Are You Ready For The (Pop) Country or, my saturday as a mass music listener zombie guy

So today I had Thanksgiving with the in-laws, and between my wifes ipod, the radio, and CMT I was hit with a barrage of music I spend most of my time trying to avoid. Here is a run down of some of the things I heard:

• "God is great, beer is good, people are crazy", that was one of the songs, and what a trite song. It's like the script from a movie a 12 year old would pitch to Adam Sandler. Hey.....so you go to a bar right, drink with this old man all night and talk vaguely of everthing....then okay....get this.....the guy is millionaire and is gonna die and leave everything to you instead of his kids.....which by the way he never talked about cause he was too busy talking about all the women he effed after he divorced their mom(s).

• Taylor Swift.

• Some Toby Keith song with, get this this....smoove sax. Yes, it was about somebody dying and of course waiting in heaven for him, but the kicker was the Kenny G like smoove sax grooves all over this thing. Is Toby trying to get back in that "safe" zone that pop country seems to cater too? Allright, mention God and heaven, we should have this locked. Geez that makes me lose what tiny respect I had for the man's character . And by tiny respect, I mean that literally....a very small amount of respect, and only because he did stand his ground and hold on to his opinions in a genre where "safe" is the word. And my beef with Toby is not because he sang pandering patriotic songs, or his feud with The Dixie Chicks, or his general douchiness. No my beef with Toby stems from an interview I read in which he stated that if it wasn't for him Willie Nelson would have been a has-been. Really Toby....way I see it if it wasn't for Willie you'd still have that shitty looking curly mullet on your head.

• Some guy doing a cover of Hall and Oates. Wow, with this song and the smooove sax of Toby I think pop-country might be going Yacht Rock.

• Tim McGraw must be going for the world record in shitty name dropping songs.

• Taylor Swift.

• Jason Aldean still sucks

• Miranda Lambert video for White Lies. You know I've always kinda just dismissed Miranda, but damned if this song wasn't enjoyable, also it had Jamey Johnson in the video as a preacher, and though the end of the song was a little forced and "safe" (there's that word again), it was better than anything else I was exposed to today (which could be the only reason I deemed it enjoyable). I also heard another Miranda track I dug off a compilation that Rockstar Aimz puts together recently and it was a cover of John Prine's "happy enchilada" song. I dug that too. Makes me wonder if her album is worth checking out. Hmm maybe I'll just talk my wife into getting it.

• Taylor Swift

• Now there was a silver lining in the days overexposure to shitty music. At one point I gained control of the remote and found a Bruce Springsteen concert on TV. A few minutes later everyone else left the room.....winner: Me!

and what the hell, let's celebrate black friday too....

I've posted this vid before, but really is there a more appropriate day to post this song than today? You can download this free (and great) album here: Deano Meats The Purveyors

Happy Thanksgiving, here's a little music

Someone asked me if I would be making a Thanksgiving sampler. Well I've thought about it before, but it's not going to happen this year, maybe next. What I can give you is a killer Thanksgiving song to tide you over.

This is Eric Rhame singing his song titled simply Thanksgiving Day off last year's Timber and Steel. Enjoy and hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving.

Listen to Eric Rhame - Thanksgiving Day here

Free Music Alert: Big Bullet Records - Terminal Ballistics Vol. 1

Big Bullet Records are a fairly new record label out of northern West Virginia. Recently they put out this sampler of some of there artists. Readers should be familiar with Prison Book Club and there are a couple other surprises on here. Now just a heads up this sampler spans many musical styles from the in-your-face rock of The Demon Beat, to gentle folk songs, to hip hop, it's a pretty eclectic mix.

Download Terminal Ballistics Vol. 1 here (click the picture)

Best (and worst) Album Art of 2009

One thing music geeks love to do is make lists. Just look around at all the music blogs on the internet, it's a virtual orgy of lists. So with that said I present to you another fricken' list!

