Wow, 2021, what a year. Never in my life would I imagine
being given the gift of salvation and then shin kicking it, but here we are,
still having to wear masks, vaxxed, boosted, and barely living a life of
freedom because 40% of the country is like, You don’t control me! Cool bro.
Cool. Stop paying your car insurance, stop wearing a seat belt, don’t get any
vaccines for your kids, allow you dogs to become rabid...don’t just pick and
choose because a Cheeto’s minions made this an us verse them issue. *sigh* At
least we have music. Right?
I have amazing friends that love great music. Craig
tipped me off to Morgan Wade, and I am certainly glad he did. The production
value of the CD is excellent. The guitar tones, layers, and placement of instruments
is expertly done. I was excited to learn that it was Sadler Vaden, of the 400
Unit, behind the console. The album is polished and flows nicely between tracks
which have a center, a string that ties them all together. Musically, everything
makes sense. But, when you strip away the layers and just focus on the voice
and lyrics, the true gift of Reckless emerges. Wade tells stories that
are real, honest, and accessible. It is a great record and deserves all the
praise it has received.
I have mad respect for Baker. Three albums in, and she
continues to push herself. She could just roll up into a studio with her guitar
and a few pedals and record another Sprained Ankle and people would love
it, but she wouldn’t be content. She needs to grow, and I am enjoying watching her
growth. Despite the fuller, more electropop, driven sound, the intimacy of her
lyrics is not lost. She still has a lot to say and can weave together excellent
phrases. Baker is an earnest writer, and I love her for it.
I mean, it is Son Volt, the creators of one of my
favorite genres of music, one of the reasons I formed Whiskey Daydream after
EKe broke up. As you would expect, Farrar’s lyrics are honest, poetic, political,
and timely. He has his pen on the pulse of our generation, and he isn’t afraid
of losing fame or fans, he’s gonna call it like it is. The recording is great.
The instrumentation is great. The players are great. It is just a great album.
Period.
Coming off the heels of Old Country, That Spell
was a highly anticipated release for me. A few Eps and a full length into it,
and von Kampen hasn’t abandoned what makes her special. Her songs can
absolutely stand on their own with just the strength of her clear and breathy
vocals, the six strings of her guitar, and the authenticity of the stories she
is sharing. That being said, she made some excellent choices on this recording,
bringing in strings, piano, and other organic instruments to help fill space
and alter the mood track to track. The church organ on “The Wait” is everything
I could hope for on a recording. The restraint that her supporting cast played
with is incredible. I wish every musician could listen to That Spell, if
only to understand that sometimes less is more.
Y’all, you can take the boy out of the 90’s, but you can’t
fully remove the 90’s from the boy. I spend the vast majority of my time
listening to very thoughtful, chill, singer/songwriter, Americana, and
Alt-Country music, but every now and again, I need to throw up the \m/ and just
let loose. I became a huge fan of Quicksand with the release of Manic Compression
in 1995, and I was elated when, out of nowhere, they seemed to re-emerge in 2017
to release Interiors. So, when they dropped Distant Population
this year, I had to get it, and I am glad I did. I recently joined a gym to keep
moving and get myself healthy, and this CD gets me going before every workout. What
I love about Quicksand is each piece of the puzzle has equal value. Schreifels
vocals are great. The lyrics are solid. Vega is one of my favorite bassists.
Cage if a beast behind the kit. Capone has excellent chops and tone without being
too thirsty. Individually they are great. Together they are better.
I have 1a’d and 1b’d before, but never given two albums
the same position, but with these two, it is impossible for me to separate
them. They are the same album. I know. I know. Two different artists. They
don’t even sound the same. But all the elements are the same.
·Crisp production? Check
·Solid, emotive vocals? Check
·Excellent earworm melodies? Check
·Good, angsty, scorned lover, songwriting? Check
Hell, both albums have tracks that sound like they are in
¾ and have the rise and fall of a proper waltz, and they both offer songs that
feature incredible bass lines. Rodrigo’s “good 4 u” has the grimiest bass line
on the first two verses. Every time I hear it, my hips begin to gyrate like I
am Elvis or some shit. Eilish is more consistent, allowing the bass line to
drive the entirety of “Lost Cause.” Same effect; I am just grinding for longer
when that one comes on.
There are some definite differences. Happier Than Ever
has a moodier and somber vibe. It is sultry and earnest. Sour, has a pop
sensibility that feels younger. Some of this can be attributed to regional
differences. Eilish is a LA born and bread. Everyone from LA is jaded. It is
part of the package. Whereas Rodrigo comes from Temecula, about an hour East of
San Diego, sunny, dry, gorgeous, but it’s got a very Stepfordy vibe.
Still, I am pretty sure both Rodrigo and Eilish will burn
down your house if you fuck them over, they’ll just do it differently. Billie’s
gonna pour the gas and leave trails of gunpowder, then sit back and watch as
you start the fire when you flick out your cigarette butt, smirking as it goes
up all Halloween orange and chimney red. Olivia, on the other hand, is throwing
a molotov cocktail through your window and then flipping you off through your
door camera before she walks away. Pick your poison. As long, as you stay on
their good side, I highly recommend both albums.
