The critics' ballots

CHRISTOPHER BAHN, Onion A.V. Club Twin Cities city editor

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. Low, "The Great Destroyer"

2. The Hold Steady, "Separation Sunday"

3. Atmosphere, "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having"

4. Dosh, "Powder Horn"

5. Soviettes, "LP III"

6. Charlie Parr, "Rooster"

7. Halloween, Alaska, "Too Tall To Hide"

8. Electropolis, "Electropolis"

9. Revolver Modèle, "Discothéque Crypt"

10. Vicious Vicious, "Don't Look So Surprised"

SONGS OF THE YEAR

1. Charlie Parr, "Bethlehem"

2. Vicious Vicious, "Castaways"

3. Hold Steady, "Your Little Hoodrat Friend"

4. Atmosphere, "Get Fly"

5. Tapes N Tapes, "Just Dreams"

SIGNS THE SCENE WAS ALIVE AND WELL

One of the things I love about the Minnesota music scene is its breadth--no matter what genre you might pick, there's someone doing great work, from straight-up rock (Dan Israel) to country (White Iron Band) to hip-hop (Atmosphere, Doomtree, Brother Ali) to punk (STNNNG, Birthday Suits) to jazz (Happy Apple) to ambient (Fog, Martin Dosh)... I could go on, but Mr. Riemenschneider said to keep this short.

JON BREAM, Star Tribune music critic

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. Hold Steady, "Separation Sunday" No they don't live here, but this is the most Minnesota-centric album of the year. And the best of the bunch.

2. The New Standards, "The New Standards"

3. Charlie Parr, "Rooster'

4. Atmosphere, "You Cant Imagine How Much Fun We're Having"

5. Becky Schlegel, "Drifter Like Me"

6. Mint Condition, "Livin the Luxury Brown"

7. Vicious Vicious, "Don't Look So Surprised"

8. Irv Williams, "Dedicated to You"

9. Carole Martin, "Songs From My Heart"

10 Front Porch Swingin' Liquor Pigs, "Last Album"

BEST LIVE ACTS

1. Melodious Owl

2. Soul Asylum

3. Nachito Herrera

4. Sky Blue Water Boys

5. Paul Westerberg

SIGNS THE SCENE WAS ALIVE AND WELL

1. No smoking in Minneapolis music clubs.

2. The reemergence and resurgence of First Avenue as a vital and crowded music venue.

3. The emergence of the Current as not only an essential radio station for musicheads but also as a station that drives listeners to concerts/gigs.

TIM CAMPBELL, Star Tribune arts editor

ALBUMS (IN NO ORDER)

Atmosphere, "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having"

Halloween, Alaska, "Too Tall to Hide"

Happy Apple, "The Peace Between Our Companies"

I Self Devine, "Self Destruction"

Douglas Little Quartet featuring Giacomo Aula, "The Phoenix"

Low, "The Great Destroyer"

Mel Gibson & the Pants, "w/ Guitars"

Becky Schlegel, "Drifter Like Me"

Tapes N Tapes, "The Loon"

Vicious Vicious, "Don't Look So Surprised"

SONGS (IN NO ORDER)

P.O.S., "P.O.S. Is Ruining My Life"

Atmosphere, "Panic Attack"

Low, "Monkey"

Halloween, Alaska, "Drowned"

The Gleam, "Fat and Stoned"

LIVE ACTS (IN NO ORDER)

Happy Apple

Liquor Pigs

Die Electric

Stnnng

Irv Williams

SIGNS THE SCENE WAS ALIVE AND WELL

First things first: The resurrection of First Avenue, which, fueled by the Current, became a rallying point for the music scene. The club's recent 35th birthday celebration felt like an all-school reunion. Let's not be strangers, OK?

A close No. 2: Ant comes out of the basement. The underground uberproducer emerged with crazy energy on two of my top 10, Atmosphere and I Self Devine, plus Atmosphere's Pour Me Another tour and "Felt 2" Now I'm primed for the next Brother Ali disc.