Now, I am a big fan of album artwork. It is one of the reasons I love vinyl so much....those great big covers full of wonderful artwork, not to mention gatefolds and novelty covers (such as Sticky Fingers). CDs were not too bad either....nowhere near as nice as vinyl, but decent, and I especially enjoy when artists put something on the CD itself. Itunes however, with it's 3 inch display of what would otherwise be quality cover art, just doesn't do much for me. I remember the major reason I purchased a Zune media player a few years ago was for the fact that it had a large display screen that was dominated by the cover art. It drives me crazy when something doesn't have it's cover art on the zune too. Anyway, I guess I'm saying all that to get to my point here....I love album art. So without further delay here are my top 10 album covers of the year, followed by some I think are duds. This has nothing to do with the music, strictly from an album art appreciators standpoint.

1. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - s/t

I don't really know what this is...some kind of tree? Regardless it's my favorite album art of the year. [Edit: My sources on twitter tell me this album art was painted by 400 Unit guitarist Browan Lollar (view more of his artwork here). I think that makes it even cooler]

2. Slaid Cleaves - Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away

Love this painting on the cover. The guy is laying at a couple graves with a handkerchief with the title "Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away" underneath. My favorite part is the weeping willows.

3. Carolyn Mark & NQ Arbuckle - Let's Just Stay Here

Another cool painting, Carolyn Mark with a creepy expression because she likely chopped the heads off all the members of NQ Arbuckle

4. Drive By Truckers - The Fine Print

I love pretty much every album cover Wes Freed has done, especially the ones he's done for DBT. This one is no exception.

5. Bettysoo - Heat Sin, Water Skin

A cool stylized image of BettySoo herself. Really like the colors of this and the aura that's around her head (yeah, I'm not an art critic as you can tell)

6. Gretchen Peters with Tom Russell - One To The Heart, One To The Head

I am assuming this is a painting Tom Russell did. Just a cool cover, I almost put Tom's Blood and Candlesmoke but I like this cover a lot more.

7. Wilco - Wilco (The Album)

This one was on the worst list originally, but the more I look at it the more I find it endearing. Also, it's certainly memorable. Party Camel for life!

8. Joe Henry - Blood From Stars

I like this one because it reminds me of something O. Winston Link would have done.

9. Tim Easton - Porcupine

Cool painting by Tim Easton. I think I read he hand painted a limited number of vinyl releases of this album. Would love to see some pics of those

10. Kieran Kane - Somewhere Beyond The Roses

I'm not really sure what's going on here, some kind of collage or something but I like it.

Honorable Mentions to:

Cory Branan & Jon Snodgrass - s/t

This one is so bad it's good. I mean, it's a wolf....and a cobra. Also pyramids and snow mountains.

Prison Book Club - Required Reading

I just like this cover and didn't want to leave it out.

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Now for the worst ones:

The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You

I just think this one is creepy and weird. Also it reminds me of a Jethro Tull album cover.

Dave Rawlings Machine - Friend of A Friend

Speaking of creepy and weird, what's up with the look on his face? Did the camera man walk up on him doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing?

Jimbo Mathus - Jimmy The Kid

This one is on the worst list because there was a much better cover they could have used.

Scott Miller - For Crying Out Loud

I'm a huge Scott Miller fan, but not a fan of this cover...at all.

Gurf Morlix - Last Exit To Happyland

Again, I'm a huge Gurf Morlix fan but this cover is almost disturbing. Maybe it's an homage to Bela Lugosi or something.

Heartless Bastards - The Mountain

This one is just aweful, reminds me of a collage I would have done in high school art class at the last minute cause I was too busy sneaking off and getting high during class.

Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

What the hell is this? Why is she on the hood of some car? And what kind of car is that anyway?

BettySoo - Never Knew No Love (Acoustic) (vid)

The folks at Music Fog continue to capture amazing videos of amazing artists. This is one of them.

