Ryan Gustafson, "Let Go"

One of my favorite musicians here in NC is Durham's Ryan Gustafson, who put out a terrific album in 2009 known as the "Donkey" LP (there's a picture of a donkey on the cover). He's got an earthy, forlorn vocal delivery and an Americana guitar vibe. Mainstays in his live band include the excellent guitarist Carter Gaj, who is the frontman for the more pop-sounding Max Indian, and a gentleman whose name I don't know, but who sings wonderful harmonies that leave you thinking of Scott Danbom.

Here's a recording of them playing at Chapel Hill landmark Local 506. It's a little grainy, but the vocals and lap steel guitar will still have you wiping the corner of your eye. On the CD, this track has a beautiful violin overlay that makes it even sadder.



Website: Ryan Gustafson Myspace

Solvents: "We Were Guests Here" from Forgive Yr. Blood

Seattle band with a nice full sound. Album Madonica out in August, 8-song EP Forgive Yr. Blood out in December, looks like they've been touring regionally and will appear on KEXP January 29.

I love this sound, the vocal harmonies, the guitars and the nice violin layered in over the guitars... First heard on a KEXP Song of the Day podcast. Recommended.


solvents-we were guests here

solvents | Myspace Music Videos

Website: Solvents Myspace

Guided by Voices - Classic Lineup: Bob teaches the band Jar of Cardinals

Oh, this is wonderful... No wonder the Nashville show was so great!

Thanks for the heads up, Cash...



Here's hoping Rich will post some more of these... or fold them into a tour recap DVD of some sort.

Website: Robert Pollard

Website: Rich T's YouTube GbV Channel

Generationals: "Trust" from Trust EP

Great guitar line, good drumming, this is a very catchy song... you may have seen the free download card in your local Starbucks, guess that means they've hit the big time or are on the outskirts.

I've featured them on here before and I would say this is the best song I've heard from them.

Website: Generationals

"Yeah He's Mad..." GbV Classic Lineup, Nashville Cannery Ballroom: January 14, 2011

They played probably 50 songs. I'm still trying to reconstruct the setlist in my mind... fighting a losing battle, at that. But I remember "Game of Pricks", "I Am a Scientist", "Tractor Rape Chain", "Shocker in Gloomtown"... and I would have gladly paid the price of a ticket to hear any ONE of those songs performed by Bob, Tobin, Mitch, Greg and Kevin...

But the highlight of the evening, to me, was the chorus of "Matter Eater Lad". I'd given up guessing what was coming next and decided to just take them as they came, and was absolutely floored by their version of "Expecting Brainchild", a song from Bee Thousand I have always liked but had never heard LIKE THAT. But to hear this group belt out the chorus "Yeah he's mad, he's Matter Eater Lad" as if it was a well-worn cover of an early Beatles pop gem was an unexpected and spectacular pleasure.

Sound quality on this video isn't the best, but you get the idea. Hopefully they'll release a live DVD from this tour, and it will include "Matter Eater Lad" and you can play it on a good home system, turn it up to 11, and have a goofy grin plastered on your face, too.



Better yet, maybe they'll regroup and hit the road again. Amazing...

Robert Pollard has a new disc out this week: Space City Kicks. More on that, later...

Website: Robert Pollard

Check out the new look Future of the Left

At the top of my list of live shows from the last year or two is the evening I spent with about 50 other people at Local 506 in Chapel Hill seeing Andy Falkous's post-Mclusky project Future of the Left. They were touring on their second fantastic album, "Travels With Myself and Another", which made all the best of lists for 2009. I was disappointed to learn a few months ago that FoTL's bass player, Kelson Matthias, was no longer in the band. Heck, they seemed to get along pretty well -- their on-stage banter was hilarious. And they didn't vent any disappointment in the sparse turnout on those of us who did show up. Just a great show.

Anyway, Falco has gone out and picked up not only another bassist, but another guitarist as well, and the result, as shown on this nice quality vid below, is a pretty dang beefed up sound. The show is from just a couple of weeks ago in Sydney, and if you follow the video to youtube you'll find the rest of the set. They play several new songs, and it doesn't sound like they've lost any of their edge. Falkous hasn't grown tired of erupting into guttural screams where lyrics used to be, and I haven't tired of listening to it. He's the most original voice in punk music in at least the last ten years.



Oh, and here's Future of the Left doing a Mclusky cover. Why wouldn't they?



And what the hell, we all know Japandroids is a great band, as they demonstrate here by doing the same song, which you can hear in stereophonic glory on the 'No Singles' comp. It's a halfway decent recording, with fewer than 300 views.



Website: Future of the Left Myspace

Website: Japandroids

R.E.M. - "Mine Smell Like Honey"... single out tomorrow, Collapse Into Now due out in March

Here's a trailer video for the album (recorded part of it in Nashville, apparently)...



I'd say something if there was anything original left to say about REM, and I can't imagine they need my support... but God bless 'em, they've made some of the very best music I have ever heard in my life. I'm looking forward to this disc.

Website: REM

Transition Music

I guess in life we always are transitioning from one state or set of circumstances to another, but some transitions are more significant than others. One of those times for me was ending high school and entering college. Because of the way I view things, the period had a soundtrack, and for me, that soundtrack is very old music to most who will read this post.

I graduated from high school in June 1970, and entered college the following August. What was the soundtrack for young Rocksteady74? Like most, I listened to the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, various Motown groups (although I preferred Curtis Mayfield and Otis Redding).

But I also favored a few acts with less general popularity. One was Terry Reid.

My older sister brought his album home from college the spring of my final spring in high school, and I fell in love with this song. I since learned that Reid had been offered the lead singer slot for the group that became Led Zeppelin, but turned it down. Robert Plant likely is grateful for Reid's decision.

Another is a British blues/psych rock band called Steamhammer. I learned of Steamhammer my first year in college.


