Congratulations, to New Jersey’s Roadside Graves the winners of this year’s Twangville Readers’ Pick of the year with 108 votes. Don’t forget to check out more favorites of the year from the Twangville crew. Most importantly, support the artists that bring us all this great music.

1. ROADSIDE GRAVES, My Son’s Home (Autumn Tone) [108 votes]
2. SONS OF BILL, One Town Away (Thirty Tigers) [94 votes]
3. ROGER JOHNSON, Stag Contillion Vol 1 & 2 (Autietunes) [42 votes]
4. GINA VILLALOBOS, Days On Their Side (Face West) [40 votes]
5. LUCERO, 1372 Overton Park (Republic) [31 votes]
6. IKE REILLY, Hard Luck Stories (Rock Ridge) [24 votes]
7. JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE, Midnight at the Movies (Bloodshot) [17 votes]
8. THE AVETT BROTHERS, I and Love and You (Columbia) [16 votes]
9. RYAN BINGHAM, Roadhouse Sun (Lost Highway) [11 votes]
10. FELICE BROTHERS, Yonder Is The Clock (Team Love) [8 votes]
11. WILCO, Wilco (the Album) (Nonesuch) [8 votes]

Come on back throughout 2010 to help us narrow the list for next year’s Readers’ Picks.

I took a different approach to compiling the list this year by rating the albums as I listened to them. If there was any trend at all it was that my tastes moved decidedly toward pop. You’ll find Pete Yorn, The Damnwells, Brendan Benson, Ben Harper and Bob Schneider all within 10 of #1. That said, only 2 of my Top 10 reappeared in the Posse Top 10 which I take is a great sign that Twangville has really come a long way. Looks like I’ll have to spend some more money early in the year just to catch up on the recommendations seen from the rest of the Twangville crew. How many of my picks appeared among your favorites in 2009?

Tom’s Best of 2009

1. LUCERO, 1372 Overton Park (Republic) Rock / Indie / Southern Rock [★★★★★/4.833]
   
2. STEPHEN KELLOGG & THE SIXERS, The Bear (Vanguard) Rock / Alternative / Indie [★★★★★/4.818]
3. PETE YORN, Back & Forth (Columbia) Rock / Alternative [★★★★★/4.800] Read Todd’s review
4. THE DAMNWELLS, One Last Century Rock / Indie [★★★★★/4.750] Read Mayer’s review
5. DINOSAUR JR., Farm (Jagjaguwar) Rock / Alternative [★★★★★/4.750]
6. WILL HOGE, The Wreckage (Rykodisc) Rock / Americana [★★★★★/4.727]
7. BRENDAN BENSON, My Old, Familiar Friend (Jagjaguwar) Rock / Alternative [★★★★★/4.636] Read Mayer’s review
8. JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (Lightning Rod) Rock [★★★★★/4.545] Read Jeff’s review
9. BEN HARPER AND THE RELENTLESS 7, White Lies for Dark Times (Virgin) Rock [★★★★★/4.545]
10. BOB SCHNEIDER, Lovely Creatures (Kirtland) Americana / Folk Rock / Folk [★★★★★/4.538]
11. DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS, Fine Print (New West) Rock / Indie / Southern Rock [★★★★★/4.5] Read Todd’s review
12. MINDY SMITH, Stupid Love (Vanguard) Pop / Rock / Americana [★★★★/4.417] Read Chip’s review
13. TWO TONS OF STEEL, Not That Lucky (Smith Entertainment) Americana / Country / Roots [★★★★/4.400]
14. SONS OF BILL, One Town Away (Thirty Tigers) Rock / Country [★★★★/4.334]
15. WRINKLE NECK MULES, Let the Lead Fly (Lower 40) Rock / Indie / Country [★★★★/4.308]
16. BEN KWELLER, Changing Horses (ATO) Country / Classic Rock / Punk [★★★★/4.300] Read Jeff’s review
17. MATTHEW RYAN, Dear Lover (The Dear Future Collective) Rock / Folk / Ambient [★★★★/4.300]
18. PETE YORN & SCARLETT JOHANSSON, Break Up (Rhino / Wea) Alternative / Indie [★★★★/4.200]
19. FROG HOLLER, Believe It Or Not (ZoBird) Rock / Indie / Bluegrass [★★★★/4.200]
20. PHISH, Joy (Jemp) Rock / Alternative / Jam [★★★★/4.200]
21. CONOR OBERST AND THE MYSTIC VALLEY BAND, Outer South (Merge) Rock / Roots / Alternative [★★★★/4.188]
22. BRANDI CARLILE, Give Up the Ghost (Sony) Folk / Pop [★★★★/4.182]
23. THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA, Duets (Time Life) Gospel / Soul / Blues [★★★★/4.154]
24. SARAH BORGES, The Stars are Out (Sugar Hill) Rock / Country / Rockabilly [★★★★/4.100] Read Kelly’s review
25. MICHELLE MALONE, Debris (SBS) Rock / Blues / Roots Music [★★★★/4.091]