Album Review Roundup: Band of Heathens, Sons of Bill, Gabriel Sullivan, The Pines, Pieta Brown

First let me say that in all honesty I don't like doing album reviews. I prefer to let the music speak for itself which is why I do the seasonal samplers. But, saying that, the reviews do get a lot of continuing hits from people doing searches and the like, so I like to think they serve their own purpose of turning folks onto music they might like. So with that said I have A LOT of albums I need to review....but like I said, I don't like doing it so I let them stack up. Here is my compromise, a post of shorter album reviews all in one post. Kind of like how magazines used to do their quick reviews. All right, so with the boring information out of the way, let's do this.

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Band of Heathens - One Foot In The Ether

Sounds like the Black Crowes and Little Feat got together and decided to jam. These guys are great musicians in the pentatonic classic rock style. The album kicks off with L.A. County blues which is one of the best odes to Hunter Thompson I believe I've ever heard. Standout tracks include the bluesy Golden Calf, the soulful country of What's This World, the "she talks to angels" type ballad, Let Your Heart Not Be Troubled, the little feat-ish funk of Somebody Tell The Truth, and an amazing cover of Gillian Welch's Look At Miss Ohio.

Buy Band Of Heathens - One Foot In The Ether here

Listen to Band of Heathens - Let Your Heart Not Be Troubled

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Sons of Bill - One Town Away

Well here is a review that is long overdue, and truthfully I'm glad I waited. Why, well because at first I liked the album but thought it to be too slick sounding. I still think it's a little slick sounding, but I quickly got over that after repeated listens. What I call "slick" others would call "well produced". The thing that immediately grabbed me about this album were the well crafted lyrics and melodies. Particularly the line in Broken Bottles "Hank Williams might have been a lovesick drinker, but being a lovesick drunk don't make you Hank". Lyricism such as that is all over this thing, and as I alluded to in the opening sentences, this album is a grower for me. Sons of Bill are recommended if you like Reckless Kelly and Scott Miller.

Buy Sons of Bill - One Town Away here

Listen to Sons of Bill - Joey's Arm

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Gabriel Sullivan - By The Dirt

Here is another one I'm glad I waited to review. I will admit at first I was a little underwhelmed with this one. However last week this album popped up on an MP3 disc in my truck and damn it hit me hard at just the right time. This is a great album though a little off the beaten path. The blurb sheet that came with this album said something like "sounds like Tom Waits fronting The Black Keys" and I would say that is a very apt description. I would also like to compare him to a less rustic, slightly jazzier William Elliot Whitmore. Little bit of a New Orleans thing going on here with the clarinet and song structures...but it works out good with Gabe's weathered voice. The absolute highlight of this album is without a doubt the duet with Brittany Dawn House Built On Love. Check out Gabe Sullivan's blog here.

Buy Gabriel Sullivan - By The Dirt here

Listen to Gabriel Sullivan - House Built On Love here

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The Pines - Tremolo
Man this album is fantastic. Full of bluesy folky goodness and some of the finest yet most subtle slide guitar ever laid to wax. The Pines are one part songwriter David Huckfelt, and one part songwriter Benson Ramsey, who is the son of Greg Brown sideman and producer Bo Ramsey (who also produced this album). I'm guessing that's where he gets his killer guitar chops. This is their second album, and shows a band that has matured quite a bit since their debut album. While that album was a good listen, I would call this album a MUST listen. Great songwriting, great playing, great production, just an all around great album. I tell you what it kind of reminds me of.....if Gurf Morlix had produced a mid 70's Bob Dylan album.

Buy The Pines - Tremolo here

Listen to The Pines - Pray Tell here

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Pieta Brown - Shimmer

Speaking of Greg Brown, longtime readers to ATS should be familiar with his daughter Pieta. This album is a 7-song EP (the second EP in two years) and it's mainly focusing on Pieta's folkier side. I will say this EP is a little more laid back than 2007's Remember The Sun which was one of my favorite albums of that year. But put this album side by side with last year's Flight Time EP and it makes perfect sense, as that album was full of her faster more rocking songs. I would recommend both of these EP's really, though I'm more of a fan of the Flight Time EP, I just think Pieta is best when she adds in a little electric guitar and up's the sultry twang thing. In my opinion the strongest song on here is Lovin' You Still which sounds like a reworking of In My Mind I Was Talking To Loretta off Remember The Sun.

