Jan 7, 2013
Feel Bad For You Mixtape: January '13
Jan 6, 2013
Sunday Mornin' Music: Randy Travis
This song ought to send chills up the spine of even the most undecided agnostic or devout atheist. I always forget what a great tune this is.
Jan 5, 2013
Jan 4, 2013
FTM Top 75 Albums of 2012: 1-20
A first-half-of-the-year release unfairly hurts some albums on these year-end lists. That wasn't the case for this year's #1 album, There is a Bomb in Gilead. From my May review:
a full-fledged force to be reckoned with on this fantastic debut.
Mixing garage rock, country soul and southern swagger into an effortlessly authentic blend, Lee and the boys give a spirited go at every style across 11 spotless tracks. From the driving exploration of faith on album opener "Ain't No Stranger," through the sin, searching and nostalgia of the middle to the hymn-inspired closing title track, there isn't a weak point on the album."
Standout tracks: Sundown in Nashville, Picture From Life's Other Side (with Hank III)
See review here.
See review here.
RIYL: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Lucero, Two Cow Garage
Does this band have a signature sound, or what? Turnpike Troubadours are (is?) distinctive, vibrant and unique (so unique in fact, that I used two synonyms for that word in the same description). Disregard my haphazard writing and just know that they've come into their own on Goodbye Normal Street.
Songwriting doesn't get much better in this day and age.
Standout tracks: Good Lord Lorrie, Empty as a Drum, Gin, Smoke, Lies
From Kelcy's November review (note - we'll also post Kelcy's favorite albums of '12 later on,
so I should probably do my own write-up here, but I'm lazy)
"In summary, if you're a fan of anything that Cody Canada, Seth James, Jeremy Plato, Steve Littleton or have done in the past you will love this album. If you're a fan of good bluesy rock n roll you will love this album. Shoot, if you're just a fan of good music with some substance, you need to pick up a copy. So get Adventus & celebrate the true Arrival of The Departed on the scene."
Standout tracks: Prayer for the Lonely, Set It Free, Sweet Lord
A true comeback album, 3 Pears finds the country legend mixing rock, soul, country and his undying swagger into a welcome set of memorable songs that will never get played on Clearchannel radio.
Standout tracks: It's Never Alright, A Heart Like Mine, Rock It All Away
Standout tracks: Pocket Full of Misery, Rosalia
(Condescending Wonka says) Oh you thought West Coast rap was dead?
Have you heard Kendrick Lamar?
Standout tracks: B*tch Don't Kill My Vibe, Backseat Freestyle
Real country is alive and well. The Trishas are proof. The vocals and harmonies are beyond reproach. The songwriting is the thing for me though. High, Wide and Handsome shows Nashville how to write a hooky, lyrically clever song without leaning on cliches and marketing. The Trishas are no one-note act - they give us a portrait of strength on the album, but they also give us vulnerability. In other words, reality.
Standout tracks: Over Forgiving You, Mother of Invention, The Fool
Standout tracks: More Than I Can Handle, Harold Wilson, Desperate People
I want to personally thank Killer Mike for relighting my fire for hip-hop. Obviously, I focus mostly on alt-country and rock, but I've been a rap fan since the late 80's. I just thought intelligent, fiery, well-crafted hip-hop was a thing of the past. (Obviously there's a whole rap underground that I'm discounting with that statement, but there are only so many hours in the day for listening to music.) R.A.P. Music is a bold statement, both lyrically and sonically. Producer EL-P (whose own album is further down this list) provides a brutal, old-school-leaning bed for the rhymes. Mike flows like he actually cares about what he's saying. He's clearly a real person - in one verse he's cursing the political system; in the next he's praising his family. There's little talk of bling and booty on this record....because real people don't have to dwell on generalities and boasts when they discuss life. Killer Mike is as real as it gets.
Standout tracks: Big Beast, Reagan, Butane
The indie-country Svengali delivers his most consistent album to date with Family Man.
It's a cohesive, passionate look at (mostly) the everyman side of country music royalty.
On these very pages, I once dismissed Shooter's music, voice and image but no longer...
so long as he continues to deliver music this engaging and tuneful.
Standout tracks: The Long Road Ahead, Daddy's Hands
The indie world buzzed and bowed for this band from ...duh, Alabama, as soon as their EP hit the scene in 2011. That hype turned a lot of people off or built up their expectations far too high, but for me, Boys & Girls was a delivery on the promise of that Extended Play. Throw some Muscle Shoals soul, New York garage rock and folk sensibility into a blender and the Shakes are what results. It's more than that, though. Their songwriting is strong, their musical chops are exciting and Britanny Howard's voice is a thing of beauty.
I can't wait to see where they go from here.
Standout tracks: Hold On, Heartbreaker, I Ain't the Same
Like Shooter Jennings, Matt King was an artist I once didn't "get." Given time with his music however, I've changed my tune. Matt is a country singer with a very distinct vision. He also has a signature sound. That's rare in this day and age. Apples and Orphans is full of wit and anger in equal amounts. While politics and the environment are common themes, Matt explores these themes with an old-timey aesthetic and warm approach that never seems preachy, even when it is. His music is at times experimental, steampunk (whatever that means), ragtime or pure country. It's always passionate.
Standout tracks: Back to Baltimore, Jasmine and Gypsies
Jan 3, 2013
FTM Top 75 Albums of 2012: 21-50
We're getting close now. Almost any of these could have easily made the top 20 in a lesser year.
