Howlin’
Josh Pyke – The Beginning And The End Of Everything
Machine Translations – The Bright Door
Paul Kelly with James Ledger, Genevieve Lacy & ANAMlly – Conversations With Ghosts
Heath Cullen – The Still And The Steep
Jimblah – Phoenix
Jimmy Tait – Golden
New Gods – Beloved
Ross McClennan – The Night Deeds Are Vapour
Joining the previously announced AMP nominees:
Dick Diver – Calendar Days
Brighter Later – The Wolves
Sam Buckingham – I’m A Bird
Luke Howard – Sun, Cloud
Pikelet – Calluses
Horrorshow – King Amongst Many
Kirin J. Callinan – Embracism
PVT – Homosapien
Jen Cloher – In Blood Memory
Beaches – She Beats
The Tongue – Surrender To Victory
The Delta Riggs – Hex.Lover.Killer
Standish/Carlyon – Deleted Scenes
The Drones – I See Seaweed
Bob Evans – Familiar Stranger
Abbe May – Kiss My Apocalypse
Big Scary – Not Art
Dialectrix – The Cold Light Of Day
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Push The Sky Away