Another good song from the "Reflection" album for which embedding is disabled:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1PU7dLMA90&feature=related

The group recorded a number of albums and went through several personal changes, although I really am only familiar with the 1969 release "Reflection".

And two more acts gaining in popularity were regulars on my turntable. One was
Jethro Tull, whose "Benefit" album was as used as any album I've ever owned.





The other was The Band, which had published "The Band" in 1970.

Drive-By Truckers... Go-Go Boots, out Feb 15

To tide us over, here's the video for "Used Be a Cop":

Used to Be a Cop - Go-Go Boots - Drive-By Truckers from Drive-By Truckers on Vimeo.

This is actually fantastic, a crazy concept video in which the band does nothing but play, and they really stretch out and play those guitars! I'm looking forward to this disc... And here's a link to get a free mp3 of the song:

Website: Drive-By Truckers

Let's celebrate Curtis Mayfield today too

As the nation celebrates Martin Luther King Jr's birthday today, his righteous and courageous leadership, I want to do a shout out to the great Curtis Mayfield.

Following King's assassination, the country went through a difficult time to put it mildly, and few places experienced more turmoil than Detroit where I grew up. And the legendary Motown music of that city played a role in building a bridge between the white and black kids of my generation.

But when I think of the strongest music of that era in terms of courage and righteousness, I think of Curtis Mayfield from across I-94 in Chicago.

Mayfield's work was unflinching, both musically and thematically. He addressed the black experience head on. And for me as a white teenager, it was a walk down the other side of the street. Thought provoking, challenging, yet uplifting. And oh so swinging.

The first video here is a killer 1972 live version of Give Me Your Love.

The second "Move On Up" isn't a great quality video in terms of images but the sound is great and this is my song for today. The music here is the recorded version of one of my favorite Mayfield songs, with a montage of photos and live shots overlayed.

PS I Love You: "Facelove" from Meet Me at the Muster Station

Rocking band with a nice big guitar sound. Looks like their album came out in the fall, another one for the "should have heard this in 2010" files...

Video for "Facelove":



Website: PS I Love You Myspace

To order the disc: PS I Love You: Meet Me at the Muster Station

All Hail the Bar Band (and Casey Neill and the Norway Rats)

I like bar bands. 3-5 guys (though women are more than welcome in this club), guitar-oriented, chord-driven songs, heart on sleeve lyrics, scruffy appearance. They’ll play anytime and anywhere, but are most comfortable in a great neighborhood bar.

They make no secret of their influences and more likely than not, Bruce Springsteen, Chuck Berry, The MC5 and The Clash are among them. They like to throw in a few cover songs and those are heartfelt and rarely “ironic”. They take their rock’n’roll history seriously, but their shows are loose affairs with a sense of humor often on display.

The guy who writes the songs usually reads a lot of novels and is an intelligent guy, though an unpretentious type who keeps his smarts a bit under wraps.

Their shows are fun and quite a bit more unpredictable than the suggested orthodoxy above might suggest.

The best of these bands stick around for many years, play out live a lot, and at some point seem on the verge of some break that does not happen. They toil along as a local band that gets taken for granted but has an intensely loyal, albeit small following. The local press often ignores them because they aren’t cool enough or even mildly weird. They don’t get picked to play in the [your region here] equivalent of SXSW but that doesn’t bother them.

Sometimes they drink too much but they are often that much more enjoyable when they do.

A few bar bands actually make it, notably the Faces, whose Five Guys Walk in a Bar box set may be the blueprint for this genre, a must own rock’n’roll bonanza. Or they develop into something quite a bit more serious and become arena or stadium rock heroes, moving on from their rootsier more basic bar band period – The Beatles, The Stones being notable examples. A few have been in the right place at the right time or had a novelty hit that got them on the radio – The J Geils Band, the Georgia Satellites. And NRBQ and Los Lobos turned it into such an art form that they developed a devoted cult following, big enough to allow them to tour the country for decades.

Everywhere I’ve lived, I have become one of those loyal fans who gets out to see his favorite bar band often, never tiring of their thing. In the 1980s in Chicago it was The Slugs. In the Chapel Hill-Raleigh area in the 1990s it was the Woods (who wrote “Battleship Chains”, which the Georgia Satellites had a minor hit with). And in Portland OR, home right now, I take every chance I can to see Casey Neill and the Norway Rats.

Casey is a terrific songwriter, and if you don’t believe me, ask Steve Earle who is a big fan. Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows, Minus 5, R.E.M) are frequent attendees at Casey’s shows here. When Casey cranked out a blistering version of Springsteen’s “Prove It All Night” for a recent encore, John Wesley Harding, in Portland making a record with Buck and McCaughey, got so excited he jumped on stage to grab the mic and share the vocal.

And Portland being home now to seemingly every indie rock musician in the US (at least those not living in Brooklyn) has allowed Casey to put together a first rate band, The Norway Rats, a bit of a revolving outfit depending on the tour schedules of ace sometimes members - guitarist Chet Lyster (Eels, Lucinda Williams) and accordian/keyboardist Jenny Conlee (The Decemberists). A first rate local singer-songwriter in her own right, Little Sue, sings backup.

And unlike some bar bands, Casey Neill and the Norway Rats make great records. His new one Goodbye to the Rank and File (how’s that for a bar band album title?) is especially good. It rocks (“This Year Was A Blur”), has passionate mid tempo songs (“Al Summer Glory”), and a great cover, Husker Du’s “She Floated Away”, which features just a hint of the traditional Irish sound that makes its way into Casey’s music by way of the Pogues and the Undertones. Casey’s previous record Brooklyn Bridge was also stellar, a love letter to rough and tumble old New York and Casey’s recent stint living in the Bowery.

Casey does tour a bit and if he hits your town, you shouldn’t miss him. Meanwhile, go see your town’s bar band. Toast them when they bust out a great cover. And post something about them here or some other blog.

