2015

Today's show: MORE 2015! Plus last week's playlist

Today's show

Last week I played ONLY songs released in 2015. It was easy. So I decided this week I'd feature a bunch that weren't featured in the Gremmys. Easy too!

This is the last 2015 extravaganza, though there's still a number of great records that didn't show up in either show.

Anyway, here's last week's playlist

12/28/15

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Gremmy Awards 2015: Guest Gremmys

Guest Gremmy Awards

As far as I know, the Gremmys are the only surf/instro awards out there, which puts a lot of weight on my whim. Too much.

So I reached out to a few respectable folks that I know are on top of this music to try to bring a few more opinions into the mix.

Everybody has been given carte blanche as to how they want to present this. No "rad", "trad", "modern", "way-out" here.

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Gremmy Awards 2015: The Best of the Rest

Gremmy Awards 2015: The Best of the Rest

While I'm busy cooking up these other awards, I find a few more things I want to recognize. So here are a bunch of smaller awards. No honorable mentions, only one runner-up if that.

Best Record Label

Double Crown Records

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Today's show: 2015 and the Gremmy Awards

2015 Gremmy awards

There's still the miscellaneous Gremmy awards to be awarded, but the big ones are out of the way. I figture we ought to listen to them!

In addition to those, I've got a few latecomers and a few notables that didn't get a nod. There's still a TON of excellent 2015 releases that didn't make the cut here... I'm considering doing one more 2015 show after the New Years and sweeping up the ones that aren't in this one - there's enough that it would still be a great show!

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Gremmy Awards 2015: Best Way-Out Instro Record

Best Way-Out Instro Record

These are groups that have surf somewhere in their DNA but have reshaped it into something much different. What falls in and out of this category is pretty subjective to my own whims, as most of it is going to fall into "not really surf". Some of them are familiar cousins to surf, some are somethin' else altogether. Let's just get rolling with it.

Honorable Mentions

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Gremmy Awards 2015: Best Modern Instro Record

Gremmy Awards 2015: Best Modern Instro Record 2015

These guys may trace their roots to a surf sound, might even call themselves surf sometimes, but their sound is undeniably modern and often unto themselves. Surf isn't a code to live by, and Instro is a genre of possibilities meant to be explroed and tinkered with.

There were no shortage of good records for this category, and it was extremely difficult for me to choose between them. I'm looking forward to publishing this so I can stop agonizing and be done with it!

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Gremmy Awards 2015: Best "Rad" Instro Record

Best "Rad" Instro Record 2015

This is my own terminology here, but the rad category is for the instro bands that thrive on adrenaline. Moreso than the other categories, a lot of these show punk and metal influences. It also rhymes with trad, and I like it more than "aggro".

Honorable Mentions

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Gremmy Awards 2015: Best Trad Surf Record

Gremmy Awards 2015: Best Trad Surf Record

What constitutes trad surf? After all, a lot of the bands on here won't often be mistaken for 60's recordings, there's definitely kind of a modern trad sound.  Without getting too deep into it, these bands love that surf sound. Some bands would rather be called instro, not something as limiting as surf. Not a problem for these guys. I think of it this way: You, trad surf artist, walk up to the lunch lady wearing your baby blue suit:

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Gremmy Awards 2015: Best Album Art

Gremmy Awards - Best Album Art 2015

We're kicking off the 2015 Gremmy Awards with the least musical award, but one that I love. Despite my love of Bo Diddley, I DO judge a book by looking at its cover, at least initially. Perhaps instro gets a little too wrapped up with the aesthetics and tropes that have been used since the 60's, but there are absolutely plenty of bands using art that's fresh and alluring. Enough that I had to make some hard decisions about who NOT to include.

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The Gremmy Awards 2015: Overview

The Gremmy Awards 2015

2015 is drawing to a close which means it's time for the second annual Gremmy Awards, where I espouse my very personal opinions on all the surf/instro music I've heard this year. There's issues with doing something like this: I've listened to a TON, but I haven't listened to all of it, and I have probably listened to each one less than a normal person would listen to any album they've purchased.

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