everything that's on my mind

For nearly a month I’ve been planning to post my mid-year music list, but just haven’t been able to carve out time to write such a post. I’ve put a list together, but have nothing else so far.

Therefore, due to my lack of time and/or diligence, and while I await the release that will most certainly top my list at year end, here’s an abbreviated version of my mid-year favorites list, lacking any commentary on my part.

These are not in order – again, I didn’t get around to ranking them. But I include my top 10 for the year so far along with my second ten and nine others from 2009 that I missed at the time but have been listening to a lot this year.

Top Ten

American Slang – The Gaslight Anthem
American VI: Ain’t No Grave – Johnny Cash
Heaven is Whenever – The Hold Steady
Letting Go – Jennifer Knapp
Sea of Cowards – The Dead Weather
So Runs The World Away – Josh Ritter
Something’s Coming – Ty Tabor
The Learner – Griffin House
True Believer – Matthew Barber
Women and Country – Jakob Dylan

Second Ten

Contra – Vampire Weekend
Court Yard Hounds – Court Yard Hounds
End Times – Eels
High Violet – The National
Little Vigils – Mark Erelli
Mojo – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Scream – Ozzy Osbourne
Together – The New Pornographers
Transference – Spoon
Volume Two – She & Him

9 from ’09

Get Lucky – Mark Knopfler
Horehound – The Dead Weather
Love Remains – Alice Peacock
Strict Joy – The Swell Season
Swoon – Silversun Pickups
Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures
The Mountain – Heartless Bastards
This Is War – 30 Seconds to Mars
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – Phoenix

That’s it. That’s the list.

Finally I’m getting around to the new music post I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. I’ve not bought a lot of new music that’s been released in 2010, but here’s most of what I’ve been listening to so far from the new year.
 

True Believer
Matthew Barber
(2010)

I discovered Canadian singer-songwriter Matthew Barber on eMusic (thanks to Scott‘s suggestion) a couple of years ago, and his last album Ghost Notes almost broke my top 10 for 2008. On his newest, released a couple of weeks ago, Barber again has created a fantastic pop/rock album which, like it’s predecessor, will easily make my list again this year.

Check out “Revolution Of The Sun”.

Contra
Vampire Weekend
(2010)

After such an excellent debut, I was mildly disappointed when I first listened to Contra. I liked it, of course, but it didn’t grab me right away since there weren’t any songs that immediately stood out (as several on their debut did.) However, after several listens I started to appreciate it for what it is: another outstanding collection that is a bit different from, and yet just as good as, their first.

Check out “Cousins”.

Transference
Spoon
(2010)

Indie rock band Spoon is nothing if not consistent. This is my fourth album of theirs, and I have yet to be disappointed. Nothing they’ve done has really overwhelmed me, but they continue to put out very good albums. This newest may be my favorite since 2002′s Kill The Moonlight. Like the Vampire Weekend, this one required a little time to grow on me, but it didn’t take long.

Check out “Written In Reverse”.

End Times
Eels
(2010)

I first heard Eels after Jason‘s recommendation of their 2009 release Hombre Lobo, which I really enjoyed a lot. After a quick turnaround, their newest became available shortly after the new year and I grabbed it right away. It’s a bit more acoustic than it’s predecessor, and lyrically it’s a deeply personal album, often focusing on the breakup of primary band member Mark Oliver Everett’s marriage and his heartache. Another very good album.

Check out “A Line In The Dirt”.

American VI: Ain’t No Grave
Johnny Cash
(2010)

I only had the first three of Cash’s American series, but couldn’t pass up the sixth installment when it was released. I’ve read mixed reviews of this album, but I absolutely love it. The songs were recorded shortly before he died, and although death is the common theme of the songs, they’re not focused on death itself, but on what comes next. I found this final album to be a great closing chapter to a remarkable career.

Check out “Ain’t No Grave”.

That’s it. That’s the list.