The Alternative Music Award Winners!
Posted: by Henderson
Congratulations to the winners of 2015’s 3rd Annual The Alternative Music Awards. This was the best year in our history, and I am confident 2016 is going to be even better. Thank you anyone who checked out our posts, interviews, or music recommendations over the last year. Double thank you for everyone who shares our site with their friends! You make it all worth it.
All of these bands are winners. So much incredible music came out in 2015, but these are the albums our staff thought you get a little extra love and recognition.
Why not start with the our favorite album of the entire year? All of these albums put up a good fight but our staff rallied around Hop Along’s Painted Shut with it’s incredible emotional lyrics and dynamic songwriting. What a GREAT ALBUM. Make sure to listen to it immediately. Don’t be the person hitting me up in 3 months saying I wish I listened to you earlier. This band is stunning.
Former Winners:
The Hotelier – Home, Like NoPlace Is There (2014)
Arctic Monkeys – AM (2013)
Next how about our favorite non-full length album. Shorter releases are becoming better and better these days. Is it because of the interweb? Who knows. All I know is that every single one of these EPs were great. Each one is a unique slice of that band’s individual flavor. As a staff we were most impressed with Dikembe’s Ledge EP. It expanded upon their last album, Mediumship, and showed an encouraging growth that got us even more excited about the future of one of our favorite bands. Listen to this thing if you have ever been a fan of any guitar tones ever.
Former Winners:
Donovan Wolfington – Scary Stories You Tell In The Dark (2014)
Diamond Youth – Orange (2013)
What makes an album the “most underrated”? Is it really underrated if we are giving it an award? You’re thinking too much into it. Our Most Underrated Award goes to an album that we feel may not have been AOTY material, but was definitely extraordinary and yet under appreciated by the MSMM (main stream music media). While all of these albums were very solid efforts that never got the love they deserved, our staff absolutely felt it was Pinegrove’s Everything So Far that deserved this recognition. I mean have you listened to this thing?? Jeez, it combines the styles country, folk, indie rock, and even a little emo in a way that is enthralling. Lyrics, instrumentals, its all there. This band is going to be huge in 2016.
Former Winners:
Free Throw – Those Days Are Gone (2014)
Sainthood Reps – Headswell (2013)
The Best Debut Album! A well done debut album presents exciting new sound and establishes a band’s style. There is really nothing better than finding a new band that you enjoy. All of these albums were so much fun to listen to, and I am stoked for all of these bands’ futures but I was amazed when the staff voted Hodera’s United By Birdcalls (released on my label All Sounds) as the winner. I abstained from the vote, and maybe there’s a still a little bias in there but I can tell you this. This album has fun rock instrumentals, sweet riffs, and poetic lyrics. I haven’t stopped listening to it all year and neither has the rest of the staff. I think you’d enjoy it as well.
Former Winners:
Somos – Temple of Plenty (2014)
Foxing – The Albatross (2013)