KERI CARLSON, Arts reporter, Minnesota Daily

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. The Stnnng, "Dignified Sissy"

2. Kill the Vultures (self-titled)

3. Dessa, "False Hopes"

4. Kanser (self-titled)

5. The Blind Shake, "Rizzograph"

6. Fog, "10th Avenue Freakout"

7. I Self Devine, "Self Destruction"

8. Sims, "Lights Out Paris"

9. Falcon Crest, "Taste the Thunder Raise the Flag"

10. Low, "Great Destroyer"

SONGS OF THE YEAR

1. Quad Muth, "Gut the Metrodome"

2. Gay Beast, "You're Breaking Up"

3. Desdamona, "Don't Listen 2 the Lyrics"

4. Digitata, "What's Cookin'?"

5. Belles of Skin City, "Lighten Up, Katherine Lanpher"

LIVE ACTS

1. Brother and Sister

2. Stnnng

3. Doomtree

4. Quad Muth

5. Gay Beast

Honorable (or not) mention: Nile Greenberg, a.k.a. Blizzard, from MTV's "Made"

SIGNS THE SCENE WAS ALIVE AND WELL

Nils Lindahl told jokes and Happy Mother's Day I Can't Read laughed. It made 2005 hell-arious!

CYN COLLINS, Freelance music writer for the Pulse, Howwastheshow.com, RIFT Music Magazine, the Bridge, and blog "Life of Cyn"

ALBUMS (IN NO ORDER)

Fort Wilson Riot (self-titled)

Belles of Skin City, "Ha-ha Boardroom Think Tank Tantrums"

Charlie Parr, "Rooster"

Crush Collision Trio, "Cold in Hand"

Fat Kid Wednesdays, "The Art of Cherry"

Sims, "Lights Out Paris"

Vicious Vicious, "Don't Look So Surprised"

Ashtray Hearts, "Perfect Halves"

Fitzgerald, "Raised by Wolves"

Mike Nicolai, "God Fatigue in the Post Atom Age"

SONGS OF THE YEAR

1. "Hey Dave King, Leave Some for the Rest of Us," Belles of Skin City

2. "Heir to a Throne," Fort Wilson Riot

3. "Guns to Carry," The Get Up Johns

4. "Dead Cat on the Line," Charlie Parr

5. "Altar," Thunder in the Valley

LIVE ACTS

1. Fort Wilson Riot

2. Doomtree Collective

3. Belles of Skin City

4. Mike Gunther and his Restless Souls

5. The Knotwells

SIGNS THE SCENE WAS ALIVE AND WELL

One notable trend I noticed this year is what I call, based on one band being described by their friend as carnival core, "Carnie-core" An umbrella fitting category-defying bands that include carnival-esque elements of gypsy punk, East Euro folk, funk, twang, experimental percussion and more played theatrically and causing people to dance like crazy. E. G. Fort Wilson Riot, Thunder in the Valley, Mike Gunther and His Restless Souls, and the Knotwells.

Sign #2: The widespread resurgence and popularity of early country, old-timey and bluegrass stringband, good time music with roots in the early 1920s-30s, such as Crush Collision Trio, Get Up Johns, Charlie Parr, Como Avenue Jug Band, Spider John Koerner, and many more. This likely is at least partially response to, or result of the state of the economy and politics today.

DAVID DE YOUNG, HowWasTheShow.com editor

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. Vicious Vicious, "Don't Look So Surprised"

2. Divorcee, "Music for Cleanup Men, Breakdown and Inbetweens"

3.Tapes N Tapes, "The Loon"

4. Robert McCreedy, "It Might Kill You"

5. Fitzgerald, "Raised by Wolves"

6. Ashtray Hearts, "Perfect Halves"

7. Dallas Orbiter, "Magnesium Fireflies"

8. Belles of Skin City, "Ha Ha Boardrooms Think Tank Tantrums"

9. Big Ditch Road, "Suicide Note Reader's Companion"

10. Chris Koza, "Exit Pesce"

SONGS OF THE YEAR

1. "Castaways," Vicious Vicious

2. "I Can Breathe Under Water," Fitzgerald

3. "Ghosts," Big Ditch Road

4. "Your Little Hoodrat Friend, " Hold Steady (still feels local to me!)

5. "I Can't Live Without My Radio," Halloween, Alaska (LL Cool J)

LIVE ACTS

Belles of Skin City

Vicious Vicious

Revolver Modele

Fort Wilson Riot

Ouija Radio

SIGNS THE SCENE WAS ALIVE AND WELL

Renovated and re-opened dive bars and theaters becoming hip, happening music venues (Varsity Theater, Nomad World Pub, 331 Club.) The great lighting at the Varsity deserves its own vote.

