Best songs, live acts and signs of life

1. "Uncle Sam Goddamn," Brother Ali (23 points)

2. "The Now," Mouthful of Bees (21)

3. "Sugar," Dan Wilson (15)

4. "Twenty-Nine," Charlie Parr (13)

5. (tie) "Lou Diamond," Big Quarters; "Daylight," Brother Ali; "Very Small Rock," Happy Apple (12)

10-pointers: "Eisenhower," Best Friends Forever; "Painkillers," Big Quarters; "What's Up Freaks?" Fog; "Patriotic Duty," Muja Messiah & I Self Devine; "Baaang," Musab; "Chelsea Rodgers," Prince; "Ho Baby," Vicious Vicious.

9-pointers: "Take Me Home," Brother Ali; "Breaker," Low.

1. Prince (30 points)

2. Brother Ali (24)

3. (tie) The Alarmists and White Light Riot (18)

5. Fort Wilson Riot (15)

6. Dance Band (13)

7. (tie) First Communion After-Party and P.O.S./Doomtree (12)

10-pointers: Birthday Suits; Building Better Bombs; Happy Apple; JoAnna James; Chris Koza Band; MC/VL; Muja Messiah; Skoal Kodiak.

9-pointer: Mouthful of Bees.

1. Dan Wilson, "Free Life" • 2. Brother Ali, "The Undisputed Truth" • 3. Cloud Cult, "The Meaning of 8" • 4. Happy Apple, "Happy Apple Back on Top" • 5. Romantica, "America" • 6. Vicious Vicious, "Parade" • 7. Charlie Parr, "Jubilee" • 8. M.anifest, "MaNIfestations" • 9. Mouthful of Bees, "The End" • 10. Storyhill (self-titled)

TCCT voters on the No. 1 sign the local music scene was alive and well in '07 Christopher Bahn (The Onion): "When I asked local bands to send me music for our 'I'm in a Promising Local Band' compilation series, I wound up with well more than enough great songs to fill three discs."

Cyn Collins (freelancer and author, "West Bank Boogie"): "Dark Folk: A growing number of bands doing new takes on folk, revisiting old-timey, gypsy folk and old-country blues with punk, rock and rockabilly edges."

Christopher Matthew Jensen (freelancer): "For every moldy basement turned word-of-mouth underground venue we lost, another quickly sprouted up. The people that organize, perform at, and attend these D.I.Y. happenings have proven themselves to be resourceful and resilient."

Andrea Myers (ReveilleMag.com): "Trying to stay caught up with everything that's happening in local music is like trying to dog-paddle from one end of Lake Superior to the other. All the more reason to keep on paddling."

Ross Raihala (Pioneer Press): "The first draft of my year-end top 10 list had 38 albums on it, so that must mean something."

Chris Riemenschneider (Star Tribune): "Many of the best new acts of 2007 were young enough to make me feel too old [at 35] to be doing my job -- but exciting enough to make me never want to quit."

Jon Jon Scott (The Liberator magazine): "Everyone's a star 'DIY Now'; the future is so now with the instant satisfaction of the blog era and social networks."

Jim Walsh (ReveilleMag.com and author, "The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting"): "I'm constantly inspired by people like Dessa, Martin Devaney and Steve McClellan, whose enthusiasm and love of music, art and people is infectious, and by the not-to-be-taken-for-granted Current (89.3 FM), which regularly wedges in locals between various legends and alternastars."

Megan Wiley (MSP magazine): "For the majority of Twin Cities music writers, the drive to cover the local music scene outweighed the drive to stay gainfully employed."

Other participating critics:

Sarah Askari (City Pages); Jon Bream (Star Tribune); Tim Campbell (Star Tribune); David de Young (Howwastheshow.com); Kandis Knight (Altjournalist.blogspot.com); Tom Horgen (Star Tribune); Steve Marsh (MSP magazine); Kyle Matteson (ReveilleMag.com, Morecowbell.net); Steve McPherson (ReveilleMag.com, freelancer); Jim Meyer (freelancer); Amber Schadewald (freelancer); Peter Scholtes (ex-City Pages, freelancer); Rob van Alstyne (ReveilleMag.com).

Big thanks to all of them for participating out of support for the scene.