We put it to you to decide who should win these categories, and we must say, you lot appear to have pretty good taste in rock n’ roll! Just to show that fans are what make a band, some of the results look like a number of bands got their fans to jump on board and vote, but we just report the results! We’ve got some goodies to give away to thank you for voting, so check your email to see if you’ve won a prize. Without further ado, here they are!
Best Australian Album – Tame Impala – Innerspeaker
Runner Up – Dan Kelly, Dan Kelly’s Dream
Tame Impala hit the big league with the release of Innerspeaker and unsurprisingly, along with Tone Deaf readers, many other publications also voted the band’s blissed out psychedelic pop rock as the Australian album of the year. Meanwhile, runner up Dan Kelly’s Dream is a tour de force which fused blissed out pop, space jams and the song title of the year with ‘Bindi Irwin Apocalypse Jam’.
Love Rage Against The Machine?
Get the latest Rage Against The Machine news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
Best International Album – Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Runner up – Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
No big surprises here either. Arcade Fire find themselves poised on the edge of stadium sized crowds with their epic rock which fused the widescreen take on America that Bruce Springsteen perfected, while also exploring youth, ageing and resignation with the world on their third album. It could have perhaps had a few tracks cut to make it even tighter, but when you’re making records like this you’re allowed to think big. Damon Albarn & co went from the ambition of a cartoon band to having one of the greatest live tours of the year and an album which rather than indulging the guest artists, actually made them more relevant than ever.
Most Disappointing Release – MGMT – Congratulations
Runner Up – Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
MGMT obviously decided that they weren’t too happy with the role of being tipped to become one of the biggest bands in the world, so they decided to commit commercial suicide by releasing the sprawling jams of Congratulations. Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy has polarised critics, with many declaring it a masterpiece, while others see it as pure self indulgent tripe. You decided it was the latter.
Gig of The Year – Keggin At Pony
Runners Up – Money For Rope @ Cherry, AC/DC At Etihad Stadium
Keggin who, we hear you say? We nominated this little heard of band who, in playing their final ever gig at Pony in Melbourne, had the place rammed and even people who had never heard of them talking about it. Just like Rage Against The Machine in the UK for the Christmas Number 1 campaign, we think the Facebook Group they set up to try and win this category may just have helped a little. Cheeky buggers. We also suspect that Money For Rope may have employed this tactic too, but they did put on some spectacular shows to a packed out Cherry Bar which had all of Melbourne talking. Meanwhile this little band called Acca Dacca came, saw Melbourne and conquered it.
International Gig Of The Year
A tie between Faith No More at Festival Hall & Leonard Cohen at Hanging Rock
You’re an eclectic bunch aren’t you? Faith No More reunited triumphantly and introduced Chatroulette live on stage to you all at Festival Hall, while at the other end of the spectrum, Leonard Cohen brought grace, beauty and some of the greatest songs ever written to the majesty of sunset over Hanging Rock.
Festival of The Year – Splendour In The Grass
Runner Up – Golden Plains Festival
Splendour In The Grass had it all – the incredible line-up, the fantastic site and the fans, while you still love Golden Plains – the eclectic line up, the party vibe and the last festival hurrah before winter kicks in.
Local Single Of The Year – Eagle & The Worm – All I Know
Runner Up – Temper Trap – Fader
The jangly pop party times of Eagle & The Worm edged out Temper Trap’s infectiously catchy ‘Fader’.
International Single of The Year – Cee Lo Green “Fuck You”
Runner Up – The National – “Bloodbuzz Ohio”
Somewhat appropriately Cee Lo gets his jilted lover’s revenge on the woman who dumped him with a modern soul epic, while anyone who’s ever had their heart broken can identify with any track on The National’s amazing album High Violet, let alone ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio”.
Worst Gig/Tour – Whitney Houston
Runner Up – Silverchair @ Groovin’ The Moo
Ah, diva Whitney often appeared out of it on stage, kept taking breaks and clearly can’t hit the high notes any more – prompting fans to walk out and want refunds, while who knows what was going on in Daniel Johns’ head as he debuted the band’s ‘new material’ at the festival which left punters cringing. That could explain why it hasn’t yet been released.
Wanker of the Year – Sue Maclellan
Runner Up – Richard Ashcroft
Admittedly it was just as much the then Victorian Government’s fault, but Sue Maclellan became the dart board for music fans up in arms over Victorian Liquor Licensing’s heavy handed approach to live music venues. 20,000 fans marched on Parliament – and her contract wasn’t renewed. Meanwhile, Richard Ashcroft, formerly front man of The Verve, spat the dummy and walked off stage after a song because he was given a playing slot up against Pixies and Empire of The Sun.
Biggest Fuck Up – The ARIA Awards
Runner Up – Triple J Leaks Hottest 100
Apparently they were a lot of fun to attend if you were a VIP getting drunk at the event, but for the rest of Australia’s music fans the ARIA Awards were a debacle, spelling a new low point in Australian TV and introducing the term “de-butt” into the local lexicon. Meanwhile, Triple J were left embarrassed when the results of the Hottest 100 were leaked on to the internet several days before they were due to be broadcast.
Most Promising Artist – Eagle & The Worm
Runner Up – Tied: Tessa & The Typecast & Money for Rope
Eagle & The Worm seem to be everywhere at the moment, on the radio, touring every festival over the summer and sound tracking TV broadcasts everywhere. Meanwhile Tessa & The Typecast’s epic pop ballads seem to have the industry in a tizz, along with Money for Rope who appear to be gaining the notoriety that’s as big as their epic sound suggests.
[include file=”slideitem.php”]