Did I miss anything? Well, wait and tell me tomorrow when I reveal FTM's top 20 albums of 2012.
For now. 21-50:
Full of wit and askew approaches, Corb's Cabin Fever has nearly completed my transformation from respectful admirer to fan to obsessed fan. He's an acquired taste,
but it's well worth the effort coming around to his unique vibe and sound.
Standout tracks: Bible on the Dash, One Left in the Chamber, Cows Around
23. The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
Who'd have ever thought you'd see Kellie on a Farce the Music "best of" list and not just
in ridiculous memes and jokes about her "blonde-ness" and amplifications to her figure? Well here she is.
She said she'd put out a classic country album and she followed through. 100 Proof is not just an experiment either - it's full-blown, cry in your beer, lock your cheatin' spouse out, burn down the honky tonk country music. And for her effort? No hits and dropped from her label. Nashville sucks.
Standout tracks: Long As I Never See You Again, Mother's Day.
A late discovery that probably would have ended up much higher on this list if I'd had more time with it.
RIYL: Ryan Adams, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark.
Standout tracks: Jericho(!), Forgotten Flowers
30. Soundgarden - King Animal
31. Japandroids - Celebration Rock
Another album that might have climbed higher if I'd heard it earlier. Imagine Fleet Foxes with (100x)
the vitality and actual hooks. Makes sense because J. Tillman was a member of Fleet Foxes.
Fear Fun retains a lot of the indie vibe with its off-kilter lyrics but delivers for those of us who prefer a rootsier sound with a true alt-country delivery and even some Gram Parsons-esque desert rock.
Standout tracks: Nancy From Now On, Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
I can't say enough about this band. If you'd like Lucero by way of The Ramones, this is the album for you.
Passion, sorrow, humor and swagger. It's all here. And just look at that cover.
Standout tracks: White Bluff, Daddy's Breath
37. Rival Sons - Head Down
38. The Dirty Guv'nahs - Somewhere Beneath These Southern Skies
40. Alan Jackson - Thirty Miles West
43. Jack White - Blunderbuss
44. Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur
49. fun. - Some Nights
50. Frank Ocean - channel orange
Little Known Facts Jan. 2013
Hank Jr fan - $16,231 but would've been much higher with a republican in the White House.
Kid Rock fan - NA (No filings recorded with the IRS.)
Avett Brothers - $0 due to all being stay at home moms
Plans for a life size Justin Moore action figure were scrapped by Hasbro when the only prototype was dropped down a heating vent.
Even without music Gary Levox would be wealthy due to him selling his chocolate fountain design to Golden Corral.
An Australian newscaster once asked Jamey Johnson what a honky tonk badonkadonk was. Anyone that has information on the whereabouts of the reporter, please contact the Sydney Police Department.
Colt Ford controls the market price of all poultry in the USA based solely on his appetite.
Due to his preferred choice of pants, Luke Bryan's penis is six inches wide but only 1/16 of an inch thick.
Brantley Gilbert spent over $42,000 on removal of misspelled tattoos in 2012 alone.
The guys in Florida-Georgia Line were actually born in Delaware and Rhode Island, respectively.
Scott Borchetta's hair care routine consists of a regular professional wash and conditioning (the latter in the blood of a half dozen puppies).
Bucky Covington writed dis fakt purseonly.
*Thanks to Jeremy Harris for most of these.
Jan 2, 2013
FTM Top 75 Albums of 2012: 51-75
First of all, 2012 was an utterly amazing year
in (mostly) non-radio music.
That being said, placing on FTM's Top 75 of 2012 meant an album was very strong and worthy of much acclaim and multiple listenings. In fact, I was upset to have to place some of these so "low."
A few rules: No live albums, no albums including a majority of previously released songs, no EPs.
Without further adieu, here's the FTM Top 75 Albums of 2012: 51-75:
52. Bonnie Raitt - Slipstream
54. Kasey Anderson and the Honkies - Let the Bloody Moon Rise
55. Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson - Wreck and Ruin
57. Lincoln Durham - The Shovel vs The Howling Bones
59. The Lumineers - s/t
60. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - The Lion The Beast The Beat
63. The Shins - Port of Morrow
65. Ty Segall Band - Slaughterhouse
66. The Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania
67. Green Day - Uno
69. The White Buffalo - Once Upon a Time in the West
71. Old Crow Medicine Show - Carry Me Home
73. Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
74. Chris Robinson Brotherhood - Big Moon Ritual
Jan 1, 2013
Top 10 Goals for Scott Borchetta in 2013
10. Produce more songs that substitute rhyming words for curse words.
9. Further soil the sanctity of country radio.
8. Annihilate Trailer Parkman
7. Taylor Swift "Black"
6. Make it illegal to have a fiddle in the band even if you're going to play in Texas.
5. New Axe scent: Brantley
4. Rename it "The Grand New Opry"
3. Find more duos that are separated by a few miles and a state line.
2. Punch Jason Isbell in the mouth for his comments on stage at the Americana Music Awards.
1. Find out if Def Leppard is interested in doing a country album.
Thanks to Jeremy Harris for these!
Dec 31, 2012
Party Hard!
Since I'm on a bunch of pills for my neck problems and can't headbang or have so much as a beer, I expect you all to do this for me tonight.
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