best of 2010 – my list

so,  it is high time to sum up the best releases of 2010. there has been a lot of great music that has been released this year, so making a top list will not be easy. i am sure i have forgotten some really great albums. feel free to comment about the list and, even better, give me your own lists. as usual, most of the albums are in the folk/alt-country genre, so do not expect any commercial pop albums here.

And the winner is:

1. Doug Burr – O Ye Devastator. Out of nowhere, well at least to me, came Doug Burr and delivered what turned out to be the album of 2010. I wrote a review calling him a perfect mix of Ryan Adams and Joshua James. That still holds i my book. O Ye Devastator is such a great album. Songs like “Red, Red”, “A Black Wave is Comin'” and “You’ve Been a Suspect All Your Life” are just three examples of why this is the best album of 2010!

2. Ryan Bingham – Junky Star. This is yet another guy that has flown beneath my radar. I remember hearing about his debut album Mescalito a few years back buy never paid much attention to it. Junky Star however has completely blown me away. The voice. The sound of the guitar. The ability to always balance on the right side of folk and alt-country. Songs like “Hallelujah”, “The Poet” are great. Not to mention the bonus track, the amazing “The Weary Kind”.

3. Patrick Park – Come What Will. Another “late bloomer” so to say. This album has emerged as one of the contenders for the top spot. The main strength of this album is the melodies. Just listen to “Blackbird Through the Dark” and you will be hooked instantly. Patrick also has a unique voice and the ability to write songs that get stuck on your brain instantly. Be sure to check it out.

4. Sam Quinn – The Fake that Sunk a Thousand Ships. The major strength of this album is that it sounds great as an album. You put it on and you will not have to skip any tracks until it is over. It is a rare quality these days. There are some stand-out songs as well. “Gun” is a pretty amazing song. I love the melancholy sound of his voice. It fits the music perfectly and makes this into one of the most beautiful albums of the year.

5. American Bang – s/t. This album is very different from the majority of the other albums on this list. Here we are talking about blues influenced straight-forward rock n’ roll! I cannot really put my finger on why I love this album, but I think it is just a great sounding solid album, the voice of the singer is very nice. Have a listen to “Wild and Young”, it’s filled with such energy. That goes for the entire album as well. Do not miss this one.

6. Caitlin Rose – Own Side Now. Here we have a female singer/songwriter that stands out from many of the other. She does not have that “Sarah McLachlan”-type-of-voice that so many female artists tend to have. Nothing wrong with that, but what is the fun with everyone sounding like the next? This a little gem of an album. The genre could be described as indie-country. I love songs like the title track “Own Side Now” and “For the Rabbits”. The lyrics are smart and Caitlin delivers them in a nice way. She too manages to balance on the right side of alternative country, not going into the commercial field but more to the folk side of things. Great album!

7. Ryan Star – 11:59. Fans have waited for so long for this album to finally drop. When the EP arrived last year, the song “Last Train Home” completely blew me away. So expectations were extremely high on this album, and he sure does deliver. This is one of the strongest pop albums out there. Songs like “Last Train Home”, “Breathe”, and “Losing Your Memory” are just brilliant. Sure, the lyrics may be a bit cheesy sometimes, but do not let that stop you from checking this awesome album out.

8. Joe Purdy -This American. Joe Purdy’s second album of the year, and it was handed out for free (still is, throughout December). Where the first album, 4^th of July was a solid album, This American is where Joe Shines. More stripped down, mostly just guitar and vocals. More focus on Joe’s amazing voice. 15 songs strong, this album delivers from the first to the last track. Well worth getting, even more so since it is for free.

9. Christian Kjellvander – The Rough and the Rynge. Sweden’s best singer/songwriter releases his first album in 3 years. It might actually be his best effort since the amazing debut album “Songs from a Two-Room Chapel” back in 2002. I love this guy’s voice, and even more the mood of his albums. It is dark, yet his voice is warm so there is no risk that you end up too sad either. Lyrics wise, this guy is up there with the best. One of the best voices of Sweden has done it again!

10  Dylan LeBlanc – Paupers Field. Here is another young guy operating in the alt-country/folk genre. Amazing vocals and lovely guitar playing makes this one of the top albums of this year. Be sure that you do not miss “Emma Hartley”.

