(Chris Ramos/Staff Illustration)
I’ve been telling anyone who will listen to me than 2013 has been the best year for Inland Empire music yet. With more than 100 releases, it was tough to pick my favorite albums and it missed a lot of spectacular things that came out. Enter the Audio File Awards, which I envision as kind of like those yearbook superlatives for local music.
Pop star in the making
Tori Kelly released the “Foreword” EP this year. Her YouTube channel has racked up more than 60 million views and she has performed “Dear No One” on “Ellen.”
Most likely to play Coachella
Listen to Summer Twins’ dreampop EP “Forget Me” and wait for the Empire Polo Club images to appear when you hear the title track.
Best song named after a board game
King Dice’s “Yahtzee” is a standout on “Red Mahogany Drive,” an album that is a full house of solid tracks.
The song that will make you dance
Quitapenas’ bright and sunny single “Mas Tropical” will give you the urge to put pineapple slices and those little umbrellas in everything you drink.
Greatest David Bowie name drop
I predict Teenage Exorcists will explode out of Riverside next year based on the high quality of the band’s debut EP, in particular the song “You Make Me Hippie,” which name drops The Thin White Duke AND has handclaps.
Best unconventional percussion
Eva and the Vagabond Tales entire debut, “Letters From the Moon,” is dynamite, but one of the fun facts about the Eastern European meets Old West disc is that Eva Mikhailovna actually tap danced for percussion on one of the songs. The band should also get a shout out for its handmade packaging of the album in a brown envelope tied up with string.
Best “Seinfeld” reference
Cam Archer’s “Chronicles of Cam Archer” is the latest evolution for the rapper and while the album is solid throughout, he gets bonus points for naming a song “Costanza II.”
Best song named after an ‘80s sitcom star
Electric Valentine named a song on new album “Circuitry” after Uncle Jesse from “Full House.” “The Stamos” rocks.
Most unlikely punk instrument
Pop-punkers Go for Gold put out a solid EP with “Mixed Feelings,” but the addition of some sweet synth lines a la The Hippos make it an even more fun listen.
Best cover song
Who doesn’t love Tears for Fears? On Being Human takes on “Shout” on the out of this world EP “Eve” which also has a batch of strong original material in its own right.
Rinse and repeat award
100 Proof’s “Wolf Among the Sheep” was so popular when it came out in early 2013 that the rock/hip-hop band actually remastered and reissued it this fall.
Your post-apocalyptic soundtrack
With top-notch production, the smart underground hip-hop of Okiramyth’s “SonSinFinite” would be a good thing to have on at your end of the world party.
Most promising power pop
Casey Jones and the Railsplitters out of Moreno Valley released a delightful self-titled EP in August that almost has a Posies/The Three O’Clock feel to it.
The comeback kids
Alien Ant Farm finally released a little bit of new music this year, in the form of single “Let ‘Em Know.” The video featured Downtown Riverside so much that the city should consider doing an Alien Ant Farm video walking tour. The band is finishing work on its forthcoming album.
Best gypsy inspiration
In one corner, we have Paul Olives, who dubs his music “Acoustic Outlaw Gypsy Punk.” In the other, there’s Nathan Rivera, who dubs his music “Accordion gypsy blues americana.” Both will draw you in.
Most experimental
Ultragash’s “Charlotte” EP makes me wonder if that’s what would happen if Nine Inch Nails and Animal Collective hung out.
Best international-yet-local act
Rock and soul group Lisa and the Lips features Riverside’s own Lisa Kekaula and Bob Vennum, plus a group of musicians based in Spain. They’ve already been wowing European audiences.
Most remixes
Redlands’ My Atomic Soul makes electronic dance music that’s accessible to music lovers beyond those hanging out at giant EDM festivals. He has five versions of “Never Say Never,” with Romeo Void singer Debora Iyall on his self-titled album.