It feels like I am always writing about Lucy Dacus and
for good reason. She is brilliant, and her band is incredible. They make consistently
excellent music while continuing to evolve. Dacus serves up pure and
unflinching lyrics, inviting the listener into her world while sparing nothing.
They are raw and real. She is giving you everything she has to offer. Don’t
listen if you are trying to avoid feeling. When talking about Lucy Dacus I feel
compelled to mention her band. Hayden Cotcher is one of my favorite drummers, extremely
tasteful with quick wrists and excellent dynamics. Christine Moad is a fantastic
pocket bassist. He has all the chops and knows when to use them, ensuring the
integrity of the track is never jeopardized. Jacob Blizard is a damn genius. I
am not sure who is responsible for what when they are in the studio, but his
playing adds so much to each track. Having seen them live multiple times, they
are all amazing to watch work, and this gift of a CD can be listened to from start
to finish with no regret of time wasted on any track.
From the outside looking in, hell even from the inside
looking in, this was the year of Watchhouse for me. I listened to this CD and
all the back catalog of Mandolin Orange (their former name) more than anything
this year. My first and only concert I have been to since the pandemic began
was to see them (plus Son Volt and the Sleepy Rubies) at the Open Highway Music
Festival. I absolutely adore when couples sing together. There is something magical
when there is real love behind the melody lines and lyrics. I love Marlin’s
mandolin and Frantz’s fiddle. Fuck, I love that their names and primary
instruments make alliterations. I love everything about a band singing about being
kind. The album is crisp. The instruments are perfectly distanced, allowing the
recording to breathe like it would on stage. I can, and have, listen to it on repeat
for days at a time. It is a worthy purchase.
You can thank Austin City Limits for this one. I hadn’t
heard anything about this recording, but Ingram, Lambert, and Randal did a
supporting session on ACL, and it made me go buy the CD. I love Miranda
Lambert, have all of her recordings, including the Pistol Annie’s stuff, so
when I saw her pop up on my DVR, I had to stop and watch. As a singer/songwriter,
the Mafia Tapes is everything I love. Three friends, sharing their
tunes, adding harmonies to each other’s tracks, and filling out the instrumentation
with some complimentary guitar parts here and there. When I was in college I
tried to make a similar recording, rolled up to the barn that was on the
property of the house I was staying in with a couple PZM microphones and a four
track recorder. I wanted to hear everything. I wanted the vocals to get lost in
the rafters. I wanted the creak of the old wood floors, the sound of the wind
rattling the battered tin roof. I wanted the environment to be part of the
recording. That is absolutely what they captured here, three incredible singer/songwriters
holed up in a house somewhere in West Texas and they recorded everything
allowing the listener to feel like they were actually there. It is perfect in
its simplicity, and the songwriting is fantastic to boot. I went weeks with it
in constant rotation and never got tired.
Well, there you have it, my Top 10 for 2021. Per usual, I
only ranked albums that I purchased, and there were many that didn’t make the
list. One, in particular, was The Off Season by J Cole. For a portion of
the year, I thought it was going to be my #1. The beats are excellent. The
production is crisp, and Cole’s lyrics are intelligent and thought provoking.
What eventually caused it to fall was they are also misogynistic AF. The more I
rolled around bumping it with the kids in the car, the more I thought I hope my
son never speaks this way about a woman, and I pray that no one ever treats my
daughter like she is an object. Ultimately, I decided if I continued to play
the album and others with similar themes, I was part of the problem. I was
giving artists a pass that they don’t deserve, so I stopped playing it and
removed it from it’s place on my list. So here is a reminder for all that we
need to be the change we want to see.
2019 has wearily made its appearance. Having just returned
from a trip out to South Carolina to watch my son play in an All-American Bowl,
exhaustion barely allowed us to watch the ball drop before we were all deep in
dreams.
At this point, I am usually two clicks away from posting
my Top Ten list, but not today; today I am staring at a blank page and a
flashing cursor. I’ve been tracking my music purchases and shifting positions,
so the list has some form to it, but there will be some last-minute shifts for
sure.
In truth, I almost said fuck it. I mean I don’t really
have a blog anymore. I write one post at the end of the year that my wife and
mom will read, but that’s about it. Okay, you; you’ll read it, and I appreciate
that, but that is it, just my wife, my mom, and you.
So why do it?
Because I am a sucker for tradition, and I don’t have it
in me to quit.
Before diving in, let’s talk about the albums that didn’t
make it because of my rules (Oh yeah, I do have rules. See any of my other Top
Tens from past years for a list of the rules. Ain’t nobody got time for that
today) but still deserve a mention.
Live CDs, unless they are a live recording of brand new
songs, are a no go. It’s apples to honey dew, and that’s not how I get down.
That being said, City and Colour released Guide
Me Back Home, and it is a gorgeous recording. HIGHLY recommend.
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit dropped Live
from the Ryman, and it too is worthy of a purchase.
