Showing posts with label Best of 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Best of 2013. Show all posts

Jan 2, 2014

Jeremy's Top Albums and Top Song of 2013






16. Kacey Musgraves "Same Trailer Different Park"
       Wonderful writing with a beautiful voice and a great mix of traditional soul along with some modern sound. Hopefully this album serves as a template for female country singers for years to come. Hell, most the guys could learn something from this as well.


15. The Wild Feathers "The Wild Feathers"
       This songs are so catchy you'll find yourself humming them so much you'll drive yourself nuts. Not quite rock and well beyond pop in my opinion, but I could care less. I listen to good music and don't pay attention to genres and this is definitely good music.


14. John Moreland "In The Throes"
       Probably higher on every other list you'll read (unless they never got to listen to it) but this is my opinion only, so this is where it is. Very few albums this year will be able to top the songwriting you'll find on these ten tracks and John's voice is one that can't be forgotten.


13. Alan Jackson "The Bluegrass Album"
       The same process that went into naming the album seems to have made its way into the musical content as well. Keep it simple and honest, and that's what you'll find here for sure. I'm just glad Alan was able to finally do this the way he wanted.


12. Eastbound Jesus "Northern Rock"
       I can't believe I have to rank this album this low. I guess that's just the ultimate proof of what a year for music it has been. It's very easy to get lost in the great story contained within every song and the wonderful music that accompanies them.


11. Holly Williams "The Highway"
       Some of the strongest and most emotion filled songs I've heard are on this album, unfortunately it also contains a few average songs and a couple that are rather weak. "Drinkin'" and "Waiting On June" are enough to stop anyone with a heart dead in their tracks and show how great of a songwriter Holly is.


10. Clutch "Earth Rocker"
       Rock isn't dead, you're just looking in the wrong place. From the in your face rhythm of "Cyborg Bette" to the slow bluesy ballad "Gone Cold" there is something for everyone on this one. Certainly shows that Clutch has not lost it over the years.


 9. Dallas Moore Band "Blessed Be The Bad Ones"
      100% honky-tonk goodness that takes you for a ride of both the good and the bad times and everywhere in between. I was lucky enough to review this album earlier in the year and still listen to it often and may even enjoy it more now than then.


 8. Sturgill Simpson "High Top Mountain"
      This could be the album that many country traditionalist have been waiting for over the past few years and anything you've heard about it is true. (unless it was bad, then that person is an idiot) Not a weak song to be heard on this one.


 7. Last False Hope "Dig Nails Deep"
      One of the most original and unique albums you'll ever hear. So unique, it's actually hard to put into words a description that does any justice to what you'll find on the debut, full-length album by Last False Hope, or to say anything I didn't already cover before.


 6. Shooter Jennings "The Other Life"
      Talk about a guy with a full schedule, on top of coming up with a fine album himself, Shooter also produced two other albums on this list, went on a nationwide tour and made a short film with Judd Films featuring songs from this very album. One of the strongest albums Shooter has ever released and featuring a sound and attitude that many fans have been asking for.


 5. Band of Heathens "Sunday Morning Records"
      I'm still amazed by the amount of people that haven't listened to anything by this group. This album is spot on with beautiful harmonies and wonderful instrumentation that just makes you feel good and holds you until the end while featuring some of the most original arrangements to come out this year.


 4. Statesboro Review "Ramble on Privilege Creek"
      One word to describe this album: pleasant. Yeah, that'll work because that's exactly what it is. So easy to just listen to you won't even notice how long you've been just laying there in a trance. Hell, it took me three days to type that line while listening on my computer.


 3. Fifth On The Floor "Ashes & Angels"
      While Fifth On The Floor has never put out a bad album, this is a large step forward as a whole in both writing and subject matter. This one has a bit of everything, southern rock, straight up rock and roll and some classic country to keep everyone happy.


 2. Jason Isbell "Southeastern"
      Are you tired of everyone kissing this guy's butt and calling him the greatest thing going? Me neither, especially since it's all true. A masterful songwriter is an understatement as Jason continues to grow and travel to new heights with every release. "Southeastern" is no different and continues this upward trend and give hope that a clear-headed Jason Isbell may be the one to knock down the barriers that are keeping so many quality artist hidden from the mainstream.