1. Lucero – 1372 Overton Park [111]
   
2. Justin Townes Earle – Midnight At the Movies [106]
3. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – s/t [89]
4. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You [76]
5. Slaid Cleaves – Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away [71]
6. Buddy & Judy Miller – Written in Chalk [65]
7. The Band of Heathens – One Foot In the Ether [63]
8. Dave Rawlings Machine – A Friend of a Friend [59]
9. Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses – Roadhouse Sun [57]
10. Todd Snider – The Excitement Plan [55]
11. Roman Candle – Oh Tall Tree in the Ear [52]
12. Monsters of Folk – s/t [47]
13. Brendan Benson – My Old, Familiar Friend [45]
14. Drive-by Truckers – Fine Print [44]
15. Roseanne Cash – The List [44]
16. The Damnwells – One Last Century [43]
17. Heartless Bastards – The Mountain [41]
18. Patterson Hood – Murdering Oscar (and other Love Songs) [40]
19. Wilco – The Album [38]
20. Will Hoge – The Wreckage [36]
21. Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women – s/t [36]
22. Leeroy Stagger – Everything Is Real [36]
23. M. Ward – Hold Time [35]
24. Wrinkle Neck Mules – Let the Lead Fly [35]
25. Ben Kweller – Changing Horses [34]

In addition, Twangville was one of 30 top twang blogs to participate in a project dubbed The Bird List. The result was a combined list of Top 20 picks of the year through all the influential lists. Justin Townes Earle fans will be happy to see that he leaped Lucero to take the crown there. Check it out.

It’s that time once again to reflect on another eventful year in the history of Twangville. As it turns out, we’ve been at it for close to five years now. Each year has brought new joy along with new challenges. Seeing as Twangville is an all-volunteer effort it’s never easy to find the time to keep content fresh. Each of our authors do this in addition to busy work schedules with several of us also balancing family life. If it weren’t for the amazing passion of the dedicated Twangville Posse this site would have ceased to exist long ago. In particular, the diligent work of Mayer Danzig has been the blood of life for our tiny town. I always look forward to my Sunday night emails where Mayer starts to organize our lineup for the week. As for joy, each year has brought a few fresh faces to roost. This year we welcome Eli Peterson, Jeff McMahon, and Shawn Underwood officially to the Twangville Posse joining our other authors most notably Todd Mathis, Chip Frazier, and Kelly Dearmore.

Also, I can’t help but look back to March when Mayer descended on Austin for his annual pilgrimage joined by our other SXSW correspondent John Anderson. The trip wasn’t in the cards for me this year but the thrill and enjoyment was still there through the reviews and stories those guys brought back with them. The similarities of the music showcased at the Texas festival and what you see here are for good reason. Austin is to Alt-country what Nashville is to Country which is why we are all drooling over the thought of dropping in on the town at any time throughout the year. Mayer and John could write dissertations on the ins-and-outs of the festival and it’s through them that I continue to discover great music.

Which leads me to a recent highlight. It was only a few weeks ago that I was invited to the home of the aforementioned Mr. Anderson and his lovely wife Amanda. The happy couple played host to touring musician Matthew Ryan who John had described to me as “a young Bruce Springsteen who grew up listening to the Replacements”. Now, I already possessed the majority of the catalog and liked his introspective songwriting but I wasn’t nearly as much of a fan as John and Mayer whom both designated his 2008 release “Matthew Ryan vs. The Silver State” as album of the year. All I can say is my friends never lie about pure talent. And pure talent can be measured in the living room of a twentieth century home with unintended acoustics and virtually zero amplification. Ryan happily plowed through about a double-disc worth of songs from his catalog with his throaty delivery and heartbreaking tales. The live acoustic guitar and harmonica kit combo really satisfied. Needless to say consider me now a huge fan. I highly recommend making a point of seeing Matthew Ryan live in any setting. Also, do yourself a favor and pick up his ‘09 release titled Dear Lover. You can read more about the house party on the Metro Music Scene blog.

In other news, we started using a service called ReviewShine this year created by Larry Karnowski (Hickory Wind) and Sam Ubach. They describe it as a platform to connect promoters and bloggers. We’ve really enjoyed using it so far. It’s been a great way to reduce the costs of sending music to us along with minimizing the amount of disc that tend to pile up for music reviewers like us. Applause to those guys for creating something both economical and good for the environment. In addition to it being a great way for us to discover new music it has also been a catalyst for us in terms of creating a community among our small group of bloggers that we didn’t quite have before. I highly recommend it for any music promoters or bands looking to get their music heard by reviewers like us.