Similarly, EPs are not in contention. I mean, I love that
an artist put out 5 amazing songs, but I want more. I deserve more, and so do
you. That being said. Nasir
by Nas is incredible and is currently my son’s get-up disc before basketball
games. Nasir is 7 songs, so it almost made to cut, but I decided more was
needed. Boygenius
by Boygenius is the collaboration we have all been waiting for, and Your Smith
put out Bad
Habit, which hopefully foreshadows the great things to come from
Caroline Smith’s new project.
With the formalities out of the way, let’s dive in.
New Moon was a hard one for me. It barely made the list. Loma,
Ume, and August Greene all made a run at it, but the strength of Lee’s vocals
and the lyrical content won me over. Here is my issue with New Moon, the
production, the treatment of the songs covered their pure beauty. If you
stripped anyone of these 10 tracks down to Amos and his guitar, it could have
been song of the year for me. And to be clear, it wasn’t the production on every
song. “Hang On, Hang On” is everything I love about Lee’s work. “Don’t Fade
Away” is uncluttered, allowing the listener to really embrace the emotion of
the lyric. Unfortunately, the power of “No More Darkness, No More Light” is
clouded by an electronic rendition that seems out of place to these ears, and
to select that track as the opener just baffled me. Was that Lee’s decision or
some suit trying to grab a younger audience? I don’t know, but I do not approve.
“Louisville” elicited the same response from me. There were pluses and minuses
for me, and that is why it landed in the 10 spot. On voice alone, there is no
other male singer that I would rather listen to. Lyrically, it is definite Top
5, just questions some of the production decisions.
You want some last-minute changes? I bought this yesterday
after reading an RFT Article. Embarrassingly, I didn’t even know they released
new music this year. I am really good about checking iTunes new releases every
Friday, going to the Wiki page for new releases, etc., but somehow Nearer My God escaped me. For fans of
Foxing it is what you would expect, but better. They got some polish with Chris
Walla in the booth, and they are just better musicians. You cannot tour as much
as they do and not perfect your craft. The harmonies on “Nearer My God” stand
out, as does the musical tapestry that “Five Cups” weaves. As someone that has
called St. Louis home since 1998, I loved seeing tracks called “Crown Candy” and
“Lambert.” I’d be lying if I said I don’t need to spend more time with this
recording, but the elements are all so strong, that it demanded relevance.
The Bird and the
Rifle snuck up on me in 2016, so when I caught wind that McKenna was releasing
new music in 2018, I was ready. Picking up from her 2016 release, The Tree features her incredible way
with words and that storyteller’s voice. The combination makes it impossible
for me to shift the album to background music. When it is playing, I am there,
in the story, watching the images McKenna paints appear before my eyes, each
character and old friend that I am happy to see. This is the album that men
struggling to appreciate the women in their life and women fighting for their
self-worth need to hear. So many tracks with strong messages that need to land
on eager ears.
I am pretty sure I once said that Foucault was one of the
best songwriters of his generation. That has not changed. Blood Brothers opens with “Dishes;” and, out of the gate, I am left
thinking, damn, I could never write something that good. It is pure poetry:
Swing the axe In the hour before daylight Note the sparks That attend to the blade A thing made free Of itself leaps apart And the heart divided Would do just the same
The disc never lets up. The production is clean and understated,
highlighting the lyric, the vocals, and the emotions being offered. I’d be hard
pressed to pick a favorite track. It is such a complete album. It’s the kind of
disc that may get lost on the shelf from time to time, but when you put it on,
you immediately regret not listening to it every day.
My guts says if you loved Coming Home you either hated this recording or were obsessed with
it. Put me in the obsessed camp. Good
Thing starts out with that neo-soul vibe that makes you appreciate Bridges
for reclaiming an era that, despite the art that was being created, was pretty fucked
up, but immediately it jumps the listener to the jazziest groove I have heard
in a long time. If “Bad Bad News” doesn’t make you want to snap a finger and
shake your ass, I’d check your pulse. And the guitar work is sick, like take me
to the shrink cause this man just blew my mind, sick. Track to track it is
solid. So much smoky goodness. I get stank face just listening to it. If I had
to pick one track, “Mrs.” is straight-up the sexiest song recorded in 2018. I
promise you babies are being made to that song right now. If you are done
having kids, press skip when you come to track 9.
I could not tell you where I heard about Smith, but I sure
am glad I paid attention. Every time I spin Starfire I am left thinking, damn
what I great recording. It’s got the Nashville polish without the forced crossover
appeal. It crosses over naturally, no 808 and some cheesy embedded country rap
needed. Her vocals are powerful and clear. The lyrics are exceptional. She is
painting movies that unfold before the listeners with closed eyes. Too many
standout tracks to list, but “This Town Is Killing Me” is the song every
singer/songwriter that has tried to make it wishes they would have written.
I pour my heart out, three
minutes at a time
On a J-45, but no one's
listening
They're too busy drinking on the
company tab
I scream my lungs out, confess
my secrets, all my sins
I always feel like a poser trying to talk about hip-hop.
While I am confident in my knowledge of Americana, Blues, Funk, Country, Rock, and
Soul, I do not have the pedigree to adequately explain why one hip-hop CD is
better than another, so I’ll just say this, my family has bumped to Everything is Love on several roadtrips.
