Street Press Australia Writers' Poll Results

Album Of The Year

Lonerism TAME IMPALA

A whole world of music and we have the best of it in our own backyard. Led by that “Elephant shaking his big grey trunk for the hell of it”, psych rock world-beaters Tame Impala stomped back on the scene with plenty of hullabaloo, their presence felt around the world off the back of their second record, Lonerism. Succeeding where so many acts have failed before them, the Perth gang not only maintained the quality of their celebrated 2010 debut, Innerspeaker, they usurped the release completely, showing a maturity in their songwriting and deftness in their delivery that far exceeds their years.

Let loose in early October, Lonerism was immediately met with worldwide critical acclaim and found its way onto charts across the planet. The 12-track LP was put together over two “agonising” years, as main man Kevin Parker has called them – one in Paris and one in Perth – but if this was the album that nearly broke the 26-year-old, then the brink of insanity has never sounded so inviting. It holds an undeniable zing – a blanket euphoria if you will – that has the ability to cover any situation for every generation, the album awash with drifting melodies and technicolour guitar tones ready to paint the sky.

On the album's lead track, Be Above It, Parker crows, “I know I've got to be above it now”; and judging by the results, comparatively speaking to where the rest of the musical world is heading, there's no doubt that the bare foot Western Australians are.

channel ORANGE FRANK OCEAN

Drawn in by his old soul voice and his neo school style, plenty of people were switching over to Frank Ocean's channel in 2012. Although the 25-year-old made plenty of headlines for life elements away from his music, when the needle dropped on this record the focus was on nothing more than Ocean's ultra smooth delivery, his formidable range and the lush production and live instrumentation, which created a dream-like world for the vocalist to work within.

Lyrically, the Californian is a two-way street – at times he's undeniably direct with his content; others he's vague, distant and surreal, but using brief interludes throughout, the album ties together seamlessly as a cohesive body of work. He might have started his career as a pop ghost writer and part of OFWGKTA collective, but with channel ORANGE there's no denying that now, Ocean is a legitimate star in his own right.

An Awesome Wave ALT-J

Considering their name is built from a keyboard shortcut on an Apple OS X, it's ironic that Alt-J are impossible to put a finger on. Their debut record, An Awesome Wave, is a melting pot of everything great about British indie music – complicated rhythms, brooding bass lines, sharp guitars, folksy gentleness – all housed in a dank climate where the main colour is injected through the awkwardly magnificent vocals of Joe Newman.

Meticulously put together in London with unheralded producer Charlie Andrew, the album is bellied by technological ideals; however, what you're left with is earthy and most of all human, the sound an unbridled celebration of life. One of the shortest priced Mercury Music Prize favourites in recent memory, Alt-J managed to out-Radiohead Radiohead in a year where that band was everywhere on the touring calendar, no mean feat for a few blokes from Leeds.

Shields GRIZZLY BEAR

Recorded up in Cape Cod, to the north-east of their Brooklyn home, Grizzly Bear put together their long-awaited fourth record, Shields. A follow-up to their indie masterpiece of 2009, Veckatimest, the record reveals the sound of a quartet locking in more tightly and as one, a reflection of a creative process that saw them working in a more collaborative manner than ever before.

The results are an album that removes any sort of standard route from a stock genre, instead replacing it with fresh bends at every tune. It's music that cares about you as well as itself. And sure, the melancholy melodies still remain, but there's hope in them voices, the band sounding content with their current stock and comfortable in their own skin. At a point where the romance could have begun to fade out for Grizzly Bear, they've simply gone on to solidifying global adoration even further.

good kid, m.A.A.d city KENDRICK LAMAR

No artist blurred the lines between storyline and song better this year than Kendrick Lamar. At a time when hip hop seemed to be further turning its back on its formula and roots, Lamar returned focus to the single element that makes the craft so inviting in the first place – the lyrics. That's not to say that the production of the tracks is stock – far from it – however, the 25-year-old comes at his verses with such articulation and colour that it's hard to deny its place front and centre.

good kid m.A.A.d city is Kendrick's tale of Compton streets and his journey navigating them. He feels love, he finds trouble but he comes out at the end of the tunnel with a clear vision and a new appreciation for the life he was ready to abandon. With a few bold and instantaneous singles scattered across the LP for good measure, this was the year's defining rhyme moment.

Blunderbuss JACK WHITE

There was always sort of a general consensus that Jack White could put no foot wrong, a point he all but proved with his first solo offering, Blunderbuss. The record was written from scratch by the Detroit blues maestro and is the music of a singular mind; his heart and soul found across every inch of the LP. The attitude that emanates through the music never comes across as cocky, while soulful female back-ups on certain cuts splash added sex appeal across the canvas, as if there wasn't enough.

