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Sunday, December 28, 2008

Best Local Albums, Songs, Live Acts and more of 2008 - a preview of my Twin Cities Critics Tally votes

About a week ago now, I turned in my votes for the annual Twin Cities Critics Tally to the Star Tribune. Results will be published within the week along with the individual votes by local critics, bloggers, writers, what have you...


Below is a list of my answers to the questions as posed by Chris Riemenschneider of the Star Tribune:

Twin Cities Critics Tally 2008 answers from David de Young, HowWasTheShow.com founder

 

Best local albums of 2008

 

(Above: My pick #1, the cover of Solid Gold's fantastic 2008 independent release, Bodies of Water.)

  1. Solid Gold – Bodies of Water
  2. Ben Weaver – The Ax in the Oak
  3. Jeremy Messersmith – The Silver City
  4. Haley Bonar – Big Star
  5. Cloud Cult – Feel Good Ghosts
  6. Chris Koza – The Dark, Delirious Morning
  7. Gary Louris – Vagabonds
  8. Lucy Michelle & The Velvet Lapelles – Orange and Rattlesnakes
  9. Heiruspecs – Heiruspecs
  10. Aviette – The Way We Met

 

Top 5 local songs of 2008

 

Call this unranked if you like, or top 5 with an honorable mention for #6.




(Above:  The New Standards perform my pick #2, "Androgynous" in the Cities 97 Studios.)

  1. Get Over It”Solid Gold
  2. “Androgynous” – The New Standards
  3. “Dark, Delirious Morning” – Chris Koza
  4. Chicks on Bikes” - City on the Make
  5. “Everyone Here is a Cloud” – Cloud Cult
  6. “Bike Ride on 35W” – St. Dominic’s Trio

 

Top 5 live acts of 2008



(Above: My pick #3, The Haves Have It performing "Pie" in February at the Playwrights' Center.)

  1. The New Standards
  2. Lucy Michelle & The Velvet Lapelles
  3. The Haves Have It
  4. Solid Gold
  5. The Tisdales

 

No. 1 sign the local music scene was alive and well in 2008.

 

“It seems like everyone and their brother has their own music blog these days, and despite the abundance of those blogs and the inevitable overlap, I still find plenty of interesting and different things to read about in most of them.  I think that’s a testament to both the local music scene and the people who blab about music in this town.”

 

Last year’s tally for reference:

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/12853436.html

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

pee wee dread should definately be on the list for best live acts in the twin cities. have you seen one of his shows with DJ Fade? They are definately in the top 2 live shows around.

Anonymous said...

Your top album list is the first that I've agreed with whole-heartedly. I can't believe Weaver didn't get more nods. But I suppose he's got that "big in Europe" thing going for him..