Again this year my music buying was mostly online, free tracks from NoiseTrade, Google Play, and Amazon as well as preordering mp3s and CDs from Kickstarter and PledgeMusic.
This year was marked by a lot of unexpected collaborations.
| Band | Song | Why them | |
| 01. | The Family Crest | Beneath The Brine | Unexpected instrumentation and tempo. |
| 02. | Robbie Schaefer | No More Goodbyes | Collaboration #1: Robbie formed a trio for this recording with Jake Armerding and Rachael Davis. |
| 03. | Bobtown | Across The River | Falcon Ridge faves with fine voices melding together. |
| 04. | The Silent War | We Are Broken | Collaboration #2: Adrianne Gonzalez and Garrison Starr join forces officially. |
| 05. | Team Mathias | A Thousand Years | Collaboration #3: Todd Wright with Toby Lightman and Taylor Carson to raise funds for Team Mathias. |
| 06. | Early Winters | Love Won’t Leave Me Alone | Carina Round plays with Puscifer and Tears for Fears and of course formed an Americana band with harmonies. |
| 07. | Pearl and the Beard | You | A folk-pop trio I saw on a whim at Barns At Wolf Trap when the family was out of town. |
| 08. | Space Elevator | Elevator | And now it’s time for the big dumb rock with harmonies. Speaking of… |
| 09. | Hurtsmile | Rock & Roll Cliché | Extreme’s Gary Cherone is back with a band that tends towards the harder side. |
| 10. | The Both | Milwaukee | Collaboration #4: Didja know Aimee Mann and Ted Leo formed a band? And it’s good? |
| 11. | The Grownup Noise | New Outsiders | Catchy pop, just got a nice review here. |
| 12. | Toby Lightman | Running From Love | More dance oriented that her last album, but still a great chorus. |
| 13. | Coin | It’s Okay | Power poppers found because they toured with Jukebox the Ghost. |
| 14. | Owen Danoff | Never Been Kissed | Local (and son of Bill Danoff) does just fine on his own. |
| 15. | The Once | We Are All Running | Canadian folkies with nice harmonies. |
| 16. | Johnnyswim | Diamonds | Husband and wife duo with a big sound. |
| 17. | Twin Forks | Back To You | Collaboration #5: Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba starts an Americana band and it’s darn good. |
| 18. | Dan Wilson | I Can Never Stay Mad at You | And I can never stay away from the beautiful pop from the ex-Semisonic frontman. |
| 19. | The Whiskey Switch | Minnesota | Collaboration #6: Luke Brindley forms a trio with Taylor Swift sideman Mike Meadows on banjo and mandolin and Laura Tsaggaris. |
| 20. | Mouths of Babes | River On Your Right | Collaboration #7: Girlyman’s Ty Greenstein and Coyote Grace’s Ingrid Elizabeth form a band (and couple). |
| 21. | We’re About 9 | A Beautiful Fear (Write It All Down) | Locals still making some damn good music. |