The Dead Albatross Music Prize 2015: Results

The Dead Albatross season has once again come and gone, with Annabel (lee) being crowned the winner of 2015 for By The Sea…(And Other Solitary Places). And while we await the traditional winner’s circle photo there’s no reason not to grab a rewind of the finale in which Paul Ackroyd aka Kamikaze played all albums in contention and counted down the top 5.

As a recap, The Dead Albatross Music Prize (DAMP) awards the best full length release (any format) dropped in the last 12 months from UK / Eire-based artists. This year shit went astronomical, with hours of radio shows dedicated to each release, guest mixes from nominees such as Michael Valentine West, Laura Cannel, and Liberez, label interviews and dedications and over 100 music heads on the voting panel.

Check the whole range of goodness at the dedicated site here: http://www.deadalbatross.com/
And the initial shortlist write-up here: https://awkmo.co/the-dead-albatross-music-prize-2015-2/

2015 was also the first year for Reissues/Archive/Compilations/Retrospectives to have a category of their own, bringing the total number of albums for the panel to live with for near on two months up to twenty-five; twenty new LPs and five of the reissues.

Here’s what we had to choose from, and I’m pleased to say that once again none of my top ten new selections made it in to the top 5.

New Albums
A Middle Sex – Soul Sways West [The Audacious Art Experiment]
Annabel (Lee) – By The Sea (And Other Solitary Places) – [If Music/Ninja Tune]
Laura Cannell – Beneath Swooping Talons – [Front & Follow]
Cathode Ray Eyes – Eyes In The Melancholy Palm [Cardinal Fuzz]
Crying Lion -The Golden Boat [Honest Jon’s Records]
Cut Hands – Festival of the Dead [Blackest Ever Black]
Defenders Of Style – The Death of Meaning [Self Release]
Orlando Julius & The Heliocentrics – Jaiyede Afro [Strut]
Liberez – All Tense Now Lax [Night School]
Lost Wax – The Poacher [Chocolate Monk]
LV & Josh Idehen – Islands [Keysound]
Perfume Advert – +200 Gamma [Opal Tapes]
Ramson Badbonez – Silva Surfa [Boot]
Roger Robinson -Dis Side Ah Town [Jahtari]
Sarpanitum – Blessed By My Brothers [Willowtip]
Sloath – Deep Mountain [Riot Season]
The Fear Ratio – Refuge Of A Twisted Soul [Skam]
The Mouse Outfit – Step Steadier [HHV.DE]
Twisted – Utopia [Specialist Subject]
Michael Valentine West – Code 17 Abstraction [Ana Ott]
 
Reissues/Archive/Compilations/Retrospectives
Bourbonese Qualk – Bourbonese Qualk 1983-1987 [Mannequin]
Ginger Johnson & His African Messengers – African Party [Freestyle]
Muslimgauze – Minaret Speaker [Staalplaat]
Singers & Players – War of Words [On U-Sound]
Various Artist – A New Life [Jazzman]

The votes were tallied last week and delivered in a three hour show from Paul which you can check out below. Big ups all involved, and it’s never too late to get cracking on those lists for 2016.

via Dead Albatross
We are delighted to announce that Annabel (lee) are the thoroughly deserved winners of this year’s Dead Albatross Music Prize with their stunning debut By The Sea… (And Other Solitary Places).

In second place, Orlando Julius with the Heliocentrics with Jaiyede Afro, whilst third place went to LV & Josh Idehen’s Islands. In fourth, Roger Robinson, and in fifth Liberez.

Rewind the show above to hear the award show, including a lengthy interview with Annabel (lee), plus their rendition of the Annabel (lee) poem by Edgar Allen Poe to close proceedings.

Meanwhile in the reissue/archive/retrospective category, Muslimgauze emerged victorious, Bryn Jones also receiving a lifetime achievement award for the sheer volume and quality of work he created. Here’s the radio documentary we made about Muslimgauze…