![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Better Late than Never
Jan. 26th, 2007 11:10 pm2006 Top Ten, in no particular order (take the genres with a big grain of salt):
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (country)
This album is all about the voice. Front and center, way out in front of everything else, and completely deserving of being so. Very good song writing and instrumentation (Garth Hudson!), but that's all secondary.
Sarah Harmer - I'm a Mountain (folk/bluegrass)
Sarah Harmer turns to folk and bluegrass, and what a wonderful thing that is. The lyrics are, I feel, much more accessible than on All of our Names, and the combined effect of the two is fantastic.
Railroad Earth - Elko (bluegrass)
Double-live album from this jamgrass band. The double-disc format gives the band plenty of room to stretch out (the shortest track is 6 minutes, five are longer than 10), and this really helps the album find a place - if the tracks were shorter, the musical exploration wouldn't be possible and the album wouldn't be anywhere near as strong without it.
Josh Ritter - The Animal Years (folk)
This has appeared on most critics' best of lists, and for good reason. Josh Ritter has something to say, about current events, about life, but doesn't beat you over the head with it. And the whole album is stunning musically as well. It's also really helped by the Girl in the War EP, which has the single, a few demos, and a few other acoustic numbers. Totally worth checking out.
Chris Smither - Leave the Light On (folk)
This is not a big departure from Train Home, but why change what works. Laid back bluesy-folk paired with good songwriting and performance is very compelling. The songwriting is, again, top notch. Less introspective than Train Home.
Old Crow Medicine Show - Big Iron World (old-time)
OCMS succeeds in releasing a better album than their self-titled debut. Going back to that album, the second half drags a bit, but Big Iron World keeps going. The last few tracks are weaker, but I'm not convinced it's possible to put out a full album of the high-octane rock-influenced old-time music at which OCMS excells.
Les Claypool - Of Whales and Woe (rock)
The black sheep of the bunch. Les Claypool is the bassist, front man, and creative force behind Primus. Whales is an eclectic and hard driving album that uses very little guitar - the band is a lot of bass (playing both lead and rhythm, for the most part), drums, vibes, saxaphonics, and sitar, though rarely all at the same time. It's a very different sound, but the net effect, when combined with some bizarre song writing, is a lot of fun.
Alexi Murdoch - Time Without Consequence (folk)
It took Alexi Murdoch a long time to release a full length album, but worth the wait. He worked a long time on the guitar arrangements and things, but the effect is precise, not produced. It's more of a laid-back album that you have to be in the mood for, but it's extremely good.
Mark Knopfler / Emmylou Harris - All the Roadrunning (country)
This project was a long time in the making. Two tracks were originally recorded for Sailing to Philadelphia, put on hold, and eventually expanded to a whole album. In talking about the album, Emmylou refers to several of the songs as "John and June" songs, where Mark calls them "Courting Songs". I think the songs where they're playing off each other, rather than just trading lines, work better, but the album as a whole is quite strong, as you'd expect from these two great musicians.
Alejandro Escovedo - The Boxing Mirror (rock)
The last album to come onto the list, I haven't fully digested it yet. It's dark and complicated, with a lot to cut through before I can grasp the whole thing. But I'm working on it, and that which has sunk in is really good.
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (country)
This album is all about the voice. Front and center, way out in front of everything else, and completely deserving of being so. Very good song writing and instrumentation (Garth Hudson!), but that's all secondary.
Sarah Harmer - I'm a Mountain (folk/bluegrass)
Sarah Harmer turns to folk and bluegrass, and what a wonderful thing that is. The lyrics are, I feel, much more accessible than on All of our Names, and the combined effect of the two is fantastic.
Railroad Earth - Elko (bluegrass)
Double-live album from this jamgrass band. The double-disc format gives the band plenty of room to stretch out (the shortest track is 6 minutes, five are longer than 10), and this really helps the album find a place - if the tracks were shorter, the musical exploration wouldn't be possible and the album wouldn't be anywhere near as strong without it.
Josh Ritter - The Animal Years (folk)
This has appeared on most critics' best of lists, and for good reason. Josh Ritter has something to say, about current events, about life, but doesn't beat you over the head with it. And the whole album is stunning musically as well. It's also really helped by the Girl in the War EP, which has the single, a few demos, and a few other acoustic numbers. Totally worth checking out.
Chris Smither - Leave the Light On (folk)
This is not a big departure from Train Home, but why change what works. Laid back bluesy-folk paired with good songwriting and performance is very compelling. The songwriting is, again, top notch. Less introspective than Train Home.
Old Crow Medicine Show - Big Iron World (old-time)
OCMS succeeds in releasing a better album than their self-titled debut. Going back to that album, the second half drags a bit, but Big Iron World keeps going. The last few tracks are weaker, but I'm not convinced it's possible to put out a full album of the high-octane rock-influenced old-time music at which OCMS excells.
Les Claypool - Of Whales and Woe (rock)
The black sheep of the bunch. Les Claypool is the bassist, front man, and creative force behind Primus. Whales is an eclectic and hard driving album that uses very little guitar - the band is a lot of bass (playing both lead and rhythm, for the most part), drums, vibes, saxaphonics, and sitar, though rarely all at the same time. It's a very different sound, but the net effect, when combined with some bizarre song writing, is a lot of fun.
Alexi Murdoch - Time Without Consequence (folk)
It took Alexi Murdoch a long time to release a full length album, but worth the wait. He worked a long time on the guitar arrangements and things, but the effect is precise, not produced. It's more of a laid-back album that you have to be in the mood for, but it's extremely good.
Mark Knopfler / Emmylou Harris - All the Roadrunning (country)
This project was a long time in the making. Two tracks were originally recorded for Sailing to Philadelphia, put on hold, and eventually expanded to a whole album. In talking about the album, Emmylou refers to several of the songs as "John and June" songs, where Mark calls them "Courting Songs". I think the songs where they're playing off each other, rather than just trading lines, work better, but the album as a whole is quite strong, as you'd expect from these two great musicians.
Alejandro Escovedo - The Boxing Mirror (rock)
The last album to come onto the list, I haven't fully digested it yet. It's dark and complicated, with a lot to cut through before I can grasp the whole thing. But I'm working on it, and that which has sunk in is really good.
