Just as the year is beginning to wind down towards its inevitable close, the music awards season is starting to kick up into gear.
AIR’s Independent Music Awards kicked things off last month, as WAM handed out its Song Of The Year gongs ahead of their annual Awards next month, while Melbourne’s Cherry Bar are even getting in on the action.
Now following on from The Age Music Victoria Awards, the 2013 ARIA Awards, and The AMP announcing their full list of nominees, now its Triple J’s turn.
The national youth broadcaster kicks off its annual Aus Music Month today, beginning with announcing the first nominees for the coveted J Awards, which recognise the Australian Album of the Year and the efforts of the nation’s best talent.
The first nominees for the gong were announced by Triple J Breakfast hosts Tom and Alex this morning, with more nominees to be added to the list, including presumably the annual Triple J Unearthed and Triple J Music Video award nominees.
First off the mark is Blue Mountains quartet Cloud Control, who are nominated for their much-anticipated 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. The national youth broadcaster kicks off its annual Aus Music Month today, beginning with announcing the first nominees for the coveted J Awards.
The Drones have received many accolades for their sixth and latest album I See Seaweed, which our Tone Deaf reviewer called “the perfect Drones album,” and the Melbourne-based band can now add a J Award nod to their list of nominations from the AMP, ARIA, and Music Victoria judges. The forthcoming Golden Plains 2014 act have been touring heavily this year off the back of their new LP, in what guitarist Dan Luscombe labelled a “stupidly good year” in a recent Tone Deaf interview.
UPDATE 1/11: Melbourne indie twosome Big Scary have been nominated for the J Award 2013 for their second album Not Art. The duo, who are playing as part of the Falls Festival lineup this New Year’s, have already earned nods from ARIA and Music Victoria for Not Art, as well as the $30,000 Australian Music Prize, with one of Tone Deaf’s writers offering their reasons why Big Scary are the most deserving artist for the coveted award.
The nomination is also timely for Big Scary, who today revealed that two of their Not Art tracks had been remixed by international bands The Antlers (reworking ‘Twin Rivers‘) and Barsuk labelmates Menomena (tackling ‘Luck Now’).
Atlas, the ARIA-topping debut album from Sydney’s dance provocateurs RÜFÜS, has also scooped a J Award nomination.
Next off the rank is Sydney-bred, internationally renowned duo Jagwar Ma, whose debut album Howlin‘ is in the J Awards 2013 nominations pool.
The forthcoming Laneway Festival 2014 act have been slaying it internationally, with British hailing them as ‘the next Tame Impala’ off the back of dazzling audiences at this year’s Glastonbury Festival. While Noel Gallagher has name-checked them as one of his favourite bands, even critiquing UK radio for refusing to playlist Howlin‘ amongst other cutting edge bands.
Last but not least in the J Awards 2013 nods list is Jagwar Ma’s Future Classic labelmate, Flume. The 21-year-old beat-making Harley Streten is already filling his trophy cabinet thanks to the globe-trotting success off his self-titled debut album, with Flume having already scooped the AIR Awards last month with four wins in five categories.
Streten’s also already taken home his first-ever ARIA too, with the robot-wrangler winning the Producer Of The Year category at the recent Fine Arts & Artisan Awards ceremony and also leads the ARIA Awards 2013 nominations, with eight nods across multiple categories – including Album Of The Year, Best Male, Best Breakthrough Artist.
News that Cherry Bar’s co-owner and booker James Young is none too happy about it; “when Flume wins 5 this year I will neck myself,” Young told Tone Deaf in discussing the launch of the inaugural Cherry Awards 2013 next month; “no act should be allowed to win more than 2 ARIAs in any one year.”
The news of the J Awards 2013 nominations arrives following the station’s recent news that they’d be adding a third station to their portfolio; rebranding and relaunching ABC digital radio station Dig Music as a destination for the “30+ discerning music lover.” Designed to deliver music for an older audience that have ‘outgrown’ the youth broadcaster’s music tastes.
The same week as the Dig Music news, Triple J made Aussie chart history, with the ninth edition of the popular Like A Version series becoming the first-ever ARIA #1 for ABC Music and the first compilation release to top the charts in 13 years.
More J Awards 2013 Album of the Year Nominations updates as they arrive.
J Awards 2013 Album Of The Year Nominees
Big Scary – Not Art
Cloud Control – Dream Cave
The Drones – I See Seaweed
Flume – Flume
Jagwar Ma – Howlin’
RÜFÜS – Atlas
+ more to be announced.
