First Post - Aria time!

First post and I’m talking about the ARIA’s. Sorry.

Recently, a lot has been made about ARIA’s ‘changing’ of the guard. While I’m not saying this is untrue per se, maybe it’s just a case of only one of the acts that usually clean the awards up releasing an album, and last album or not, it just wasn’t very good. There is no reason any of these acts won’t become icons in the same way Powderfinger or Silverchair are, in fact, these awards may cement the career of Angus and Julia Stone, confirming what has been clear for months now – they are the biggest act in the country right now. John Butler was somewhat snubbed, I admit, but he isn’t necessarily a certain nominee anyway.

Another point of note is, there were a lot more albums that could have just as easily been nominated for the main prize without major surprise. I’m talking mainly Parkway Drive, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Dan Sultan, Cloud Control and Bliss and Eso. All of these are again, ‘new’ bands, but that mainly reflects the year’s popular releases, rather than some ‘changing of the guard’.

So, for my first post in this blog, I am going to start an inaugural predictions and commentary on the awards. I know this is perhaps alarmingly apropos in the face of the band that I’ve stolen the name of this blog from, but Australian music is Australian music, and I plan on following all facets of it. I’m not going to do the ‘Most Popular’ cats, because that shit is wack.

One final note before a huge post that no-one will read, WHAT DOES SALLY SELTMANN HAVE TO DO TO GET SOME NOTICE! An amazing album, and not a single nomination.

Album of the Year
Angus & Julia Stone - Down The Way (Original Matters/EMI)
Birds of Tokyo - Birds Of Tokyo (EMI)
Sia - We Are Born (Monkey Puzzle/Inertia)
Tame Impala – Innerspeaker (Modular Recordings)
Washington - I Believe You Liar (Mercury/UMA)

WHO WILL WIN: Angus and Julia Stone. It’s their year.

WHO SHOULD WIN: I’m going to give it up to AAJS here. Not a lot in the category tickles my fancy, but they certainly deserve recognition of their phenomenal rise

Single of the Year
Angus & Julia Stone - Big Jet Plane (Original Matters/EMI)
Birds of Tokyo – Plans (EMI)
Sia - Clap Your Hands (Monkey Puzzle/Inertia)
The Temper Trap - Love Lost (Liberation Music)
Washington - How To Tame Lions (Mercury/UMA)

WHO WILL WIN: As much as I wanna say Temper Trap will pick this up, I think AAJS will continue their streak.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Sia. The album wasn’t as strong as some made it out to be, but this was a great lead single.

Best Female Artist
Clare Bowditch - Modern Day Addiction (Island/UMA)
Kylie Minogue – Aphrodite (Mushroom Records/Warner Music)
Lisa Mitchell - Oh! Hark! (Warner Music Australia)
Sia - We Are Born (Monkey Puzzle/Inertia)
Washington - I Believe You Liar (Mercury/UMA)

WHO WILL WIN – This is possibly the tightest major award. It could go anyway, but album noms assure it will be Sia or Washington. I’m going to guess Sia.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Kylie!

Best Male Artist
Dan Kelly - Dan Kelly's Dream (Shock)
Dan Sultan - Get Out While You Can (MGM)
Guy Sebastian - Like It Like That (Sony Music)
John Butler - April Uprising (Jarrah Records/MGM)
Paul Dempsey - Fast Friends (EMI)

WHO WILL WIN: I can’t quite see why all of a sudden its John Butler, not John Butler Trio, but he will win.

WHO SHOULD WIN: DEMPO!!!! His solo career has defied the odds and been both popular and of a high quality (arguably much better than the last few Something for Kate albums)

Best Group
Angus & Julia Stone - Down The Way (Original Matters/EMI)
Birds of Tokyo - Birds Of Tokyo (EMI)
Powderfinger - Golden Rule (UMA)
Tame Impala – Innerspeaker (Modular Recordings)
The Temper Trap - Love Lost (Liberation Music)

WHO WILL WIN – AAJS. You know the drill now.

WHO SHOULD WIN – AAJS.

Best Independent Release
Art vs Science - Magic Fountain (Green/MGM)
Dan Sultan - Get Out While You Can (MGM)
Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Rush to Relax (Suppression Records/Shock)
John Butler Trio - April Uprising (Jarrah Records/MGM)
Sia - We Are Born (Monkey Puzzle/Inertia)

WHO WILL WIN – This one is tough. Album nom points to SIA, but Art Vs Science are a huge hurdle, as is Eddy Current Suppression Ring. However, while it seems there are ARIA’s in the later two’s future, SIA will likely walk away with this.

WHO SHOULD WIN – ECSR should have swept the awards noms. It’s a shame they will likely be going home empty handed, but something tells me that they couldn’t give a shit.

