Here Are The 10 Shortlisted Albums Up For The 2015 Australian Music Prize

The Australian Music Prize has just announced its list of 10 albums in contention for the $30,000 prize this year, with Courtney Barnett and Tame Impala surprising no one by being included.

What did surprise some people though was that rather than go with the tradition nine albums for the shortlist, organisers whacked another one on there this year. Why? ‘Cos there was just too much bloody great Australian music last year, that’s why.

Speaking of expanding the shortlist Chairperson of the Judging Panel, Dave Faulkner explained that, “as Chairman of the Judging panel I am proud to say that all the AMP judges felt that this was one of the strongest years we’ve ever had in Australian music.

“As a result, the AMP’s judges decided to increase the Shortlist to ten albums this year instead of the usual nine. This is only the second time this has happened since the Australian Music Prize began eleven years ago.

“No list of ten albums could ever capture the diversity of music that was produced in the country over the last year and many great albums only narrowly missed making the Shortlist, breaking some AMP judges’ hearts in the process, however these were the ten albums that the sixteen judges agreed were the best of the year. Anyone of them will make a worthy winner.”

As if this heaped helping of local talent wasn’t enough to inspire excitement, the AMP organisers have brought in some extra muscle to beef up the AMPed In Conversation event in the form of Henry Rollins. The frontman of such seminal punk and hardcore acts as Black Flag and his very own Rollins Band, the singer and human cinder block is also a veteran journalist and radio host.

The event will be held in Sydney on March 9, where the winner of the award and $30,000 will be announced.

Last year’s winner was Melbourne MC Remi, with the judging panel deeming his 2014 debut album Raw X Infinity, the best Australian album of the past year. Previous AMP winners include Augie March (Moo, You Bloody Choir – 2006), Eddy Current Suppression Ring (Primary Colours – 2008), The Jezabels (Prisoner – 2011), Hermitude (HyperParadise – 2012) and 2013’s winner Big Scary for Not Art.

Speaking of the winner, you can have a look at the full list of album nominated here below.

11th Annual Australian Music Prize Shortlist 2016 

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Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just Sit

Dan Kelly  – Leisure

Dick Diver – Melbourne, Florida

Gold Class – It’s

Jess Ribeiro – Kill It Yourself

Methyl Ethel – Oh Inhuman Spectacle

My Disco – Severe

Royal Headache – High

Sarah Blasko – Eternal Return

Tame Impala – Currents