TCCT 2015: See all the music critics' ballots and comments

JAY BOLLER

ALBUMS:

1. Lizzo, "Big GRRRL, Small World"

2. Low, "Ones and Sixes"

3. Bruise Violet, "Survival of the Prettiest"

4. Fury Things, "VHS"

5. Mixed Blood Majority, "Insane World"

7. Murder Shoes, "Daydreaming"

8. Eric Mayson, "Detail"

9. Bobby Raps and Corbin, "Couch Potato"

10. Näive Sense, "Art Failures"

ALBUMS:

2. Adam Levy, "Naubinway,"

3. Charlie Parr, , "Stumpjumper."

4. Mark Lickteig, "Workin'"

5. Belfast Cowboys, "The Upside to the Downslide"

6. Hippo Campus, "South"

8. Irv Williams, "Pinnacle,"

9. Lizzo, "Big Grrrl Small World"

10. Low, "Ones and Sixes"

ALBUMS:

1. Low, "Ones and Sixes"

3. Adam Levy, "Naubinway"

4. Belfast Cowboys, "The Upside to the Downslide"

5. Mixed Blood Majority, "Insane World"

6. Hippo Campus, "South"

7. BNLX, "Good Light"

9. Bad Bad Hats, "Psychic Reader"

10. Fury Things, "VHS"

SONGS (not ranked):

Bad Bad Hats, "Midway"

Gramma's Boyfriend, "Forget the Stones"

Lizzo, "My Skin"

Low, "What Part of Me"

LIVE ACTS (not ranked):

Black Market Brass

Bruise Violet

Marijuana Deathsquads

Sonny Knight & the Lakers

ALBUMS (unranked)

Fury Things, "VHS"

Gospel Machine, "Your Holy Ghost"

Magic Castles, "Starflower"

Shadow in the Cracks, "Shadow in the Cracks"

The Blind Shake, "Live in San Francisco"

BNLX, "Good Light"

Chooglin', "Under Two Moons"

Tie: Charlie Parr, "Stumpjumper;" and Erik Koskinen, "Live at the RealPhonic Radio Hour"

LIVE ACTS (unranked)

The Blind Shake

Birthday Suits

Babes in Toyland

Tie: Fury Things/The Mighty Mofos/The Boot R&B

SONGS (unranked):

Birthday Suits, "Golden Weeks"

Uranium Club, "The Collector"

Alpha Consumer, "In the Age of the Pixel Phone"

Tie: BNLX, "I Love You All the Time"

Waveless, "Dark Day"

No. 1 Sign the Music Scene Was Alive and Well in 2015: "The continuation of numerous new bands forming, performing great live shows and releasing excellent records, along with the scene's more established local luminaries and tenured artists forming new bands and releasing records, proves the scene is flourishing more than ever. Plus more band reunions and reunion shows of original rock and punk scene bands such as Babes in Toyland, COWS, Lifter Puller, Johnny Rey and the Reaction, Rifle Sport and more — plus local luminaries forming new bands is a sign our great scene is vibrant and thriving as much as, if not more than ever."

ALBUMS:

Peg Carrothers, "Edges of My Mind"

José James, "Yesterday I Had the Blues"

Peter Kogan, "Some Monsterful Wonderthing"

Graydon Peterson Quartet, "Duets"

John Raymond, "Foreign Territory"

Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, "The Thompson Fields"

Mike Olson, "Six Projects"

Dean Sorenson Sextet, "Colors of the Soul"

No. 1 Sign the Minnesota Music Scene Was Alive and Well in 2015: "Jazz musicians took care of business. Tireless trumpeter/flumpeter Steve Kenny programmed Friday Night Jazz at the Nicollet and Saturday Night Jazz at the Black Dog, two strong series. Guitarist Zacc Harris ran Jazz at Studio Z, drummer JT Bates brought his Jazz Implosion to Icehouse on Mondays, drummer Mac Santiago featured live jazz at Jazz Central five nights a week, and singer/pianist Andrew Walesch booked the Tuesday night jazz at Crooners."