Buy Pieta Brown - Shimmer here (Buy Flight Time here)

Listen to Pieta Brown - Lovin' You Still here

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Ok, guess I will stop there.

Mike Cooley - Live at The 40 Watt (2/25/2005)

So, here we have the third main songwriter of the Drive By Truckers, and the only one who doesn't have any kind of solo album. Listening to this makes you wonder why. Here Cooley is alone with his acoustic guitar playing whatever the crowd wants to hear. He runs through many Truckers' favorites, old and new, and even a few unreleased tracks. A couple of the songs like "Little Pony and The Great Big Horse" and an alternate version of "Uncle Frank" can be heard on the excellent new odds and ends album The Fine Print (have I said that enough across these last three posts?). This is a real treasure, and getting almost all of Cooley's songs together only cements the fact that he is an amazing songwriter and singer. My favorite tracks on here are of course the new ones I had never heard before, the drunk driving ballad "Three On The Tree", "Pulaski Tennessee", and my favorite unreleased one "Weakest Man". Also of interest is an early version of "Bob". The show ends with a killer one-two-three acoustic punch of "Marry Me", "Where The Devil Don't Stay" and "Daddy's Cup". Sound is a solid A-, not to be missed.

And a bonus for you Cooley fans, here is an interesting and insightful interview (because we rarely get to hear from the man) from when his song was featured in Rock Band. Check out this interesting quote: "I make more money off t-shirts. If you rip it, burn it, give it to somebody, and they come to a show and buy a ticket and a t-shirt, I profit more that way anyway, and then I've got a fan. Records are promotional items these days anyway"

MP3

Mike Cooley - Live At The 40 Watt

Patterson Hood - Onward Out The Window (Caledonia Lounge 11/4/2009)

Who likes theme posts? Do you like theme posts? Well lucky for you, you're in the middle of a string of them. This one is simply incredible! Perfect fucking sound, great stories, and very interesting setlist. In fact, this is the first of 3 weekly shows hood is currently performing at The Caledonia Lounge in Athens, GA. This one he billed as "Onward Out The Window (new and used songs stripped down to piano and guitar)", and that's exactly what you get. Stripped down familiar songs, and a few new ones. This is really a can't miss for Patterson fans and Drive-By Truckers fans. Some amazing renditions on here, perfectly augmented by simply an acoustic guitar and piano/organ while Patterson embellishes each song with stories and anecdotes he has become famous for. A really intimate show.

Patterson currently has a new album out called Murding Oscar, and this wednesday at The Caledonia he will be performing his 3rd show, the "rock show" with his backing band The Belvederes. If you are in the area I would make sure not to miss it.

Also don't forget about the new DBT odds & ends album The Fine Print

MP3

Patterson Hood - Onward Out The Window

An Acoustic Evening With Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit (8/4/2009)

By request here, a Jason Isbell show from this past august. This is all acoustic, and it's damn good. Sound is a B+ because there is some low level chatter throughout, but really nothing to make this unlistenable. Performance is a solid A+. A Very good evening of acoustic music from Mr. Isbell and his 400 Unit. Includes extended cuts of Danko/Manuel, Goddamn Lonely Love (an amazingly soulful version I might add...a must hear), Decoration Day and Thank God For The TVA (which was recently released on the killer DBT odd's & ends album The Fine Print). Now that was all said to lure you DBT fans in who might be on the fence about Isbell's solo career. I will say this, his latest self titled album is one of the finest albums I've heard this year. It's definitely a slow grower.....but it sticks with you and reveals an album that will be listened to for many years to come.

MP3

An Acoustic Evening with Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit