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Any Major Awards – The Winners

December 15th, 2007 Leave a comment Go to comments

And here are the winners of the inaugural Major Dude awards. Kick back and watch the show unfold, grabbing a few samples of the music (most have previously appeared on this blog; newly featured tracks are marked as such) on the way before you rush off and buy the awarded music as thoughtful Christmas presents for yourselves and everybody you know. And here’s the gong our winners may take home — The Major Dude:


ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

Indie Album of the Year:
Swedish:
Loney, Dear – Loney, Noir
(I know, it was released in Sweden a long time ago, but for the rest of us, it is a 2007 album)

and performing a song from this year’s best Swedish Indie Album:
Loney, Dear – I Am John

Other places:
Josh Ritter – The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter

and performing a song from this year’s best non-Swedish Indie Album:
Josh Ritter – Right Moves

Rock Album of the Year:
Foo Fighters – Echoes Silence Patience & Grace

and performing two songs from this year’s best Rock Album:
Foo Fighters – Cheer Up Boys, You’re Makeup Is Running
Foo Fighters – Statues

Pop Album of the Year:
Rilo Kiley – Under The Blacklight

and performing two songs from this year’s best Pop Album:
Rilo Kiley – Breakin’ Up
Rilo Kiley – Dreamworld

Country Album of the Year:
Miranda Lambert – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

and performing a song from this year’s best Country Album:
Miranda Lambert – Love Letters (new upload)

Americana Album Of The Year
Wilco – Sky Blue Sky

and performing a song from this year’s best Americana Album:
Wilco – Hate It Here

Singer-Songwriter Album of the Year
Male:
Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala

and performing a song from this year’s best Singer-Songwriter (male) Album:
Jens Lekman – A Postcard For Nina

Female:
Rosie Thomas – These Friends Of Mine

and performing two songs from this year’s
best Singer-Songwriter (female) Album:

Rosie Thomas – Songbird
Rosie Thomas – Say Hello (with Sufjan Stevens)

R&B/Hip Hop:
Alicia Keys – As I Am

and performing a song from this year’s best R&B Album:
Alicia Keys (featuring John Mayer) – Lesson Learnt
(Link removed by DivShare)

Best Kicked-Back Album:
Richard Hawley – Lady’s Bridge

and performing a song from this year’s best Kicked-Back Album:
Richard Hawley – Dark Road


Overrated Artist of the Year:
Amy Winehouse
Comparable album people should listen to instead: Nicole Atkins – Neptune City

and performing a song from this year’s best
Better Than Overrated Artist’s Album:

Nicole Atkins – Brooklyn’s On Fire! (new upload)

Best Newcomer:
Colbie Caillat

and performing as this year’s best Better Newcomer:
Colbie Caillat – Realize
Colbie Caillat – One Fine Wire


Most Disappointing Album:

Joseph Arthur – Let’s Just Be

SONGS OF THE YEAR:

Pop/Rock:
Richard Hawley – Valentine

Indie/Americana:
Wilco – Impossible Germany (new upload)

Singer-songwriter/Country:
Rosie Thomas – Much Farther To Go

South African Rock/Pop Song Of The Year:
Velve – Overpass (ne

w upload)

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:
The nominees are:
Brandi Carlile – The Story
Loney, Dear – Loney, Noir
Rilo Kiley – Under The Blacklight
Rosie Thomas – These Friends Of Mine
Wilco – Sky Blue Sky

………and the winner is:
WILCO – SKY BLUE SKY

and performing a track from this year’s Album of the Year:
Wilco – Either Way

SONG OF THE YEAR:
And the nominees are:
Colbie Caillat – Bubbly
Richard Hawley – Valentine
Wilco – Impossible Germany
Brandi Carlisle – The Story
Rosie Thomas – Much Farther To Go

………and the winner is:
ROSIE THOMAS – MUCH FARTHER TO GO


BLOG AWARDS

The best Blogs of The Year

MUSIC
Album blogs:
It feels unfair to choose a “winner” from all the nominated blogs. Even within one category, the diversity makes a comparison about as as easy as comparing the relative merits of black cherries and iPods. There are so many that have given me great joy. Earbleeding Country shades it for me on strength of great, detailed writing and the quality of music on offer.

