Important facts to know: (1)I'm generally not up on new music. (2)I am prone to listening ruts, and often, (3)a band's first release remains my all-time favorite.
That being said, these are the ten bands/albums I spent the most time listening to within the last year or so, to the best of my THC-addled recollection (in no particular sequence).
1) The Love Language: Libraries - I stumbled upon these guys by accident when they played a show at New World Brewery for about ten people. They are a five-piece wall of sound, and Stuart McLamb's vocals tie all the instruments together with a thick gold rope. (You know, the kind with tassels on the ends.) His lyrics are intelligent, but not pretentious, and they evoke tangible emotion in the listener. This album flows beautifully from beginning to end, and should definitely be experienced as a whole.
2) The Ergs!: Their whole catalog, but mostly Dorkrockcorkrod - I first fell in nerd-love with Mikey Erg during a pre-Fest show a few years ago. The Ergs had somehow escaped my radar until then, and I'm bummed I never got to see them as a full band. However, Mike puts on a fucking solid solo show, and I see him every time he comes to Tampa. The lyrics are simple and true, sung with raw emotion and tinged with whiskey. The melodies are catchy, but not sugary, and they complement Mike's voice perfectly. "Pray For Rain" and "Everything Falls Apart (and More)" get stuck in my head on the regular, and it puts me in a good mood.
3) Sundowner: We Chase the Waves - I still can't believe none of my so-called friends told me there was a second Sundowner album! I was over a year late to the party on this one. This is Chris McCaughan's side project; he's also part of The Lawrence Arms, one of my favorite bands. I'm always scared of sophomore releases, especially if I really dug the first album. This one, however, was a solid hit for me. McCaughan's voice is husky and honest and wise beyond its years, and his lyrics are deeply expressive. He covers a wide range of topics on this album, and to me, it paints a picture of all the elements that make up a man's daily life. The main difference between this album and the first one is the development of instrumentation. On this album, the melodies tell just as much of the story as the lyrics do, giving the album a more full sound.
4) Paul Baribeau: his whole catalog - Just a guy and a guitar, but holy shit! He's so much more than that. His melodies evoke kids running through a meadow, darting between shady trees and sunny spots. He talks a lot about love, both the wonder and the heartbreak, in a brutally honest way. I feel a little embarrassed when listening to some of Baribeau's songs because of the absolute raw emotion he displays. I consider that to be a great thing.
5) Alkaline Trio: Damnesia - For those of you who know me, this is a no-brainer. For those of you who I've given comps to over the last year, you know I put Olde English 800 on a bunch of them. And those of you who knew me when I was 17 know why, haha. I really dig this album. It took me a few rotations to get into it, but I really appreciate the "second look" at these songs. The overall album is more subdued than past records, and shows the maturation of the band as a whole. The production level on this album is right where it needs to be, and I can't wait to see what these guys do next. I still listen to the first record all the time, though.
6) We Were Promised Jetpacks: These Four Walls & In the Pit of the Stomach - I flew to Chicago in November to see these guys, and I get to see them again April 2nd in Tampa. They are another wall-of-sound band, but with Scottish accents! Their melodies are complex, constantly in a state of motion. It's what I imagine riding a tiny roller coaster through someone's blood vessels would feel like. The lyrical topics range from the concrete to the cosmic, and Adam's voice goes from a gentle whisper to a full-on banshee yell. If you ever get the chance to see them live, do it.
7) The Strugglers: The Latest Rights - This is a beautiful album, and the violin work within is amazing. The melodies are light and airy, but with an undertone of the world-weariness that comes with the passage of time. The lyrics convey the heavier end of the melody in words, the theme often revolving around moving from one phase of life on to another. This is a great front porch record for a sunset, and it complements cool breezes nicely.
8) Cheap Girls: Find Me a Drink Home - Yes, I know they've released two albums since this one, and I have them both, and they're amazing. But I can't stop listening to this one! The first time I heard Cheap Girls, I immediately decided they sounded like The Lemonheads if Evan Dando had more balls, less heroin/more cocaine, and a distortion pedal. I love their sound! It's raw and driven, and prone to explosions. Somehow, Graham's voice holds tight over all of it. I've seen them a handful of times now, and I'll be seeing them again on April 12th in Orlando. Wouldn't miss it for the world!
9) Delta Spirit: Ode to Sunshine - This album was my soundtrack to everything for about two months straight. Housecleaning, painting, driving, working, etc. The first track, Tomorrow Goes Away, is so Beatles-esque that I Googled the shit out of it to see if it was a cover. From there, we go into that familiar Delta Spirit sound, which resides somewhere among the mountains, the bayou, and the cornfields. Streetwalker is a particular highlight on this album, and it took about a month of dancing around my kitchen to it before I realized it was about kids being put into prostitution. Well played, guys.
10) Greenland is Melting: Where Were We - Bluegrass + Punk = Rad, and these guys have achieved a perfect balance. Intense vocal harmonies and songs about zombies make this album highly addictive. The instrumentation is well-balanced and the songs flow smoothly across the record as a whole. Their lyrics tell vivd stories and speak wise truths. I'm seriously in love with track eleven, Hogtown Creek.
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