Jeff Gage

Picked to Click 2012

After hundreds of ballots and votes, the best of the best new bands have been chosen

Top 20 best Minnesota rappers: #20-11

Related:How Rhymesayers set up the Soundset FestivalTop 20 best Minnesota musicians: The complete listTop 20 best Minnesota songs: The complete listIn 2012, rap music is as definitive a part of Minnesota lore as the Mall of America -- or anything else Muja Messiah name-checks in "Leech Lake" or Slug ... More >>

Top 10 worst Minnesota songs

Related:Top 20 best Minnesota songsTop 20 best Minnesota musiciansFirst Avenue's 20 best concertsFirst Avenue's 20 best concerts: Readers' picksFor all of the impressive songsmiths penning grand lyrics and melodies inspired by our fair Minnesota, there are nearly as many embarrassing clunkers doing ... More >>

Best nationally released albums of 2011

​It's a good thing we waited until the last week of 2011 to publish our final best-album lists, since a few bands managed to eke out stellar releases just this December (the Roots' undun and the Black Keys' El Camino in particular made their way onto a few staffers' lists). With only a few da ... More >>

Critics' Picks: Sims, Blue Sky Blackout, Old 97's, and more