Earbleedingcountry
(which since this month now lives here)

Singles blogs:
The same as above applies, perhaps even more so. With singles blogs, bloggers tend to write in greater detail, length and often variety than album blogs. I finally narrowed it all down to two finalists: The Late Greats and Echoes In The Wind. The former has introduced me to more new great music than any other blog; the latter is perhaps the best-written music blog I know, in the face of some incredibly tough competition (for the purposes of this exercise; I don’t think most of us compete with each other; quite on the contrary, I’ve found). And so the winner is:

Echoes In The Wind

Retro blogs:
Albums:
Again, tough contest. All the nominees have provided me with so much pleasure. But our winner this year simply had the most stunning variety of music, some of it long-forgotten albums of old which deserve to be rediscovered.

DeaconBlues


Singles:
I do both new and retro stuff round here. The latter especially is fantastic fun. That sense of fun was particularly evident in all nominated blogs in this category. The winner is an old favourite of many:

The Wolfman Howls

NON-MUSIC BLOG OF THE YEAR
If choosing the best music blog was a headache, choosing the best non-music blog was a heartbreaking thing. Indie-Pop Ian Plenderleith’s sporadic blog entries are a monthly Internet highlight. Ndumiso Ngcobo’sSouth African iconoclasm invariably makes me laugh out loud. Rol Hirst’s “Dear Me…” post on the 13th almost clinched him a late winner. 15 Minute Lunch made big waves with the ’70s JC Penney fashion post, but there is so much more great writing there. But for style and exquisite prose, and an unforgettable post about the funeral of the Lazio fan shot by the Italian police, the winner can only be:

Spangly Princess

U-18 BLOG OF THE YEAR
I did not make nominations for best U-18 blog. I really liked the cricket blogs by two kids living in Amsterdam, Sean and Dylan Reeves (how can one not love a blogger who links to his Dad’s blog by saying “it’s rubbish”). But for paternal pride, it has to be Any Minor Dude’s to rarely updated guitar tabs blog. This 13 year old kid does a better job of it than many adults. This is, of course, the little dude who as a10-year-old arriving for his first lesson was asked by his guitar tutor (a seasoned sessionman) what artist’s music he wanted to play. Tutor Rob may have expected an answer like Good Charlotte or some contemporary R&B hit. Instead, the answer came: Johnny Cash. Which is cool as anything.

Guitariotabs

BEST BLOGGER’S MIX-TAPE
Taylor Parkes’ Right-wing Rock mix was incredible: the music was either hilarious or actually quite good, the lyrics produced some serious jawdroppers, and Taylor’s sleeve notes were insightful and witty. Get the mix and commentary at Touched Mix, and check out this unbelievable track — especially when he starts singing!
Lil Markie – Diary Of An Unborn Child.mp3 (new upload)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Totally Fuzzy
with a BIG Thank You for the fantastic service these guys provide to the bloggers and those who search for great, new blogs. One more time: “Fuzzy And Blue” by the Sesame Street monsters

YOUR VOTE:
Best Any Major Dude series:
From a limited sample of votes, this is clearly the Time Travel to the 1970s series.

  1. Spangly Princess
    December 16th, 2007 at 16:16 | #1

    wow! thanks very much *blushy* you are too kind

  2. Any major dude with half a heart
    December 16th, 2007 at 17:03 | #2

    Well deserved. I think winners are obliged to make a speech…

  3. whiteray
    December 16th, 2007 at 21:06 | #3

    Thanks so much, but a speech, eh? Well, okay: Honestly, I am humbled. All I intended when I started last January was to share the music I love. It turned out I was sharing myself, too, and I’m gratified that so many people enjoy what I write, along with the music. There are some people to thank, but I’ll mention only five: one whom I love dearly and four whom I’ve never met except through music. The Texas Gal encourages me and helps me have a safe place from which to work every day . . . and then there were the four fellows from Liverpool who long ago got me interested in pop-rock music. For me, everything flows from the work of John, Paul, George and Ringo. And you should take a bow yourself, major dude: You have a great blog!

  4. Any major dude with half a heart
    December 16th, 2007 at 22:07 | #4

    Thank you for your kind words. You’ve done a brilliant job in getting me to listen to John Denver. For that accomplishment alone you deserve plenty plaudits.

  5. Casey
    December 17th, 2007 at 07:24 | #5

    Well done!!This was a great post.Congrats to everyone!!