Then of course, there's that guitar playing. Unhinged and honky, White makes his axe moan and wail – every other instrument is merely cleaning up after it. Without abandoning who he was within the ranks of The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, White has managed to give himself a rebirth, Blunderbuss adding to his lofty legacy further.

Coexist THE XX

Their debut record seemed like one of those 'right time, right place' releases, the perfect music for that point, but no one told The xx that. Coexist marks a new chapter for the band as a three-piece, and under increased spotlight and pressure the Brits managed to craft a record even more delicate and pure than their self-titled LP of 2009.

Using bass and guitar as mere accompaniments to their duelling vocals, Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim still communicate like lovers on a reflective bend. With their lyrics, the pair let us in a little closer on Coexist; however, the record really shows progress as a whole thanks to the production work of sound manipulator behind the scenes, Jamie xx. He allows the tracks to veer away from their established foundation with subtle flourishes of triggered instrumentation, creating tension and joy. Personal and provoking, The xx opened up and we jumped right in.

Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR

With no studio album to their name in a decade, Godspeed's 2012 record was always going to be met with rapture from their legions of fans; lucky for them the release continued to build on a legend that has been growing for almost 20 years. Not so much a collection of songs as a flowing body of work, the four-track 53-minute epic takes listeners on a fluid and pulsing journey, with continued ebbs and flows leaving one practically drained following the experience.

The incredible thing with Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! is that for such a sonic sprawl, not once does the momentum diminish. And with all emotions created from instruments, the volatility makes it feel like something amazing could happen at any time, and it does. Age certainly did not weary these Canadians in 2012; a welcomed return and their position at the top of the post-rock food chain almost certainly assured.

Visions GRIMES

The sound of K-pop for the Western world, made from the cuttings of electro and injected with child-like wonderment thanks to the upper pitch delivery of Claire Boucher, Visions was a game changer upon its release at the beginning of the year. In the time that's passed since then, the album has lost none of its charm, the crosspollination of ethereal sounds sounding equally as exotic and foreign as it did when it dropped in January.

Upon first listen, the album doesn't really seem to fit into any particular box. But with just the right amount of energy and fragility, the release struck a chord with hipsters and tastemakers across every continent. Recorded entirely on Apple's GarageBand over three weeks in Boucher's Montreal apartment, there is perhaps no better snapshot of where pop music is and where it excitedly could be heading than Visions.

The Seer SWANS

Rounding out the ten is American post-rock stalwarts Swans, who are enjoying quite the renaissance after being inactive for more than a decade. The Seer has been described by frontman and producer Michael Gira as a record three decades in the making, and it's apparent that the New Yorker and his band mates were committed to giving every idea its opportunity to shine.

Going against the grain of current albums by clocking in at a whopping two hours, Swans' twelfth record is oblique and dense. However, because of this, the two-disc set offers up a plethora of stimulants from which to ride high. More than music, it's as if the tracks are eerily breathing warm air on the back of your neck, and although there are arguably more riddles in this collection than there are answers, it's a fact that only adds to the aural seduction.

Misc Album Of The Year

Who were our writers to go past a recording featuring one of the greatest rock bands in history, captured from what could be their last ever live performance. Named after the third track from their 1970 record III, Celebration Day is three members and a spawn of Zeppelin on stage together for a special performance to honour the life of Ahmet Ertegun, the late founder and long-standing president of Atlantic Records. With the highest demand for tickets ever seen (20 million requests were made online), to say this concert was anticipated is to say that Zeppelin wrote a riff or two. But if there was expectation then you can't hear it in the recording. The band sound electrifying, ripping through what could be seen as the blueprint for all heavy music since: Black Dog, Kashmir, Rock & Roll, Whole Lotta Love… Four decades on and it just goes to show that the classics never die.

Honourable mentions: There wasn't much new to speak of in the way of compilations; the Blur 21 box set celebrated their Britpop career by bringing all their studio albums together, while many returned to The Velvet Underground's seminal debut to remember what was so great about Heroin in the first place. Rounding out the popular picks were the past and the present of trip hop, down tempo soul, with Massive Attack's reworked Blue Lines record just pipping this generation's late night mood music maker The Weeknd, who got plenty of people hot and bothered with his three-disc work, Trilogy.

