Guess it’s that time of the year again, when we look back on the past few months and try to gather our opinions on what our favourite album of the year was. There’s no rush though, you’ve got a solid two months to think about it. However, with the first round of J Award nominees having just been announced, it’s a good time to get thinking!
There are really no surprises in this list. If we’re being honest, it has been an absolute rip-snorter of a year for Australian music. We had the release of Tame Impala’s second album Lonerism, as well as the likes of Alpine, The Rubens, Ball Park Music, and Hermitude: all of whom received international attention. After the wave of international success that Gotye experienced through his single Somebody That I Used to Know, could the solid releases of all the artists below see a new era for Australian music? If so, it is safe to say that as a country, we are in very safe hands.
2012 J Award Nominees – First Round
Alpine – A Is for Alpine
Ball Park Music – Museum
Hermitude – Hyper Paradise
The Rubens – The Rubens
Tame Impala – Lonerism
The remaining J Award Australian Album of the Year nominees will be announced on Thursday 15 November on Breakfast.
2012 J Music Video Of The Year
Alpine – Hands
Gotye – Easy Way Out
Flight Facilities – Foreign Language
Kirin J Callinan – Way II War
Bertie Blackman – Boy
Hilltop Hoods – Rattling the Keys to the Kingdom
2012 J Unearthed Artist Of The Year
The Rubens
Chance Waters
Kingswood
Thelma Plum
The Winners of all three categories will be announced on 23rd November.