10 Jimmer Podrasky- The Would Be Plans
If you were to have spot checked my music collection intermittently over the past two decades, there are only a handful of records that were always a part of my collection. The Rave Up's Chance was one of those records. To be fair though, I have always loved everything that Jimmer wrote and for years I have been asking what it was going to take for him to get another album out. Thank goodness that there were others who felt the same way. Finally in 2013, the former Rave Up's frontman released his first solo effort and it was worth the wait. In the downtime, Jimmer's sensibilities have converted from positively midwestern to a Zevon-ian grasp of the Los Angeles vibe. He is clearly a southern California guy now. Jimmer and LA are a match made in heaven as his songs can attest to. Life hasn't been easy but it has been eventful and now that Jimmer actually owns the sort of life experience and wisdom that his vocals have long suggested he had, the songs are more meaningful and lasting. Jimmer is a true talent and the kind that could only get lost in LA. He is an inspiration and a credit to the craft. The Would Be Plans will be a permanent addition to my music collection.
9 Dorado- Love, Hunger and Fear of Death
Jody Nelson played on my second record. It was like being in the room with Hunter S. Thompson. He was disturbingly quiet at times. On a dime, he would make a few comments and have the whole room in hysterics and then right back to withdrawn behind the sunglasses. When I first heard this record I thought that it was the perfect musical representation of his personality. Over time, the record really took on more meaning to me. Great songs, wildly divergent sounds and eclectic voicing. It is atmospheric and brooding. It is chock full of ear worms and Jody's voice is a throwback to the 80's New Wave frontmen doing their best to ape Bowie. It's fun.
8 John Moreland - In the Throes
I found myself buying this record after reading a comment about the overall lyrical quality it possessed. I think that I expected to be let down. I was not. To me, Moreland is what is missing in the Alt Country genre- the true outsider. He doesn't look like a musician, and he doesn't pretend like he does. There is something inspiring about the vulnerability in his songs. It rings true. He is displaced. He is uncomfortable and he wears his heart on the outside. I have never seem him live(rhymes with thrive) but i feel as thought I have heard him live. ( rhymes with give). I think I played this record as often as any other I bought this year. Lots of beauty and heartache to be found in these grooves.
7 Okkervil River- The Silver Gymnasium
I just read someone describing this record as generic. What in the fuck are you listening to? To me, this album represents Sheff's reconciliation with his true roots. The last few Okkervil records were really affected and I felt myself moving away from Will's music- feeling that the writing was an exercise in fiction and lacked the sort of raw and honest emotions of the first few. The record is a symbolic return home in more mays than one. Sheff is the master of assuming identities. I have been waiting for his to take front and center stage and it finally did so on this gem.
6 Doc Feldman and the LD 50- Sundowning at the Station
A few years back my friend James moved to Lexington and started raving about this guy he was playing with. He sent me some demos and even a split 7 that they recorded and none of it knocked me over, save the fella's voice which felt like the real thing- old timey Hank Williams with a bit of high and lonesome. That guy was Doc. This record languished for months before it clicked for me. It can lull you into complacency if you don't take the time to listen actively. The lyrical content is incredible but it sounds so sweet that it tempts you to settle for just the sound. I don't get all the comparisons that I have read but I do think that Doc is a singular talent. Thanks to the special TIAM people for lighting this bushel on fire.
5 Hiss Golden Messenger - Haw
I will be saving a top ten spot every year HGM puts out a record because for me he can do no wrong. I loved this record the same way I loved the last one. It is quirky, seventies nostalgia and new age bravado. It is a record that is too weird to have been made. Great stuff. A perfect soundtrack to a night at home. It's like Van Morrison reading Manson letters into your ears.
4 Jason Isbell- Southeastern
Nothing more need be written about this record. Yes it sounds like a Ryan Adams record. Yes it's his getting sober record. Yes Super 8 is out of place. It got spun more than any other record I own this year. Jason is of two minds - his recording career and his live performances. The two don't blend. And Southeastern established that they are both worth while.
3 Wooden Wand and BV- Blood Oaths of the New Blues
When I heard this for the first time, I told JJT that this was the completion of a project that he had begun way back with James the Quiet. It was the record that the last 3 hinted at. All those folks from Birmingham bought the vision and it shows. For my money, Outsider Blues and So Co Song are among the best lyrical efforts Jimmy Jack has penned. What I have always loved about James is his ability to make the mundane seem magical. His description of the road trip in Outsider Blues is emblematic of that. Everyday life is a muse if you let it be. For my money, James Toth is one of our best songwriters. I count myself lucky to have worked with him and to call him a friend. And someday, I will spin this for my son and proudly tell him that this is "our friend, James".
2 Bill Callahan - Dream River
Ever aspire to write a song? Then don't listen to Callahan. He will spoil it for you. The effortless sound in the perfectionists body that is Callahan/Smog completely destroys me. He is as singularly focused in the lyric and song as any artist I know but his efforts roll of his tongue as if they just dawned on him. This year, I have routinely put this on at night just to hear his voice in the darkness of the room and imagine him around a campfire telling his tales. We are living at the same time as a master songwriter in Callahan. He will loom large in the years to come as the body of his work finally is reckoned with. He is a genius living in a time when genius is thrown around much to lightly. This is the second best record he has ever made and it is soul crushing.
1 Baptist Generals - Jackleg Devotional to the Heart
Ten years of waiting and it was worth every second. I won't try to incapsulate this effort. It is beyond my capacity. Chris and friends outdid themselves. I will only say this - the collective sound and lyrical quality of this album is on par with NMH Aeroplane. It is that eclectic, revolutionary and inspired. This was my record of the year the moment that I heard it. Part Ginsburg's Howl, part Thompson's Fear and Loathing and part love letter to Dallas, this album could never be made again.....regardless of who tries.
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