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| From | "Michael Adelsheim" <madelsheim@adelsheimvineyard.com> |
| Subject | Here's my Top 20 |
| Date | Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:41:38 -0800 |
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1. Ian Moore & the Lossy Coils - El Sonida Nuevo (I'm not an Ian
Moore expert, but this seems the most pop he's ever been. Though I'm
sure no one else will see the comparison, my mind went to the Small
Faces as a reference point.)
2. Jesse Malin & The St. Marks Social - Love It To Life (I love his
slurring (Brooklyn?) drawl, and this may be the best collection of songs
he's ever put together.)
3. Belle and Sebastian - Write About Love (I came to the B&S party
pretty late...but I'm staying late!)
4. Superchunk - Majesty Shredding (Again, not a band that I have a
history with...I've checked a little since this came out..."Crossed
Wires" is a killer song, but only if you touch him!)
5. Elvyn - The Decline (Love the harmonies, the jangle, the
songs...really quite majestic!)
6. Guster - Easy Wonderful (I didn't like their last one at
all...this is a real return to form.)
7. Edward O'Connell - Our Little Secret (I think I can say this is
the best rock album ever recorded by a lawyer who has argued before the
Supreme Court. A batch of great jangly songs.)
8. Fran Healy - Wreckorder (My fave collection of Fran Healy songs
since Travis" "Invisible Band".
9. Greg Pope - Blue Ocean Sky (Very late-period Beatles. By the way,
I just stumbled on the fact that he now has to put up with another
Nashville singer named Greg Pope - a guy who fits the traditional
Nashville mold....)
10. The Sadies - Darker Circles (Earlier, they seemed too much in a
hurry for my taste...now they've harnessed their talents to a varied set
of powerful songs.)
11. Jakob Dylan - Women + Country (Though I miss the Wallflowers
energy, that band had certainly run its course. In the NPR story on
this, Jakob said he wrote the whole album in a matter of a (very) few
weeks. It feels like Jakob has fully matured as an artist.)
12. Nada Surf - If I Had a Hi-Fi (I'll take the plunge and put this on
my list.)
13. The Like - Release Me (So different from the last one...among other
things, I absolutely love producer Mark Ronson's Motown-esque drum
sound. I do wonder what their next album will sound like....)
14. The Well Wishers - Post Modern Romantic (Jeff's put together a
great combo of jangle and rock-out...the yin and yang of power-pop.
Great songs too!)
15. Michael Carpenter & The Cuban Heels - The Incomplete Cuban Heels
(Though much of this got released in 2009, the fine print on the
finished album does read 2010, and since a Top 20 without Michael
Carpenter just feels wrong to me, I'll sneak this Alt-country offering
on.)
16. Nigel Stonier - Notes From Overground (Husband/producer of Thea
Gilmore...I've always said he's the equal of her...he gets the nod this
time for the fabulous song about leaving their relationship for awhile,
"In The Time Of My Running". I wish his albums would get released on
this side of the pond, but it seems that the decision has been made to
push her above him. To wit...the week before this album came out, he
wasn't prepping to do promotion or play, but in the studio finishing up
the album listed below!)
17. Thea Gilmore - Murphy's Heart ("You're The Radio" gave Thea her
first hit - in GB - since "Juliet (Keep That In Mind)" back in
2003...I'm told the album gets released in the US in February.)
18. The Sails - A Headful Of Stars (Like many others on this list, I
dig most of what Rainbow Quartz releases. Sometimes, though, their bands
get their style together before their substance. With this album, the
Sails have achieved the [proper balance.)
19. Bastards Of Melody - Hurry Up and Wait (They've "cleaned up their
act" - lessened the garage-iness - enough for me to fall for all the
songs here.)
20. Steven Page - Page One (Yeah, I do love clever, though not all
examples of the style. Steven's rhymes surprise and are meaningful at
the same time.)
One tribute album...I don't count the Nada Surf as an actual "tribute
album"..."Through A Faraway Window...A Tribute To Jimmy Silva". This is
perfectly in tune with Jimmy's work.
One hidden powerpop song on an Americana album..."Rockin' Monophonic",
by The Molenes on their latest album, "Good Times Comin'". "50,000
watts of sound will tell you all you need to know," indeed!
Adelsheim
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