REED FISCHER

Go 96.3 FM editorial producer (**Reed's list did not count toward the TCCT totals, but we're happy to include it here)

1. Low, "Ones and Sixes"

2. Bad Bad Hats, "Psychic Reader"

3. On an On, "And the Wave Has Two Sides"

4. Gramma's Boyfriend, "Perm"

5. Lizzo, "Big GRRRL, Small World"

7. Mystery Date, "New Noir"

8. Fury Things, "VHS"

9. Al Church, "Next Summer"

10. Prof, "Liability:

ALBUMS:

2) Murder Shoes, "Daydreaming"

3) Morly, "In Defense of My Muse"

4) Bruise Violet, "Survival of the Prettiest"

5) Bobby Raps and Corbin, "Couch Potato"

6) Eric Mayson, "Detail"

8) Low, "Ones and Sixes"

9) Lizzo, "Big Grrrl Small World"

10) Deleter, "Oblique Seasons"

SONGS:

1) Bad Bad Hats, "Midway"

3) On an On, "It's Not Over"

4) Murder Shoes, "Girls Named Benji"

5) Doomtree, ".38 Airweight"

LIVE ACTS:

1) Swimsuit Area

3) Jason Feathers

4) Prof

5) On an On

No. 1 Sign the Minnesota Music Scene Was Alive and Well in 2015: "20 years of Rhymesayers. What a thing that, in Minneapolis, something as niche as an independent hip-hop label can not only survive but flourish. Slug and co. showed this year that they're more important to the music here than Prince or Bob Dylan ever were."

ALBUMS:

2. Bad Bad Hats, "Psychic Reader"

3. Eric Mayson, "Detail"

4. Lizzo, "Big Grrrl Small World"

5. Reina Del Cid, "The Cooling"

6. GRRRL PRTY, "GRRRL PRTY x Bionik"

8. BdotCroc, "Show & Tell"

9. Villa Rosa, "Lemuria"

10. Low, "Ones and Sixes"

SONGS:

1. Reina Del Cid, "This One's Gonna Hurt"

3. Al Church, "Next to You"

4. Pornonono, "Body Right"

5. Chris Koza, "Radio Wave"

LIVE ACTS:

1. GRRRL PRTY

3. Babes in Toyland

4. Eric Mayson

5. Hippo Campus

No. 1 Sign the Music Scene Was Alive and Well in 2015: "Watching Hippo Campus's fandom explode. It's been amazing to see how intensely and emotionally this band's fans connect with them, and it proves that even in a world where national performers like One Direction and Taylor Swift can conjure massive cross-platform media machines, there's still room for local artists to connect with audiences — young and old — on a grassroots level with great music, energetic live performances, and pure fun."

ALBUMS:

2. Birthday Suits, "Adult Party, "Spin the Bottle"

3. Mixed Blood Majority, "Insane World"

4. Charlie Parr, "Stumpjumper"

5. Lizzo, "Big GRRR, Small World"

ALBUMS (not ranked):

Straya, "Healthy Steps"

Tungsten, "Digital World"

Ego Death, "Ego Death"

Mrs., "City"

bliss uk, "cassette"

Waveless, "Spirit Island"

Catbath, Strange Relations, Whatever Forever, Daisy Chains and Nervous Breakthroughs, "Split EP"

Warehouse Eyes, "Prisms"

SONGS:

1. "Fascinate," Devata Daun

3. "Temple," Kitten Forever

4. "City," Mrs.

5. "The Kiss," Ego Death

LIVE ACTS (not ranked):

Ego Death

Kitten Forever

Straya

The Nunnery

No. 1 Sign the Minnesota Music Scene Was Alive and Well in 2015: "Diversity has always been lacking in Minnesota, but this year the music scene cultivated a diverse range of artistry and musical styles that continue to surprise me. When we make our monthly in-house local compilation for rotation at Radio K, I'm stunned by the wide range of sounds I hear on every disc: the muted waves of Devata Daun, the toothy crunch of Kitten Forever, the buttery melodies of Daisy Chains, the focused intent of Strange Relations. The list goes on, but my point is that Minnesota's music scene gets me more excited every year that I live here and get to experience even an iota of our vibrant scene."