11  Jakob Dylan – Women + Country. Maybe the artist that has improved the most since his last album. My first review at Melodic.net was on Jakob Dylan’s first solo album. I thought it was a decent album, but not a great album. The songs tended to sound too much like each other and Jakob himself just sounded tired.  However, on Women + Country, he has managed to deliver a great album, the sound is more varied, and he sounds more inspired. Check out songs like “Nothing But The Whole Wild World”, “We don’t Live Here Anymore” and “Everybody’s Hurting”. Great work Mr Dylan!

12  Joe Pug – Messenger. This is another guy that I have not listened to very much in the past, but this album has got me hooked. It might take a while to get used to his voice, but once you do. The songs are strong and solid, great examples are “Sharpest Crown” and “The Door Was Always Open”. It is another one of those solid albums that you play from the start to the finish.

13 Rachael Sage – Delancey Street. The second female artist to make it onto this year’s list. This piano based singer/songwriter has made one of those “cozy” albums that you play and it instantly puts you in a good mood. “Hope’s Outpost” “Rich Girl” and “Meet Me in Vegas” are all smooth songs that will have you relaxed in no time. Well-polished pop songs with great vocals. Sometimes it is all it takes.

14. The Wilderness of Manitoba – When You Left the Fire. Another cozy album. The video for the song November actually has the group sitting playing in front of a camp fire. That is a good indication of the sound of this record. Lovely harmonies over acoustic guitar. Like a smoother version of Fleet Foxes. Another album that sounds great playing from start to the end, with the harmonies as the stand-out component. Said track “November” is great, and so is “St Petersburg”. Hell, all the songs on this album is great. Go check it out. Now!

15. Taddy Porter – s/t. The last album to make this year’s list is the self-titled album from blues rockers Taddy Porter. With a sound even more garage influenced than American Bang these guys have managed to deliver a great album. The sound of this album is nice and varies between the songs. There are some heavily blues influenced songs like “Whatever Haunts You” but also some Kings of Leon sounding tracks like “In the Morning”. Great vocals, great attitude, great songs, great album!

 

songs of 2009

i figured i would make a list of the best songs of 2009. so i did. here it is:

1. ryan star – last train home
2. tim brantley – damage
3. robert francis – nightfall
4. peter bradley adams – for you
5. joshua james – coal war
6. jack savoretti – wonder
7. 16 frames – coming home
8. lucero – can’t feel a thing
9. joshua james – weeds
10. anton björkenvall – my side of the town
11. jr richards – person for you
12. great lake swimmers – pulling on a line
13. pete yorn – long time nothing new
14. fibes, oh fibes! – lovechild
15. the damnwells – dandelion
16. miike snow – a horse is not a home
17. bruce springsteen – my lucky day
18. will hoge – even if it breaks your heart
19. mayer hawthorne – just ain’t gonna work out
20. andrew hoover – roses & joy

enjoy! and merry christmas!

best of 2009

i think we all can agree that 2009 has been a great year for music.

ok. here it is. my list over the best albums of 2009:

01. joshua james – build me this
02. tim brantley – goldtop heights
03. joe purdy – last clock on the wall
04. robert francis – before nightfall
05. lucero – 1372 overton park
06. anton björkenvall – travel
07. jr richards – a beautiful end
08. 16 frames – where it ends
09. the danmwells – one last century
10. peter bradley adams – traces
11. sister hazel – release
12. will hoge – the wreckage
13. pearl jam – backspacer
14. andrew hoover – chances, stances and romances
15. miike snow – miike snow
16. pete yorn – back and forth
17. kris kristofferson – closer to the bone
18. ingrid michaelson – everybody
19. ari hest – twelve mondays
20. kate walsh – light and dark

song of the year:
ryan star – last train home

and just for the fun of it, here’s a bonus: the best album you did not hear this year:
jack savoretti – harder than easy.

some songs that i’ve been listening to lately

here are some songs that have been appearing frequently in my ipod lately.

william fitzsimmons – mend your heart. still not tired of this song. still leaves me breathless every time.

joe purdy – sinkin’ low. fantastic song from joe purdy, love everything about it.

ryan star – last train home. possible the song of the year. such an amazing song.

david mcmillin – go easy. listen to the harmonies, fantastic. gives me goosebumps.

matthew ryan – jane, i still feel the same. another one of those songs. simple but yet amazing.

andrew hoover – roses and joy. this guy has a mean falsetto. love this song.

newton faulkner – uncomfortably slow. another one i discovered the other day. love the sound of this one.

enjoy.