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.

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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

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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

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That’s it. That’s the list.

I’ve already amassed a lot of music less than five months into the year, and May in particular has already been a monster month, with several outstanding new releases. I’m also looking forward to June releases from The Gaslight Anthem and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. And maybe even Ozzy’s newest. But for now, here’s most of what I’ve been listening to recently.
 

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Something’s Coming – Ty Tabor (2010)
While I’ve been somewhat disillusioned by the newest releases from King’s X (still good, but not great), Ty’s solo stuff seems to keep getting better. Here’s an album preview:
 

 

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Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures (2009)
I intended to get this album last year when it was released, but never got around to it until this March. I wish I had not waited. Here’s “New Fang” live:
 

 

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Under Control – Cary Brothers (2010)
I discovered Brothers’ first album on eMusic a few years ago and really liked it a lot. This one is at least as good, if not better. Check out “Ghost Town”:
 

 

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Volume Two – She & Him (2010)
More retro pop from Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward. I worried that the novelty would wear off and this would disappoint, but it still works. Here is “In The Sun”:
 

 

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Women and Country – Jakob Dylan (2010)
There’s a bit more musically to this album than his largely-acoustic debut, and while I think I prefer the latter, this country-flavored album is quite good in it’s own right. Here’s “Nothing But The Whole Wide World”:
 

 

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Together – The New Pornographers (2010)
You can’t not love “supergroup” The New Pornographers’ brand of power pop. They’re back in form on their newest. Live on Jimmy Fallon, here’s “Crash Years”:
 

 

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Heaven is Whenever – The Hold Steady (2010)
I’ve only managed to listen to it once all the way through since I got it last week, and it did not strike me as being as strong as Stay Positive, but still a solid album. Check out “Hurricane J”:
 

 

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Court Yard Hounds – Court Yard Hounds (2010)
I’ve always shunned ‘country’ music (the big hats frighten me), but albums like this one (by 2/3 of the Dixie Chicks) make me cross over every now and then. Here is “Ain’t No Son”, live from Letterman:
 

 

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Little Vigils – Mark Erelli (2010)
I really love Mark Erelli, and this album (the first of two he’s releasing this year) is no exception. Listen to “Everything in Ruin”:
 

 

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So Runs The World Away – Josh Ritter (2010)
Josh Ritter is simply amazing. This is another must have album. Download it as soon as you finish listening to “Change of Time”:
 

 

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High Violet – The National (2010)
Just got this a couple days ago, and after 2007′s Boxer, I was mildly disappointed in this newest on first listen, but I enjoyed it much more the second time. Here’s “Bloodbuzz Ohio”:
 

 

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Letting Go – Jennifer Knapp (2010)
I’ve always liked Jennifer Knapp and it’s nice to have her back and still at the top of her game. Here’s an acoustic version of “Dive In”:
 

 

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Sea of Cowards – The Dead Weather (2010)
Behold, the newest from one of the creations of Jack White, at whose awesomeness I continue to marvel. Check out “Die by the Drop”:

 

 

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That’s it. That’s the list.

8 from ’08 edition

Today begins a series of four posts over the next week or so in which I reveal my favorite music of the year. The rules have changed only slightly from last year, as I will explain, but the basic rule is the same – these are the albums I enjoyed and/or listened to the most this past year.

Having acquired so much new music since last year (now at 135 albums), I decided that I would limit my 2009 list to albums released in this calendar year. This is the first time I’ve done that, since I usually include all of my new music since the previous year’s list, regardless of release date. I usually have several albums that were released the previous year but I did not get until late in the year or after the new year.

Despite the fact that I’m eliminating those from my list this year, I still wanted to mention a few that I didn’t get to put on last year’s list, either, but deserve to be on a list somewhere. They were all released in 2008 and were also favorites throughout 2009. Therefore, I couldn’t let them fall through the cracks without a mention.

Here’s my “8 from 08″ (in no particular order):

Balance – Ty Tabor
Long-time King’s X fan, and I continue to love Ty’s solo work. There’s not really anything groundbreaking here; the expected harmonies and outstanding guitar work are present as usual, and it is comparable to his last release, Rock Garden. But I love what he does, and both he and King’s X deserve far more recognition than they’ve ever received. Listen to: “Cause We Believed“, “I’m OK With You”

 
Death Magnetic – Metallica
Metallica rose to prominence in the world of metal during the 80′s, but went off track during the 90′s. Each of their albums released in the last 15 years sucked more than the one it followed. But the good news is that this newest is a fast-paced heavy metal album that has them finally sounding like they’re supposed to again, and it’s about time. Listen to: “All Nightmare Long“, “The Day That Never Comes”

 
Everything That Happens Will Happen Today – David Byrne & Brian Eno
I listened to a little Talking Heads back in the 80’s, but not much. Byrne’s collaboration with Eno, however, is more than worth a listen. It is an excellent album with influences from multiple styles of music (Byrne actually describes it as “folk electronic gospel”.) Check it out – you won’t be disappointed. Listen to: “Life is Long“, “Everything That Happens”

 
Gossip In The Grain – Ray Lamontagne
Folk singer-songwriter Ray Lamontagne has a unique voice. It’s raspy and rough, but also can be very pleasant at times. His emotion and passion shine through on every song. Nearly a year after first hearing it, I still like it a little bit more each time I listen. It’s outstanding and I’ve still not yet grown tired of it. Listen to “You Are The Best Thing“, “Let It Be Me”

 
Promised Land – Dar Williams
I’ve discovered a few female singer-songwriter’s this year that I’ve fallen in love with, and Dar Williams is one of them (see subsequent posts for the others.) She’s a superb storyteller as evidenced by the songs on this album, which I highly recommend. This would have been high on my 2009 list had I kept it in the mix. Listen to: “It’s Alright“, “The Easy Way”

 
Seeing Things – Jakob Dylan
This debut by The Wallflowers front man has been heard on my iPod countless times this year. It’s an acoustic folk/rock album that has been a joy to listen to repeatedly. He’s the son of a legend, but he’s charting his own course as a singer-songwriter and I look forward to things to come. Listen to: “Evil Is Alive And Well“, “Something Good This Way Comes”

 
Songs For You, Truths For Me – James Morrison
I came across this album on an amazonmp3 daily deal one day and took a chance. I think it paid off as I’ve really enjoyed it a lot. He uses his somewhat gruff voice to the fullest and incorporates pop, jazz and blues into his music, with very nice results. I admit that I am still a little surprised by how much I like it. Listen to “The Only Night“, “Please Don’t Stop The Rain”

 
Volume I – She & Him
As I will likely restate in the coming days, I’ve become a huge fan of M. Ward this year, though this collaboration with singer/actress Zooey Deschanel was, for me, more about “she” than “him”. Deschanel wrote most of the songs , which are reminiscent of another era. From the opening bars, I found myself mesmerized by her vocals and I was hooked. Listen to: “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?“, “You Really Got A Hold On Me”

 

That’s it. That’s the list.

Up next: my honorable mentions of 2009.