  6. goodbye nashville
    December 17th, 2007 at 10:55 | #6

    first of all i’d like to thank my family and friends for all the support that they gave on creating ear bleeding country lol and all you guys that come and visit but sadly ear bleeding country is now defunct but hey not to worry cause am up and running somewhere else for now http://loverswaltz.myblog.comso fell free to come there and thanks again for the award it’s totally awsome

  7. Fuzzy Crew
    December 17th, 2007 at 14:36 | #7

    Thank you very much for the award for Totally Fuzzy. Although it has to be said, we wouldn’t have any reason to exist were it not for all the music bloggers out there… including yourself that is of course … so they will all be obliged to share this honour. Major accolades go to herr k of course, he is the one that came up with the idea for Totally Fuzzy and is still a driving force behind it. And last but not least a big thank you to all the people that have been actively supporting us over the years and to all the contributors that have made Totally Fuzzy what it is. Thank you.Sincerely=M=(I’ll let herr k do his own speech ;))

  8. mephisto
    December 17th, 2007 at 14:55 | #8

    Thank you very much for the award for “The Wolfman Howls again” a.k.a. Rock Gems. To be honest I’m a bit at odds with the blog at the moment, I posted most of what I wanted to share so it’s a bit unclear to me how to proceed. Anyway, this award may very well turn out to be the proverbial kick in the butt I needed to get it going again. If I would have to thank anybody it would have to be Wolfman Jack, of course, and all the loyal visitors. And allmusic guide for not suing the pants off me for using their info without their permission. ;) And finally of course a big thank you goes out to all the musicians and composers and lyricists of the last 50 years, without whom there would not have been any Rock Gems. Thanks again for the recognition., and as I usually sayCheers=M=

  9. Rol Hirst
    December 17th, 2007 at 17:23 | #9

    Thanks for my almost win. Maybe next year!Now I suppose I better go listen to that Wilco album… after all, I’ve had it since June or something. So much music, so little time…

  10. Stay-At-Home Indie-Pop
    December 17th, 2007 at 21:35 | #10

    Thanks for the nomination, half-hearted dude. Finally posted my Top 20 albums of the year today. I will endeavour to check out Loney, Dear, and catch up with the Rosie Thomas release. Have you heard Anna Ternheim? Just bought her wonderful six-track EP, and I reckon it would be right up your songbird street.

  11. Fuzzy Crew
    December 17th, 2007 at 22:24 | #11

    I add my deep impression and thanks about this award for “totally fuzzy”. without “M” it wouldn´t be what it is.and without all the enthusiastic music blogs out there, there would be no need for a human aggregator blog.they support us and we promote them – a fair deal for both sides.thanks for the award againsincerely herr k.

  12. crowbarred
    December 18th, 2007 at 12:40 | #12

    Kaff ~ *paints toenails* I will wait till next year when there is a category devoted to just wtiting about music with no mp3s …. but in all seriousness (can i?) congrats to all the winners! (now i know how Irwin Allen felt)… Lurve Crowbarred

  13. Any major dude with half a heart
    December 18th, 2007 at 16:35 | #13

    Ovation for the acceptance speeches. Better than Prince.Indie-Pop, I’ve heard a couple Ternheim songs, and really liked what I heard. Definite songbird material. Your list is excellent; comments coming on location.crowbarred: damn good point. Next year I’ll need to remember that category. Suppose I won’t be able to nominate http://cdrated.blogspot.com/ if I do…

  14. DeaconBlues1103
    December 21st, 2007 at 22:39 | #14

    Wow! Thanks so much for giving me a “Major Dude” award. I didn’t even know I was in the running. No speechfrom me, I’ll just let the music that I love and have loved for the past 40 odd years speak for me. Since I’ve only being doing this for a little over a year now, it’s great to be in company with mephisto, herr k. and whiteray among others. It’s nice, too that tmy work and efforts are appreciated. Thanks again and Happy Holidays to all!!DB1103

  15. tunestop
    January 6th, 2008 at 02:17 | #15

    Excellent blog! Thanks for your hard work!

  16. Anonymous
    January 20th, 2008 at 19:16 | #16

    Thank you Major Dude, for all your hard work on your blog, for recognizing others in the community for their hard work and all of you for passing on your knowledge and music that people otherwise might not be aware of and from us “old guy’s” for bringing back so many good memories of our youth!! THANK YOU ALL!! “Q” Doggy

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