My 2019 Albums of the Year. Always love this thread. Have at it, folks.
10. Whiskey Myers S/T. A huge step forward for these guys. Previously I had thought of them as a fun, but fairly shallow Southern rock revivalist group. The songwriting hits greater depths here, especially the stellar "Rolling Stone". They still rock hard as hell, too. Especially "Bury My Bones" which features a guitar solo straight of Jason Isbell-era Drive-By Truckers.
9. Flatland Cavalry Homeland Insecurity. The heir apparent to the Turnpike Troubadours, Flatland Cavalry's second full album showed a huge leap forward. Cleto Cordero is rounding into a hell of a songwriter in his own right, and the band is tight as hell. They tread lighter ground than their obvious aforementioned influence, and occupy a more sensitive vein, which ultimately render it something slightly less to my ears. "My heart was beatin' like a bully on the smallest in our class" is one of my favorite lyrics of the year.
8. The Hold Steady Thrashing Thru the Passion. Terrible title, great album. Not much to say here, other than THS is back. Clearly influenced and inspired by Craig Finn's solo work, the band is having more fun than they have in years. Twin guitars, Franz Nicolai's stellar keys, Finn being Finn. The coda to "Blackout Sam" is something else.
7. Chris Knight Almost Daylight. Chris Knight is back after the better part of the decade, and it's worth the weight. Nothing really new here, just his update on the state of the world as he sees it in 2019. "Send It on Down" with Leann Womack and "Go On" are highlights here.
6. Jenny Lewis On The Line. Merging Rumours-era Mac and classic 80's Petty, Lewis makes the best record of her career. The subject matter dives straight into some of her more well known personal struggles as a former child star. "Wasted Youth" is probably my favorite here, but the entire album is a home run exercise in resurrecting the aforementioned sounds, and making it seem completely fresh.
5. Mike & The Moonpies Cheap Silver & Solid Country Gold. This is probably the coolest sounding record I heard all year. They take their cosmic honky tonk to Abbey Road, drench it in wild string arrangements, and the results are incredible. The only reason this doesn't rate higher is a handful of forgettable songs on a short (8 songs) record that features a cover (Gary P. Nunn's "London Homesick Blues"). But where this lands, holy **** it lands. "Danger" is my song of the year, and the coda here is absolutely sublime. These guys are onto something big.
4. Tyler Childers. Country Squire. A smaller affair than his 2017 debut, this one pushes the raw, lean bluegrass/country of his first record into funkier, more cosmic territory. Split between intense character studies (Creeker; Matthew) and ruminations on love (All Your'n; House Fire), his ascendance through the country/Americana/whatever world seems academic at this point.
3. Sturgill Simpson Sound & Fury. Strip away all the ********, and hype, and what you have is a staggering, bad ass, rock and roll record. In an era where that is becoming an increasingly rare thing, it deserves to be celebrated. Fastest Horse in Town is the pinnacle of this guitar and synth driven shredfest. "Make Art, Not Friends" is the danceable centerpiece manifesto.
2. The Yawpers Human Question. One of the most exciting rock bands going continues to push the envelope. From snarling punk (Child of Mercy), blistering funk rock (Earn Your Heaven), soul (Carry Me), and Westerberg-ian anthems (Can't Wait), Nate Cook and Jesse Parmet continue to prove that rock and roll still rocks.
1. Todd Snider Cash Cabin Sessions Vol. 3. Possibly the best songwriter going today. This is typically brilliant Snider fare, veering between his biting, sarcastic tear downs of modern day America (The Blues on Banjo; Talking Reality Television Blues) and gut wrenchingly personal introspection in the fallout of his divorce (Like A Force of Nature; Watering Flowers in the Rain). "Watering Flowers in the Rain" is the most moving song I've heard from anyone in a long time.
10. Whiskey Myers S/T. A huge step forward for these guys. Previously I had thought of them as a fun, but fairly shallow Southern rock revivalist group. The songwriting hits greater depths here, especially the stellar "Rolling Stone". They still rock hard as hell, too. Especially "Bury My Bones" which features a guitar solo straight of Jason Isbell-era Drive-By Truckers.
9. Flatland Cavalry Homeland Insecurity. The heir apparent to the Turnpike Troubadours, Flatland Cavalry's second full album showed a huge leap forward. Cleto Cordero is rounding into a hell of a songwriter in his own right, and the band is tight as hell. They tread lighter ground than their obvious aforementioned influence, and occupy a more sensitive vein, which ultimately render it something slightly less to my ears. "My heart was beatin' like a bully on the smallest in our class" is one of my favorite lyrics of the year.
8. The Hold Steady Thrashing Thru the Passion. Terrible title, great album. Not much to say here, other than THS is back. Clearly influenced and inspired by Craig Finn's solo work, the band is having more fun than they have in years. Twin guitars, Franz Nicolai's stellar keys, Finn being Finn. The coda to "Blackout Sam" is something else.
7. Chris Knight Almost Daylight. Chris Knight is back after the better part of the decade, and it's worth the weight. Nothing really new here, just his update on the state of the world as he sees it in 2019. "Send It on Down" with Leann Womack and "Go On" are highlights here.
6. Jenny Lewis On The Line. Merging Rumours-era Mac and classic 80's Petty, Lewis makes the best record of her career. The subject matter dives straight into some of her more well known personal struggles as a former child star. "Wasted Youth" is probably my favorite here, but the entire album is a home run exercise in resurrecting the aforementioned sounds, and making it seem completely fresh.
5. Mike & The Moonpies Cheap Silver & Solid Country Gold. This is probably the coolest sounding record I heard all year. They take their cosmic honky tonk to Abbey Road, drench it in wild string arrangements, and the results are incredible. The only reason this doesn't rate higher is a handful of forgettable songs on a short (8 songs) record that features a cover (Gary P. Nunn's "London Homesick Blues"). But where this lands, holy **** it lands. "Danger" is my song of the year, and the coda here is absolutely sublime. These guys are onto something big.
4. Tyler Childers. Country Squire. A smaller affair than his 2017 debut, this one pushes the raw, lean bluegrass/country of his first record into funkier, more cosmic territory. Split between intense character studies (Creeker; Matthew) and ruminations on love (All Your'n; House Fire), his ascendance through the country/Americana/whatever world seems academic at this point.
3. Sturgill Simpson Sound & Fury. Strip away all the ********, and hype, and what you have is a staggering, bad ass, rock and roll record. In an era where that is becoming an increasingly rare thing, it deserves to be celebrated. Fastest Horse in Town is the pinnacle of this guitar and synth driven shredfest. "Make Art, Not Friends" is the danceable centerpiece manifesto.
2. The Yawpers Human Question. One of the most exciting rock bands going continues to push the envelope. From snarling punk (Child of Mercy), blistering funk rock (Earn Your Heaven), soul (Carry Me), and Westerberg-ian anthems (Can't Wait), Nate Cook and Jesse Parmet continue to prove that rock and roll still rocks.
1. Todd Snider Cash Cabin Sessions Vol. 3. Possibly the best songwriter going today. This is typically brilliant Snider fare, veering between his biting, sarcastic tear downs of modern day America (The Blues on Banjo; Talking Reality Television Blues) and gut wrenchingly personal introspection in the fallout of his divorce (Like A Force of Nature; Watering Flowers in the Rain). "Watering Flowers in the Rain" is the most moving song I've heard from anyone in a long time.