Previous Winners: Nevermind (20th anniversary) NIRVANA (2011)

Song Of The Year

It's two from two for Tame Impala, the lads walking away with Album and now Song Of The Year for Elephant, the first single lifted from Lonerism. As an indication of the record, it's not much of one, with the track probably the most digestible rock nugget found on the release. But as a tune, it's mega, with that relentless bass line bounce built to make babies. It's hypnotic, it swings and it's an incredibly solid place for Kev Parker and the boys to build up from until they have a fuzz so thick it makes Commandant Lassard look like a genius. The whole idea of this Elephant stumbling about to the beat of the track only further adds to its attraction and charm. Lonerism has gone on to be a far greater whole than the sum of its songs, but the hype switch wasn't set to overdrive until this tune dropped in July.

Honourable mentions: Our writers love that delicious nostalgic goodness it seems with Alabama Shakes' Hold On coming in a few votes back in polling, but they're not averse to a big ol' slice of pop cheese either, with Carly Rae Jepson's Call Me Maybe keeping plenty on the line, for irony, bubblegum value or otherwise. After that it's a bit of a mix – everyone's neo-soul champion Frank Ocean threw our punk compass aside with Bad Religion, Abbe May blew a big plume of smoke in our face with her seductive Karmageddon, while Breezeblocks by Brit's Alt-J got our writers all sentimental for nothing in particular.

Previous Winners: Somebody That I Used To Know GOTYE FEAT. KIMBRA (2011), Fuck You CEE LO GREEN (2010), Sweet Disposition THE TEMPER TRAP (2009)

Artist Of The Year

It was a dead heat here in polling, but no one stands straight… So, which way do you lean? Although Frank Ocean probably gets a little more props as the solo runner out of our winning pair, Tame Impala are our homegrown product and kicking some seriously big goals right around the world. Ugh, it's too much to take – you're both winners in our eyes gentlemen. Although, channel ORANGE is on the speakers as this is being written and Ocean just ran out of Trojans, so maybe he's getting enough love? Anyway, behind these two no one was really in reach, with the peloton closely bunched back at roughly half the votes of our duel victors. But considering these were the absolute one and two in the Album Of The Year voting and we are music writers, this result probably goes a long way to understanding our train of thought – it's all about the jams people.

Honourable mentions: Since the beginning of the year, the hype surrounding Grimes has remained a constant, while Gotye, armed with a new bunch of pointy ARIA things, follows up his first-placing of 2011 with a very credible fourth. Embarking on the most anticipated Australian tour of 2012 meant that Radiohead were in everyone's hearts and heads, while likely heirs to the throne Alt-J landed just behind them, with young dance prodigy Flume rounding out the top contenders behind his self-titled debut.

Previous Winners: Gotye (2011), The National (2010), Lady Gaga (2009)

International Artist Performance Of The Year

Was there any doubt? When it was announced in February that Radiohead would be returning to our country following an eight-year sabbatical, the blogosphere went into meltdown, with tickets snapped up a short while later at warp speed. But did the shows live up to levels of anticipation? You must believe it be true. Ol' Tommy Yorke and the boys revelled in their own skin, releasing themselves onstage with gleeful abandon and delivering a two-hour, three-encore set that presented every single facet of the band's sound, from Lotus Flower to Myxomatosis, Paranoid Android to Idioteque. The lightshow was simply jaw dropping, while the band incorporated an assembly of large dropdown screens to allow even the nosebleed seats to feel close to the action, creating a genuine intimacy in some of the country's biggest venues. For a bunch of supposed miserable English bastards, their entire tour couldn't have been more joyous.

Honourable mentions: November was a good month if you like your music completely left of centre it seems, with the dynamic grandeur of Harvest headliners Sigur Rós also leaving a lasting impression on many. Those of us that got to his arena shows, his now-legendary after parties, or both, showered the purple rain down on Prince while The Pogues once again made drunkenness seem utterly mesmerising. We couldn't forget the once-in-a-lifetime run of dates that Refused delivered either, and Bon Iver's huge live show made many smile all stupid-like.

Previous Winners: Portishead (2011), Metallica (2010), Neil Young (2009)

Australian Artist Performance Of The Year

It just goes to show how revelatory their nationwide tour was back in March that the performances from ol' boys Dirty Three have still managed to remain etched in the minds of our writers right through 'til December. No Aussie musicians gave more on stage this year than Warren Ellis, Mick Turner and Jim White, and plugging latest album, Toward The Low Sun, their first record in seven years, the trio were unstoppable, their wild improvisational jazz rock continuing to sound as vital as ever. Having Ellis, the bearded mentalist, flailing about the front of stage cracking high kicks could never hurt the chances of a performance either. Their intense slot at this year's Splendour In The Grass Festival only added further to the band's massive year on home soil. Always welcome, forever inspired; this Aussie institution is the benchmark for punch drunk instrumental sounds and made the stage their own in 2012.

