Say what you will about life in the last couple years, but musically it’s been a creative delight. (Maybe that’s just more time to listen?) For the second year in a row I have a full top 10: ALBUMS 1975 — No-No Boy Melodic and memorable with a great story and purpose behind it (the…
Category: Music
Of The Year: 2020
In a strange and challenging year, we needed music to keep us sane more than ever. Somehow it came through in spades with a slew of stellar new releases and live(stream) shows in the new normal. ALBUMS 1. Nobody Lives Here Anymore — Cut WormsCut Worms wasn’t on my radar until Spencer Tweedy covered “Last…
Why I still love watching Nirvana Unplugged every April 8th
Pat Smear’s striped guitar Baby faced Dave Grohl All the cover songs The secret electric guitar on Man Who Sold the World Pennyroyal Tea (“Am I gonna do this…by myself?” and the disastrous duet with Pat during rehearsal in the extras that explains the exchange) The guy who looks like a burly Cliff Clavin in…
Of The Year — 2019
Albums Between the Country — Ian Noe Discovered this album via NPR First Listen on a whim (ala 2016’s top album) and never looked back. A perfect mix of folky songs spanning a number of emotions and influences while still holding together as part of their own refreshingly new voice. On the Line — Jenny…
Of The Year – 2018
Albums 1.Glorietta — GloriettaOh my! Another year, another supergroup on the top list. This one’s a little different with it being a supergroup where I wasn’t very familiar with any of the members beforehand outside of Wild Child — but their end results absolutely blew my mind. 2. Loner — Caroline RoseGreat record, great live show….
Of the Year – 2017
Commentary coming sooner or later… ALBUMS Resistance Radio: The Man in the High Castle Album — Various Life Will See You Now — Jens Lekman Colors — Beck Like a Drunk in a Midnight Choir: RSD Celebrates the Music of Leonard Cohen — Various St. Mojo — Sweet Spirit Salutations* — Conor Oberst SONGS Pamela…
Of the Year – 2016
ALBUMS 1. I Had a Dream That You Were Mine — Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam I love when my favorite album of the year comes out of nowhere. I listened to this on NPR first listen because I liked the title and Hamilton’s last name. And I pretty much haven’t stopped listening to it since….
SXSW 2016
3 Days + 1 Night. 19 Shows. 33 sets. 25 bands. So much fun. So glad it’s over until next year… Playlist below. One song per set in the order we saw the shows. (Multiple songs by the same band means I saw them multiple times. Smooth Hound Smith wins with 4 incredible sets — including…
Of The Year – 2015
My annual best of music list — which this year will hopefully not be among my only posts of the year. Albums 1. Sound & Color — Alabama Shakes No sophomore slump here. 2. Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit — Courtney Barnett Most anticipated album of the year (thanks, Bob…
Of The Year – 2014
For once I’m writing this at a not too unreasonable point after the end of the year in question, so no need for a backdated post inserted via time travel… 1. LILILIL — Benji Hughes I can’t think of another album in the last decade — if not ever — that leaves me with such a big…