DYLAN HICKS, City Pages senior arts editor

1. Happy Apple, "The Peace Between Our Companies"

2. Chariots, "Congratulations"

3. Atmosphere, "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having"

4. Chris Koza, "Exit Pesce"

5 Mint Condition, "Livin' the Luxury Brown"

6. I Self Devine, "Self Destruction"

7. Phil Hey Quartet, "Subduction"

8. Front Porch Swingin' Liquor Pigs, "Last Album"

9. Vicious Vicious, "Don't Look So Surprised"

10. Douglas Little Quartet, "The Phoenix"

SONGS OF THE YEAR

Mint Condition, "Look Whachu Done to Me"

The Cardinal Sin, "The Saddest Song" (from 7")

Chris Koza, "Tired Eyess"

Urban Sun, "Shine like the Stars"

Brother and Sister, "B-E-S-T S-I-S-T-E-R E-V-E-R"

LIVE ACTS

Big Quarters

Fort Wilson Riot

Douglas Little Quartet

Chariots

Happy Apple

TOM HORGEN, Star Tribune nightlife reporter

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. Ant, "Melodies and Memories 85-89"

2. I-Self Devine, "Self Destruction"

3. Dessa, "False Hopes"

4. Fiction and Rock City, "Rocky vs. FIC: True Midwest Story"

5. Famfeud, "Measures"

6. Sims, "Lights Out Paris"

7. Atmosphere, "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having"

8. Cheap Cologne, "Something Random"

9. Mel Gibson and the Pants, "w/ Guitar"

10. Mint Condition, "Livin' the Luxury Brown"

SONGS OF THE YEAR

1. I-Self Devine feat. Brother Ali, "Officer Down"

2. I-Self Devine, "Ice Cold"

3. Sims feat. Doomtree, "No Homeowners"

4. Atmosphere, "That Night"

5. Kanser, "No 'D' in Erogenous"

LIVE ACTS

1. Aphrill

2. P.O.S.

3. Big Quarters

4. Mike Mictlan

5. I-Self Devine

RICH HORTON

Rift magazine editor

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. Chariots, "Congratulations"

2. Desdamona, "The Ledge"

3. Chris Koza, "Exit Pesce" This was out in 2004, but nobody paid

attention then

4. Look Down, "24/7 Dance Force"

5. Stnnng, "Dignified Sissy"

6. Mike Nicolai, "God Fatigue in the Post Atom Age"

7. Cloud Cult, "Advice From the Happy Hippopotamus"

8. Colonial Vipers Attack (self-titled)

BEST LIVE ACT

Chariots

SIGNS THAT THE SCENE IS ALIVE AND WELL

First Avenue seems like they are on fire, with great shows and a cleaned-up club. There is a ton of stuff going on, more live venues, bands and hopefully in 2006 more fans. Rift Magazine is a good sign -- a local magazine that covers local music, what a great idea -- and now it's monthly.

LARS LARSON, editor, DUNation.com

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. I Self Devine, "Self Destruction"

2. Atmosphere, "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having"

3. Desdamona, "The Ledge"

4. Sims, "Lights Out Paris"

5. Mint Condition, "Livin' the Luxury Brown"

6. Happy Apple, "The Peace Between Our Companies"

7. Kip Blackshire, "The Eleventh Hour"

8. Ernie Rhodes, "The Orbital Effect"

9. Trama, "Tramasutra"

10. Sherwin Linton, "Dakota Railroad Town Centennial"

SONGS OF THE YEAR

1. I Self Devine, "Sex, Sex, Sex"

2. Atmosphere, "Little Man"

3. I Self Devine, "Live in the Moment"

4. Desdamona & Thomasina, "Refracted Light"

5. Mike Mictlan, "Revolution"

LIVE ACTS

1. Brother and Sister

2. Atmosphere

3. Desdamona

4. Los Nativos

5. Leroy Smokes

SIGNS THE SCENE WAS ALIVE AND WELL

Who are we kidding, the local music scene here will always be alive and well. And just to add some flavor, First Avenue now has flatscreens hung all over the club. Kinda scary...