And always generously tip your bartenders.

See: www.caseyneill.org

By: Jim Desmond (like the founder of this fine blog, a true believer in rock’n’roll and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. I appreciate John asking me to write here. I too once lived in Nashville, 1978-81. And my favorite bar band there was Tim Krekel and the Sluggers.).

Some more old stuff, and some really old stuff.

Cassius Clay was hated
More than Sonny Liston
Some like K.K. Downing
More than Glenn Tipton
Some like Jim Nabors
Some Bobby Vinton
I like 'em all.

* * *

But I especially like K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton. I can't remember whether I was watching Bert Sugarman's Midnight Special or Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, but it was past my bedtime in 1979 when I saw Rob Halford drive a Harley Davidson out onto the stage as Judas Priest pounded out "Hell Bent for Leather". To the extent it's possible, my tastes back then -- I was not yet old enough to drive to the record store -- were more pedestrian than they are today, although I was not as self-consciously proud of my vulgar leanings then. Judas Priest would have played that song -- with Glenn and K.K. trading leads, as was their practice -- and the show would have cut to commercial. I was transfixed by the spectacle to the point that I can't remember who played next. Probably Christopher Cross or the Atlanta Rhythm Section or some such. Maybe it was something good though. There was a lot of great music that came out that year. 'The Wall' was everywhere, and all the cool people were listening to 'London Calling' (I knew one Clash song then). The Police and Joe Jackson were actually becoming famous. But 1979 saw some classic albums by less famous bands like The Specials, Joy Division, and Gang of Four. It would be some years before I'd ever hear of these people. Johnny Rotten already had formed a new band. Cheap Trick did their Budokan record.

For me, though, 1979 happened when Judas Priest came back for their second song, 'Green Manalishi'. To me, it was, and in many ways remains, pure heavy metal. And I don't even know what the hell a manalishi is. Oh, and to the extent you don't know, K.K. Downing is the one who looks like David St. Hubbins.



It would be decades before I came to know that this song, with such ridiculously awesome lyrics like "the night is so black that the darkness cooks", was a freaking cover! Of a Fleetwood Mac song! It was from the Peter Green version of the band, and is just a phenomenal piece of psychedelia. I found a beautifully stretched out version of it, which is below.



I love it when bands cover other bands' songs, especially, as here, where they respectfully rearrange a great song and then play it like they mean it.

Anyway, Judas Priest was a true music milepost for me. And it ended up being the only brush I had with parental censorship. A year or so later, I asked my mom to take me to the mall so I could go to the Record Bar and buy a new album. She waited in the car while I ran in, and in a couple of minutes I came out with my copy of "British Steel". My mom looked sourly at the hand with the razor blade emblazoned with "JUDAS PRIEST".

"What is that? Some sort of devil worshiper music?"

"No maam."

Gregg Allman: Low Country Blues (NPR First Listen)

I've been looking forward to this for a while... and it does not disappoint. Favorite so far, "Devil Got My Woman", a Skip James song from 1931. That's one of the more ethereal tracks here, but the more rocking stuff is great too... track 2, "Little By Little", is a great blues song in the ABB tradition.

They'll have it streaming on NPR's All Songs Considered until January 18, when the disc will be available for purchase. Highly recommended.

Link: Gregg Allman: Low Country Blues (NPR First Listen)

Here's Jim Fusili's WSJ article about the making of this album:

Allman's Latest Blues Were a Source of Hope

Old stuff Friday: Saxophone Edition

I love the sound of guitars -- electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass guitars. But sometimes the sound of a saxophone makes rock music special. Here are a few old bands that did it well. Some artists used the sax just once, or sparingly: Lou Reed's iconic Walk on the Wild Side, for example. But my focus here is on bands in which the sax was a regular, even featured, instrument.

Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band made the sax a featured instrument, and its player, a celebrity. I was fortunate to see the gang kick off their Thunder Road tour, and springboard to national attention, at the Bottom Line in New York in the summer of '75.


Horns, particularly trombones, were part of the ska scene in Jamaica in the '60s, and were a part of the second wave ska revival in England in the late 70s and early '80s. But one group from Birmingham, The English Beat, made the sax part of its signature ska/pop sound. This first video appears to be from the Notting Hill Festival in London.


And here is their anti-Thatcher "Stand Down Margaret, which in concert often was fused with the old Prince Buster sex romp "Whine and Grine".


And finally, for one of the most innovative uses of the sax, Morphine. Mark Sandman, the visionary behind Morphine, decided that all riffs that normally could be played by a lead guitar could be played better, and "chunkier", by a sax. So he formed a three piece with himself on bass, and Dana Colley on sax. The music from Morphine ended in '99 when Sandman died of a heart attack on stage.

New Sounds of Scotland: Bwani Junction, Astral Planes, Wake the President

For its size, Scotland has a very large music scene. The focal point is Glasgow, which has produced Orange Juice, Primal Scream, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Texas and, more recently, Snow Patrol, Franz Ferdinand, Frightened Rabbit, We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Twilight Sad, Glasvegas and others. But Edinburgh has a vibrant music scene as well.

The focus here is on bands unlikely to have had any airplay in the states, and may not even be signed to a label.

The first band is Bwani Junction, from Edinburgh. Yes, they are named after the old Hollywood movie of the same name. I'm not sure whether bands enjoy having bloggers comment on possible influences, or at least bands with similarities, but it inescapably comes with the territory. One potential touchstone is Vampire Weekend, but I submit that the boys could have just as well listened to West African 70s psych bands on their own. At times they also sound like a good Seattle band called Minus the Bear.



Website: Bwani Junction Myspace
Facebook: Bwani Junction Facebook

"Two Bridges" is my favorite of the Bwani Junction songs to which I've listened, but I like the others as well. Try out "Goodnight Grievo" and "Bianco" on the Myspace page. Their Facebook page has some videos.

