Generally considered to be the most useful barometer of quality music in Australia (certainly to its wining recipients), the annual Australian Music Prize announced its shortlist of 2010 nominations in Sydney today.
In a worrying tradition for the AMPs, despite 2010 being a strong year for Australian hip-hop and hardcore in particular, familiar indie bands swept the nominations. Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Drones frontman Gareth Liddiard and Selly Seltmann, aka ex-New Buffalo, are all previous winners of AMP sanctioned prizes. Nominees Cloud Control, Dan Kelly and Tame Impala were also all nominated at the recent ARIA awards.
The artists in the running for the $30,000 prize are:
The Holidays - Post Paradise
Sally Seltmann - Heart That's Pounding
Dan Kelly - Dan Kelly's Dream
Pikelet - Stem
Cloud Control – Bliss Release
Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Rush To Relax
Gareth Liddard – Strange Tourist
Richard In Your Mind – My Volcano
Tame Impala – Innerspeaker
The Holidays have already one the $15,000 prize for 'Best Debut Release'. Winners of the Australian Music Prize will be announced March 3rd.