The songs are inviting, Beyonce’s rich vocals juxtaposed against Jay-Z’s expert
flow, both sitting on-top very musical tracks. “Apeshit” gets the car hype, “Black
Effect” gets us thinking, and “LoveHappy” just leaves us feeling good.
I am going to be flat out honest, I had never heard of J
Cole before KOD, and I only heard of him because I became mildly obsessed with Lost in Vegas
which is a YouTube Channel where Ryan and George record their reactions to
songs. My initial interest was seeing their legitimate joy when hearing Chris
Stapleton kill it. They have also done reactions to Jason Isbell, which were incredible,
but my favorite videos of theirs are when they review hip-hop. Like I said above,
I do not have the pedigree, but they do, and I learn so much when I listen to them
talk about the genre. They did a full
album review of KOD, and I was sold. That disc has probably received as
many plays as any other album that I purchased in 2018. If you’ve got an hour,
go watch that video. They do such a great job of explaining why the album is so
good. If you want to listen to one track, “1985” is incredible. My favorite
line may seem so simple but it is SO slick.
Congrats 'cause you made it out
your mama's house
I hope you make enough to buy
your mom a house
As a writer, the way he uses the similar sound of “mama”
and “mom a” is fuckin’ genius level shit.
They are back, and they are in the same spot. On the
heels of the critically acclaimed Sleeping
Through the War which was produced by Grammy award winner, David Cobb, All Them
Witches flipped the script and decided to produce Atw themselves. They slayed it. It breathes differently, but it is
every bit All Them Witches. Like last year, Atw
quickly became Teddy’s get-up CD for football games, so we listened to it A LOT.
So many times that even Wendy Mae can sing all the songs. He also asked me to
use “Fishbelly 86 Onions” for his highlight
video this year, so that held some weight. But we also got to see All Them
Witches twice this year. Once in Columbia as a four piece and then in St. Louis
as a three piece. They fuckin’ killed it. Watching them makes me miss being in
a band more than any band I have seen in recent memory. The interplay. The
tightness, but the willingness and ability to take the song where it wants to
go on that particular night. You can tell they love what they are doing, and
that makes all the difference. Atw feels like a live recording. It has that
energy that is often lost when a producer is trying to make a hit instead of an
album. I love this entire recording, but “Fishbelly 86 Onions,” “Workhorse,”
and “Half-Tongue” standout for different reasons – energy, lyrics, and groove. Still,
the track I put on repeat is “Harvest Feast.” I mean, a straight slow blues jam?
Come on. Ya damn right I am listening to that one again. I started playing
guitar because I have a big ass voice, and I want to play the blues like BB. “Harvest
Feast” is just an evolved BB, like if BB and Black Sabbath decided to
collaborate.
For once I am not alone on my number one, NPR and Paste
both agreed with me. Historian has
been sitting in that spot since March when it dropped, and nothing came along
to bump it off. It is not just Dacus’s mesmerizing voice and her intrapersonal
but universally accessible lyrics that helped her make the list in 2016. With Historian it is the band, too. They are
incredible musicians. The drummer provided some of my favorite tracks, and watching
him do it live it is real treat. The bassist solidly lays the foundations, allowing
the rest of the band to have maximum expression as they build the track. The
lead guitarist tastefully drapes the songs in covers that were made for new lovers, always adding never detracting
from the song. And the auxiliary musicians that they brought in for the recording
followed a similar pattern, contributing but never overwhelming the recording. The
true sign of a great album is the merit of the individual songs, and there are
no throwaways on Historian. I’d have
to fight myself between “Addictions” and “Pillar of Truth” for favorite song,
but then “Timefighter” would step in and kick the shit out of all of them, me,
and anyone who is listening.
Well, it’s that time again. The time when I remember that
I actually have a blog – oh my pour unused blog. The time when I ramble in an
effort to let you know what albums I think were the best in 2016. But not so
fast. First we need to cover some details about my list, talk about music
consumption, and ease you into the music that got me moving in 2016.
I posted my first public top 10 list in 2009, over the
last seven years the requirements of the lists have remained pretty consistent,
but for new readers I like to provide a quick review. My list tends to be
singer/songwriter heavy. I am a singer/songwriter, so it stands to reason that
I enjoy listening to other singer/songwriters. As in years past, to make the
list, I have to own the CD. Like most, I subscribe to a variety of streaming
services, so I end up listening to a lot of music, but in order to be
considered for the top 10, the recording had to be so good that I opened the
wallet and dropped coin for the CD. Other
factors that are taken into consideration, vocal quality – what can I say, I
like big voices, unique voices, solid voices – total spins, lyrical content,
and the ability to pull it off live. I realize the last shouldn’t be in
consideration for album of the year,
but it’s my list, so… Also, I will not consider EPs. Don’t get me wrong, I like
EPs. I listen to EPs, but they always leave me wanting more. I understand that
that is often the point, leave them wanting more has long been the motto of
many a performer, but I want to be satiated by the music. I want to be fat-full.
Laying on the couch in a tryptophan stupor, full. I want a post-orgasmic state
where the body can do nothing but tingle as the mind reflects on what just
happened. That rarely happens in four songs.
