Before we get too far into 2008, here’s a quick trip down (recent) memory lane with some of my favorites from 2007. Among them: Jason Isbell (“Dress Blues”), Josh Ritter (“Right Moves”), Justin Currie (“If I Ever Loved You”), Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova (“Falling Slowly” plus a bonus “Into the Mystic”), Brandi Carlile (“The […]
Drive-By-Truckers – Brighter Than Creation’s Dark
When a band has a shakeup in its’ lineup critics will often look skeptically at their follow up album. But when the follow up is an epic 70 minute 19 song project, even a reasonable critic has to wonder if they can pull it off. Fortunately for us the Truckers not only pull it off, […]
Mayer’s Picks for 2008
As 2007 fades from memory, there’s a wealth of great music on the horizon in 2008. I’ve listed a few of my most eagerly awaited arrivals below, ordered by expected release date. Most of the artists have preview tracks available via MySpace; click on the artist name to link there. Check the Twangville Release Calendar […]
Mayer’s Picks from 2007: The Songs
Dress Blues, Jason Isbell Potent in its simplicity, Isbell reflects on the loss of a high school friend in the Iraqi War. Even after hundreds of listens, I still get a chill in my spine when Isbell sings “You never planned on the bombs in the sand, or sleeping in your dress blues.” If I […]
Rich McCulley/cerro gordo
The first thing I thought when I popped cerro gordo into my CD player was, “Is this Guster?â€Â Well, actually no, it wasn’t, it was Rich McCulley. But it sure as hell sounded like Guster. McCulley’s vocals were eerily similar to that of Ryan Miller and the poppy upbeat opener “Forget It All Again†could […]
Mayer’s Picks from 2007: Honorable Mentions
A few more for your consideration… Free Life by Dan Wilson Intelligent lyrics and extraordinary pop sensibilities make Wilson an in-demand songwriter and collaborator. Left to his own devices he delivers an impeccably produced pop gem. Cigarettes and Gasoline by Emerson Hart The former Tonic front-man serves up some of the most mesmerizing melodies this […]
Mayer’s Picks from 2007: The Albums
With the passing of one year and the start of another, we at Twangville relish the opportunity to reflect on our favorite music of the past year. Over the next week I’ll be highlighting my favorite albums and songs from 2007, culminating with a preview of some highly anticipated 2008 releases. We start with the […]
Happy New Year 2008
I woke up this morning, and none of the news was good Death machines were rumblin’ ‘cross the ground where Jesus stood And the man on my TV told me that it had always been that way And there was nothing anyone could do or say And I almost listened to him Yeah, I almost […]
Todd’s Tops of 2007
Favorite Albums:  Neil Young/Live at Massey Hall – So, some folks call it a reissue, but it’s the first time I’ve heard it and I believe, the first time its been released. Yeah, it was a concert that took place over 30 years ago but still new to my ears and it was one […]
Mayer’s Playlist for November/December (part 2), a Video Companion
The second party of our November/December video companion is chock full of live performances. Bettye Lavette kicks us off, Jason Anderson kicks it up a notch and Ben Arnold just kicks it. Other performances include Band of Horses, Brother Ali, the Redwalls, Joe Purdy, Mark Ronson and Chris Mills.