Honourable mentions: Meredith meltdown aside, Melbourne's Twerps dazzled onstage with their unmistakable brand of Oz jangle rock and former category winners Tame Impala once again put in a strong live year introducing audiences to Lonerism. Bearded beatnik Chet Faker took future sounds of the stereo and seamlessly translated them to the live arena; Brisbane's drunken engine that could, DZ Deathrays, carried on their messy ascent towards global domination with a break-out year domestically and abroad, while Royal Headache turned their back on arenas and continued to amaze with their unpredictable brand of punk.

Previous Winners: Grinderman (2011), Tame Impala (2010), Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (2009)

Online Destination Of The Year

Don't tell Zuckerburg! (Although considering he has access to most everyone's information he's probably already found out.) Twitter has knocked off the place that helps you connect and share with the people in your life. But it seems that we don't want to show off photos and pass on invites to our mate's killer album launch party anymore; all we need now is 140 characters to share our insightful thoughts on music, politics and other stuff that's really grinding our gears. But Twitter is more than a simple place to offload – it's a place to learn about the world, and the best thing is you can create the world you want to hear about. Its simplified use also means that its creators can't fuck with it every other month until it's so damn convoluted that you can't even find your events tab. Not that it bothers us or anything…

Honourable mentions: It seems our writers couldn't resist a cheeky little plug for the ever sexy theMusic.com.au website (and who can blame them really?), while Facebook continues to hold strong among the ranks. But hey, man, the writers at Street Press Australia are consummate professionals... hence why SoundCloud and Wikipedia both got a look in, for research purposes, not procrastination. However, they also love viewing parody clips and cat montages, which is why YouTube snuck in towards the top of our polls.

Previous Winners: Facebook (2011), Facebook (2010), Facebook (2009)

TV Show Of The Year

What can we say? The drug business is bloody entertaining. Breaking Bad finds itself in a familiar position again after topping our poll last year, with the first half of the latest (and final) season offering up enough plot twists and character turns to make the New Mexico cooking business look like a tasty one. In 2012, with the finger-lickin' drug kingpin Gus out of the way, we found Walt (continually played the hell out of by Bryan Cranston) and Jesse (Aaron Paul) back cooking again; selling, killing and taking control of the town, all the while losing control of their own lives. The bleak desert setting of Albuquerque only helps to underpin the series further, enhancing the idea of desolation through methamphetamine. How they also manage to crack genuine moments of humour within such a hardnose script is a credit to the writers and actors. With the concluding half of the series pencilled in for release mid-next year, winter 2013 is shaping up to be surly and couch-centric.

Honourable mentions: Medieval fantasy hit Game Of Thrones was way back in second place, while Girls was the only lol-worthy show to make the upper echelons of the voting results (music journalism – sad face, eh). And what would life be like without some post-apocalyptic zombie drama, right? Right! That's why we loved the guts out of The Walking Dead. Rounding it out, human pug dog Steve Buscemi and the Boardwalk Empire crew landed a whisker ahead of Homeland, a show that was no doubt affected in polls by Claire Danes' inability to cry like a normal person.

Previous Winners: Breaking Bad (2011), True Blood (2010)

Movie Of The Year

When George Clooney was fighting crime in Gotham City and Arnold Schwarzenegger was laying on the freeze puns thick and fast, no one could honestly say that they expected the Batman franchise to rebuild itself to not only be the most successful comic-driven movie series on the big screen, but also the most critically acclaimed of all time. Christopher Nolan's trilogy has breathed life into what was once a stale character; his storylines captivating, his villains downright venomous and his lead man, played to perfection by Christian Bale, a genuine hero that is impossible not to get behind. The Dark Knight Rises finishes off what Batman Begins started seven years ago, and once again leaves you emotionally invested in the happenings of the Caped Crusader, a rarity for someone born from a sketch. And even though we didn't grab every word that Bane was saying, we still wouldn't want to get on his bad side – geez. This also makes two out of three for Nolan when it comes to SPA polls; lucky he's having next year off.

Honourable mentions: One of the most iconic filmmakers of our time, Wes Anderson struck a chord once again with his story of summer camp romance, Moonrise Kingdom. Daniel Craig, meanwhile, continued to assert himself as one of the finest Bonds of all time with the spy institution's latest triumph, Skyfall. Ben Affleck shocked everyone with his engrossing script, airtight direction (and acting chops) in the Canadian Caper tale of 1980, Argo, while The Avengers and Looper gave us two vastly different sides of imagination with their respective plots.

Previous Winners: Drive (2011), Inception (2010)

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