At this point Bwani Junction isn't fully cooked, but it is a band with a lot of potential. I may try to kick someone at Sub Pop to give them a look.

The next band is a Glasgow band with a harder edge. They are now called the Astral Planes but when they recorded "Doris Day" (a single) for Say Dirty Records they were known as Paper Planes. Without researching in detail, I think it likely to be the only Glasgow rock band fronted by a woman from New Jersey.



Website: Astral Planes Myspace

The last band for this post is Wake The President. The lead singer/songwriter and lead guitarist are twin brothers, and they also founded and run a small label named Say Dirty Records in Glasgow. Their 2009 album, "You Can't Change That Boy", from which the first song below is taken, was one of my favorites of the year, and I still play it a couple of times a week.





Website: Wake the President Myspace

J Mascis: "Not Enough" from Several Shades of Why

New J Mascis acoustic disc due out this year. I'm excited about this, I have always liked his singing...

Link: J Mascis: Several Shades of Why at subpop.com

Odd Box Records Blog Top 20 of 2010

Looks like a British DIY label, with a blog exploring all kinds of indie rock and other genres. Pretty interesting list, I think... here's the top 5:

01 Kid Canaveral – Shouting At Wildlife (Straight To Video)
02 Trash Kit – Trash Kit (Upset The Rhythm)
03 Super Wild Horses – Fifteen (Hozac)
04 Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky (Young God)
05 Betty and The Werewolves – Tea Time Favourites (Damaged Goods)

Don't recognize the labels, which tells me that these may not all be available in the US, or they may be 2009 or 2011 releases here, you know how that goes...

LINK: Odd Box Blog Top 20 of 2010

Lower Dens: "Holy Water" from Twin Hand Movement

It happens every year... in fact, this is why I peruse all those "Top 10" lists, to discover music I didn't become aware of during the year. Here's my first "2010 record I discovered in 2011" and it's really good. I never understand those misanthropes who say "It was a bad year for music"... it's never a bad year for music. There's so much good music, I have trouble finding it all!

Enjoy:



Website: Lower Dens (follow the link to their myspace page for a few MP3's from the 2010 album)

Mogwai: "How to be a Werewolf (in Thirty Century Man)"

Great video featuring a remix of a song from the upcoming Mogwai album. We may not have Mclusky any more, but these guys can be counted on for some good album and song titles: Hardcore Will Never Die But You Will is the album's title.

Mogwai "How to Be a Werewolf" (in Thirty Century Man) from Sub Pop Records on Vimeo.

Website: Mogwai

WYMA (John's) Top 20 of 2010: As Usual With Me, Guitars Rule...

I'm going to post my top 20 of 2010 (click to follow link to MySpace Playlist). When I do these things, it's always difficult to make the final cuts. The "Top 10" sort of makes itself. It's the records that I just put in the cd player and leave in there. If there's something on the record I tend to skip, it probably won't be in my Top 10. There are probably records in 10-20 that meet that criteria, too... This year, Broken Bells and Drive-by Truckers would probably fit that description. It's all pretty subjective, is what I guess I'm trying to say. I welcome, indeed I invite, your comments and your personal lists of favorites. Try to post them in the "comments" section. If that doesn't work send me an email and I'll try to create a post with all the submissions I get.

I'm posting links to the official websites (or Myspace pages if the artist doesn't appear to have an official site). If you can't find these discs in a local store (check the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) and Alliance of Independent Music Stores (AIMS) links -- also available on the sidebar to the right), try to buy them via the artists' website... seems like the right way to thank all these acts for all this great music they gave us in 2010.

1. Los Lobos - Tin Can Trust. This was my favorite album of 2010. Los Lobos has been making great American rock music for about 30 years, and they usually make my top 20 list, but I don't recall the last time they had my top record. It's about time, probably. David Hidalgo is as good a soul vocalist as we have nowadays, and every song is well-written and played, but what made this record jump to the top of my list is the lead guitar interplay on songs like "Bridges Burning", a composition by Cesar Rosas and Jerry Garcia's old writing partner Robert Hunter. Los Lobos Website

2. Jim Lauderdale - Patchwork River. Speaking of Robert Hunter, this is the second wonderful collection of Americana sketches by Lauderdale and Robert Hunter. Jim Lauderdale is a musical treasure in every way: as a writer, collaborator (in addition to Hunter, he's recorded two full albums with Ralph Stanley and various other acts through the years) and a great bluegrass and straight country singer. Jim Lauderdale Website

3. Retribution Gospel Choir - 2. Here's another one with great guitar playing throughout, and some moments that truly approach Crazy Horse in intensity. Alan Sparhawk (of Low) is the leader of this band, and he obviously wanted an outlet for his rock guitar tendencies. Retribution Gospel Choir Website

4. Robert Pollard - We All Got Out of the Army. The best Pollard disc of the year was released in February and it confirms his preeminence in at least three of the four P's: pop, prog and psych, with echos of some of the best GbV power pop records and precursors like David Bowie ("Faster to Babylon"). Robert Pollard Website

5. Steve Wynn and the Miracle 3 - Northern Aggression. I've always enjoyed the wild guitar playing on Wynn's work with Miracle 3, but he's channelling Verlaine and Lloyd on some of the songs here. I'm not kidding... this is an incredible rock record. Steve Wynn Website

6. Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul. This is really an amazing piece of work, and I look forward to seeing the visual part of the project... just as an album, Dark Night is in my top 5. RIP Mark Linkous... he was really one of my favorites, year after year. Dark Night of the Soul Website

7. Henry Clay People - Somewhere On the Golden Coast. Only two P's (punk and pop), but a lot of fun. "Working Part Time" is so good, I don't mind them remaking a song from their first album ("This Ain't a Scene"). Probably not too many people ever got hold of that one anyway... Henry Clay People Website