Last, I can’t go without thanking the many musicians out there who sacrifice themselves for the good of art and so that we may each have joy in our lives. I didn’t see to many live shows this year but I did fortunately get out to see Reckless Kelly, Sons of Bill, Lucero, and now Matthew Ryan. I honestly don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have music in my life. For people like me, musicians are the psychiatrists of life — the lyrics the prescriptions, the music the euphoria. Keep on truckin’ y’all.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo of Matthew Ryan by Ben Maphis of Ben Maphis Photography used with permission.

Earlier this month devoted Twangville readers read Chip’s review of the new Wrinkle Neck Mules album, ‘Let the Lead Fly’. Rather than double the love with a review I’ll just say that it’s another consistently great album from one of Richmond’s finest. Instead, I’m offering up a custom designed desktop wallpaper for download by yours truly inspired by “Catfish and Color TV” one of my favorite tracks on the new record.

But wait, that’s not all! Twangville is also giving away 4 unordinary copies of ‘Let the Lead Fly’. Following the theme of the album, these puppies are filled with lead shot (no joke!). To be eligible, simply leave a nice comment below for the band or at the very least let me know if you want to see more custom desktop wallpapers from Twangville and I’ll pick 4 random winners after the contest closes next Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at midnight EST.

Download the “Catfish & Color TV” desktop wallpaper:

• 1280×800
• 1280×1024
• 1440 x 900
• 1600 x 1024
• 1680 x 1050
• 1920 x 1200

“Catfish & Color TV” Lyrics:

Catfish and color TV’s, kindly company
Saltwater dreams and nicotine keep me living right
Shadows are growing longer now and they’re
bringing on the night
Keeps my brain from thinking about the things
that passed me by

It’s 75 degrees out on the water
And its 3’ to 5’ with a steady southern breeze
But I sure could use a storm or two to help these
wounds to heal
Get back on the right side of the reel
Scraping off the paraffin, climbing up my stringer
That 5’10” taught me when to chase them or
to run
Crickets sing the chorus of the way things used to be
Back when the reds were biting and you were still
right here with me
Coming with the leaving, bringing on the feeling
That the current and the winds may be too strong
Every time you go something deep inside me knows
it won’t be long

Giveaway courtesy of the Wrinkle Neck Mules and Lower 40 Records. Desktop wallpaper courtesy of Tom Osborne and Twangville. Twangville will request addresses of the winners for fulfillment and that is all.

Twangville readers picked ‘1372 Overton Park’ by Lucero as their favorite release for week of October 7, 2009.

There’s one thing that makes ‘1372 Overton Park’, the latest from Memphis-based Lucero, a little more special than their previous 5 studio albums. Horns… horns are what take this their major label debut to new heights. Not to say that there’s any such thing as a weak Lucero record. It’s just that this one is that much better. So much so that it’s sure to turn some heads over on E Street.

The album draws it’s name from an old Memphis loft where the four members of the band lived, practiced, and recorded earlier this decade. Eventually, the building at 1372 Overton Park would be sold and demolished allowing some great memories of the building and a love of Memphis to spawn a rebirth through this recording. While the band is at the absolutely top of their game, it’s the addition of Jim Spake’s horn arrangements that seal the deal.

To get a taste of what I’m talking about listen to “What Are You Willing To Lose” the album’s second track. Ben Nichols raspy voice is the whiskey, the horns the ice, and Roy Berry’s drums are the cold glass that keep it all together.

So what if all my heroes are the losing kind? / We ended up with nothin’, but we put up a fight / And most of it was choices we never asked to choose / The rest of it was luck and now we’ve run out of that too

This is the album I’ve been waiting for all year. Son Volt couldn’t do it. Wilco put up a good effort. Leave it to the Memphis rockers to bring it home. It’s going to take something special to knock ‘1372 Overton Park’ off the top of my favorites for the year. Well done, Lucero. [★★★★★/4.8 -- Tom Osborne]

RIYL: Two Cow Garage, Drive-by Truckers, Slobberbone, Glossary, Uncle Tupelo

Twangville readers picked ‘I and Love and You’ by The Avett Brothers as their favorite release for week of September 29, 2009.

After five full-length albums and two EPs on Ramseur Records the Avett Brothers have decided to go BIG with their latest release ‘I and Love and You’. What do you do when you want to go big? You team up with Rick Rubin and you let Sony take care of the rest. The benefits speak for themselves but a key advantage for the Avett Brothers is that all nuances of their unique style of folk, bluegrass, rock and pop get captured to the utmost degree. For a band that’s made a name for themselves from their raucous live performances and word of mouth publicity is this a different direction for the band? Or, is it the natural progression of a group finally getting the notice they deserve? I lobby for the latter. After all, in 2007 they were named the AMA New/Emerging Artist Of The Year and in Spring of 2009 you could have seen them touring with the Dave Matthews Band. That’s big.

