Prewar Yardsale, "M104"
One of the most criminally underrated bands ever, Prewar Yardsale might have made a modern masterpiece - again. A lot of the songs were written by their son Harmon.
Toby Goodshank, "Johnny's Democracy"
The most rock album Toby Goodshank has ever done, this is full of outrageous songs and puns. Name them all yourself.
V.A., "A Orillas del Magdalena: Coastal Cumbias from Colombia's Discos Fuentes" (Domino Sound)
An amazing compilation from New Orleans' Domino Sound, this is 'deep' cumbia; swampy, earthy, dirty, and full of great melodies.
Bill Callahan, "Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle"
Stunningly precise, ambitious, meditative.
David Tattersall, "Happy For A While"
Even without his band The Wave Pictures' trademark garage rock sound, this proves (again) what a great songwriter Tattersall is. Backed by Clémence Freschard and Stanley Brinks, this album was recorded in Berlin and has some of his strongest songs I've heard so far.
Der Nino aus Wien, "The Ocelot Show" / "Down in Albern" (Problembär Records)
Inhabiting a similar narrative universe as an artist that seems to be very distant -- Mount Eerie, Nino’s songs are all about impossibilities, inabilities, nowheres and nothings. All his favorite songwriters are dead (but some of them are not), he doesn’t know who he is, and we should all give up on certain things. But unlike Mount Eerie’s soundscapes, his songs are always on the verge of collapsing, of falling down in a haze of beer and dance (see him live). Nino manages to play with the German language in a way that few have done before him because he’s not afraid of silly combinations or nonsensical repetitions. Although the fellow Vienna band Ja, Panik are nowadays hailed as the new Tocotronic, Nino follows the iconic Hamburg band’s attitude of refusal or denial better than I’ve heard anywhere else.
Hazel Rickard, "Windfall"
In early May 2008, my friend Hazel and I embarked on a cross-country adventure, albeit with different means of travel: I had packed my American self and four friends in my 1992 Ford Taurus station wagon; Hazel and her friends were equipped with a small banjo and bikes. We both started in Portland, OR; I was headed for New York, she was headed for Portland, Maine, as far as I can recall. My car broke down after five hours of driving while we listened to the Easy Rider soundtrack; Hazel made it. I continued on greyhounds and airplanes, Hazel continued to make a record documenting her travels. In the same spirit of my New Orleans favorites Hurray For The Riff Raff, „Windfall“ is a collection of banjo/accordion originals that sound distinctly modern, positively angry, and incredibly strong, more like a bike than a car.
Also very very good albums:
Freschard, Moonstone
Old Crow Medicine Show, Tennessee Pusher
Sam Amidon, All Is Well
Locas In Love, Winter
Great Lake Swimmers, Lost Channels
Jeffrey Lewis & the Junkyard, Em Are I
Schwervon!, Low Blow
Julie Doiron, I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day
Falk & die Wiese, Appointments
Kevin Blechdom, Gentlemania
Huggabroomstik, The Alternate Huggabroomstik
Karl Blau, Nature’s Got Away
Patrick Wolf, The Bachelor
John Houx, John Houx's Green Period
Stanley Brinks & the Wave Pictures, s/t
Stanley Brinks, Horns In
Maher Halal Shash Baz, C’est la dernière chanson
Sarsaparilla, Ebb / Dear Ancestors
Uke of Space Corners, Flowers In The Night
Emily Jane White, Victorian America
Woods, Songs of Shame
Spring Breakup, s/t
Michael Hurley, Ida Con Snock
Lonski & Classen, Climbing On Branches
LAKE, Let's Build A Roof
The Burning Hell, Baby
Bowerbirds, Upper Air