ALBUMS (not ranked):

Matt Latterel, "Phase & Field"

Greycoats, "Adrift"

Katy Vernon, "Present"

Reina Del Cid, "The Cooling"

Greg Grease, "Born To Lurk"

Mary Bue, "Holy Bones"

Niki Becker, "Reactor"

Warehouse Eyes, "Prism"

SONGS (not ranked)

Matt Latterell, "Continental Breakfast"

Katy Vernon, "Present"

Mixed Blood Majority, "Insane World"

The Persian Leaps, "Dottie, Queen Of The West"

No. 1 Sign the Music Scene Was Alive and Well in 2015: "There were so many weekends where our event calendar was stocked with album releases and featured shows only to find more stuff coming out and more shows to write about."

ALBUMS:

2. Bruise Violet, "Survival of the Prettiest"

3. Aero Flynn, "Aero Flynn"

4. Eric Mayson, "Detail"

5. Doomtree, "All Hands"

6. Low, "Ones and Sixes"

8. GRRRL PRTY, "GRRRL PRTY x Bionik"

9. Bad Bad Hats, "Psychic Reader"

10. Greycoats, "Adrift"

ALBUMS (not ranked):

Mrs., "City"

Eric Mayson, "Detail"

Straya, "Healthy Steps"

Bad Bad Hats, "Psychic Reader"

Greg Grease, "Born to Lurk Forced to Work"

Sonny Knight and the Lakers, "Do It Live"

The Controversial New "Skinny Pill", "Re: My Plink Plunks"

Murder Shoes, "Daydreaming"

ALBUMS:

1. Straya, "Healthy Steps"

2. The Awful Truth, "Lakewater"

4. Bad Bad Hats, "Psychic Reader"

5. William Within - "Lost in Writing"

6. B.O.Y.F., "White Boyfriend"

7. Human Kindness, "Not Apathetic"

8. Hardcore Crayons, "Zozzled"

10. Perfume Monster, "A Slow Drip"

SONGS:

1. LOTT, "Parking on the Grass"

2. Har-di-Har, "We Scare Each Other"

3. Perfume Monster, "You Don't Know a Damn Thing"

4. Some Pulp, "True Lies"

LIVE ACTS:

1. Whatever Forever

2. Treading North

3. Sister Species

5. Vats

No. 1 Sign the Music Scene Was Alive and Well in 2015: "I went to a lot of shows this year that didn't have any all male four chord third rate guitar rock bands on the bill! It was a year for audacity, for young artists to work collectively towards great musical aspirations. It kept me on my toes all year, and it's made me feel very fortunate to be a part of that landscape."

ALBUMS:

1. Low, "Ones and Sixes"

2. Bad Bad Hats, "Psychic Reader"

4. Lizzo , "Big GRRRL Small World"

5. Kill The Vultures, "Carnelian"

6. Fury Things, "VHS"

7. Frankie Lee, "American Dreamer"

8. Matt Latterell, "Phase and Field"

10. Carroll, "Caroll"

ALBUMS:

1. Low, "Ones and Sixes"

2. Adam Levy, "Naubinway"

3. Fury Things, "VHS"

5. Frankie Lee, "American Dreamer"

6. Dan Israel, "Dan"

7. Rank Strangers, "The Box"

8. On an On, "And the Wave Has Two Sides"

9. Bruise Violet, "Survival of the Prettiest"

ALBUMS:

1. Low, "Ones and Sixes"

2. Strange Relations, "-Centrism"

3. Fury Things, "VHS"

4. Bad Bad Hats, "Psychic Reader"

6. The Rope, "Waters Rising"

7. Al Church, "Next Summer"

8. Gramma's Boyfriend, "Perm"

9. Eric Mayson, "Detail"

10. Greg Grease, "Born to Lurk Forced to Work"

1. Fury Things, "Vapors"

2. Low, "Lies"

3. Lizzo, "Humanize"

4. Bad Bad Hats, "Midway"

5. Sonny Knight and the Lakers, "Juicy Lucy"

1. Fury Things

2. Lizzo

3. The 4onthefloor

4. Bad Bad Hats

5. BNLX

ALBUMS:

