A lot of you won't be surprised by the albums on this list, and that's a beautiful thing.
Used to be that this annual midyear assessment of the best Minnesota-made records would generate a lot of "Who?!" reactions from readers. That, and the inevitable still-wishing-it-was-1983 comments such as "Rap is not real music" (often from Nickelback fans, who weirdly manage to misspell their favorite band's name a lot).
However, thanks to the fact that the Current and newly FM-ized Radio K have put many of these artists into heavy rotation, that clubs and festivals have been booking them fervidly, and that crowds generally have been flocking to see them -- press coverage probably helped, too -- it's easier to explain what makes these records so great when many of you are already in agreement. And if you haven't heard them yet, consider this a primer.
A.R.M., "TWO AFRICANS & A JEW"
Only one member of this worlds-colliding hip-hop trio actually lives in Minnesota, Ghana-reared rapper M.anifest, but he's generally the star of this energetic eight-song debut collection, which also features guest spots from local stars Muja Messiah, Dodi Phy and you-know-who from Atmosphere. Instead of brandishing the predictable we-can-all-get-along message, such songs as the title track and the retro-soulful "Bets on Me" are mostly united in braggadocio and the thoroughly entertaining act of these dudes trying show each other up.
For fans of: Talib Kweli, K'Naan, M.anifest.
COMMUNIST DAUGHTER, "SOUNDTRACK TO THE END"
Johnny Solomon, frontman for the band Friends Like These, hit rock bottom and then holed up in Prescott, Wis., before writing the songs that make up the debut disc of his new, lighter- handed band. Hardly as drab as the back story, though, poppy folk-rock songs like "The Lady Is an Arsonist" and the irrepressible rambler "Not a Kid" have a crooked-smile charm and steady bounce, while "Speed of Sound" and the title track are as elegant and tender as a tattooed, scarred rocker ever gets.
For fans of: Yo La Tengo, Lou Barlow, Kinks.
DESSA, "A BADLY BROKEN CODE"
We already knew the lone woman out in the Doomtree crew was a masterful poet, rapper and storyteller. Her first full-length album reveals an ambitious yet thoughtful songwriter (quite different from a poet!) and a singer who's not afraid to turn sultry or sassy. While she often focused on being just-one-of-the-boys before this, standout tracks like the jazzy and deceptively playful "Dixon's Girl" and the dark steamer "Seamstress" are all about women and empowerment. And man, do they roar.
