 1) R.E.M. – Collapse Into Now: OK, I’m willing to admit maybe this was a little bit of a sentimental choice for me since it may be their last album.  But darn it, I still think this is their best effort since the 80’s and 91’s Out Of Time.  The jangly guitars, the inexplicable Stipe […]
Mayer’s Picks: Best Songs of 2011
I posted a best songs list for the first half of 2011 back in July (here). Rather than replicate that list for my full year review, consider this the addendum — the best songs from the second half of the year. When My Time Comes, Barnstar! (from the self-released C’Mon!) I somehow missed this song […]
Murray McLauchlan – Human Writes
The invisible line separating the United States from Canada appears to be an impenetrable wall for Murray McLachlan. One of the most respected singer-songwriters in Canada, McLauchlan doesn’t seem to have much of a following south of the border. Perhaps he doesn’t care. Over the years, McLauchlan has won 11 Juno awards (Canadian Grammys) and […]
Tom’s Picks: Best of 2011
The Decemberists hit hard in January with The King Is Dead and maintained their number one status with me for the entire year. Butch Walker‘s The Spade was the best I’ve heard yet from the Master of Hooks. Let’s hope his work with The Black Widows will continue. In at #21 was Telekinesis the highest […]
Mayer’s Picks: Best EPs of 2011
Many of my favorite releases from this year were 5-6 song eps rather than 8-10+ song full-length releases. It is, perhaps, a statement on modern music industry that, with one exception, all of these were self-released. As John Lennon said, “Power to the people.” Here, in no particular order, are a few favorite EPs from […]
Savoy Brown – Voodoo Moon
Kim Simmonds and some form of the band Savoy Brown have been around pretty much since the beginning of time – or at least since the middle years of the British Invasion. In its original form, the band was comparable to the early Peter Green-led Fleetwood Mac (before they became a Top 40 pop group), Cream and Ten Years […]
Mayer’s Picks: Best Albums of 2011
#1. JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT, Here We Rest (Lightning Rod) I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t hoping for a full-on rock assault from Isbell and crew. What I got was something better — a nuanced musical tour of his home state of Alabama. From the back porch acoustic sway of […]
Mayer’s Playlist for December 2011
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Too Drunk to Truck, by Roy Sludge This album was tailor-made for Twangville. Old school in all the best ways, it might as well be a collection of lost classics from the Sun Studios archive. The title track kicks off the album with a strong indication of what will follow. Yup, […]
Readers’ Pick: What Was Your Favorite Album of 2011?
Over the course of the year we’ve had a weekly poll highlighting select new releases. You’ve picked your favorites each week and those have turned into our weekly and monthly Readers’ Picks. Now it’s time to turn the short list into a Twangville Readers’ Pick of 2011. To qualify, a release had to have at […]
Michael Donner & The Southern Renaissance – No Better Time
Just under the wire for 2011, Michael Donner introduces himself on his first solo album.No Better Time. What an introduction! Donner is certainly going to take listeners by surprise when they discover this collection of well crafted songs. This is not only one of the best under the radar releases of the year, it is […]