The short list is out for this year's Australian Music Prize, which is an Australian music award akin to the UK's Mercury Music Prize. Judges aimed to have a shortlist of nine for the Prize, but said yesterday that they couldn't get their list of favourite albums of 2007 down to nine, so instead they have a shortlist of ten. Given that last year judges went from the aimed eight shortlisted albums up to nine, you have to wonder if in ten years time the AMP will be publishing a rather long shortlist. Award founder Scott Murphy told reporters he didn't think that would happen though, explaining the increase, he said: "The increase from 8 to 9 and now 10 is simply a reflection of the quantity of high quality releases in 2007. The judges were asked for eight short listed titles but this year they told me that would have meant cutting out two artists from a huge leg-up for their career. That's not what we're about".
Anyway, you want to know what's on the list presumably. Well, here it is. The overall winner will be announced, and awarded the A$25,000 prize, at a bash in Sydney on 13 Mar.
New Buffalo - Somewhere Anywhere
Perry Keyes - Last Ghost Train Home
Midnight Juggernauts - Dystopia
Lisa Miller - Morning In The Bowl Of Night
Devastations - Yes, U
Architecture In Helsinki - Places Like This
Dardanelles - Mirror Mirror
The Mess Hall - Devil's Elbow
Urthboy - The Signal bluejuice - Problems