Cleansweep For Chet Faker? Our 2014 ARIA Form Guide

This year’s ARIA Awards is a sweet run for breakout artists.

Chet Faker’s got the most noms in his maiden ARIA run; Sheppard have been up for a single before but this is their first album run on the board; while Sia is old hat, having been nominated previously in 2009 and 2010. At least she’s not up for the Breakthrough Artist category (no, Chandelier is not the be-all and end-all of Sia, do your research).

Meanwhile 5 Seconds Of Summer are young guns making waves, but they might be a little too ‘teen’ for your ARIA voter, and Dan Sultan, well, he’s been around a while so is not new to the joys of ARIA glory.

Who’s going to dominate? Chet Faker. Who are we barracking for? Anybody but Chet Faker, because we don’t want anybody to get an easy run – not like Flume last year, and Gotye in 2012.

Hannah Story and The Music editorial team take a look at the categories for the 28th annual ARIA Awards:

Album Of The Year

Chet Faker – Built On Glass, Dan Sultan – Blackbird, Jessica Mauboy – Beautiful, Sheppard – Bombs Away, Sia – 1000 Forms Of Fear
Who will win? Chet Faker – Built On Glass
Who should win? Chet Faker – Built On Glass
Why? We do love seeing debut albums take out Album Of The Year. And let’s be honest about it: Faker’s is the best album-album in this lot. It’s cohesive, emotional, it gets the kids dancing – it’s practically flawless.

Breakthrough Artist Of The Year

 
5 Seconds Of Summer – 5 Seconds Of Summer, Andy Bull – Sea Of Approval, Chet Faker – Built On Glass, Iggy Azalea – The New Classic, The Kite String Tangle – Vessel EP
Who will win? Chet Faker – Built On Glass
Who should win? Iggy Azalea – The New Classic
Why? It’s sad that Andy Bull is only just “breaking through”; 5 Seconds Of Summer have the best record sales, but not the best sound; The Kite String Tangle is the underdog; and Faker is Faker. Why should Iggy win? Because that girl from Mullumbimby took on the US market and won.

Female Artist Of The Year

Adalita – All Day Venus, Iggy Azalea – The New Classic, Jessica Mauboy – Beautiful, Kasey Chambers – Bittersweet, Sia – 1000 Forms Of Fear
Who will win? Sia
Who should win? Sia
Why? Chambers is a critic’s darling and she’s already won this award three times (if she took it out this year, she’d have won the most Female Artist ARIAs ever). But it’s Sia who’s really been pushing boundaries this year, and who hasn’t won in this category before, probably because she was busy writing pop hits for everyone else. Let her have this one. 

Male Artist Of The Year

Chet Faker – Built On Glass, Dan Sultan – Blackbird, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu – Gurrumul & The Sydney Symphony Orchestra: His Life And Music, Guy Sebastian – Come Home With Me, Vance Joy – Mess Is Mine
Who will win? Chet Faker – Built On Glass
Who should win? Vance Joy – Mess Is Mine or Dan Sultan – Blackbird
Why? Vance Joy is our new golden boy, taking out the triple j Hottest 100 and the coveted Taylor Swift US tour support slot. And admittedly Riptide was a pretty much perfect song. Meanwhile we think Dan Sultan doesn’t get the credit he deserves after all his years in the biz (although he did take out this category in 2010). Give it to him!

Best Group

5 Seconds Of Summer – 5 Seconds Of Summer, Hilltop Hoods – Walking Under Stars, RÜFÜS – Sundream, Sheppard – Bombs Away, Violent Soho – Saramona Said
Who will win? Violent Soho – Saramona Said
Who should win? Violent Soho – Saramona Said
Why? Sheppard are commercial darlings – even our mums know all the words to Geronimo – but that doesn’t mean they’ve had the year Violent Soho has. Even though Saramona Said is only a single, Violent Soho have cropped up on almost every festival bill and sold out national tours. They deserve it. On the other side of the fence Hilltop Hoods have lost this category twice before and it might just be their year.

Best Independent Release Of The Year

Chet Faker – Built On Glass, Dan Sultan – Blackbird, Sheppard – Bombs Away, Vance Joy – Mess Is Mine, Violent Soho – Saramona Said
Who will win? Chet Faker – Built On Glass
Who should win? Chet Faker – Built On Glass
Why? Fact: it is the Best Independent Release. Don’t fight facts.

