2007 Index of Winners

It’s a thin line between what we call ballot-stuffing and having a huge, supportive fan base. Every year one band runs away with the reader’s choice in a number of categories, and we scratch our heads wondering how it was done. This year, CRAZY ANGLOS swept three categories: best local new music act, best music video shot in Atlanta and best Georgia-based band MySpace page. The group’s guerilla street-team tactics have earned it a massive local following. But if you’re not convinced by numbers alone, ask yourself how many rap-core bands you know of that won the John Lennon Songwriting Award? Yep, that’s what we thought.

www.myspace.com/crazyanglos

Few DJs work as hard as DJ KLEVER. Some may offer more “exclusive” tracks you can’t hear anywhere else. Others may achieve a smoother-flowing set through tasteful song selection and blends. But Klever actually puts on a show. He cuts, scratches and mashes up pop, rock, R&B, hip-hop and electronic songs into a furious mess. His DJ sets are truly an adventure that can go from cheekily obnoxious to coolly melodic in less than a minute. A former turntable champion who has won awards for his skills, Klever reminds his audience that, at their best, DJs can exhibit as many techniques as a guitarist playing a furious solo.

www.myspace.com/kleverbeats

Some pop phenomena are impossible to ignore, especially when led by a lanky 17-year-old kid named DeAndre Way who calls himself SOULJA BOY. The Chicago-born, Atlanta/Mississippi-bred teen created viral hysteria in a matter of months with his contagious song and dance, “Crank That (Soulja Boy).” His MySpace page has logged over 10 million views in 18 months. The page currently hosts over 130 YouTube videos featuring fans and celebrities such as Lil’ Wayne, Beyonce and Travis Barker replicating his dance. But the best footage is recorded by Soulja Boy’s personal camera man as he documents and YouTubes practically his every waking moment. It’s enabled him to go global from his bedroom with the backing of Interscope Records. Since the label signed him via Atlanta’s own Mr. Collipark, his song has reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and No. 11 on it’s United World chart. And his debut album doesn’t even drop until Oct. 2.

www.myspace.com/souljaboytellem

Music blogs have become the homemade zines of our generation. Everybody has one, and most of them are completely useless. That’s why when a worthwhile music blog such as CABLE & TWEED comes around, we jump on it. Rich Vining at Cable & Tweed has been indulging the music geek in all of us since January ‘06. The blog presents a perfect balance of local and national music coverage. But the real gem is the MP3s Vining posts from concerts performed locally. Where else can you hear the Decemberists performing live with the ASO at Chastain?

cableandtweed.blogspot.com

On stage, THE BLACK LIPS explode with raw power that jitters in a stew of blood, sweat and haunted reverb. Somewhere along the journey from playing shows at local rat holes such as the Somber Reptile (RIP) in 2001, to dominating in Tijuana, Mexico, last year, the group discovered the secret to churning out great rock ‘n’ roll songs. The Black Lips’ garage-rock anthems are bound by nostalgia and spastic rebel abandon. The group’s tales of debauchery are the stuff of legends that forefathers the Rolling Stones, the Sex Pistols and MC5 would smile upon. When the group hangs out around town between tours, Atlanta is a lot more fun — even a little dangerous.

www.myspace.com/theblacklips

When Drew De Man sings about warding off bears on NO RIVER CITY’s second CD, Wolves and Fishes, one can almost see the teeth and claws of his personal demons swatting at his back. De Man leads an alienated procession on a path into country music’s richest, blackest soil. With every character he creates and every twist along the path, the group adapts its dark, bucolic twang to fit the mood. Sometimes songs tumble at a galloping pace, while others move much more slowly. What sets NRC apart from the rural-music masses is a penchant for infusing alt-country songcraft with lost-in-the-moment improvisation. Wielding a nontraditional approach gives a sense of spontaneity to each song, but never at the expense of delivering a genuinely heartbreaking performance.

www.norivercity.com

DAMON “HABERSHAM” FONOONI is typical of Atlanta’s electronic community: loved and appreciated abroad, but mostly ignored at home. As a DJ and producer who has created and licensed tracks to some of the world’s top electronic labels, including Bedrock and Global Underground, Habersham often tours abroad. Here, however, he rarely nets a major gig, playing instead at small nightclubs and cafes. Some may assert that Habersham gets little love in the “A” because his progressive house style is out of fashion. But open-minded music lovers will find much to appreciate in his tracks. His recent Outside the Box EP, issued on U.K. label Audio Therapy, is as sinuous and affecting as any local release this year.

www.myspace.com/habergoose

Amid the backdrop of Atlanta’s various fringe electro-noise and experimental acts, TREE CREATURE tests the boundaries of noise, pop and minimalism while diving headlong into a blissfully distinctive world of sound. One could easily file the group under “electronic music,” but Tree Creature never once brings a laptop to the stage. Instead it chooses the analog route to craft spacey and ethereal ambiance. By comparison with the harsh noise of fellow local contender Black Meat, Tree Creature’s long, undulating waves of angelic drones and repeating musical phrases are much more inviting, and always make for a palatable and social backdrop to any of the group’s weekly performances at house parties or low-key venues, such as Eyedrum or 11:11 Teahouse.

www.myspace.com/treecreature