1. Lizzo, "Big Girl, Small World"

2. Prince, "HITNRUN, Phase 2"

3. Low, "Ones and Sixes"

4. Eric Mayson, "Detail"

6. B.O.Y.F. (formerly White Boyfriend), "White Boyfriend"

7. GRRRL PRTY, "GRRRL PRTY x Bionik" EP

8. Father You See Queen, "Father You See Queen"

9. Deleter, "Oblique Seasons"

10. Gramma's Boyfriend, "Perm"

1. Suzie, "Coffin in Houston"

2. Lizzo, "My Skin"

3. GRRRL PRTY, "Can I Live"

4. Dizzy Fae, "Color Me Bad"

5. B.O.Y.F., "The Devil"

1. Lizzo

2. GRRRL PRTY

3. Gramma's Boyfriend

4. The Cactus Blossoms

5. Bruise Violet

1) Lizzo, "Big GRRRL Small World"

2) Low, "Ones and Sixes"

3) BNLX, "Good Light"

4) Sonny Knight and the Lakers, "Do it Live"

5) Fury Things, "VHS"

7) Bob Dylan, "Shadows in the Night"

8) Hippo Campus, "South"

9) Adam Levy, "Naubinway"

10) Dan Israel, "Dan"

SONGS (not ranked):

Bruise Violet, "Sketchy Jeff"

Hippo Campus, "South"

Hollow Boys, "Someday"

Lizzo, "Humanize"

ALBUMS:

2. Adam Levy, "Naubinway"

3. Gramma's Boyfriend, "Perm"

4. Fury Things, "VHS"

5. Mary Bue, "Holy Bones"

6. Charlie Parr, "Stumpjumper"

8. Mixed Blood Majority, "Insane World"

9. Gospel Machine, "Your Holy Ghost"

10. Strange Relations, "-Centrism"

SONGS:

1. Low, "What Part of Me"

3. Lizzo, "My Skin"

4. Fury Things, "Bruised Fruit"

5. Bad Bad Hats, "Cruella"

LIVE ACTS:

1. Low

3. Hippo Campus

4. Kitten Forever

5. Prof

No. 1 Sign the Music Scene Was Alive and Well in 2015: "Hippo Campus and GRRRL Prty drew bigger crowds than Insane Clown Posse did headlining First Avenue in 2015. Doomtree sold more tickets at St. Paul's minor-league ballpark than Matt & Kim and Cold War Kids could muster at Minneapolis' major-league ballpark. Prof far surpassed Charli XCX at the Cabooze Plaza. And Atmosphere even outsold Mötley Crüe at Target Center earlier this month."

ALBUMS (not ranked):

Bruise Violet, "Survival of the Prettiest" EP

Doomtree, "All Hands"

False, untitled

Hippo Campus, "South" EP

Lizzo, "Big GRRRL Small World"

Eric Mayson, "Detail"

Obsequiae, "Aria of Vernal Tombs"

Strange Relations, "-Centrism"

ALBUMS (not ranked):

Bad Bad Hats, "Psychic Reader"

Guante, "A Love Song, a Death Rattle, a Battle Cry"

Hippo Campus, "South" EP

John Mark Nelson, "I'm Not Afraid"

Lizzo, "Big Grrrl Small World"

Low, "Ones and Sixes"

Peter Wolf Crier, "Plum Slump"

Prof, "Liability"

No. 1 Sign the Minnesota Music Scene Was Alive and Well in 2015: "Minneapolis-based alt-synth outfit Enemy Planes won the Hard Rock Rising international battle of the bands contest in July. They were one of over 13,000 bands that entered and among the six flown to Barcelona to compete in the finals."

ALBUMS (not ranked):

Low, "Ones and Sixes"

Gospel Machine, "Your Holy Ghost"

Powermad, "Infinite"

Sonny Knight and the Lakers, "Do It Live"

International Novelty Gamelon Ensemble, "Metal Phonia"

Adam Levy, "Naubinway"

Irv Williams, "Pinnacle"

Flavor Crystals, "Shiver of the Flavor Crystals"

No. 1 Sign the Minnesota Music Scene Was Alive and Well in 2015: "Look at that variety!"