 1. Buffalo Gospel "We Can Be Horses"
      Who? Don't feel bad, that's exactly what I said before I had my first listen to this album. Just a few songs in I knew I had come across something special and after a full listen I had a feeling early on that this masterpiece of oddly named tracks would not head south and would be able to be claim this top spot by the end of the year. The only hard thing about this collection of high quality tunes is picking a favorite song as all are at a high level and deserve multiple listens.



     Song of the year
     Holly Williams (feat. Gwyneth Paltrow) "Waiting On June"
     I'm not sure what's gonna kill the slight bit of credibility I have more, picking a song of the year that features Gwyneth Paltrow or explaining why I did. Every time I hear this song I start thinking about my own life and my beautiful wife Amy. As I listen I usually start associating our lives with the characters in the song and by the time I've reached the final moments, I'm crying like a twelve year old girl in the front row of a Justin Bieber show. Mainly, this connection along with superb songwriting is why I feel this song is my top pick this year even though Pepper Potts is tagging along. Justin Bieber still is a thing isn't he?


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-Jeremy Harris

Dec 31, 2013

Best Albums of 2013: Matthew's Picks






10. Black Joe Lewis - Electric Slave
This album continued to grow on me throughout the year.  It's such a strong album full of driving guitar, funky, dirty rhythms, and Lewis's penchant for telling stories of partying as well as more serious themes.  This is Black Joe Lewis all grown up and pissed off.  This is Black Joe Lewis's best album.


 9.  Jonny Fritz - Dad Country
Speaking of growing up, 2013 saw Jonny Fritz change his name from Jonny Corndawg in an effort to not get pegged as a joke affair.  I think Dad Country is the epitome of that change.  There are serious-as-hell songs on here masked in seemingly funny material.  It's not terribly funny though when you think about the narrator of "Ain't It Your Birthday" showing up sometime later at his ex's house to wish her happy birthday.  Character studies are Fritz's forte, and on Dad Country, those lovable losers/weirdos are everywhere.


 8.  Deer Tick - Negativity
Deer Tick really did a 180 on this album.  From Divine Providence to Negativity, there is such a deep contrast, but the essence of what makes Deer Tick a great band serves as the glue; the songwriting.  McCauley and crew wrote some of Deer Tick's best songs for this album, an album darker and more somber than any of their previous.  When you listen from front-to-back, this album hits every note on the melancholy spectrum.  But, it doesn't necessarily make this album a downer.  It makes it an album perfect for reflection- whatever that reflection may be on.


 7. Sturgill Simpson - High Top Mountain
From the first note of this album, I was blown away.  His voice, his honky tonk band, and his stunning lyricism all seemed out of place for an album being released in the year 2013.  But, that's what makes Simpson's album so damn enjoyable.  It's a breath of fresh air to be able to find country music such as this still being made.  With a voice similar to Waylon, I think we'll see much more from Simpson.  Country music needs many more Sturgill Simpsons.  Maybe 2014 will bring more along.


 6. J Roddy Walston & the Business - Essential Tremors
I suppose 2013 was the year of growing up for bands, because on Walston's album, the band took a huge leap in terms of song material.  From dealing with his condition that causes him to shake (thus, Essential Tremors) to the father-to-son tale Boys Can Never Tell, there are songs that are more serious, yet keep the party going with The Business's rowdy backing.  My initial complaint with the album was that I hoped it would have more piano, but after multiple listens, there's not a damn thing I would add or take away from the album.  


 5. Futurebirds - Baba Yaga
Futurebirds continue to be one of the best bands out there with this album.  Taking their reverb-laden rock to new levels in sound, Futurebirds created their masterpiece.  Their numerous EPs and debut LP were great, no doubt, but this album takes that sound, adds years on the road, and finds the band at their peak.  As I have said before, this album is perfect for an afternoon on the back porch/patio/balcony during the summer.  It should also be stiflingly hot.  This is the kind of album we will be listening to for years to come.