So, let’s talk about what has changed for me –
consumption. For years I’d sit in my office and work the day away as Pandora
spoon fed me new artists that they felt were similar to artists that I was
already enjoying. I learned about a lot of new artists that way. Well, I
changed jobs this year, and my new employer blocks all streaming services. ALL.
STREAMING. SERVICES. However, YouTube is wide – the fuck – open. As a result, YouTube
has become my new radio, and sites that share consistently great new artists like
Audiotree, KEXP, and NPR Music have really had an
impact on what I am listening to this year.
Now, before I get into my actual list, we need to address
the incredible elephant that is in the room. I am a 42 year old dad that hasn’t
toured with a band in 5 years. I work my 7 to 3, spend my free time coaching my
son’s 2nd grade football team and playing fantasy football. Sure I go
to concerts frequently, will even travel with the family to see bands we love,
and I still play the occasional solo show, mess around making crazy
experimental loops in the basement with the kids, and have friends over once and
a while for a good jam to knock off the rust, but my hip-factor is as fleeting as
my hairline. While I’d love to claim to be current with the new musical trends
and groups, every once and a while great new artists slip by me and they miss
their shot at the list. If I am being completely honest, the three artists that
got the most play this year did not release full lengths in 2016 – Julien Baker, William Wild, and Sylvan Esso.
Although I knew the name Julien Baker because she made
just about everybody’s 2015 list, I consider her to be an Audiotree find. It
was the end of the year. I was reading other people’s lists, and I didn’t think
it was right to rearrange my list just because everyone else was infatuated
with this girl, so I didn’t really dig in. Well, I was wrong. I should have. I
watched her Audiotree performance and was mesmerized. Six string, one voice,
and some ambient delays. She is incredible. She is intelligent. She is
thoughtful. She is everything I love about singer/songwriters. I just kept
replaying the video. I bought the Sprained Ankle CD, bought the Audiotree
recording and she entered into weekly rotation. I have listened to her CD at
least once a week since first watching the video.
By the time I found William Wild, I was already allowing
Audiotree to think for me. Daily I go out and look for the new releases, and no
matter what it is, I listen. Sometimes its thick sludge rock, sometime hip-hop,
sometimes it is new artists still struggling with keeping pitch, sometimes it
is seasoned pro’s that are graciously offering up themselves to hungry ears,
sometimes it is new cats whose voices are gifts. That was William Wild, aka
Garrett Sale. If I had a formal tracking system, I’d bet William Wild and Julie
Baker are tied for most plays this year. Like with Baker, I purchased everything
I could from William Wild. While the rest of the world was on a collective
conscious journey to merge electronic and folk-rock, Garrett and crew keep it
pure, understated but expert production featuring heavenly guitar tones and all
the pedal steel my happy ears could handle, and as mentioned his voice is a
gift. It is the kind of voice that makes other singers wish they sang like him.
While Julien Baker and William Wild definitely got the
most plays at home, Sylvan Esso most certainly got the most plays at work.
There is nothing better than making sense out of rows of data, fully in the
zone, and chair dancing to the fresh grooves concocted by Nick Sanborn while
losing myself in Amelia Meath’s incredible voice. I have not created an Excel chart,
PowerPoint presentation, or status report in 2016 without the assistance of the
Sylvan Esso dance party. Unlike the other two artists, I found Sylvan Esso
during my weekly Tiny Desk Concert search which often results in me falling
down an illuminated rabbit hole of Tiny Desk performances, as YouTube serves me
up artist after artist. Most become background for my work, but not Sylvan Esso.
They took over the moment and produced multiple queries as I sought to learn
more about this band. Like the others, I purchased everything I could find and
wait patiently for more.
So, while none of them can make the official Top 10 CDs
of 2016, these three were my top new finds of 2016.
EPs – since I do not include EPs in my Top 10 CDs of the
year, I did want to mention a few artists who released EPs that would have
probably made the list, had they added a few more incredible songs: The River
Kittens, The
Sleep Rubies, The Wild
Reeds, and William
Wild.
Now that the EPs are out of the way, and you know who I've been listening to that didn't release a CD this year, let's take a look at my Top 10. This is the complete list #10 - #1, for those that don't mind a long read.
This spot is always the hardest for me because there are
approximately 20 albums all fighting it out for the final position on the Top
10 list. This year an instrumental band won, despite my clear, and
unapologetic, love for great singers. Like many I learned about Explosions in
the Sky through the Friday Night Lights movie and
subsequent TV show. As a collector of football movies, I was a fan of both and
became a fan of the music. With the exception of my collection of jazz recordings,
the only other instrumental CDs I own are all from Explosions in the Sky, and I
own everything they’ve put out. Their music speaks to the closet looper in me.
The kid that recorded his first full length on an old 4-track using anything he
could get his hands on to add layers and textures to the recording. So, I had
to show this incredible four piece some love. The Wilderness is everything you would expect from Explosions. What
they have created is much more than a painting on a canvas. It is a movie with
expansive soundscapes that open up the mind and beg it to create the visuals
and emotions that accompany the soundtrack.
