Music

Best Musical Act
1. The Arcade Fire
2. The Dears
3. The Stills
4. Sam Roberts
5. Kobayashi
6. United Steel Workers of Montreal
7. ICM
8. Offsides
9. Simple Plan
10. Shane Murphy Trio

It doesn't come as much surprise to see the Arcade Fire topping this list, or to see the Stills and the Dears following tightly behind. We're rightfully proud of the bands that have trained a glaring international spotlight on our fair town. Sam Roberts holds on, down to fourth place from last year's top honours, while Kobayashi climb up from ninth.

Freakiest Local Act
1. Les Georges Leningrad
2. Starbuck et les impuissants
3. Eye 2 Eye
4. Freakency
5. Bloodshot Bill
6. AIDS Wolf
7. Donkey Heart
8. Ghoulunatics
9. Lederhosen Lucil
10. Duchess Says

With Vaginal Croutons dead and done with, the top slot in this category is finally open to disco-dada e-punx les Georges Leningrad. Starbuck et les impuissants replace them in second place - if you've seen Starbuck in action and haven't driven the memory into the darkest corner of your subconscious, you know why. Bloodshot Bill climbs way up to fifth place from last year's 10th, due in no small part to the one-man rockabilly army's propensity for barnyard noises and garbage-bag evening attire.

Most Pretentious Local Act
1. The Stills
2. Arcade Fire
3. Simple Plan
4. The Dears
5. Sam Roberts
6. ICM
7. Bad News Brown
8. Jonas
9. godspeed you! black emperor
10. AIDS Wolf

Funny how the biggest bands in town, the ones that topped the Best Local Act category, also make this slot. What was that Smiths song? "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful," that's it. At least the heat is off godspeed, longtime winners in this category (the Stills take top spot for the second year running). Maybe it was that Extreme Doritos ad that godspeed did, the one where they're air-guitaring and snowboard-hang-gliding and they have a friendly racoon wearing Oakleys for some reason. That was so rad! And so unpretentious!

Heaviest Local Act
1. Shiverdown
2. Arcade Fire
3. Dutch Oven
4. Priestess
5. Ghoulunatics
6, Bionic
7. Tantrumn
8. 3 Mile Scream
9. Anonymus
10. Cryptopsy

A very different list from last year's - Dutch Oven heat up, Tantrumn slide down (temper, temper...), Pulse Ultra and Senzafine disappear (as they did in Best Musical Act), and Shiverdown, big winners in 2003 but absent entirely last year, climb back on board and right on top.

Best Hip Hop Act
1. Farm Team
2. Paco and Pesh
3. Offsides
4. Eye 2 Eye
5. M.O. of FAMN
6. Northern Lights
7. Euphrates
8. ICM
9. Butta Babees
10. Shades of Culture

Looks like ICM have a good hold on bragging rights, with no less than half of the top 10 affiliated with their extended family (Eye 2 Eye, Offsides, Paco and Pesh, and Euphrates are all relatives). Shades of Culture still managed to make the list despite the absence of any new recordings, or live appearances, showing that hip hop love is everlasting. Butta Babees and Northern Lights have some fans out there who clearly want to hear more, and the relatively new Farm Team collective, who may rival ICM for sheer numbers, takes first-place honours in this year's poll.

Best Club DJ
1. DJ Quest
2. DR One
3. DJ Mana
4. DJ Simply Genius
5. DJ Frigid
6. Kwite Sane
7. DJ XL
8. DJ Mini
9. DJ Scott C
10. Andy Couchman

Jet's DJ Quest and Blue Dog's DR One, pretty much as always, take their well-worn first and second places. DJ Mana, who recently opened his own DJ school, climbs up to No. 3, from sixth place last year, just as Kwite Sane jumps up two spots. Frigid and Mini, figures from the Parking-Unity II axis, make a mark for the punky electro insurgency in this category.