 4. Diarrhea Planet - I'm Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams
Yeah yeah, the name... It's dumb.  Sure.  But, these boys from Nashville put out one damn fine rock and roll record.  If you can explain to me anything wrong with 4 guitars, I'd love to hear it.  An album rife with the perils of getting older and feeling isolated, the LP rocks harder and more accessibly than anything I can recall in the past few years.  It's also just a lot of fun.  It took me a while to get on board with this band, but once I got over the name, I have yet to be disappointed.  Great band, even better album. 


 3. Ha Ha Tonka - Lessons
I thought Ha Ha Tonka would not be able to top Death of a Decade, but I clearly thought wrong.  An album based on an NPR interview with Maurice Sendak sounded a bit over the top at first.  But, leave it to the guys in Ha Ha Tonka to tackle the subject and do so nearly perfect.  The album sifts through the taste of regret, forcing the listener to tackle regret in their own life, looking back through the days, months, or years.  As with other albums dealing with the subject on this list, it doesn't burden the listener.  It merely poses the question, and it's up to the listener to look back and take the past as it was, or dwell uncomfortably on those times we could have maybe done things differently.


 2. Jason Isbell - Southeastern
My god.  When I first heard that Jason Isbell was sober and had been hanging around Ryan Adams, I was a little worried.  Not because he was sober, mind you.  But, because Ryan Adams career had been somewhat frustrating to me once he reportedly got sober.  I don't blame it on the sobriety, one bit.  I doubt very strongly one writes better or worse on or off substance.  But, I still had doubt that the new, slower Isbell album would be something I would like.  I was wrong.  Dear god, I was so wrong.  This is the most stark and beautiful thing Jason Isbell has ever done.  The songs about sobriety (or, rather, grappling with sobriety) and his new love (the wonderful Amanda Shires) made for one of the best albums of the year.  I'm not sure how anyone can place this album lower than 2nd.  I had the hardest time saying whether this or my number 1 album were 1 or 2.  I changed the order many times.  This album is gorgeous.  It's intense.  And it's Jason Isbell's best damn album, which is saying a lot...


 1. John Moreland - In The Throes
I had never heard of John Moreland prior to this year and to be honest, I'm glad I hadn't. First hearing of this new-to-me artist and hearing his supposedly incredible album was one of the best things to have happened in 2013. The songs on this album are by and far the best songs I heard this year.  They are somber songs.  They are songs that are honest.  Sometimes painfully honest.  When you hear Moreland sing with his raspy, soothing voice, there is nothing but comfort in knowing that there is a person who knows your feeling.  Listening to these songs make one feel, immediately, comforted and slightly uncomfortable.  We are seeing into John Moreland's soul.  The very things he's frightened of, saddened by, and/or angered by.  And, we need that.  We need honesty in songs.  I'm glad I discovered John Moreland this year.  I'm glad he made this incredible album and put it out this year.  At the end of the day, this is, in my mind, the best album of the year.


Honorable Mentions:
Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels. Dawes - Stories Don't End. Earl Sweatshirt - Doris. Fifth on the Floor - Ashes & Angels. North Mississippi Allstars - World Boogie Is Coming.

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-Matthew Martin

FTM's Favorite Songs of 2013




1. Matt Woods - Deadman's Blues
From earlier review:
...almost painful to hear, in the best of ways. It's like we're the accidental witnesses to a late night confessional and I can't help feeling a little guilty finding so much beauty in such a raw disclosure. And those vocals… it's a masculine delivery with a tear deeply embedded; then he rips your heart out when he lets it all go in the final seconds.

2. Jason Isbell - Elephant

3. Arliss Nancy - Vonnegut

4. John Moreland - 3:59

5. Shooter Jennings - The Gunslinger

6. Brandy Clark - What'll Keep Me Out of Heaven

7. Sturgill Simpson - You Can Have the Crown

8. Ashley Monroe - Morning After

9. Austin Lucas - Splinters

10. Todd Farrell Jr. and the Dirty Birds - Pawn Shops

Beyond the Top 10 (no specific order):

The National - I Should Live in Salt

Run the Jewels - Sea Legs

Queens of the Stone Age - If I Had a Tail

Kasey Anderson and the Honkies - Some Depression

Drew Kennedy - The Poet at 33

Kacey Musgraves - Follow Your Arrow

Wade Bowen - Songs About Trucks

Son Volt - Angel of the Blues

Two Cow Garage - Mantle in '56

J. Roddy Walston and the Business - Heavy Bells


Ha Ha Tonka  - Lessons

Chris Stapleton - What Are You Listening To?

