Best of MTL 2016: Music

Half Moon Run. Photo by Yani Clarke

Now that’s an upset. For the first time in a decade (counting the Mirror years), Arcade Fire is NOT the #1 Best Band. They continue to be regarded as Most Pretentious, however, and their frontman Win Butler was deemed #1 Best Club DJ for his side gig as Windows 98. That and their international success and accolades should provide them some solace. New to the Heaviest Act category is Turbo Haus’s “aggressive rock” residents Fashion Police (#5) and power metal bros Demise of the Crown (#1), while Urban Science, the house band at weekly live hip hop jam night le Cypher, squeaks into Best Hip Hop Act at #5. And finally, it’s nice to see the mensch Jean Leloup popping up in three categories here (as well as Best Weirdo in the People & Places section). He is as much part of Montreal culture as the beer and sweat embedded in the floor at Foufs.

Best Band
1. Half Moon Run
2. Arcade Fire
3. Ought
4. Motel Raphael
5. Suuns
6. Barr Brothers
7. Lakes of Canada
8. Double Date With Death
9. Milk & Bone
10. Damn Truth

Best Solo Act
1. Grimes
2. Jean Leloup
3. Patrick Watson
4. Coeur de Pirate
5. Ms. Holmes
6. Wiz Kilo
7. Bud Rice
8. JF Robitaille
9. Caro Diaro
10. Bloodshot Bill

Freakiest Act
1. Sean Nicholas Savage
2. Jean Leloup
3. Natasha Nebula
4. Bad Uncle
5. Country
6. Glam Gam
7. Duchess Says
8. Cheap Wig
9. The Anthony Hansen Problem
10. Red Mass

Most Pretentious Act
1. Arcade Fire
2. Half Moon Run
3. Lakes of Canada
4. Coeur de Pirate
5. The Dears
6. Godspeed You! Black Emperor
7. Martin Matte
8. Pierre Lapointe
9. Anthony Hansen Problem
10. Jonas

Heaviest Act
1. Demise of the Crown
2. USA Out of Vietnam
3. Duchess Says
4. Godspeed You! Black Emperor
5. Fashion Police
6. Beat Cops
7. The Great Sabatini
8. Mad Parish
9. Big/Brave
10. Red Mass

Posterz. Photo by Ryan Jay

Best Hip Hop Act
1. The Posterz
2. Dead Obies
3. Nomadic Massive
4. Koriass
5. Urban Science
6. Annakin Slayd
7. Hua Li
8. Loud Lary Ajust
9. Strange Froots
10. Narcy/The Narcycist

Best Club DJ
1. Windows 98
2. Diskommander
3. Tiga
4. Shaydakiss
5. Frankie Teardrop
6. Thomas Von Party
7. Simahlak
8. Construct
9. Like the Wolf
10. DJ Dio

Best Electronic Act
1. Grimes
2. Kaytranada
3. Pelada
4. Chromeo
5. Wiz Kilo
6. Le Matos
7. Beat Market
8. Milk & Bone
9. Mozart’s SIster
10. Blue Hawaii

Best Country/Folk Act
1. Barr Brothers
2. L’il Andy
3. Katie Moore
4. Sin and Swoon
5. Lisa Leblanc
6. Bobby Dove
7. Bernard Adamus
8. Ol’ Savannah
9. Po Lazarus
10. Lakes of Canada

Best Jazz Act
1. Kalmunity
2. Shy Shy Schullie
3. Beth McKenna
4. Emma Frank
5. Dave Gossage

Best Singer-Songwriter
1. Shane Murphy
2. Leonard Cohen
3. Patrick Watson
4. Jean Leloup
5. Bud Rice
6. Ms. Holmes
7. Devon Welsh
8. JF Robitaille
9. Pierre Lapointe
10. Heather Ragnarsdottir

Best Busker
1. Street Meat
2. Boat man
3. Spoonman
4. Bolero
5. Caravonica
6. Violin man
7. Mark Landry stolen violin guy
8. Philippe Muis d’Entremont
9. Greg Halpin
10. Milford Kemp

Best Music Label
1. Secret City
2. Constellation
3. Bonsound
4. Stomp
5. Arbutus
6. Dare to Care
7. Art Not Love
8. Indica
9. New Regime
10. Unlog

See the rest of the Best of MTL here:

* PEOPLE & PLACES
* MEDIA
* NIGHTLIFE
* FILM & ARTS
* GOODS & SERVICES
* FOOD & DRINK