Best Electronic Act
1. Kid Koala
2. Amon Tobin
3. Kobayashi
4. Quebec Connection
5. DJ Mana
6. Akufen
7. Tiga
8. Chromeo
9. Champion
10. Lesbians on Ecstasy

We weren't really sure just how "electronic" the "vinyl vaudeville" music of Kid Koala actually is (or Kobayashi's, for that matter), so we figured we'd ask him. But when we did, his eyes did this weird flashing thing and smoke came out of his neck and he started flailing his hands and going, "Does not compute! Does not compute!" That's when we realized that he's really a robot. So technically, yes, he is an electronic act.

Best Jazz Musician
1. Oscar Peterson
2. Charlie Biddle
3. Franco Proietti
4. Oliver Jones
5. Chris Tauchner
6. Christopher Cargnello
7. Michelle Sweeney
8. Jeri Brown
9. Ernie Nelson
10. Greg Clayton

Jones, Biddle and Peterson are the perennials over here, Montreal's grand old contributions to the grand old jazz scene. But Proietti and Tauchner? These two are members of Kobayashi, a hot band in the 514 (see Best Musical Act, above) who've plainly stated their increasingly jazz-oriented direction. Judging by your votes, it's the right angle for them to take.

Best Singer/Songwriter
1. Rufus Wainwright
2. Sam Roberts
3. Leonard Cohen
4. Paul Cargnello
5. Corneille
6. Paul Edwards
7. Martha Wainwright
8. Jean Leloup
9. Ray Bonneville
10. Coral Egan

The Wainwrights have the right of way this year. Rufus finally nails first place, unseating Roberts, while his sister Martha registers on the strength of her new album. Paul Cargnello holds in there, and Corneille (see Best-Dressed Montrealer) makes a bang at fifth.

Best Busker
1. Spoonman
2. Michael Jackson dancer
3. Stilt Man
4. The guy who plays the recorder with his
nostrils 5. Bad News Brown
6. Hollywood
7. Trumpet guy who wears a fedora and
trenchcoat 8. Blind singer guy
9. Foremost (Guy-Concordia metro)
10. Piano guy who plays "I Will Survive"

He may get no love from Ogilvy's, but Spoonman still rules the roost in this category. Standbys at Lionel-Groulx metro - the awesome dancer who's borrowed a few moves from the King of Pop and of course the sax-playing Stilt Man maintain their second- and third-place spots, while the blonde beardo who plays medieval trios with his nose and mouth is still in fourth. Another regular at Lionel-Groulx is the "I Will Survive" guy, who has been known to tackle "Dancing Queen" on his Yamaha as well.

Best Local Music Label
1. ICM
2. Ninja Tune
3. Alien8
4. Stomp
5. FAMN Productions
6. Indica
7. Galy Records
8. Turbo
9. Constellation
10. Justin Time
Honourable mentions: Bombay, Gotsoul and Protomusik

ICM nail it again, while Ninja Tune, Alien8 and Stomp maintain their respective positions from last year, only up a notch each (thanks to Turbo's slide down to eighth place). Indica have had an awesome year with les Trois Accords, but keep an eye on the newcomer Galy, home to the soothing sounds of Ghoulunatics, Horfixion, Soulscar and more.

Best Local Promoter
1. Blue Skies Turn Black
2. Music Management
3. Ricky D
4. Ryzing Klassic Entertainment
5. Greenland
6. Inobe
7. Wax
8. Goontribe
9. Kao Productions
10. Murad

This is a new category this year. Seems that BSTB's black skies are turning blue again - this past year, they did their first Spectrum show (Bright Eyes, in January) as well as countless other cool gigs. Second-placers Music Management deserve a nod for bringing in some high-profile hip hop acts, like Nas and Fat Joe, and are branching out - keep an eye on them. And Ricky D - come on, he's Ricky D. THE Ricky D. He could bring a nun, a midget and a boxing kangaroo to your corner dep and it would rock. Actually, that would totally rock. Ricky, look into this.