This has been a great year in music, a feast for the ears but a challenge when it comes to picking my favorite albums for the year. A good problem to have, I suppose. Without further ado…. #1. MATTHEW RYAN, Boxers Ryan has never been one to pull his punches so why should we expect […]
Sun Kil Moon/Benji; Todd Begins Looking Back on His “Best of 2014”
From the opening lines of “Carissaâ€, you realize this isn’t a happy go lucky listen. Not that Sun Kil Moon ever is. Even when covering Modest Mouse, it’s pretty slow going and dark. But this album is 11 originals that stick in the gut like…hell, I don’t know. It’s just powerful stuff. The storytelling is […]
Readers’ Pick: Best Album of 2014 Nominations
We’re going to try something different this year with our Readers’ Pick. Last year, I started the list with the best of our Reader’s Pick polls for each week. This year, we’ll start from zero and build the list from there. The rules: You get one nomination. So use discretion and pick the best. If you […]
Sturgill Simpson/Metamodern Sounds in Country Music; Todd Begins Looking Back on His “Best of 2014”
I had not heard of Sturgill Simpson until attending a Gamecock baseball game this past April. It was a cold day (luckily we had box seats) and I was talking with my friend Ryan, who I had invited along. Ryan and I don’t see each other often, but we’re always emailing and exchanging CDs and […]
Mayer’s Picks: The Best of 2014, So Far (the Songs)
Rubicon, Chris Mills (from the Loud Romantic Records release Alexandria) Mills lulls you in with a lilting melody before unleashing the jaw-dropping emotion of lyrics and voice. The results are heartwrenching. Really Wanna See You, Lydia Loveless (from the Bloodshot Records release Somewhere Else) This is the way rock and roll is supposed to sound: […]
Mayer’s Picks – The Best of 2014, So Far (the Albums)
The year is off to a strong start and I expect that it will only get better. Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite releases from the first half of 2014. SOMEWHERE ELSE by LYDIA LOVELESS “Simply bad-ass” is the phrase that overwhelms my thinking every time I give this album a […]
Best Albums of 2013, Official Twangville Editors’ Picks
Official Twangville Album of 2013: No drumroll necessary, it’s Jason Isbell’s Southeastern with the runaway pick for the official Twangville best album of 2013. This list combines best of year picks from our Twangville authors plus the Readers’ Top 20 which you helped us create. Congrats to all the finalists. Official Twangville Top 20 of […]
Eli’s Favorite Records of 2013
2013 was a pretty crazy year for me. Personally, professionally, and music listening habit-wise, it was all over the map. At different points during the year, I obsessed over the back catalogs of The Clash, Emmylou Harris (again), Tom Waits, Kevin Gordon, Superchunk (again), Kanye West (weirdly), Paul Westerberg solo records (again), and finally The Bottle Rockets. […]
Tom’s Picks: Best of 2013
Album of the Year: Jason Isbell – Southeastern Jason Isbell is quickly establishing himself as one of the greatest singer/songwriters alive today. He’s cleaned up, remarried, and recording without the 400 Unit (his backing band from the last few years). Southeastern is one of those albums I imagine we’ll look back on some day as […]
Best of 2013 – Chip
Here is my Top Ten for 2013: Feel free to cast stones and insults if you disagree. 1. Patty Griffin American Kid The combination of Griffin’s vocal elegance along with Luther and Cody Dickinson’s backup, made this album stand above all others. The ethereal duet with Robert Plant was also a high impact song. 2. […]