SONGS (not ranked)

Tek & Metasota, "Hurry Up and Buy"

Bobby Raps, "Planewalker (wuhUwahnMi2dü)"

Greg Grease, "Inherit"

Matt Latterell, "And I'll Never Let You Go"

Bones and Beeker, "Heartbroken In Love"

Obsequiae, "Autumnal Pyre"

Manchita, "Gettin' Nasty"

Why Kaliq f/Metasota, "City of Thirst"

LIVE ACTS (not ranked):

I Self Devine & Muja Messiah with DJ Just 9, Proper-T, Lady Midnight, J-Hard, and Myke Shevy

Kitten Forever

Eric Mayson

The Gated Community

No. 1 sign Minnesota music scene was alive and well in 2015: "Allan Kingdom's Grammy nominations are a pretty big sign."

ALBUMS (not ranked):

Bad Bad Hats, "Psychic Reader"

Kill the Vultures, "Carnelian"

Greg Grease, "Born to Lurk Forced to Work"

Bruise Violet, "Survival of the Prettiest"

Low, "Ones and Sixes"

Lizzo, "Big GRRRL Small World"

Adam Levy, "Naubinway"

Gramma's Boyfriend, "Perm"

SONGS (not ranked):

Lizzo, "My Skin"

Dizzy Fae, "Color Me Bad"

Bones and Beeker, "Heartbroken in Love"

Peter Wolf Crier, "Don't Leave"

LIVE ACTS (not ranked):

Sonny Knight and the Lakers

Bruise Violet

Babes in Toyland

Swimsuit Area

ALBUMS:

1. Low, "Ones and Sixes"

2. Strange Relations, "-Centrism"

4. Bad Bad Hats, "Psychic Reader"

5. Oaks, "Animal Life"

6. The Rope, "Waters Rising"

7. Al Church, "Next Summer"

8. Gramma's Boyfriend, "Perm"

10. Greg Grease, "Born to Lurk Forced to Work"

SONGS:

1. Fury Things, "Bruised Fruit"

2. Low, "No Comprende"

3. Hippo Campus, "South"

5. Al Church, "Birthday Party"

LIVE ACTS:

1. The Blind Shake

2. Low

3. Fury Things

5. Hippo Campus

No. 1 Sign the Music Scene Was Alive and Well in 2015: "It's no longer a surprise or a shock to see the national/worldwide press and music community embrace and endorse local acts from Minnesota. It's an expectation. If you aren't listening to and loving Lizzo, Hippo Campus, Low, etc. ... then it's your loss, and you're not really paying attention to what's happening right now."

ALBUMS:

10. The Fattenin' Frogs, "Ribbit Rhythms"

9. Reina del Cid, "The Cooling"

7. Greycoats, "Adrift"

6. Adam Levy, "Naubinway"

5. Gospel Machine, "Your Holy Ghost"

4. Matt Latterell, "Phase & Field"

3. Little Fevers, "Field Trip"

1. Peter Wolf Crier, "Plum Slump"

SONGS:

5. Sarah Morris, "Brighter"

4. Candid Kid, "Young"

3. Brianna Lane, "In My Bones"

1. Taj Raj, "Your Thief"

LIVE ACTS:

5. The New Standards

4. Chris Koza

3. Communist Daughter

1. Har Mar Superstar

No. 1 Sign the Music Scene Was Alive and Well in 2015: "From Rhymesayers at Target Center to Lizzo on Colbert, the Twin Cities have stopped being that teenager that is trying to hard to let everyone know they are cool, and finally have realized that they were cool all along."

ALBUMS (not ranked):

Adam Levy, "Naubinway"

Matt Latterell, "Phase and Field"

Low, "Ones and Sixes"

Brianna Lane, "The Navigators Club"

Dan Israel, "Dan"

Junior Ranger, "Monster Masks"

Erik Koskinen, "Live at the Real-Phonic Radio Hour"

The Frye, "The Best of Hank and Rita: A Barroom Operetta"

SONGS (not ranked):

Sarah Streitz, "God Bless The Immigrants"

Frankie Lee, "American Dreamer"

Bruise Violet, "Sketchy Jeff"

Mary Bue, "Veal"

LIVE ACTS (not ranked):

Whale In the Thames

Bruise Violet

Angie Oase

Belfast Cowboys/St. Dominic's Trio