Fortunately, the music stays true and the high quality production serves as a benefit. You’ll notice a ‘coming of age’ theme with many of the lyrics — perhaps an obvious direction given their big label debut. For me, the only downside of the album is that it is super slow to get going. The title track and first song of the album is a defining track but I think it’s a better postlude than prelude. It’s not until “Kick Drum Heart” (Track 7) that it really kicks into gear. Thankfully, “Slight Figure of Speech” and “It Goes On and On” end the album on a high note. If ‘coming of age’ is a sign of settling down I hope The Avett Brothers never get old. And while ‘I and Love and You’ serves as a pivotal recording of an emergent band and California has temporarily replace North Carolina, I’ll still hold hope for more of the rambunctious, barn-busting rock that drew me to them in the first place. [★★★★/4.1 -- Tom Osborne]

RIYL: Old Crow Medicine Show, Langhorne Slim, Chatham County Line, The Felice Brothers, The Hackensaw Boys

Twangville readers picked ‘Trailer II’ by Chris Knight as their favorite release for week of September 15, 2009.

Recorded back in 1996 in a singlewide trailer parked near his hometown of Slaughters, Kentucky, ‘Trailer II’ is part two of a now legendary set of recordings. Their legend has grown through various bootlegs, leaks, and performances during a near decade of time passed. You may recognize “Highway Junkie” as it has been performed by respected artists such as Randy Travis, Gary Allan, The Yayhoos, and The Von Ehrics. He readily admits it took a while to warm up to the original Trailer Tape record being like most unsatisfied artists. At the coaxing of Knight nation he’s come to appreciate it for being something special as it has resonated with so many fans. Certainly, he’ll feel the same way about the second set. Chris Knight sings country the way it ought to be sung – with truth, guts, and swagger – much like influence Steve Earle. If ‘The Trailer Tapes’ were the thesis, ‘Trailer II’ is the disertation. [★★★★/3.9 -- Tom Osborne]

RIYL: Steve Earle, Hayes Carll, Robert Earle Keen, Ryan Bingham

Twangville readers picked ‘The Bear’ by Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers as their favorite release for week of September 8, 2009.

With their fifth full release the SK6ERS solidify what they’ve always done well… plain-and-simple rock-n-roll! Chock full of layered instrumentation and pop hooks The Bear should be a recipe for how to produce a bulletproof alternative rock album. The band is known primarily for their tenacious touring capacity. If they’ve been under your radar, now is the time to change that. Grab this album and work your way backward. The title track kicks things off with a bluesy rock romp that tells it like it is with “Sometimes you get the bear / sometimes the bear gets you / sometimes your gonna win / sometimes your gonna lose / but you know in the end / it’s all the same to me”. “Do” tells the tale of someone who is trying to dig their way out of the dog house but doesn’t know quite how. Oh Adeline puts life into perspective with lines like “Gonna need a second heart for all this love / Gonna need a better answer to the problems of the world / Vivid is my eyesight / Scary but I’m feeling so alive”. This is a favorite of the year. [★★★★★/4.8 -- Tom Osborne]

RIYL: Will Hoge, Matt Nathanson

Twangville readers picked ‘The Fine Print’ by the Drive-by Truckers as their favorite release for week of September 1, 2009. ‘The Fine Print’ is subtitled as ‘A Collection Of Oddities and Rarities 2003-2008′ and it is just that. A collection of previously unreleased tunes from an especially fruitful time in DBT history. The smattering of songs includes 4 covers most notably Tom Petty’s “Rebels” and Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” which happens to have been Shonna Tuckers first at-bat as a lead vocalist. This record is proof of the Drive-by Truckers rock-n-roll sainthood in that they can put together an impressive album without even trying. If this is what they consider putting out in an off year where Patterson Hood is doing his own thing then I can’t wait to hear what they’ve got cooking when they bring back Mike Cooley and the rest of the gang. Of course, hearing Jason Isbell back in the fray is an added bonus. I was caught off guard by ‘The Fine Print’. Maybe it has to do with the fact that 7 of the 12 songs where a direct result of The Dirty South era, a personal favorite time in DBT history. Don’t let the title fool you. This record fits in with just about any of their previous recordings and is a must have for any Drive-by Trucker fan. [★★★★★/4.5 -- Tom Osborne]

For more, be sure and check out Todd’s full review of ‘The Fine Print’.