8. Black Keys - Brothers. Starting from the same heavy blues base as their previous records, they expand into some soul and psych, and do it very well, as usual. Black Keys Website

9. Citay - Dream Get Together. Great, great guitar work on this record. This band makes psychedelic rock with a level of acoustic and electric guitar interplay you don't hear very often. Citay Website

10. Boston Spaceships - Our Cubehouse Still Rocks. Robert Pollard's second entry in my personal Top Ten. This, like the other Boston Spaceships discs, is very catchy and enjoyable while offering enough Pollard quirkiness to keep it interesting. Favorite song title: "John the Dwarf Wants to Become An Angel". Maybe my favorite song, too. Boston Spaceships Website

11. Tame Impala - Innerspeaker. Australian rock band, heavy on the psychedelic content, with great guitars and long songs. Tame Impala Website

12. Broken Bells - Broken Bells. Getting away from guitar-based rock just a bit, this record combined the writing and singing of James Mercer (Shins) with the backdrop of some more impeccable Dangermouse playing and production. Broken Bells Website

13. Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo. Spent the first couple of weeks I had this record trying to put two and two together regarding its influences: Shins, Wilco? Certainly I'd recommend it to anyone who's enjoyed the direction of the last couple of Wilco records. Avi Buffalo Website

14. Beach Fossils - Beach Fossils. Primitive guitar rock with partially-obscured vocals and catchy tunes. Lo-fi heaven, pretty much. Beach Fossils Myspace

15. Drive-by Truckers - The Big To-Do. DBT continue to rock hard and break your heart, sometimes at the same time. Usually at the same time. Drive-By Truckers Website

16. Steve Mason - Boys Outside. Slick Northern Soul meets high quality prog rock with electronic leanings. Mason and the members of the Aliens are former members of Beta Band, and it's one of those breakups, like Uncle Tupelo's, that yields at least two good new acts. Steve Mason Website

17. Best Coast - Crazy for You. Yeah, it sounds like the songs are all about the same stuff, but so what? This is the kind of catchy pop/rock you just find yourself enjoying and forgetting... and that's not a bad thing. Best Coast Website

18. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - I Learned the Hard Way. From horn-driven funk to sweet soul music, this band can do it all and Sharon Jones is one of the strongest bandleaders working today. Seriously, what is not to love about this band? Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings Website

19. Ty Segall - Melted. More surf rock-inspired lo-fi fun. I applaud the rise of this stuff... twisted step-grandchildren of Dick Dale? Ty Segall Myspace

20. Budos Band - Budos Band III. It's not new ground they're plowing, but somehow they keep their music sounding fresh (at least to me). The horns and the beat are the highlights, but I like the keyboards and guitars as well. If you liked old funk outfits like the Meters and the stuff uncovered by Egon on The Funky 16 Corners, definitely give these folks a try. They're making this excellent classic funk RIGHT NOW.Budos Band Website


Honorable Mentions (I really liked these a lot, and hated to leave them off a "Best of" list, so consider them #20 A through K)
Neil Young - Le Noise
Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
Cee-Lo Green - The Ladykiller
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
Robert Pollard - Moses on a Snail
Wild Nothing - Gemini
Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
Centro-matic - Eyas
(To clarify, this is on Honorable Mentions only because it's an EP of outtakes - a full Centro-Matic album is due out in early 2011)
High Dials - Anthems for Doomed Youth
Radio Dept - Clinging to a Scheme
A Viberatto - A
Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit
Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Rush to Relax
Fresh & Onlys - Play it Strange

2009 Releases I discovered in 2010:

The Mantles - The Mantles
Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth
Desolation Wildnerness - New Universe

Paste Magazine Top 50 Albums of 2010

Is it just me or does their top 5 seem, sort of, "music critic generic"? Who am I to say, I'm not even able to tell you why I like most of the stuff I like... There's definitely some good writing in here, and they definitely survey a wide variety and large quantity of material to come up with their final lists.

Top 5:

1. LCD Soundsystem, This is Happening
2. Janell Monae, The ArchAndroid
3. Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More
4. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
5. Titus Andronicus, The Monitor

Link: Paste Top 50 Albums of 2010

No Depression 2010 Poll Results: Readers' Poll and ND Blogger Favorites

Here are the final results of the various No Depression magazine polls.

Top Five in readers' poll:

1. Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues
2. Alejandro Escovedo - Street Songs of Love
3. Peter Wolf - Midnight Souvenirs
4. Drive By Truckers – The Big To Do
5. John Mellencamp – No Better Than This

Explanations and lists at this link:

LINK: No Depression Polls

Indie Surfer Top 10 of 2010

Indie Surfer is a blog I discovered this year. I think I came across it via Google Reader, and am glad it showed up. I've discovered several worthwhile new acts through posts on Indie Surfer, and am happy to post the link in the "Music Info Sites" sidebar to the right...

Top Five from their site:

1. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
2. Titus Adronicus - The Monitor
3. Wolf Parade - EXPO 86
4. The Black Keys - Brothers
5. The National - High Violet

Here is a link to their top 10: Indie Surfer Top 10 of 2010

Merry Christmas... Grandaddy, "Alan Parsons in a Winter Wonderland"

Bucketfull of Brains Top 10 (or so)

Brought to my attention by the great JD... thanks, and you're right this is well-written and tasteful.

Top Five:

John Grant: Queen of Denmark
Steve Wynn and the Miracle 3: Northern Aggression
Black Mountain: Wildnerness Heart
Colorama: Box
Roky Erikson with Okkervil River: True Love Cast Out All Evil

LINK: Bucketfull of Brains Top 10 of 2010

Grimey's Staff Picks for 2010

Great folks at Grimey's, and they have helped me discover so much great music over the last dozen or so years... As with all such lists, it's fun to see who you're in line with, then look for other records on that person's list that you might not know about but want to check out.