STEVE MARSH, Minneapolis/St. Paul magazine associate editor

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. Tapes N Tapes, "The Loon"

2. Robert McCreedy, "Just Might Kill You"

3. Revolver Modele, "Discotheque Crypt"

4. Spittin' Cobras, "Spittin' Cobras"

5. Vicious Vicious, "Don't Look So Surprised"

6. Askeleton, "The Happy Album"

7. Various, "First Avenue Bootlegs"

8. The Stnnng, "Dignified Sissy"

9. Big Ditch Road, "Suicide Note Reader's Companion"

10. Ashtray Hearts, "Perfect Halves"

SONGS OF THE YEAR

1. "Not True," Robert McCreedy

2. "Buckle," Tapes N Tapes

3. "Just Drums," Tapes N Tapes

4. "Ah Ah Ah," Revolver Modele

5. "In Houston," Tapes N Tapes

LIVE ACTS

1. Bridge Club

2. Tapes N Tapes

3. Revolver Modele

4. Faux Jean

5. Melodious Owl

SIGNS THE SCENE WAS ALIVE AND WELL

[In my most earnest Jim Walsh voice:] Because Tim Mahoney can make like $3 million at the Fine Line over Thanksgiving weekend, but there's still enough to go around. Because a Minneapolis band with a terrible cornpone name (Thunder in the Valley) can hold its own opening in the Entry for a Montreal band with a super hipster name (Wolf Parade). Because even if the bloody punk rock heart of our city has been stolen by a bunch of prohibitionist jagoffs who are prepared to make a citizen's arrest if they catch you sneaking a cigarette in the crowd (didn't we used to do the same thing with a joint?), nobody has actually opened fire on a bass player having a puff onstage. Yet.

STEVE MCPHERSON, Music editor, the Pulse

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. Halloween, Alaska, "Too Tall To Hide"

2. Hockey Night, "Keep Guessin'"

3. Sims, "Lights Out Paris"

4. Fog, "10th Avenue Freakout"

5. Cloud Cult, "Advice From the Happy Hippopotamus"

6. Ashtray Hearts, "Perfect Halves"

7. Fantastic Merlins, live EP

8. Robert Skoro, "That These Things Could Be Ours"

9. Robert McCreedy, "It Might Kill You"

10. Jeff Hanson (self-titled)

SONGS OF THE YEAR

Jeff Hanson, "Losing a Year"

P.O.S., "P.O.S. Is Ruining My Life"

The Plastic Constellations, "Quixote"

Ashtray Hearts, "Rules"

Cloud Cult, "Transistor Radio"

LIVE ACTS

The Plastic Constellations

P.O.S./Doomtree

Mark Mallman

Friends Like These

Get-Up Johns

SIGNS THE SCENE WAS ALIVE AND WELL

Not that we need to look east for justification, but when CMJ's e-mails promoting the Music Marathon feature five photos and two of them are of Atmosphere and the Hold Steady, it's a good indication that Twin Citizens, current and former, are doing some serious work on the national stage.

JIM MEYER, freelancer

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. Violettes, "The Violettes" (www.violettes.com)

2. Fat Kid Wednesdays, "The Art of Cherry" (Hope Street)

3. Hypstrz, "Live at the Longhorn The Complete Tapes" (Bomp)

4. Nachito Herrera, "Bembé en Mi Casa" (FS Music)

5. Belladonna Baroque Quartet Featuring Gao Hong, "Gathering/Hui

Folk Melodies from China and 17th Century Europe" (10 Thousand Lakes)

6. Gao Hong, Li Jia Xing, and Zhang Ying, "Music Of China" (Culture Bridge Music)

7. Stephanie Says (Stephanie Winter), "Sex, Socialism and the Seaside" (Grimsey)

8. Ashtray Hearts, "Perfect Halves" (Free Election Records)

9. Future Lisa, "Test Drive" (www.futurelisa.com)

10. Teresa Peterson, "Teresa Peterson" (www.teresa-peterson.com)

SIGNS THE SCENE WAS ALIVE AND WELL

#1 Sign: The ability of Paul Metzger to continue to find venues to his liking, and the durability of the underground jazz scene to find new outlets and hideouts (French Press, Acadia Cafe) despite numerous breakdowns and setbacks (Brilliant Corners, Clown Lounge).

