VIA PRESS RELEASE | The 110 Best Australian Albums is sure to re-ignite one of the most heated arguments around Australian music this summer.
In 2010, three of Australia’s most highly regarded music writers—John O’Donnell, Toby Creswell and Craig Mathieson—thought it was time there was a definitive overview of contemporary Australian music: the best-selling book The 100 Best Australian Albums. The book highlighted the albums that have had the greatest influence on the musical fabric of our country. It celebrated the desert soundscapes of Midnight Oil’s Diesel and Dust; the sampladelic madness of the Avalanches; the unique, Australian narratives of Cold Chisel, Paul Kelly and Slim Dusty; the international explosions of AC/DC , Kylie, Silverchair and Nick Cave, and the influential noise of The Saints, The Birthday Party, The Drones, and more.
Fast-forward to 2017 and the three authors and Hardie Grant decided it was time for a new edition—The 110 Best Australian Albums. In those 7 years, the Australian music landscape has changed markedly, experiencing widespread digital disruption, the globalisation and open economy of the streaming world … and the emergence of Sia’s weird and wonderful wigs. More than ever, Australian music is plugged into the international zeitgeist. Flume is on the forefront of an electronic vanguard; Courtney Barnett is showing what can be done with intelligent, witty lyrics and a guitar, bass, and drums; Tame Impala is huge around the world with its neo-classic psych rock… Australian music isn’t standing still and we shouldn’t either.
The book also includes exclusive guest essays from leading artists discussing some of these great albums and artists: Peter Garrett writes about Skyhooks, Rick Rubin discusses AC/DC, Hoodoo Gurus’ Brad Shepherd raves about Radio Birdman, Nick Cave waxes passionate on Dirty Three, Paul Dempsey talks about Courtney Barnett.