I forget when I first learned about Warpaint, but I’ve
been following them for a while now. Their 2014 self-titled release was
probably #11 for the year, just outside of my Top 10. What helped them crack
the top 10 this year was clear and decisive growth. This album shows maturity
of voice and confidence of direction. They are doing their thing, and I am
pretty sure they give zero fucks if anyone has a problem with their direction.
You can always tell when a great band is being controlled by the machine
because they put out some bubble gum piece of shit album that sounds like they
are trying to sell CDs to the cool kids at the junior high lunch table, not the
kids sitting in the back of the cafeteria writing poetry and losing themselves
in their doodles. While I acknowledge a recording is an opportunity to expand
beyond what a band can do live, it shouldn’t cause the listener to question the
voice of the artist. Although Head Up
is a great example of a band pushing themselves, of pushing boundaries, you can
tell they are the ones driving the car, and the roadtrip they are taking us
reminds us why we love to be on the road.
Every time I put a curveball on the list I feel like I
need to spend some time explaining, and for those that follow my blog, my Facebook page, or my Twitter page this selection may seem
like a curveball. Those that really know me know my music collection is pretty
diverse. What you see me posting daily is usually what I listened to the night
before as I was going to bed. My wife has some very definitive opinions on what
sleepy-time music is, so I am usually posting things on the softer side. That
doesn’t mean that that is all I am listening to. While this is my first Beyonce
CD, I do have a pretty good collection of female R&B singers, lots of Erykah Badu, India Arie, Lauryn Hill, and Alicia Keys. To this point, Beyonce
always seemed to be speaking to a younger generation, but as folks get older
the gap diminishes. Lemonade is
powerful. It speaks to the musician in me. It speaks to the lover of big voices
and expertly placed runs. It speaks to the poet soul that loves a good story.
Most importantly it speaks to the step-dad who wants to encourage his very
independent little girl to continue to be strong and brave, to never take shit
from a man because no one deserve that. In all honesty, this could have been my
#1 of the year. It is that strong, but it just didn’t get the same amount of
spins as some of the other CDs. As I am listening to it now, I am not sure why,
probably because it is too powerful for sleepy-time music.
I was bouncing between videos on KEXP; I heard Elena Tonra’s
voice and the atmospheric guitars, and I was hooked. I went to my friend iTunes
and bought everything I could. I am pretty sure I listened to nothing but
Daughter for the entire month of February. It is rare that an album released in
January makes my Top 10 list. The CD has to maintain relevance for 12 months,
as I am continually distracted by new releases, but Not to Disappear did not disappear (Yeah, I just did that; come on,
you telling me you weren’t thinking it? Please). I’ve mentioned this in other
Top 10s, but I love when a recording gives space to the instruments. It’s so
easy to set the beat and let it carry the song, but when there is space and
movement it gives life to the songs. Daughter does an excellent job of allowing
things to breathe in this recording. In addition to Tonra’s distinctive voice
and the energy of the recording, when you peel away the instrumentation the
lyrics are incredible:
No Care
No one asks me for dances
because I only know how to flail
I always hit like I'm drowning, dead arms around him
I'd rather stand still, hold tightly to the walls
No care, no care in the world
No care, no care in the world
I don't care, I don't care anymore
I don't care, I don't care
Love you in a panic because I
prefer to sit on fences
Spit-kissing on my sickbed
I'm not searching for replacements
But we are like broken instruments
Twisted up and wheezing out the runnels
Sleepless folks watching light grow
Through their early morning windows
I don't care, I don't care
anymore
I don't care, I don't care
Oh, I'm too drunk to fight,
hurlings curses at your surface
Because I'm aware, because it hurts that I'm in love again
And you have kissed my neck so your arguments are insane
Fighting over the way something was said
Well, I'm still here like a cheap threat
No care, no care in the world
No care, no care in the world
I don't care, I don't care anymore
I don't care, I don't care
Oh, there has only been one time
where we fucked
And I felt like a bad memory
Like my spine was a reminder of her
And you said that you felt sick
I was so heavy hearted, lying side-on with you afterwards
How I wanted you to promise we would only make
How I wanted you to promise we would only make
How I wanted you to promise we would only make love
But my mouth felt like I was choking, broken glass
So I just slept it off
You see, my mouth felt like it could talk the end of us
So I just slept it off, slept it off
No care, no care in the world
No care, no care
I don't care, I don't care anymore
I don't care, I don't care
Ah, I'm too drunk to fight
I only wanted you to promise me we would only ever make love
But my mouth felt like I was choking, broken glass
So I just slept it off
Wanted you to promise me we would only ever make
Wanted you to promise me we would only ever make love
Do y’all know that the Allman Brothers Band is my all-time
favorite band? Well, it is. The combination of Greg’s vocals and Duane’s guitar
cannot be duplicated, and even after Duane left us: Dickey, Dan, Warren, Derek,
and Jimmy kept the music alive. Many bands can point to the Allman Brothers as
an influence, but few can claim legacy status; few are fronted by a couple so
clearly in love for over a decade; few marry the soulful vocals of Susan
Tedeschi, her distinctive single-coil licks, and the incredible slide work of
Derek Trucks; few feature 11 people on stage; few are this damn good. I am kind
of obsessed with slide guitar, so when I listen to Let Me Get By that tends to be what I focus on, but there is really
something for everyone in this recording. When the piano makes an appearance it
is woody and resounding, providing the perfect amount of travel across the
keys. The organ swells help thicken tracks, as do the backing vocals throughout.
