Nine Aussie Albums Make Shortlist For $30,000 Coopers Amp

The 10th annual Coopers Australian Music Prize — The Amp — has settled on its nine-artist-strong shortlist of albums for 2015's event, all of which are in the running for the $30,000 prize. 

Selected from an entry pool of 65 albums that make up the competition's previously announced longlist, this year's shortlist boasts full-lengths from a broad demographic of lauded local artists, including #1 Dads, Chet Faker, C.W. Stoneking, REMI, Total Control and more.

Faker is a first-time nominee — and his Built On Glass LP has had all the awards thrown at it throught the past 12 months — but he's joined by a few familiar faces among the AMP family: Tom Iansek, of #1 Dads (who are nominated for their record About Face), actually took out the prize last year as one-half of Big Scary, while Total Control's Mikey Young made the list for his work with Eddy Current Suppression Ring, winning in 2008 and being shortlisted in 2010. Additionally, C.W. Stoneking was shortlisted in 2008 for Jungle Blues — the album directly preceding his newly nominated Gon' Boogaloo.

"Our 10th shortlist! Including these fine nine albums, we've now successfully promoted over 90 great Australian albums, globally," AMP founder and prize director Scott B Murphy said in a statement. "I am very proud of this achievement and I thank all the artists, judges, patrons and sponsors who have assisted along the journey."

This year's special 10th anniversary dinner will be held in Sydney on Wednesday, 4 March, at which the winner of the $30,000 prize will be announced.

See the full shortlist below.