Top Five by Mike "Grimey" Grimes, co-owner (and the only staff member who ranked his records):

1. Black Keys 'Brothers'
2. Metallica 'Live At Grimey's'
3. Avi Buffalo
4. Beach House 'Teen Dream'
5. Silver Seas 'Chateau Revenge'

LINK: Grimey's Staff 2010 Picks

Did your local independent record store publish their staff's 2010 picks? Please tell me about it in the comments. I think keeping these folks in business is one of the best things we can do for the future of independent music and musicians.

Metacritic Listing of Critics' Top Tens with Links...

Metacritic scans reviews of music, movies, TV shows, games, etc and assigns a relative score to the reviews that don't give scores, and translates scores (like three out of five stars) to a 1-100 scale, then collects them and gives an average on that scale.

This link is to the individual critics' top tens. The bias is toward "published" critics (i.e., newspaper and recognized media outlets) so there is definitely more representation of big records like Kanye West, but maybe all these people really like that record that much and listen to it all the time. Maybe.

The scorecard which indicates what most of these people liked the most:

1. Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
2. Arcade Fire: The Suburbs
3. LCD Soundsystem: This is Happening
4. Janell Monae: The ArchAndroid
5. The National: High Violet

My best use of these things is usually to try to find someone who likes what I like, and see if there's anything on their list I haven't heard yet. Enjoy, explore and feel free to discuss...

LINK: Metacritic.com Music Critic 2010 Top Ten Lists

All Music Loves 2010: Allmusic.com Reviewers' 2010 Lists

Have usually found at least a few allmusic.com reviewers I could get in sync with (Erlewine was one of them, but his 2010 list is kinda... interesting). There's probably something for everybody, but like the best of these kinds of things, they are combinations of longtime favorites and "Hey look at this cool thing I heard this year!" that I like on year end lists...

Here is the overall list, I suppose a compendium or distillation of all the individual lists:

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Beach House – Teen Dream
Best Coast – Crazy for You
Betty and the Werewolves – Teatime Favourites
Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles (II)
Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Rush to Relax
Field Music – Field Music (Measure)
Glasser – Ring
Grass Widow – Past Time
Happy Birthday – Happy Birthday
Harlem – Hippies
Zach Hill – Face Tat
How to Dress Well – Love Remains
Kisses – The Heart of the Nightlife
LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
Liars – Sisterworld
The Limiñanas – The Limiñanas
LoneLady – Nerve Up
Magic Kids – Memphis
Male Bonding – Nothing Hurts
MGMT – Congratulations
Mi Ami – Steal Your Face
The Morning Benders – Big Echo
Octopus Project – Hexadecagon
Of Montreal – False Priest
Perfume Genius – Learning
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today
The Radio Dept. – Clinging to a Scheme
Reporter – Time Incredible
Frankie Rose and the Outs – Frankie Rose and the Outs
The School – Loveless Unbeliever
School of Seven Bells – Disconnect from Desire
The Secret History – The World That Never Was
The Soft Pack – The Soft Pack
Sleigh Bells – Treats
Spoon – Transference
Marnie Stern – Marnie Stern
The Strange Boys – Be Brave
Tame Impala – Innerspeaker
Twin Shadow – Forget
Vampire Weekend – Contra
The Walkmen – Lisbon

And here's the link to the blog entry containing all the individual reviewers' lists.

LINK: AllMusic Loves 2010

KEXP DJ's Top 10 Lists

Discovered a lot of good new stuff listening to their "Music That Matters" and Song of the Day podcasts, and see a lot of familiar names on these lists. Funny how popular Tame Impala's Innerspeaker is with these folks and the folks at KCRW, but it didn't appear on the magazine lists...

LINK: KEXP DJ Top 10's

KCRW DJ's 2010 Top 10 Lists

KCRW has some good podcasts, and their DJ's have some interesting year end lists. Follow the link to see the individual lists...j

I don't see an overall Top 10 or 20, but if there is one, surely Black Keys, Arcade Fire and Tame Impala will be on it. I really like what I've heard of that Tame Impala disc, too...

LINK: KCRW DJ 2010 Top 20 Lists

MAGNET Magazine Top 20 of 2010

Magnet does a nice job with indie and power pop (note the inclusion of Superchunk and Teenage Fanclub, hardly critics' darlings at this late date, but still popular with music fans like the Magnet staff for their tuneful, consistent approach to rock music). I have a weakness for them because they'll still include something by the Fading Captain on their year end list (this year it's the Boston Spaceships' Our Cubehouse Still Rocks).

Top Five:

1. Beach House: Teen Dream
2. Arcade Fire: Suburbs
3. The National: High Violet
4. Broken Bells: Broken Bells
5. Superchunk: Majesty Shredding

LINK: MAGNET Magazine Top 20 of 2010

Crawdaddy Magazine: Top 50 of 2010

Crawdaddy, the venerable music magazine, has apparently revived itself online. This looks like a great source of information and reviews, and it's connected with Wolfgang's Vault and the amazing session site Daytrotter.

All in all, a very good list although I must admit I just don't "get" The National:

Top five:

1. The National: High Violet
2. Future Islands: In Evening Air
3. Beach House: Teen Dream
4. Arcade Fire: Suburbs
5. Beach Fossils: Beach Fossils

Link: Crawdaddy Top 50 of 2010

NPR Listeners' Poll: Top 100 of 2010

NPR's All Songs Considered Poll is a huge affair, encompassing tens of thousands of votes and every genre (but clearly tending toward indie or college rock). Top five:

Arcade Fire: The Suburbs
Black Keys: Brothers
The National: High Violet
Mumford & Son: Sigh No More
Broken Bells: Broken Bells

Here's a link to the list, with one song per disc available for listen, of the final top 100:

LINK: NPR Listeners' Top 100

And here's a link to their total year end coverage, which gets into the critics' lists and various genres:

LINK: NPR All Songs Considered 2010 Year End Coverage

No Depression 2010 Readers' Poll

One of the things I like about year end polls is discovering discs I might have overlooked. The No Depression poll always yields an interesting list. No Depression has always billed itself as the magazine for "Alt Country (Whatever That Is)", so the readership tends toward folk-based music and has always really favored certain artists: Peter Case, Alejandro Escovedo, Dave Gleason for example... but the readers also have varied tastes, so you'll see a Teenage Fanclub, Guided by Voices, or other tuneful pop/rock from time to time.