ANDREA MYERS, howwastheshow.com

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. Dan Israel, "Dan Israel"

2. Coach Said Not To, "PE EP"

3. Cloud Cult, "Advice From the Happy Hippopotamus"

4. Atmosphere, "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having"

5. Mike Nicolai, "God Fatigue in the Post Atom Age"

6. The Pines, "The Pines"

7. Electropolis, "Electropolis"

8. Spaghetti Western String Company, "Quiet Mob EP"

9. Jeff Hanson, "Jeff Hanson"

10. Robert Skoro, "That These Things Could Be Ours"

SONGS OF THE YEAR

1. "Outside Looking In," Martin Devaney (from "Best of Smoke-Free Saturday Nights")

2. "Smart Went Crazy," Atmosphere (from "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having")

3. "Shadow Puppets," Coach Said Not To (from "PE EP")

4. "Luna Marinara," Spaghetti Western String Company (from "Quiet Mob EP")

5. "Transistor Radio," Cloud Cult (from "Advice From the Happy Hippopotamus")

LIVE ACTS

1. Little Man

2. Curtiss A

3. Trampled by Turtles

4. Mason Jennings

5. Martin Devaney

SIGNS THE SCENE WAS ALIVE AND WELL

The number one reason has to be the fact that I could go to more than one local concert every day and still miss out on some good local shows in the Twin Cities. Also, Curtiss A, Jim Boquist, and Slim Dunlap (and First Avenue) are all still alive and kicking, played together at this year's John Lennon Tribute, and showed those of us in the younger generations how to really rock out.

ROSS RAIHALA, St. Paul Pioneer Press music critic

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. Low, "The Great Destroyer"

2. Atmosphere, "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having"

3. The Deaths, "Choir Invisible"

4. Melodious Owl, "Melodious Owl"

5. Halloween, Alaska, "Too Tall to Hide"

6. Vicious Vicious, "Don't Look So Surprised"

7. Ashtray Hearts, "Perfect Halves"

8. Dallas Orbiter, "Magnesium Fireflies"

9. Cloud Cult, "Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus"

10. Motion City Soundtrack, "Commit This to Memory"

SONGS OF THE YEAR

1. "Pour Me Another," Atmosphere

2. "When I Go Deaf," Low

3. "Whoa," Soviettes

4. "Birmingham," the Deaths

5. "Crazy Eights," Tapes 'N Tapes

LIVE ACTS

1. Mark Mallman

2. Melodious Owl

3. Stnnng

4. Atmosphere

5. Jeff Hanson

SIGNS THE SCENE WAS ALIVE AND WELL

Hearing the sheer amount of local music aired on the Current alongside at least four other radio stations in town that also play homegrown bands.

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER, Star Tribune music critic

ALBUMS

1. Low, "The Great Destroyer"

2. Vicious Vicious, "Don't Look So Surprised"

3. The Stnnng, "Dignified Sissy"

4. I Self Devine, "Self Destruction"

5. Ashtray Hearts, "Perfect Halves"

6. Mint Condition, "Livin' the Luxury Brown"

7. Atmosphere, "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having"

8. Dessa, "False Hopes"

9. Mel Gibson & the Pants, "w/Guitar"

10. Irv Williams, "Dedicated to You"

SONGS

1. Atmosphere, "That Night"

2. Halloween, Alaska, "I Can't Live Without My Radio"

3. Low, "California"

4. Vicious Vicious, "Castaways"

5. P.O.S., "P.O.S. Is Ruining My Life"

LIVE ACTS

1. Happy Apple

2. Melodious Owl

3. The Stnnng

4. The Midnight Evils (R.I.P.)

5. Metallagher

CHRISTINA SCHMITT, Writer and musician; Minnesota Public Radio publicist

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. Birthday Suits, "Cherry Blue"

