Best of MTL 2018: Music

“Can I quote Han Solo? There aren’t enough scoundrels in your life.”—Leif Vollebekk, #2 Best Solo Act

Arcade Fire’s grip on Best Band continues, while Lakes of Canada’s campaign for Most Pretentious Act only helped them retain their #2 spot in that category but also rocketed them to #3 Best Band.

Kaytranada and Patrick Watson aside, the Best Solo Act and Best Singer-songwriter lists feature all new names, but that’s partly due to an editorial decision to disqualify Grimes (who moved away years ago) and (gulp) Leonard Cohen, who would’ve otherwise won both categories in perpetuity.

Entering the Freakiest Act category is Big Sissy (aka Athena Holmes, who also performs as Ms. Holmes) “a 666 year old witch from Black Star Planet, on a mission is to turn the earth queer,” while (Nate) Husser steps into Best Hip Hop Act and his band the Posterz falls from the list to make way for another rapper gone solo, Loud of Loud Lary Ajust fame.

Best Band
1 Arcade Fire
2 Half Moon Run
3 Lakes of Canada
4 Suuns
5 Caveboy
6 Men I Trust
7 The Barr Brothers
8 Strange Froots
9 Urban Science
10 Damn Truth

Best Solo Act
1 Charlotte Cardin
2 Leif Vollebekk
3 Kaytranada
4 Common Holly
5 Coeur de Pirate
6 Patrick Watson
7 Loud
8 Shane Murphy
9 Paul Cargnello
10 Petra Glynt

Freakiest Musical Act
1 Bad Uncle
2 Big Sissy
3 Duchess Says
4 CO/NTRY/Beaver Sheppard
5 Jean Leloup
6 Bernardino Femminielli
7 Screaming Demon
8 Violett Pi
9 Bloodshot Bill

“Who’s to say one kind of freak is better than any other? Each one of us contributes to the greater freaky deeky good.”—Big Sissy, #3 Freakiest Musical Act

Most Pretentious Act
1 Arcade Fire
2 Lakes of Canada
3 Godspeed You! Black Emperor
4 Pierre Lapointe
5 The Dears
6 Motel Raphael
7 Martin Matte
8 Alex Nevsky
9 Céline Dion
10 Coeur de Pirate

Heaviest Act
1 Godspeed
2 Duchess Says
3 Big Brave
4 Mad Parish
5 Bad Uncle
6 Yoo Doo Right
7 USA Out of Vietnam
8 UN
9 Suuns
10 Spectral Wound

Best Hip Hop Act
1 Alaclair Ensemble
2 Dead Obies
3 Strange Froots
4 Loud
5 Husser
6 Hua Li
7 Urban Science
8 Nomadic Massive
9 Koriass
10 Kalmunity

Best Club DJ
1 Frankie Teardrop
2 Awwful
3 Diskommander
4 Jeffany
5 Kris Guilty

Best Electronic Act
1 Kaytranada
2 Radiant Baby
3 KyAzMa
4 UN
5 Chromeo
6 Marie Davidson
7 Essaie Pas
8 Petra Glynt
9 Milk and Bone
10 CRi

“Thank you to our home town of Montreal for placing us among the Best of MTL Top 5 Country & Folk Acts this year!”—Sin and Swoon, #2 Best Country/Folk Act

Best Country/Folk Act
1 Li’l Andy
2 Sin and Swoon
3 Katie Moore
4 Ghostly Hounds
5 Bats in the Belfry
6 The Barr Brothers
7 Lisa Leblanc
8 El Coyote
9 Old Time Honey
10 Avec pas d’casque

Best Jazz Act
1 Kalmunity
2 Beth McKenna
3 Continentals
4 Shy Shy Schullie
5 Urban Science Brass Band

Best Singer-songwriter
1 Patrick Watson
2 Coeur de Pirate
3 Corey Gulkin
4 Big Daddy
5 Devon Welsh
6 Charlotte Cardin
7 Leif Vollebekk
8 Common Holly
9 Safia Nolin
10 Paul Cargnello

Best Busker
1 Spoonman
2 Jorie
3 Violinist/fiddler with the dog mask
4 Boat/fishing/banjo guy
5 Graham the red-headed bagpipe guy
6 Marianne Trenka
7 Urban Science
8 Chris Verillo
9 Francesa Mirai

Best Label
1 Constellation
2 Arbutus
3 Stomp
3 Lisbon Lux
4 Bonsound
5 Secret City
6 Dare to Care
7 Indica
8 Blue Skies Turn Black
9 Flip the Industry
10 Simone

See the rest of the Best of MTL here:

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