Music

AMP Awards 2005: Spoon scoops up top album spot

By Michael Corcoran
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, December 29, 2005

It's Spoon's time. Austin's most glistening gift to modern rock has earned the AMP Award for best Austin album of 2005, voted on by a collection of Austin Music Pundits, for the stunning "Gimme Fiction," which gets its Prince on with "I Turn My Camera On," sways and steps to "Sister Jack" and sounds like nothing and everything on "The Beast and Dragon, Adored."

You can almost take the "Austin" qualifer out of the award's title: "Gimme Fiction" just may be the best album of 2005, period. Britt Daniel and Jim Eno, the straight cowboys of Comeback Mountain, have been through the wringer, ridden the roller coaster — choose your cliché — in a career stymied by a lousy name (the "oo" sound doesn't rock, i.e. Doobie Brothers, Goo Goo Dolls.) For the band to look out over the tens of thousands of people crowding around their Lollapalooza stage July in Chicago, where critics hailed their set as a standout, must've been the sweetest redemption.

The Spoonsters, with 75 points (based on a weighted ranking system), didn't take this crown without a fight from a couple of KGSR faves. James McMurtry, who had two of the top five "Austin Song of the Year" picks, scored 72 points in second place with "Childish Things," while Eliza Gilkyson, who's been doing the best work of her career the past five years, finished third in the voting with 62 points for "Paradise Hotel."

Also strong with the voters were Charlie Sexton's "Cruel and Gentle Things" in fourth place and Jimmie Dale Gilmore's cozy cover LP "Come On Back" in fifth. Rounding out the Top 10 were "Weather and Water" by the Greencards, an outstanding album that no doubt would've finished higher if every voter still considered the new Nashvillians an Austin act; Elizabeth McQueen's pub rock romp on "Happy Doing What We're Doing"; Jimmy LaFave's "Blue Nightfall"; Cory Morrow's career-redefining "Nothing Left To Lose"; and the self-titled return of "Rick Broussard's Two Hoots and a Holler."

Just missing the Top 10 were newest releases from Guy Forsyth, whose radio-conquering "Long Long Time" was cited in the song of the year category; Ray Wylie Hubbard's delicious scrap, "Delirium Tremolos"; Marcia Ball's "Live! Down the Road"; "I Heard It On the X" from Los Super Seven; Marti Brom's "Sings Heartache Numbers"; and Ethan Azarian's "Cross'n Over."

As always, the song of the year category looks like a KGSR playlist, but let's give the station credit for playing so many local artists and having good taste. (Personal plea to Jody and Susan: Please, please, please cut down a little on "Childish Things." You'll never turn J-Mac into Norah Jones.)

Besides Spoon's well-deserved triumph, what was especially gratifying about this year's voting was the number of new names in the ranks: Brian Keane, Betty Soo, Glass Family, Back Porch Vipers, Dao Strom, Colin Brooks, Idgy Vaughn, Graham Weber, F For Fake and Sunny Sweeney. Such an infusion of fresh blood bodes well for the 2006 AMP Awards.

AUSTIN ALBUM OF THE YEAR

1. Spoon, 'Gimme Fiction' (Merge)

2. James McMurtry, 'Childish Things' (Compadre)

3. Eliza Gilkyson, 'Paradise Hotel' (Red House)

4. Charlie Sexton, 'Cruel and Gentle Things' (Back Porch)

5. Jimmie Dale Gilmore, 'Come On Back' (Rounder)

6. The Greencards, 'Weather and Water' (Dualtone)

7. (tie) Elizabeth McQueen, 'Happy Doing What We're Doing' (Freedom)

Jimmy LaFave, 'Blue Nightfall' (Red House)

9. (tie) Cory Morrow, 'Nothing Left To Lose' (Smith Ent.)

Rick Broussard's Two Hoots and a Holler, 'Rick Broussard's Two Hoots and a Holler' (Stag)

AUSTIN SONG OF THE YEAR

1. 'We Can't Make It Here,' James McMurtry

2. 'Time,' the Greencards

3. 'I Turn My Camera On,' Spoon

4. 'Childish Things,' James McMurty

5. 'Long Long Time,' Guy Forsyth

6. 'Paradise Hotel,' Eliza Gilkyson

7. 'The Big Wheel,' Stephen Bruton

8. 'Clay Pigeons,' John Prine (written by Blaze Foley)

9. 'I Hope,' Dixie Chicks

10. 'Little Rock,' Hayes Carll

The AMP electorate: John T. Kunz of Waterloo Records, Melanie Shrawder of KUT, Richard Skanse of Texas Music Magazine, Jody Denberg of KGSR, John Conquest of 3rd Coast Music and XL's Michael Corcoran, Joe Gross and Lynne Margolis.