2. Keep Aways (self-titled)

3. Sicbay, "Suspicious Icons"

4. Soviettes, "LP III"

5. The Blind Shake, "Rizzograph"

6. Falcon Crest, "Taste the Thunder Raise the Flag"

7. Stnnng, "Dignified Sissy"

8. Low, "The Great Destroyer"

9. Gay Beast, self-titled EP

10. Mute Era, EP

SONGS OF THE YEAR

1. Keep Aways, "Same Difference"

2. Birthday Suits, "TC Bridge is Falling Down"

3. Soviettes, "Multiply and Divide"

4. Sicbay, cover of "Spazz"

5. The Blind Shake, "Calling All Horses"

LIVE ACTS

1. Birthday Suits

2. That Fucking Blood

3. Keep Aways

4. Stnnng

5. The Blind Shake

SIGNS THE SCENE WAS ALIVE AND WELL

Launch of 89.3 The Current

PETER SCHOLTES

City Pages music writer

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. I Self Devine, "Self Destruction" (Rhymesayers)

2. Atmosphere, "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having" (Rhymesayers/Navarre)

3. Low, "The Great Destroyer" (Sub Pop)

4. Mint Condition, "Livin' the Luxury Brown" (Image/Cagedbird)

5. Charlie Parr, "Rooster" (Little Judges)

6. Stephanie Says, "Sex, Socialism and the Seaside" (Grimsey)

7. Birthday Suits, "Cherry Blue" (Nice & Neat Records)

8. Kill the Vultures, "Kill the Vultures" (JIB)

9. Irv Williams, "Dedicated to You" (Ding-Dong Music)

10. Halloween, Alaska, "Too Tall to Hide" (East Side Digital)

SONGS OF THE YEAR

1. Low, "Monkey" (from "The Great Destroyer," Sub Pop)

2. Atmosphere, "Pour Me Another" (from "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having," Rhymesayers/Navarre)

3. I Self Devine, "Ice Cold" (from "Self Destruction," Rhymesayers)

4. Trama, "Praise God" (from "Tramagnum the Album," K.E.P.)

5. Kill the Vultures, "The Vultures" (from "Kill the Vultures," JIB)

LIVE ACTS

1. Atmosphere

2. Eyedea and Friends (with Mazta I, Carnage, Desdamona, J.T. Bates, etc.)

3. Stnnng

4. Maria Isa

5. Brother and Sister

SIGNS THE SCENE WAS ALIVE AND WELL

I have 500 Myspace friends and only about four of them actually like me.

ROD SMITH, freelancer

TOP 10 ALBUMS (UNRANKED)

Atmosphere, "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having"

Halloween, Alaska, "Too Tall to Hide"

Cloud Cult, "Advice From the Happy Hippopotamus"

Happy Apple, "The Peace Between Our Companies"

Dallas Orbiter, "Magnesium Fireflies"

Fat Kid Wednesdays, "The Art of Cherry"

Soviettes, "LP III"

Tapes N Tapes, "The Loon"

Dan Israel, "Dan Israel"

Orkestar Bez, "Nice Driveway, Vol. 1: Tales From the Land of Freeze"

TOM SUROWICZ, freelancer

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. Dave Graf, "Just Like That"

2. Carole Martin, "Songs From My Heart"

3. Various Artists, "Minnesota All Stars, Great Accordion and Concertina Performances from the Northstar State"

4. Phil Hey Quartet, "Subduction"

5. Irv Williams, "Dedicated to You"

6. Auto Body Experience, "Forgotten Lots"

7. Gordon Johnson, "Trios, Version 3.0"

8. Bobby E. Ekstrand, "The Guitar"

9. Fat Kid Wednesdays, "The Art of Cherry"

10. Triplicate, "Day & Age"

Tough choices this year! There's enough to fill up a very worthy Top 20, with winning discs that just missed the cut by Electropolis ("Electropolis"), Charmin Michelle & Joel Shapira ("Pure Imagination"), Dorothy Doring ("Southern Exposure," a revelation!), Debbie Duncan ("I Thought About You") and certainly Dave Karr & Mulligan Stew ("Cookin' At The Hot Summer Jazz Festival"). I didn't feel so bad about leaving off Mulligan Stew's disc because it was an "instant" live recording, never really intended as an album at the time, though the eventual packaging and liner notes were terrific. Besides Mulligan Stew, I also chowed down happily on the Spaghetti Western String Co.'s "Quiet Mob" EP, which is delicious but got bounced since it's a mere five songs. Old faves Happy Apple will likely get plenty of votes from other folks, and their "The Peace Between Our Companies" CD is quite deserving, as well.