You can vote if you want, just have to sign up for an account. You can log in with your Google or Facebook accounts if you want. They've been through the initial submission round. This list consists of everything that got more than three mentions in that round.

LINK: No Depression Readers Poll

They Are Coming to Nashville... GbV, "My Kind of Soldier"

Yes, GbV is coming to Nashville on their (fortunately extended) Reunion Tour: January 14. Thank you, Bob!



...maybe Beatle Bob will make the trek from St. Louis...

Retribution Gospel Choir: "Your Bird" from RGC 2

I'm slowly but surely putting together a top 20 list, and this may top the list. It's at worst top 5... an amazing record. Using "Crazy Horse-like" as an adjective is the surest way to get me to check out some music, if it is for you as well, then check this thing out. Maybe the best guitars I have heard on a record this year.



Website: Retribution Gospel Choir

Centro-matic: "Patience for the Ride"

From Fort Recovery:



Will recently did a guest editor spot with magnetmagazine.com (looks like they stopped publishing, but there's a lot of good stuff on their website):
Will Johnson Guest Editor on Magnet Magazine and they also have a Q&A with him: Will Johnson Q&A at Magnet Magazine.

Frankie Rose and the Outs: "Candy"

From the self-titled album released in September... this is real good, it's going on my lo-fi garage pop playlist with Best Coast, Mantles, Ty Segall, Wavves, Beach Fossils...



Website: Frankie Rose Myspace

Grass Widow: "Fried Egg"

Nice punk and pop with harmony vocals. Album is Past Time, apparently came out in late summer...



Website: Grass Widow on killrockstars

Tame Impala: "Solitude is Bliss" from Innerspeaker

Good psych rock from Australian band Tame Impala. Currently on tour in the Western US (website link below).



Daytrotter session: Tame Impala on Daytrotter

Band website: Tame Impala

Bear in Heaven: "You Do You"

Got this on a recommendation, like it very much. Here's a live clip of a song from their most recent disc, Beast Rest Forth Mouth. Recommended. A double disc with remixes was recently released, you should be able to find it at your local music store or at the website below...



Website: Bear in Heaven

Citay: "Careful With That Hat" from Dream Get Together

One of the best things I heard in 2010, from one of the best albums... They're really putting a lot of good things together: psychedelic, yeah, but with some great melody. And the guitars: rhythm, lead, it's all very good.

Old Stuff Friday: The Band - "King Harvest" and "Long Black Veil"

Great footage, great songs... Makes me wonder how much more great unreleased Band material there might be, even beyond the 2005 box set A Musical History...



Website for A Musical History: thebandmusic.net

Website for the Band and individual members' projects: theband.hiof.no

Jimi Hendrix: "Bold as Love", Instrumental from 1967

There's a new compilation of unreleased Hendrix material, West Coast Seattle Boy. I didn't realize there was a box set, just got the single cd, it has a nice home recording of "Tears of Rage" and some other good moments... but this is actually from the box set Jimi Hendrix Experience, the purple box set that came out several years ago... and is one of the most amazing things I have ever heard.



Website: JimiHendrix.com

Retribution Gospel Choir: "Hide it Away"

Features Alan Sparhawk of Low, but this definitely rocks more than anything I've heard from Low... They're on Sub Pop, and their second album, Retribution Gospel Choir 2, came out in January 2010.



Website: Retribution Gospel Choir

Dry and Heavy: "Less is More"

If someone told you there was such a thing as Japanese dub, what would you think? Well, you don't have to wonder any more... Of course, Dry and Heavy is the name of an album by the great Burning Spear.

Discovered this about 10 years ago, have enjoyed it ever since. There are live videos of them playing Hawaiian rock festivals, but apparently they aren't recording anymore... at least not as a group.

If you like reggae or dub, highly recommended.

The High Dials: "The Holy Ground" and Anthems for Doomed Youth

This video is to a song from their previous disc War of the Wakening Phantoms, which was very high on psych content and terrific. This is a real good band...



They've got a new disc out: Anthems for Doomed Youth. Just heard a track and look forward to getting this one. On Rainbow Quartz, great psych/power pop label.

Here's a preview track off the new disc, from their website:

What You Call Love Is A Lie by The High Dials

Website: TheHighDials.net

Wow and Flutter: "The Puget Sound"

Heard this on KEXP, and I have to say that it is new to me even though it appears they've been around quite a while. Even if I had heard this band before, they did not make the proper impression... so I've got some good music to discover, apparently. New album is Equilibrio!



Website: Wow and Flutter

KEXP Song of the Day Feature: Wow and Flutter: "The Puget Sound" Live on KEXP

Black Mountain: "Stormy High" and "The Hair Song"

Live video from "nuflicks.de" posted at Youtube. Their latest record is Wilderness Heart... second video is a song from that record, which came out in September.

Stormy High:



The Hair Song:



I like this band. What's that "They're trying to sound like Led Zeppelin"? More bands should try to sound like Led Zeppelin.

Old Stuff Friday: I Like Guitars

Lead guitar, rhythm guitar, solos... I really enjoy good guitar playing. Hope you like these, too. But if you dislike solos, you might want to look away:

Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child



Funkadelic: Maggot Brain



Grateful Dead: Cumberland Blues



Stevie Ray Vaughn: Little Wing

j

Allman Brothers: In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, Whipping Post, Southbound

Christmas Island: "Blackout Summer"

San Diego band... their sound is not original, but it IS time-tested. Little bit of Jesus & Mary Chain, little bit of Feelies... good stuff. Plus they're on In the Red records (home of good garage/noise-rock bands like The Reigning Sound, Dirt Bombs, Vivian Girls, etc).

