So here’s my list of 2009 best records. I JUST discovered Deer Tick and that’s a great record too. I’d put that nicely into the number two slot on my list. Alas, they are set in stone.
I really can’t say enough about Robert Francis. I’d never heard of him and his songs are stunning for someone in his early twenties. If you want an under the radar album, Francis has the pop sensibility of Kweller with a much more ragged aesthetic. The track “Mescaline” is truly mesmerizing (excuse the repetition there).
Another great discovery this year was Tallest Man on Earth. The Swedish songwriter has some of the most poetic lyrics put to tape.
It’s been a good year, but on to the next and all the ragged rootsy melodies that await us.
Robert Francis – Before Nightfall
Ben Kweller – Changing Horses
Justin Townes Earle – Midnight at the Movies
Peter Bradley Adams – Traces
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – self-titled
Drive-by Truckers – The Fine Print
Dave Rawlings Machine – A Friend of a Friend
Patterson Hood – Murdering Oscar
The Avett Brothers – I And Love You
M. Ward – Hold Time
Monsters of Folk – self-titled
Iron & Wine – Around the Well
Wilco – self-titled
Mark Olson & Gary Louris – Ready for the Flood
Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women
About the author: Jeff is a teacher in the Boston area. When not buried correcting papers, Jeff can be found plucking various stringed instruments and listening to all types of americana music.