Another fine selection of Australian artists and their album releases have been added to the longlist for this year’s Australian Music Prize (AMP) and the chance to win the $30,000 cash prize.
Following on from the first round of artists ushered into the longlist for the 9th Annual Coopers AMP (including The Drones, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Big Scary, Bob Evans, Abbe May, and Dialectrix), another seven records have been officially selected for consideration for the coveted music prize.
The AMP judges have been working their way through the year’s best LPs and have named Kirin J Callinan, PVT, Jen Cloher, Beaches, The Tongue, The Delta Riggs, and Standish/Carlyon for the Australian Album of the Year gong, presented by the PPCA and new partners, Spotify.
Embracism, the critically acclaimed debut album from noisenik Kirni J Callinan has been nominated for the AMP for his distinct brand of art-laced rock. Fellow experimental loving trio PVT are up for their latest album, Homosapien, that saw the Syndey-via-London threesome “upgrade firmware, install frontman” according to our Tone Deaf reviewer.
In Blood Memory, the crowdfunded album from Melbourne singer-songwriter Jen Cloher is also up for the $30K cash prize, along with local Melbourne heroes Beaches, for the fuzz-rock excellence of She Beats, and The Delta Riggs for their self-released debut album Hex.Love.Killer offering the “sweet sound of sweat, floor grime and spilt beer,” according to our Tone Deaf reviewer.
Surrender To Victory by diverse rapper The Tongue puts Aussie hip hop on the AMP radar (with Dialectrix), while Chapter Music’s retro-fitted electro duo Standish/Carlyon are up with Deleted Scenes.
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, and more to join the list of AMP winners that includes 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).
The winner of this year’s 9th Coopers AMP will be announced in March 2014, with our Tone Deaf reviewer 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.
Following on from shaking up the entry conditions last year, including removing the entry fee and automatically considering ALL Australian releases for the prize, while setting up a new platform for digital submissions rather than the previously restrictive ‘CDs only’ policy, artists and their representatives are encouraged to send along their albums for consideration as the judges continue the herculean task of listening through the many, many records.
Any Australian release (with nine or more track, over 33.3 minutes of music, released in 2013) is eligible for the Coopers AMP, and CD copies can be sent to The 9th Coopers AMP, D-Star Digital, Level 2, 233-235 Bulwara Road, Ultimo, NSW, 2007. While digital entrants and submissions should email [email protected] or head to http://www.thecoopersamp.com.au/ for more details.
The 9th Coopers AMP Long List Selections
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
Joining the previously announced AMP nominees:
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
