Another selection of Australian musicians have had their albums nominated for the coveted Australian Music Prize (AMP), added to the nominations list of artists in the running for the $30,000 cash award.
There’s already been two rounds of nominees ushered into the longlist for the 9th Annual Coopers AMP – the first giving nods to six artists, including The Drones, Big Scary, and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds; the second – revealed early this month, added seven more names, including albums from Kirin J Callinan, PVT, and Jen Cloher.
Now, a third set of additional nominations has swelled the AMP ranks, presented by the PPCA and new partners Spotify, with six more album releases added bringing the total tally to 19.
Steadily working their ears through 2013’s best Australian LPs, the AMP judging panel have named Dick Diver, Pikelet, Brighter Later, Horrorshow, Sam Buckingham, and Luke Howard to the AMP nominations.
Calendar Days, the second album from Melbourne-based indie guitar darlings Dick Diver, is a worthy addition to the AMP pool. The album has already earned the quartet glowing reviews from local media and even several nominations in the The Age Music Victoria Awards for the forthcoming Meredith Festival 2014 act.
Fellow indie pop Melburnians, Brighter Later are also up for the AMP gong with their debut LP, The Wolves, which our Tone Deaf reviewer crowned a “solid and bewitching set… the perfect entry into Brighter Later’s mysterious and enchanting world.”
Sydney duo Horrorshow expand the Aussie hip hop representatives on the AMP Radar, with their King Amongst Many – their album for the Elefant Traks label – joining The Tongue and Dialectrix on the 2013 AMP longlist.
Calluses may only be less than three months old, released into the world last August, but its put Pikelet – the musical banner of Melbourne multi-instrumentalist Evelyn Morris – into consideration for the $30K prize, while singer-songwriter Sam Buckingham and pianist/composer Luke Howard are in contention for their respective independent releases, I’m A Bird and Sun, Cloud.
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).
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 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
Dick Diver – Calendar Days
Brighter Later – The Wolves
Sam Buckingham – I’m A Bird
Luke Howard – Sun, Cloud
Pikelet – Calluses
Horrorshow – King Amongst Many
Joining the previously announced AMP nominees:
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
