Will Courtney Barnett Win All The ARIAs? Here's Our ARIA Form Guide

24 November 2015 | 10:04 am | Hannah Story

Our two cents on Thursday's shindig

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just Sit, Flight Facilities - Down To Earth, Hermitude Dark Night Sweet Light, Tame Impala - Currents, Vance Joy - Dream Your Life Away

Who will win? Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just Sit

Who should win? Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just Sit

Why? The ARIA lords could give it to Vance Joy, who lost out to Chet Faker twice last year. They could give it Tame Impala, who cleaned up with second album Lonerism back in 2013, or they could make the correct choice and give it to the standout artist of the year, CB.

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Conrad Sewell - Start Again, Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just SitGang Of Youths The PositionsJarryd James - Do You RememberMeg Mac - MEGMAC EP

Who will win? Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just Sit

Who should win? Meg Mac - MEGMAC EP

Why? CB has been selling out shows across the entire damn world this year - but arguably, she broke out with her double EP A Sea Of Split Peas last year. It's Meg Mac who's the real up-and-comer in this line-up with her beautiful self-titled debut EP and a lot of worthy buzz around her, although young'n Sewell made it to the top of the ARIA charts for the first time in June this year with single Start Again.

BEST FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just SitJessica Mauboy - Can I Get A Moment?Meg Mac - MEGMAC EPMegan Washington - There ThereSia - Elastic Heart

Who will win? Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just Sit

Who should win? Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just Sit

Why? Jessica Mauboy did not win this one last year for Beautiful, losing to Sia, and she probably won't win this year either — which is a good thing too, this song coming up as a Spotify ad kept interrupting my moping teenager playlist. Sia won't win this year either, even if Elastic Heart is a CHOON. Neither will the two Megs, Washo and Mac, who, despite excellent records, just can't match CB. Barnett is inimitable, however much the Yanks are now trying.

BEST MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

#1 Dads - NominalDaniel Johns - TalkGuy Sebastian - Tonight AgainJarryd James - Do You RememberVance Joy - Dream Your Life Away

Who will win? Vance Joy - Dream Your Life Away

Who should win? #1 Dads - Nominal

Why? Would be nice to see #1 Dads out with an ARIA win, but we see this one going to Joy, who didn't stand a chance against Chet Faker last year. Maybe Tame Impala's Kevin Parker should be in this category, hey?

BEST GROUP OF THE YEAR

5 Seconds Of Summer - LiveSOSAC/DC - Rock Or BustHermitude Dark Night Sweet LightTame Impala - CurrentsThe Preatures - Blue Planet Eyes

Who will win? Tame Impala - Currents

Who should win? Tame Impala - Currents or Hermitude Dark Night Sweet Light

Why? At least if Kev Parker had been in Best Male there'd be a contest! Here it seems like he's destined to take out the top title, even though fellow nominee Hermitude are a worthy adversary: their gigs just keep getting bigger and bigger, and they've got a heap of festival slots coming up.

BEST INDEPENDENT RELEASE

Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just Sit, Hermitude Dark Night Sweet LightJarryd James - Do You RememberPaul Kelly - The Merri Soul SessionsVance Joy - Dream Your Life Away

Who will win? Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just Sit

Who should win? Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just Sit

Why? Behold the year of CB. She can't take out Best Album and not take out this one - sorry Vance Joy, Paul Kelly, Hermitude and Jarryd James. This contest was over before it even started.

BEST ADULT CONTEMPORARY ALBUM

John Farnham & Olivia Newton-John - Two Strong HeartsMegan Washington - There ThereOh Mercy - When We Talk About LovePaul Kelly - The Merri Soul SessionsSzymon - Tigersapp

Who will win? Szymon - Tigersapp

Who should win? Oh Mercy - When We Talk About Love or Megan Washington - There There

Why? Oh Mercy and Megan Washington's gut-wrenching records deserve some love, but are unlikely to get it. And Kelly took this one out last year with Neil Finn for Goin' Your Way, he's already a mainstay of the category. But a niggling part of us thinks that Szymon might just have this one; there was a lot of buzz around this posthumous release from one of those tragic musical genius types...