SONGS

1. Auto Body Experience, "Six Friends"

2. Happy Apple, "Ella By Nightlight"

3. Spaghetti Western String Co., "Draisienne"

4. Dave Graf, "Going Away"

5. Triplicate, "Hit On Twelve"

LINDSEY THOMAS, City Pages associate arts editor

ALBUMS (UNRANKED)

Atmosphere, "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having"

The Birthday Suits, "Cherry Blue"

The Blind Shake, "Rizzograph"

Dessa, "False Hopes"

Chris Koza, "Exit Pesce"

Halloween, Alaska, "Too Tall to Hide"

Mint Condition, "Livin' the Luxury Brown"

Stnnng, "Dignified Sissy"

Vicious Vicious, "Don't Look So Surprised"

White Light Riot, "The Dark Is Light Enough"

SONGS

Brother and Sister, "B-E-S-T S-I-S-T-E-R E-V-E-R"

Gay Beast ,"Multi-Purpose Anti-Form"

Fitzgerald, "How Far North?"

Mike Gunther and His Restless Souls, "No Leg to Stand On"

Vicious Vicious, "Here Come Tha Police"

LIVE ACTS

The Birthday Suits

Brother and Sister

Gay Beast

The Plastic Constellations

Stnnng

SIGNS THE SCENE WAS ALIVE AND WELL

You couldn't take two steps in Austin, Texas, during the South by Southwest Music Conference without running into a musician, label rep, writer, etc. from the Twin Cities. The scene is strong and even the out-of-towners are taking notice.

ROB VAN ALSTYNE, Writer for the Pulse

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. Vicious Vicious, "Don't Look So Surprised" (Rotario Records)

2. Halloween, Alaska, "Too Tall To Hide" (Eastside Digital)

3. Askeleton, "The (Happy) Album" (Goodnight Records)

4. Hockey Night, "Keep Guessin'" (Lookout Records)

5. Fitzgerald, "Raised by Wolves" (2024 Records)

6. The Ashtray Hearts, "Perfect Halves" (Free Election Records)

7. Tin Horns, "Present the Champions of Victory" (Formula for Repetition)

8. Mel Gibson & the Pants, "W/Guitar" (Totally Gross National Product)

9. These Modern Socks, "These Modern Socks" (Self-released)

10. Hello Blue, "What It Takes to Wake Up" (Afternoon Records)

SONGS

1. "Castaways" by Vicious Vicious

2. "Cities, Not the People in Them" by Askeleton

3. "Drowned" by Halloween, Alaska

4. "Wake" by JoAnna James

5. "Reagan's Dead" by Mel Gibson & the Pants

LIVE ACTS

1. Cowboy Curtis

2. Chris Koza Band

3. Friends Like These

4. Story of the Sea

5. Plastic Constellations

JIM WALSH, City Pages and WalshFiles.com

ALBUMS (UNRANKED)

Tim O'Reagan, "Tim O'Reagan"

The Gleam, "The Chisago County EP"

Low, "The Great Destroyer"

Gao Hong, Li Jia Xing, and Zhang Ying, "Music Of China"

The Hypstrz, "Live at the Longhorn: The Complete Recordings"

Atmosphere, "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having"

Cloud Cult, "Advice From the Happy Hippopotamus"

Matt Jennings, "Two Become One"

Robert Skoro, "That These Things Could Be Ours

Front Porch Swingin' Liquor Pigs, "Last Album"

SONGS (UNRANKED)

Paul Westerberg, "All That I Had"

Low, "Death Of A Salesman"

Halloween, Alaska, "Forever"

Atmosphere, "Pour Me Another"

Prince, "S.S.T"

LIVE ACTS

Melodious Owl

Mammy Nuns

Tim O'Reagan/Jim Boquist

Billy Holloman/B-3 Band

The Diamond Lake Ramblers

SIGNS THAT THE SCENE WAS ALIVE AND WELL

The Current giving everyone a voice and a voice to everything. Hearing the Melismatics back to back with Common and Hank Williams can only be a good thing, and the extent of that ripple effect is difficult but exciting to try and measure: Suffice to say that there is an unprecedented flow of creativity/information all over the AM and FM dials, and it's no stretch to say there is no better environment for music community/discussion/making on the planet than right here, right now.