In two days time the biggest acts in Australian music (aka the good, the bad and the Reece Mastin) will compete against each other for Oz's greatest prizes. Nope, not talking about the J Awards. They've been given out already. I am of course talking about the ARIA Awards, to be shown not on a normal television channel, but on the less glamorous 'Go.' Wow.
It's been a huge year for the local industry, with Gotye kicking chart butt all over the world with 'Somebody That I Used To Know' and buzz bands like The Jezabels and The Temper Trap getting a whole lot of attention with the incredible albums, Prisoner and The Temper Trap. Aussie hip hop found a new king in 360, while the Hilltop Hoods have secured their status as a pioneering force for the genre. In a sign of the changing landscape, 360 leads the nominations list and is up for six awards including Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Male Artist.
Not-so-Australian, Kimbra is also looking to score back-to-back wins for Best Female Artist and has vowed to tear up the stage with a showstopping performance. The Jezabels, The Temper Trap, 360 and Jessica Mauboy are all lined up to perform. With that line-up, I might even watch the show. Just kidding. In all honesty though I'll just be watching because I'm sorta-kinda-maybe stalking Kimbra. What of it?
Anywho, since we all love to predict what's going to happen at these awards shows, I thought I'd throw my two-cents in. Let us know who you're tipping for top honours as well.
Breakthrough Artist - Release
360 - Falling and Flying
Alpine - A is For Alpine
Lanie Lane - To The Horses
Matt Corby - Brother
San Cisco - Awkward
Let's start with an easy one. All five artists are deserving winners (a rare moment of clarity, ARIA peeps?), but seriously... this is 360's to lose. Always go for the acts that are in contention for Album of the Year.
Who Should Win: Lanie Lane
Who Will Win: 360
Best Pop Release
Gotye - Making Mirrors
Guy Sebastian - Battle Scars
Jessica Mauboy - Gotcha
Kimbra - Vows
San Cisco - Awkward
See, this is where the ARIA's tend to be a bit of a fail to me. How can you have albums competing against singles? Last year Gotye won with 'Somebody That I Used To Know,' so should he even be allowed to go for awards again since Making Mirrors stood out based on that song alone? Sorry if the truth smacking you in the face hurt, Gotye fans. Regardless, Gotye is likely to come out of this year's show as a big winner. Even if Vows is the far superior album.
Who Should Win: Kimbra
Who Will Win: Gotye
Best Dance Release
Havana Brown - When The Lights Go Out
Hermitude - Hyperparadise
Ivan Gough and Feenixpawl ft. Georgi Kay - In My Mind
Knife Party - Rage Valley
Sneaky Sound System - From Here To Anywhere
I'm not going to pretend I know anything about Hermitude and Feenixpawl and friends, so let's remove them from the equation. H Brown. She's had a profile boost since that time I saw her DJing with no pants on at the Family. Chart success in the US of A with 'We Run The Night' and that song where she lures a dude to a party by leaving shoes everywhere in the video (I think he just wants to be friends?) make her a frontrunner. ARIA voters love it when someone hits it big overseas. But she shouldn't win. This is really between Knife Party and Sneaky Sound System. Two dudes from Pendulum who are wildly in demand on the dance scene (and deservedly so) versus a mostly forgotten but progressive electronic/pop duo that features one of the funnest vocalists in the country.
Who Should Win: Sneaky Sound System
Who Will Win: Pendulum Knife Party
Best Group
Boy and Bear
Cold Chisel
Hilltop Hoods
The Jezabels
The Temper Trap
Who are Boy and Bear again? Cold Chisel get the nostalgic nod and if it's a hip hop heavy night, the Hilltop Hoods could walk out winner. But remember what I said about Album of the Year nominees? When they're up for a lesser award, expect them to win. In this case, there's two of them; The Jezabels and The Temper Trap. Both are deserving, so who's it going to be?
Who Should Win: The Jezabels
Who Will Win: The Jezabels
Best Male Artist
360
Angus Stone
Gotye
Guy Sebastian
Keith Urban
Matt Corby
You know, part of me wants to see 360 win this. But Gotye did lead the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks this year. But that was in America. Oooooh. Tough one.
Who Should Win: Gotye
Who Will Win: Gotye
Best Female Artist
Jessica Mauboy
Kimbra
Lanie Lane
Missy Higgins
Washington
I love you Kimbra, but following my trusty formula there's only one logical winner here. And she's Australian music's golden girl. Who's actually Australian. Thanks for coming Washington, Lanie Lane and J Mauboy!
Who Should Win: Kimbra
Who Will Win: Missy Higgins
Song Of The Year
360 ft. Gossling - Boys Like You
Delta Goodrem - Sitting On Top Of The World
Guy Sebastian - Don't Worry Be Happy
Hilltop Hoods ft. Sia - I Love It
Jessica Mauboy ft. Stan Walker - Galaxy
Justice Crew - Boom Boom
Matt Corby - Brother
Reece Mastin - Good Night
Ricki-Lee - Do It Like That
Timomatic - Set It Off
Sweet. Merciful. Zeus. I believe this is a fan voted award... which terrifies me. The thought of Delta Goodrem's 'Sitting On Top Of The World' winning should make me feel sick, but the thought of Reece Mastin or Timomatic or Justice Crew or Ricki Lee or Guy Sebastian winning for those songs... I need to take a moment.
...
This is the worst thing to happen. Ever. Never put power like this in the hands of the general population.
Who Should Win: 360 ft. Gossling
Who Will Win: Someone awful.
Who Will Lose: People with taste.
Album Of The Year
360 - Falling and Flying
Gotye - Making Mirrors
Missy Higgins - The Ol' Razzle Dazzle
The Jezabels - Prisoner
The Temper Trap - The Temper Trap
Five pretty awesome albums, but you can't really say who it's going to be. A 360 win would be huge. Gotye winning would cap off a ridiculously successful eighteen months. Missy Higgins is one of the country's greatest musical assests. The Jezabels have shown that they are a force to be reckoned with and The Temper Trap are... well... they're like Coldplay. But good. They should be playing stadium shows around the country right now. I honestly have no idea who's going to take this one out... and that kind of makes it a little bit interesting. Right?
Who Should Win: The Jezabels
Who Will Win: 360... or Gotye.
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