Gary Allan - It Ain't the Whiskey

Valerie June - Tennessee Time

Buffalo Gospel - Mule

Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck - Inside Joke

The Mavericks - Come Unto Me

Chris King - Antler Inn Ballroom

JJ Grey and Mofro - 99 Shades of Crazy

Water Liars - Wyoming

Will Hoge - Home is Where the Heart Breaks

Lindi Ortega - This is Not Surreal

Phosphorescent - Song for Zula

Chance the Rapper - Cocoa Butter Kisses

Dec 30, 2013

FTM's Favorite Albums of 2013: 1-20




1. John Moreland - In the Throes
John Moreland writes razor edged lines that grab your attention and tear your heart out. Next time you listen to the same song, you'll notice that the following line was just as good - you just happened to miss it marveling at the previous one. In fact, there's hardly a throwaway line on the whole of In the Throes, and nary a song worth skipping. The mood of the record certainly wasn't right to be my album of the year (it's been a rough one), but the best is the best, regardless of tempo or context. In the Throes is pretty low-key and gray in emotional content, but it's just too good to be denied. Moreland has distilled all his strengths (with the exception of his rocking side, which is also very strong) into this stunning work of great craft and heart which stands deservingly as FTM's #1 album of 2013. Standouts: All of them, but if I must pick, 3:59 and Blacklist.



2. Jason Isbell - Southeastern
Southeastern is a modern classic. This is an inescapable truth arrived at by a tidal wave of critical approval and fan appreciation. Jason Isbell is Americana's Entertainer of the Year and Southeastern is the Album of the Year; I don't care what any official organizations say. Isbell has done more positive for the genre than anyone else, including the folk-renaissance dudes who actually got radio play. "Elephant" is incredible and if it didn't mist your eyes at some point this year, I don't know …maybe your heart is way too tiny, Mr. Grinch. "Traveling Alone" is remarkable and romantic. "Relatively Easy" is insightful on a personal and wide scope. Southeastern is a masterpiece and what's scary is that Isbell is probably just getting started.


3. Sturgill Simpson - High Top Mountain
Sturgill Simpson may not be the savior of country music, but he sure looks and sounds the part. This laid-back Kentuckian has the voice of an outlaw country god to go alongside his witty and insightful writing style. His songs are sorrowful, heartfelt, clever and self-deprecating, sometimes within the same tune. He probably gets a bit tired of the Waylon comparisons, but if there's a modern incarnation of that legend, Simpson has the talent and grit to at least make a valiant go at filling those shoes. High Top Mountain is an essential edition to any fan of real country music's collection. Standouts: You Can Have the Crown, Old King Coal.



4. Arliss Nancy - Wild American Runners
There is female frontal nudity on the cover of Arliss Nancy's stellar Wild American Runners. That it took someone pointing that out for me to even notice it speaks to the substance over style aesthetic of this hard-rocking, hard-living band. Sliding into the punk meets country standard-bearer position of early Lucero, the already musically strong Arliss Nancy has taken their songwriting to a new level with their 3rd release. "Vonnegut" and "Nathaniel" are among the best songs released in any genre this year. The former's "Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt" is one of the most affecting codas I've ever heard.



5. Drew Kennedy - Wide Listener
Full disclosure: I consider Drew Kennedy a friend. He's a good dude who I've had the opportunity to hang out with before, during and after a few shows here in Mississippi. That said, I've never let that affect my reviews or feelings about his music.  As much as I've listened to him (Last.fm says I've played his songs 1,654 times), I still always find his songs to take some time to "get." Maybe it's Drew's poetic style or his unique vocals, but every time I hear his music, it's a new experience. To me, that's the mark of a great artist, and Wide Listener is his strongest and most layered work to date. The fact that he brought in a few co-writers this time around doesn't change the artistic vision or stylistic voice of Kennedy's work. Standouts: Hello Goodbye, Jackson Square.



