When I do this deep dive into the past year of surf there are inevitably other things of note that simply listing the top albums can't really cover. That's what this is for.

There are some records that clearly stem from surf but that have gone so far into a new direction that they feel like they shouldn't be considered next to actual surf records. That very fuzzy line is basically up to my whim.

This category is for albums that are unmistakably surf, but would not be mistaken for vintage. This was a tough category this year and it was tough choosing a winner. A lot of these were also really pushing the envelope, and it was hard to decide what belongs here and what belongs in the Way-Out Instro category.

This is my own terminology for surf music that's more punk-influenced, with a focus on speed and force before anything else. I like it because it rhymes with Trad. It's not necessarily about who's the loudest and the fastest as much as it's about who's the best at being loud and fast.

After 50 years, surf music has morphed and evolved in many ways, but some groups strive to tap into the sound and feeling that it all came from back in the early 60's.

I’ve heard a lot of great surf records behind terrible album art, but some good art can not only draw you in but shape your listening experience. And in a style of music that is so attached to kitschy paraphernalia, it’s interesting to see how bands can either harness or subvert those associations to stand out and even shape instro culture.

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.

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

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!

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