Best Pop Release
Bluejuice - Head of the Hawk (Dew Process/Universal Music)
Empire of the Sun - Half Mast (EMI)
Guy Sebastian - Like It Like That (Sony Music)
Kylie Minogue – Aphrodite (Warner Music Australia)
Sia - We Are Born (Monkey Puzzle/Inertia)

WHO WILL WIN – SIA. Well, it isn’t going to be Guy Sebastian now is it.

WHO SHOULD WIN – Bluejuice. Fun album. Shame it didn’t blow up for them they way it looked like it might.

Breakthrough Artist
Amy Meredith – Restless (Sony Music)
Cloud Control - Bliss Release (Ivy League Records/Universal)
Philadelphia Grand Jury - Hope is for Hopers (Normal People Making Music/Boomtown/Shock)
Tame Impala- Innerspeaker (Modular Recordings)
Washington - I Believe You Liar (Mercury/UMA)

WHO WILL WIN – Tame Impala. Good album, and I can’t see them going home completely empty handed.

WHO SHOULD WIN – Cloud Control, just to see the award go to someone less popular.

COMMENTARY – Two awards combined this year, and a lot of curveballs in the nominees. Amy Meredith should take this one last moment of ‘fame’, they will be gone in two weeks. Congrats to PGJ for a big nom.

Best Rock Album
Birds of Tokyo - Birds Of Tokyo (EMI)
Cloud Control - Bliss Release (Ivy League Records/Universal)
Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Rush to Relax (Suppression Records/Shock)
Powderfinger - Golden Rule (UMA)
Tame Impala - Innerspeaker (Modular Recordings)

WHO WILL WIN – Birds of Tokyo. The band is huge, and would likely sweep the awards if not for Angus and Julia Stone. As it stands, they may not win too many, but they will win this for sure.

WHO SHOULD WIN – ECSR.

Best Urban Album
Bliss N Eso - Running on Air (Illusive Sounds)
Lowrider - Round the World (Illusive Sounds)
M-Phazes - Good Gracious (Obese Records)
Space Invadas - Soul-Fi (Invada/Inertia)
Urthboy – Spitshine (Elefant Traks/Inertia)

WHO WILL WIN - I can’t see any circumstance where Bliss and Eso knock Eminem off number one, and don’t win this. I really thought they would get a lot of the nominations that eventually went to Washington or Sia.

WHO SHOULD WIN – I have no idea. Bliss and Eso I guess

Best Adult Alternative Album
Angus & Julia Stone - Down The Way (Original Matters/EMI)
Basement Birds - Basement Birds (Basement Birds)
Clare Bowditch - Modern Day Addiction (Island/UMA)
The Cat Empire – Cinema (EMI)
Washington - I Believe You Liar (Mercury/UMA)
Whitley - Go Forth, Find Mammoth (Dew Process/Universal Music)

WHO WILL WIN – AAJS

WHO SHOULD WIN – Sally Seltmann!!!!!

COMMENTARY – What the fuck kinda category is this. What the fuck kinda nominees are these. Why are there 6 nominees. Scrap the category, and make a clearer one.

Best Dance Release
Art vs Science - Magic Fountain (Green/MGM)
Miami Horror – Sometimes (EMI)
Midnight Juggernauts - The Crystal Axis (Siberia/Inertia)
Pendulum – Immersion (Warner Bros UK)
Yolanda Be Cool and Dcup - We No Speak Americano (Sweat it Out/Central Station Records)

WHO WILL WIN – Yolanda Be Cool and Dcup. Massive track internationally, and their 15 mins will extend to this award (but how much longer). People don’t care about Pendulum in Australia as much as they do in Europe, and Art Vs Science will be awarded when they have an album.

WHO SHOULD WIN – Midnight Juggernauts, if only for being the best of a poor bunch.

Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album
Airbourne - No Guts, No Glory (EMI)
Dead Letter Circus - This is the Warning (Warner Music Australia)
Parkway Drive - Deep Blue (Resist Records/Shock)
The Amity Affliction - Youngbloods (Boomtown/Shock)
Violent Soho - Violent Soho (Liberation Music)

WHO WILL WIN – This one is interesting. Violent Soho and Airbourne have had huge years in the USA, but never really hit at home. Amity and DLC have had huge years at home, but it probably won’t be enough to get it over the line against Parkway Drive, who, lets face it, probably were the inspiration for the long overdue category.

WHO SHOULD WIN – Shoot me, I LIKE the Violent Soho album and would love to see the Mansfield boys collecting it.

COMMENTARY – It shouldn’t have taken so long to get this category, and even now the award is being handed out before the show, and not on air.