Last album is Blackout Summer, here's a live video of the title track:



Website: Christmas Island

The Mantles: "Situations/Disappearing Act"

Credit to "seetheleavesblog", which puts up a lot of good music... man, I really like this band.



Website: Mantles Myspace

Oranger: "Target You By Feel" and "Mike Love, Not War"

I wish this band was still recording... if anyone has any news about Oranger or its members, please spill it.



"Mike Love, Not War" is the first song I ever heard by Oranger... something led me to pick up the disc Doorway to Norway, most likely a review in Pop Culture Press.

Guided by Voices: "Titus and the Strident Wet Nurse"

From a 2001 show...



Also recommended, stonedcomedianringo's YouTube channel: stonedcomedianringo

The Soft Pack: "C'mon"

San Diego indie rock/punk band, looks like this came out early in 2010. What I've heard I like, and the folks at Grimey's all appear to like it a lot...

THE SOFT PACK "C'mon" MUSIC VIDEO from VIDEOTHING.COM on Vimeo.

Website: The Soft Pack Official Website

Sharon Van Etten: "One Day"

Static video with lyrics in the comments. She's got a striking sound, but none of the live videos did justice to it, I thought...



Here's a live in-studio performance from KEXP...

KEXP 90.3 FM - Live Performance: Sharon Van Etten on 11/10/2010

Website: Sharon Van Etten

Old Stuff Friday: More Cowbell Edition (aka The King Size Electric Institute)

I got a fever, and the only prescription...

Tito Puente, "Oye Como Va"



Chambers Brothers, "Time Has Come Today"

j

Wilco, "Casino Queen"



Guided by Voices, "Rhine Jive Click"

Jeff the Brotherhood: "Heavy Days"

Couple of brothers from Nashville, getting some good press all over the place these days. Here are a couple of videos from thetripwire.com.

Acoustic, at home (love the throwback Sounds cap):



Live, plugged in:



These guys rock pretty hard. One of Nashville's finest rock acts.

Website: Jeff the Brotherhood Myspace

Shellshag: "Resilient Bastard"

Sounds good, sounds real good. Found via Indie Surferblog...

Here's the video:



Website: http://www.starcleaner.com/

Guided by Voices: "Game of Pricks"

Live in Detroit, 10/30/10 on the current GBV Classic Lineup Reunion Tour. Striped pants and all...



Website: http://robertpollard.net/

Buddy Guy: Living Proof

Buddy's got a new album out: Living Proof, and what I've heard so far sounds great... here are two videos:

"Best Damn Fool," live in 2009:



"Stay Around a Little While," with BB King (from the new album):



Website: http://www.buddyguy.net/

Vox Von Braun: "Julia"

Pretty good rock band from Netherlands. Of the four P's, they hit on three (psych, pop, punk). Currently playing with Teenage Fanclub and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club over there later in November, that should help them with exposure... anyone who likes those two better-known bands should give these folks at try. This song is from their album Something Ain't Wrong, and I heard them on an old KEXP podcast.



Website: Vox Von Braun Myspace

Old Stuff Friday: Friends of Tom Dowd

One of the greatest documentaries ever made is Tom Dowd and the Language of Music. Tom's career in music is truly amazing. From the Wikipedia biographical entry:

"Dowd took a job at a classical music recording studio until he obtained employment at Atlantic Records. His first hit was Eileen Barton's "If I Knew You Were Comin', I'd Baked a Cake." He soon became a top recording engineer there and recorded popular artists such as Ray Charles, The Drifters, The Coasters, Ruth Brown and Bobby Darin, including Darin's famous rendition of Kurt Weill/Bertolt Brecht's "Mack the Knife". He captured jazz masterpieces by John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker. It was Dowd's idea to cut Ray Charles' recording of "What'd I Say" into two parts and release them as the A-side and B-side of the same single record.

Dowd worked as an engineer and producer from the 1940s until the beginning of the 21st century. He recorded albums by many artists including Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Derek and the Dominos, Rod Stewart, Wishbone Ash, Cream, Lulu, Chicago, The Allman Brothers Band, Joe Bonamassa, The J. Geils Band, Meat Loaf, Sonny & Cher, The Rascals, Willie Nelson, Diana Ross, Kenny Loggins, James Gang, Dusty Springfield, Eddie Harris, Charles Mingus, Herbie Mann, Booker T. and the MGs, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and Joe Castro.[3] Dowd received a Grammy Trustees Award for his lifetime achievements in February 2002."

A few of Tom's musical colleagues:

John Coltrane: Naima



Ruth Brown: Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean



Ray Charles: What'd I Say?



Allman Brothers: Whipping Post



Lynyrd Skynyrd: Free Bird



Website: Tom Dowd and the Language of Music

Gregg Allman: "Come and Go Blues"

Very excited about the forthcoming album Low Country Blues, due out mid January 2011... T Bone Burnett went through a huge stack of old blues songs, and he and Gregg selected an album's worth. Especially excited to hear Gregg cover Skip James. I was reminded of this, one of my favorite Allman Bros. songs:



I could listen to them all day.

Website: Gregg Allman

Radio Dept: Heaven's On Fire

From their 2010 release Clinging to a Scheme.



Website: The Radio Dept

Walking Concert: "Audrey"

Singer/songwriter for this band is Walter Schreifels, who used to be in Rival Schools and Quicksand. This is a real good song from a real good album, Run To Be Born, released in 2004. Check it out...



Walter's blog is pretty well-written, if you like that sort of thing: Walter Schreifels Blog