6. Run the Jewels - s/t (still free!)
Killer Mike and EL-P's last albums were among my favorites of 2012. Putting two of my favorite rappers together on a full album sounds like a no-brainer, but chemistry isn't guaranteed, even between two creative artists with similar takes on hip-hop. Thankfully, Run the Jewels may even be better than the sum of its parts… and its respective parts are already cream of the crop.  This is a party album with a ton of boasts and brags, but it never plays to the "bling and booty" crowd. It's a smart take on culture and good times that's full of memorable lines, but also cohesive songwriting. The production is dirty, raucous and bass-driven, but never aggressively off-putting (like that of a certain rapper on top of everybody's else's lists). I've listened to this album more than any other in 2013 and it looks like 2014 will be another year of RTJ as they've already announced a follow-up.
Standouts: Sea Legs, Banana Clipper



7. Brandy Clark - 12 Stories
Brandy Clark may not be the savior of country music but… wait, this sounds familiar. In country's "year of the woman" (critically not commercially, unfortunately), Clark stood at the forefront, at least for me. Kacey Musgraves might be the most recognizable face of the movement, but Clark is the most vital part of it. Her songwriting is superb, from the knowing ache of "What'll Keep Me Out of Heaven" to the smart-assed wit of "Stripes," she knows her way around a hook and through the ins and outs of the human condition. She's not the stone country throw-back that a Sturgill Simpson is; Clark is what country music should sound like in 2013 if it had evolved without so many greedy influences mutating the DNA. 12 Stories is a progressive work of heart and humor that honors its predecessors while gracefully arching towards the horizon.



8. Austin Lucas - Stay Reckless
Austin Lucas was a drain on my emotions this year. His post-divorce album, Stay Reckless, is mostly a shaded journey through loneliness and acceptance. There are great rockers like "Alone in Memphis" but again… alone. Lucas never sounded better, his voice aching with expression most singers could only dream of. "Splinters," an exploration of the uncertain reasons for the end of a relationship, is a deflating but gorgeous way to end the album on the saddest note possible.
Thanks a lot, Austin.



9. Fifth on the Floor - Ashes and Angels
Fifth on the Floor is the quintessential southern rock band working today. Theirs is a powerful, distinct and gritty take on a sub-genre that has become increasingly tiresome in the hands of less skilled bands. Ashes & Angels mostly steers clear of cliche with strong lyrics, modern attitude, and a mission to bring the rock. Lead singer Justin Wells is a mountain of a man with a voice to match and his cohorts are all excellent players. From the raucous "Whiskey" to the soulful "Angels in the Snow" to the excellent My Morning Jacket cover, "One Big Holiday," Ashes & Angels is an excellent entry from the premier band still carrying the southern rock flag.




10. Ashley Monroe - Like a Rose
Nine songs wasn't enough unless Ashley Monroe's plan was to leave us wanting more. On that count, Like a Rose is a job well done. Monroe's earthen angel vocals and gracefully edgy writing made this an album to return to over and again. Confessional and universal at once, Like a Rose gave us modern sentiment wrapped in a timeless package. Monroe covers regret, crime, drinking, lost love and a marriage in need of a little spice. What more could you need in a country album? More songs maybe…  Standouts: Morning After, Two Weeks Late




11. The National - Trouble Will Find Me




12. Kacey Musgraves - Same Trailer, Different Park




13. Shooter Jennings - The Other Life



14. Queens of the Stone Age - …Like Clockwork



15. Ha Ha Tonka - Lessons




16. Son Volt - Honky Tonk




17. Guy Clark - My Favorite Picture of You




18. Possessed by Paul James - There Will Be Nights When I'm Lonely




19. Vince Gill and Paul Franklin - Bakersfield




20. Todd Farrell Jr. and the Dirty Birds - All Our Heroes Live in Vans

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