BEST BLUES & ROOTS ALBUM

CW Stoneking - Gon' BoogalooMarlon Williams - Marlon WilliamsThe Black Sorrows - Endless SleepThe Waifs - Beautiful YouTim Rogers & The Bamboos - The Rules Of Attraction

Who will win? Marlon Williams - Marlon Williams

Who should win? CW Stoneking - Gon' Boogaloo

Why? Marlon Williams was the talk of this year's CMJ Music Marathon and he deserves a win, but boy would we love to see Stoneking nab the prize. Everyone loves Tim Rogers and The Bamboos, separately and together, but we don't think they quite cut it in the blues category.

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM

Catherine Britt - BoneshakerLee Kernaghan - Spirit Of The ANZACsMustered Courage - White Lies And MelodiesShane Nicholson - Hell Breaks LooseTroy Cassar-Daley - Freedom Ride

Who will win? Lee Kernaghan - Spirit Of The ANZACs

Who should win? Shane Nicholson - Hell Breaks Loose

Why? Nicholson's record was joyous - a new beginning for the man post-split with last year's Country Album winner Kasey Chambers (yes, for her own break-up record, what symmetry). Kernaghan meanwhile plays to country music's sense of history and grandeur - what better way to honour the ANZAC Centenary than to hand Kernaghan an Award on a platter.

BEST DANCE RELEASE

Alison Wonderland - RunFlight Facilities - Down To EarthHayden James - Something About YouPeking Duk ft SAFIA - Take Me OverRÜFÜS - You Were Right

Who will win? Peking Duk ft SAFIA - Take Me Over

Who should win? Alison Wonderland - Run

Why? Peking Duk took this one out last year (with a little help from Nicole Millar), pipping the much-loved RÜFÜS at the post. This year they're likely to win again as Take Me Over is an earworm, but we kinda wish we'd see Alison Wonderland take the prize. She's been wooing festival audiences all year and her first full-length is a super interesting dance epic.

BEST HARD ROCK/HEAVY METAL ALBUM

Born Lion - Final WordsIn Hearts Wake - SkydancerKing Parrot - Dead SetNorthlane NodeThy Art Is Murder - Holy War

Who will win? Northlane - Node

Who should win? King Parrot - Dead Set

Why? It's been a massive year for Northlane, with the release of Node, their first with new vocalist Marcus Bridge, promoted with a dripfeed marketing campaign hiding ten-second cuts of their songs across the web. Has anything so brutal as King Parrot's Dead Set ever won an ARIA? The level of intensity reaches a whole new level and should be given the nod. Besides, we could only imagine what Youngy would say too if given a chance to head up to the podium.

BEST POP RELEASE

Conrad Sewell - Start AgainJarryd James - Do You RememberSia - Elastic HeartTame Impala - Let It HappenVance Joy - Dream Your Life Away

Who will win? Vance Joy - Dream Your Life Away

Who should win? Vance Joy - Dream Your Life Away or Tame Impala - Let It Happen

Why? Sewell's single was an ARIA #1 and Elastic Heart would have best film clip in the bag, but Vance Joy deserves it more, and put in a more concerted campaign to win — his people committing to American-style voter-attention marketing. Plus Riptide is still catchy as all heck. But Let It Happen is a pop-psych jam-out, and we wouldn't even mind it if Tame took out the unlikely category.

BEST ROCK ALBUM

Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just SitDead Letter Circus - AesthesisGang Of Youths The PositionsTame Impala - CurrentsThe Preatures - Blue Planet Eyes

Who will win? Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just Sit

Who should win? Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just Sit

Why? Best Pop and Best Rock, Tame! Greedy. Everyone loved Currents, but they still can't beat out CB — it's the best album of all the genres, it's gotta take out Best Rock.

BEST URBAN ALBUM

Citizen Kay - DemokracyHiatus Kaiyote Choose Your WeaponSeth Sentry - Strange New PastThe Meeting Tree - R U A CopTuka - Life Death Time Eternal

Who will win? Hiatus Kaiyote Choose Your Weapon

Who should win? Tuka - Life Death Time Eternal

Why? We've definitely got a big soft spot for Citizen Kay, but Tuka's record was much more diverse than the other nominated releases - just totally different to anything else we've heard all year. Hiatus Kaiyote on the other hand have been on the scene for a while releasing solid songs - but nothing that we see matching Tuka.