With 18 tracks it is hard to find a standout, but “Hear Me (Alternate Mix)”
always come to mind. It is more subtle than the earlier mix. It allows the
emotional duet of Tedeski’s voice and Truck’s slide responses to be the focal
point.
While the rest of the world seems to be flirting with
electronic music, Norah has returned to her roots giving us the smokiest jazz
that she has released to date. You see, Norah doesn’t need to do the electro-dance; she did that
on 2012’s Little Broken Hearts
which was produced by Danger Mouse,
proving once again that Norah sets the trends and the rest of us are just
clambering to keep up. With an October release date, Day Breaks
didn’t have much
time to get spins, but I knew from the moment the silky double bass
notes of “Burn”
announced the immediacy of this new recording that it would make my
list. It has
been in my weekly rotation ever since. Day Breaks offers the kind of
music that spills onto the hot humid streets of New Orleans, the kind of
music that is the perfect backdrop to any passionate love scene, the
kind of scene where the lovers just have to have each other and they
don’t give a fuck that they are presently stuck in an elevator 13
stories above their death. In that moment being together is all that
matters. Picking my favorite track is really
challenging because the album is consistently incredible. The three
covers: "Don't
Be Denied," "Peace," and "Fleurette Africaine"
perfectly compliment the nine new tracks, but based on instrumentation I
tend
to be drawn to “Burn” and “Sleeping Wild.” I love the simplicity of a
three piece: drums, upright bass, and piano.
Amidst the likes of Beyonce, Tedeschi Trucks Band, and
Norah Jones, we have Lucy Dacus whose Wikipedia page doesn’t even
have enough information to scroll, but damn if that voice isn’t distinctive. I
learned about Dacus through her Audiotree recording
and she quickly moved into heavy rotation. It is to the point where my kids
can sing along with most of her CD. While her Audiotree performance presented
her as a reserved, but effective, three piece, No Burden fills
things out with well-placed harmonies, alternate guitar lines, and some distant
keys. “Dream State” stands out to me. After the first chorus the band kicks in,
driven by a nice brushed beat, and then it happens – the build. I am sucker for
a nice cacophonous build, and underneath it all are these beautifully
contemplative lyrics.
In 2012 the Lumineers’ self-titled release just cracked
my Top 10 securing the 10th spot based largely on the strength of
their Southern Ground performance and the domination of “Ho Hey.” Four years
later they find themselves at #2 on my list. After such a long hiatus, I am not
sure anyone knew what to expect from their sophomore release. I am here to tell
you it is good. Damn good. Not a bad track in the bunch. Wesley Schultz’s
vocals are strong throughout the recording. The instrumentation, featuring
excellent recordings of the acoustic guitar, cello, and bass, leave you feeling
that you are in the studio with them, watching it all go down. You can hear the
pick rake the steel strings, the wood of the cello as it breathes life into the songs, and the clank of the
hammer on taunt piano strings. The exquisite production is matched by strong
songwriting and storytelling. Cleopatra presents itself as a fitting counterpart
to the current trend in electro-folk music. Again, when a recording is this good,
it is next to impossible to pull out a favorite track. For those that got the
deluxe edition, “White Lie” shines. There is a haunting electric guitar part in
the background; on a mostly acoustic album, it perks my ears and begs me to pay
attention.
There is one more recording that I do want to mention. I
have never done this before, but my friend Rob posted his Top 6 CDs, and Lori McKenna – The Bird & The Rifle
was his #1 of the year. Rob and I are birds of the same feather (with the
exception of the Uncle Tupelo split – he is in Camp Tweedy, and I am a
documented Farrar devotee). So, I had to take a moment and give a CD I hadn't even heard of a spin. Had I known about The Bird & The Rifle in July when it
was released, I am confident that it would have made the list and probably the
Top 5. Sadly one week with the recording is just not enough time to give it
full consideration, but I encourage you to check it out. Incredible
songwriting.
There you have it, my Top 10 CDs of 2016. As always I
welcome comments and feedback, and I’d love to know what recordings you think I
missed.
Here is what you’ve been waiting for #5 – #1 on my list
of the Top 10 CDs of 2016. Okay, that’s presumptuous of me and a bit egocentric, like you’ve really been waiting to learn what CD I think was the best
of the year. It’s doubtful, but hey, you’re here, so let’s get into it.
For those landing here for the first time, not sure who I
am or why you are reading this, I am just a singer/songwriter who loves music
more than most love life. HERE
is the Preamble I posted on Wednesday; go read that so you can understand EP situation. If you found your way here on a search and haven’t read #10 – #6,
you can check out those picks HERE.
EPs – since I do not include EPs in my Top 10 CDs of the
year, I did want to mention a few artists who released EPs that would have
probably made the list, had they added a few more incredible songs: The River
Kittens, The
Sleep Rubies, The Wild
Reeds, and William
Wild.
