TCCT '08: Best songs, live acts and signs of life

Best local songs of '08 1. Solid Gold, "Get Over It" (37 points)

2. City on the Make, "Chicks on Bikes" (27)

3. Atmosphere, "You" (24)

4. Dillinger Four, "Clown Cars on Concrete Blocks" (16)

5. (tie) Doomtree (Dessa and P.O.S.), "Dots & Dashes" (14)

Muja Messiah, "Growing Pains" (14)

7. Kid Dakota, "Stars" (13)

8. Doomtree, "Game Over" (12)

9. (tie) Haley Bonar, "Big Star;" the Deaths, "Peter Duncan;" Doomtree (Dessa), "Sadie Hawkins;" Lookbook, "Yesterday's Company;" Mike Mictlan & Lazerbeak, "Prizefight;" Tapes N' Tapes, "The Dirty Dirty;" (10)

Best live acts 1. Doomtree (36)

2. Solid Gold (34)

3. Atmosphere (29)

4. Vampire Hands (24)

5. (tie) City on the Make (20)

Evening Rig (20)

7. Gospel Gossip (20)

8. Muja Messiah (16)

9. Gay Witch Abortion (16)

10. Lucy Michelle & the Velvet Lapelles (12)

Honorable mentions: The New Standards, Mike Mictlan, Strut & Shock, Wishbook (10 each)

No. 1 sign the local scene was alive and well in 2008 David de Young, founder of HowWastheShow.com: "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."

Tom Horgen, Star Tribune nightlife reporter: "In the era of free file-sharing, our own Atmosphere showed that fans will still pay for quality music. The duo's latest album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard charts, right next to pop princesses Ashlee Simpson and Mariah Carey. Now does that make Slug a pop princess, too?"

Steve Marsh, Mpls.-St.Paul magazine writer: "With their song 'The Dirty Dirty,' Tapes 'N Tapes called out the economic crisis months before economist dudes like Joseph Stiglitz. And the track still works: where did all the money go?"

Jason Nagel, host of "Minnesota Music" on Cities 97: "Hell, that's me. The best thing that happened in local music this year is that Cities 97 asked me to bring back the show. I'm very encouraged that there is still a demand for a local specialty show on commercial FM radio."

Pat O'Brien, freelance writer: "There are more than enough choices to see a great live band nearly every day of every week. You never have to dig very deep to find a good show to go to, ever."

Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune music critic: "More young fans attended Soundset '08 (with Atmosphere, Brother Ali, P.O.S., etc.), than did this year's 'American Idols' concert."

Chris Roberts, host of "The Local Show" on the Current: "Local hip-hop spun on the Current absolutely destroys the 'national' hip hop we play, from Kanye on down."

Max Ross, freelancer: "As a reviewer/critic/whatever, I'm constantly interviewing new acts who are all impressive and have something distinct to offer, and it seems a lot of bands are able to stay afloat even in such a highly saturated area."

Amber Schadewald, freelancer: "Solid Gold's stellar uprising in the Minneapolis electropop community. Now, of course, there are a few other electronically inspired acts I enjoy in this city. Thank god someone in this city is making my favorite music x 10."

Peter Scholtes, freelancer: "The number of self-released CDs that look like fancy big-label releases."

Andrea Swensson, City Pages music editor: "There are almost as many local music blogs as there are local bands popping up these days, which is great. Everyone has an opinion and everyone is thinking locally."

Rob Van Alstyne, local music journalist: "As always, for every great local band that calls it a day like the Plastic Constellations, at least three new ones spring up in their place and get the scene excited all over again."

Jon Bream, Star Tribune music critic; Tim Campbell, Star Tribune senior A+E editor; David Hansen, freelancer; Kyle Matteson, ReveilleMag.com and MoreCowbell.net; Steve McPherson, ReveilleMag.com and freelancer; Jen Paulson, freelancer; Ross Raihala, St. Paul Pioneer Press music critic; Tom Surowicz, freelancer; Jim Walsh, MinnPost.com and freelancer.

individual lists at startribune.com/music.