Best Adult Contemporary Album

Gossling – Harvest Of Gold, Kate Miller-Heidke – O Vertigo!, Neil Finn & Paul Kelly – Goin’ Your Way, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Live From KCRW, Tina Arena – Reset
Who will win? Neil Finn & Paul Kelly
Who should win? Neil Finn & Paul Kelly
Why? We did love O Vertigo!; you can’t go past Nick Cave whose live albums are still better than most releases in Adult Contemporary at the moment; Gossling is probably just too young to really fit here; but let’s be honest, if anybody owns Adult Contemporary, it’s Paul Kelly. And it helps to have Neil Finn on board.

Best Blues & Roots Album

Harry Hookey – Misdiagnosed, John Butler Trio – Flesh & Blood, Russell Morris – Van Diemen’s Land, The Audreys – ‘Til My Tears Roll Away, The Bamboos – Fever In The Road
Who will win? Russell Morris – Van Diemen’s Land
Who should win? Russell Morris – Van Diemen’s Land
Why? Obviously the sentimental favourite, as he was last year, after almost 60 years on the scene, being largely ignored until last year, it’s finally Morris’ time to shine. That said, both The Audreys and John Butler Trio have made solid records that might just come in from behind to take the prize.  

Best Country Album

 
Adam Brand – My Side Of The Street, Emma Swift – Emma Swift, Kasey Chambers – Bittersweet, Keith Urban – Fuse, The McClymonts – Here’s To You & I
Who will win? Kasey Chambers – Bittersweet
Who should win? The McClymonts – Here’s To You & I
Why? It’s hard to go past the emotional pull of Chambers’ latest record, and let’s be frank, Chambers releases an album and is pretty much guaranteed a win in this category. But for the diversity of songwriting, the melting pot of sibling experience and mastery of the pop-country goldmine credit has to go to The McClymonts. They’ve one Best Country twice before; if there’s going to be an upset, it’ll be them.  

Best Dance Release

Flume & Chet Faker – Drop The Game, Nicky Night Time – Everybody Together, Peking Duk ft Nicole Millar – High, RÜFÜS – Sundream, The Presets – No Fun
Who will win? Flume & Chet Faker – Drop The Game
Who should win? Flume & Chet Faker – Drop The Game
Why? This EP was one of the best collabs we’ve heard in a long time; they’re miles ahead of the competition, this year made up of has-beens, might-bes and meh.

Best Pop Release

5 Seconds Of Summer – 5 Seconds Of Summer, Andy Bull – Sea Of Approval, Justice Crew – Que Sera, Sheppard – Bombs Away, Sia – 1000 Forms Of Fear
Who will win? 5 Seconds Of Summer – 5 Seconds Of Summer
Who should win? 5 Seconds Of Summer – 5 Seconds Of Summer
Why? Sure Sia crafted a great album and there’s a lot of love in the industry for the powerhouse, Geronimo is catchy, but can we keep it real please? 5 Seconds Of Summer are the Australian pop band right now and there’s no denying it. Pre-teens know what’s up.  

Best Rock Album

 
Angus & Julia Stone – Angus & Julia Stone, Ball Park Music – Puddinghead, Dan Sultan – Blackbird, Jimmy Barnes – 30:30 Hindsight, Kingswood – Microscopic Wars
Who will win? Jimmy Barnes – 30:30 Hindsight
Who should win? Dan Sultan – Blackbird
Why? We can’t help ourselves when it comes to ol’ man Barnes, especially when he’s been feeling under the weather. Angus & Julia Stone’s comeback record was close to pop perfection, but rock? We’re fans of Ball Park Music’s tight indie-pop (pop being the important word here) and Kingswood’s guitar tones, but Blackbird takes the cake this year.

Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album

DZ Deathrays – Black Rat, High Tension – Death Beat, Shihad – FVEY, sleepmakeswaves – Love Of Cartography, The Amity Affliction – Let The Ocean Take Me
Who will win? The Amity Affliction – Let The Ocean Take Me
Who should win? The Amity Affliction – Let The Ocean Take Me
Why? Amity have been a juggernaut this year and have proven unstoppable with their album. Bridesmaids twice already, this should be their year. High Tension and DZ Deathrays have made outstanding albums and deserve one, mind you. Shihad, despite a solid rock album, will probably fall victims to “Hey, but aren’t they Kiwis?”. And if this was the best Post-Rock album, sleepmakeswaves would romp it in, but alas...

Best Urban Album

 
360 – Utopia, Hilltop Hoods – Walking Under Stars, Iggy Azalea – The New Classic, Illy – Cinematic, Thundamentals – So We Can Remember
Who will win? Hilltop Hoods – Walking Under Stars
Who should win? Thundamentals – So We Can Remember
Why? Thundamentals released one of the more clever and refreshing Oz hip hop albums of the year. But their mountain of an effort won’t be enough to pip the more popular Hilltop Hoods and their solid seventh LP. If we don’t give ‘em Best Group, we can at least fling ‘em this.