Do y’all know that the Allman Brothers Band is my all-time
favorite band? Well, it is. The combination of Greg’s vocals and Duane’s guitar
cannot be duplicated, and even after Duane left us: Dickey, Dan, Warren, Derek,
and Jimmy kept the music alive. Many bands can point to the Allman Brothers as
an influence, but few can claim legacy status; few are fronted by a couple so
clearly in love for over a decade; few marry the soulful vocals of Susan
Tedeschi, her distinctive single-coil licks, and the incredible slide work of
Derek Trucks; few feature 11 people on stage; few are this damn good. I am kind
of obsessed with slide guitar, so when I listen to Let Me Get By that tends to be what I focus on, but there is really
something for everyone in this recording. When the piano makes an appearance it
is woody and resounding, providing the perfect amount of travel across the
keys. The organ swells help thicken tracks, as do the backing vocals throughout.
With 18 tracks it is hard to find a standout, but “Hear Me (Alternate Mix)”
always come to mind. It is more subtle than the earlier mix. It allows the
emotional duet of Tedeski’s voice and Truck’s slide responses to be the focal
point.
While the rest of the world seems to be flirting with
electronic music, Norah has returned to her roots giving us the smokiest jazz
that she has released to date. You see, Norah doesn’t need to do the electro-dance; she did that
on 2012’s Little Broken Hearts
which was produced by Danger Mouse,
proving once again that Norah sets the trends and the rest of us are just
clambering to keep up. With an October release date, Day Breaks didn’t have much
time to get spins, but I knew from the moment the silky double bass notes of “Burn”
announced the immediacy of this new recording that it would make my list. It has
been in my weekly rotation ever since. Day Breaks offers the kind of music that spills onto the hot humid streets of New Orleans, the kind of music that is the perfect backdrop to any passionate love scene, the kind of scene where the lovers just have to have each other and they don’t give a fuck that they are presently stuck in an elevator 13 stories above their death. In that moment being together is all that matters. Picking my favorite track is really
challenging because the album is consistently incredible. The three covers: "Don't
Be Denied," "Peace," and "Fleurette Africaine"
perfectly compliment the nine new tracks, but based on instrumentation I tend
to be drawn to “Burn” and “Sleeping Wild.” I love the simplicity of a three piece: drums, upright bass, and piano.
Amidst the likes of Beyonce, Tedeschi Trucks Band, and
Norah Jones, we have Lucy Dacus whose Wikipedia page doesn’t even
have enough information to scroll, but damn if that voice isn’t distinctive. I
learned about Dacus through her Audiotree recording
and she quickly moved into heavy rotation. It is to the point where my kids
can sing along with most of her CD. While her Audiotree performance presented
her as a reserved, but effective, three piece, No Burden fills
things out with well-placed harmonies, alternate guitar lines, and some distant
keys. “Dream State” stands out to me. After the first chorus the band kicks in,
driven by a nice brushed beat, and then it happens – the build. I am sucker for
a nice cacophonous build, and underneath it all are these beautifully
contemplative lyrics.
In 2012 the Lumineers’ self-titled release just cracked
my Top 10 securing the 10th spot based largely on the strength of
their Southern Ground performance and the domination of “Ho Hey.” Four years
later they find themselves at #2 on my list. After such a long hiatus, I am not
sure anyone knew what to expect from their sophomore release. I am here to tell
you it is good. Damn good. Not a bad track in the bunch. Wesley Schultz’s
vocals are strong throughout the recording. The instrumentation, featuring
excellent recordings of the acoustic guitar, cello, and bass, leave you feeling
that you are in the studio with them, watching it all go down. You can hear the
pick rake the steel strings, the wood of the cello as it breathes life into the songs, and the clank of the
hammer on taunt piano strings. The exquisite production is matched by strong
songwriting and storytelling. Cleopatra presents itself as a fitting counterpart
to the current trend in electro-folk music. Again, when a recording is this good,
it is next to impossible to pull out a favorite track. For those that got the
deluxe edition, “White Lie” shines. There is a haunting electric guitar part in
the background; on a mostly acoustic album, it perks my ears and begs me to pay
attention.
There is one more recording that I do want to mention. I
have never done this before, but my friend Rob posted his Top 6 CDs, and Lori McKenna – The Bird & The Rifle
was his #1 of the year. Rob and I are birds of the same feather (with the
exception of the Uncle Tupelo split – he is in Camp Tweedy, and I am a
documented Farrar devotee). So, I had to take a moment and give a CD I hadn't even heard of a spin. Had I known about The Bird & The Rifle in July when it
was released, I am confident that it would have made the list and probably the
Top 5. Sadly one week with the recording is just not enough time to give it
full consideration, but I encourage you to check it out. Incredible
songwriting.
There you have it, my Top 10 CDs of 2016. As always I
welcome comments and feedback, and I’d love to know what recordings you think I
missed.
Singer/Songwriter/Poet. I genuinely love music more than most love life, without it I am a sad puppy with wet nose on cold glass watching my owners drive away.
