12. Groceries by Mallrat.
"And if you wanna get groceries
And if you wanna get close to me
Just gimme some, gimme some, gimme some sign
I think that we're supposed to be."
Mallrat is one Grace Kathleen Elizabeth Shaw, an Australian musician (and rapper according to Wikipedia). Will her love be unrequited? Perhaps we'll find out on her next album.
13. Old Black Magic by Josh Ritter.
"I can't sleep for crying
I cry all the time
Everybody's got an angel
I got mine
Wings of a crow
Overshadowin'
I got that old black magic rolling in."
One of my favorite artists backed by The 400 Unit and produced by Jason Isbell (who, I'm guessing, plays lead on the studio version)? Oh heck yes. The studio version is here:
14. Western Stars by Bruce Springsteen.
"Here in the canyons above Sunset, the desert don't give up the fight
A coyote with someone’s Chihuahua in its teeth skitters 'cross my veranda in the night.
Some lost sheep from Oklahoma sips her Mojito down at the Whiskey Bar
Smiles and says she thinks she remembers me from that commercial with the credit card."
In addition to the many fine covers of The Boss this year, we also had the good fortune to listen to his 19th album. This song seems to be from the perspective of an aging actor in Westerns -- for which there doesn't seem to be much call these days. Far from a coincidence that it comes from Springsteen in his 70th year of life.
15. Mercury in Retrograde by Sturgill Simpson.
"Mercury must be in retrograde again
But at least it's not just hangin' around, pretendin' to be my friend
Oh, the road to Hell is paved with cruel intention
If it's not nuclear war, it's gonna be a divine intervention."
Mercury is truly (but of course, "truly" being a relative term since it only appears that way to us) in retrograde this year, but that's not what our friend Sturgill is singing about. This is actually one of the quieter songs on what is a rather pronounced turn to the loud for Simpson. Check out "Sing Along" and "Last Man Standing" to see what I mean.
16. everybody knows by pronoun.
“I've been trying to make some sense of things
I know deep down don't make any at all
And the things I thought would build me up
One-eighty'd now and make me feel so small.”
Much like another list favorite, Sjowgren, pronoun would dribble out a few songs a year for us. Until 2019, when Alyse Vellturo graced us with her first album “i’ll show you stronger.” And what a treat it was. I recommend to you “stay” and “wrong” on the album as well - but this is my favorite.
17. Left Alone by Houses.
"I wake up dreaming everyday
It's just like living but it doesn't feel the same
'Cause the sky up above me starts falling down on me
Like a shovel full of graveyard dirt."
Houses' "Fast Talk" was high on my list last year. I like this song almost as much ...
18. Forever Half Mast by Lucy Dacus.
"We're in a state of disarray, united by our darkest days
Aching from the growing pains, they always say it's just a phase
America, the tried and true, red and white and black and blue
Tell me, who did this to you? If it was me I hardly knew."
Last year's list queen, Ms. Dacus spent this one rolling out one song at a time in celebration of various holidays (including Bruce Springsteen's birthday). This was her take on the Fourth of July, which expresses the ambivalence a lot of us are feeling these days toward the country that we love. A friend described Lucy as a "teacher's pet" for me. Absolutely accurate.
19. Heavy Like the World by Guided by Voices.
"It's a lonely world I've heard
I might have the knot pull through
It's so difficult to do
I might have to get one too."
When I first heard this song, I was convinced it was a certain aging but far from over-the-hill alternative rocker -- Bob Mould of Husker Du, Sugar, et al. fame. Then I learned that Guided by Voices are actually contemporaries of Mould, and are from of all places, practically our backyard -- Dayton, Ohio. I'm ashamed to admit I hadn't heard of them until a few months ago.
20. Dope Queen Blues by Adia Victoria.
"It's a culmination
Of my ruination
We are lost
In vain."
The subject matter is a little lost on me, but the vocals aren't. And then the sax kicks in ... Ms. Victoria's album was produced by Aaron Dressner of The National, which certainly isn't a negative (in my book) either.
21. Moderation by Florence + The Machine.
"Can't hold it back, I can't take the tension
Oh, I'm trying to be good
Want me to love you in moderation
Well don't you know, I wish I could."
Given the way she puts her soul into every song, it's easy to believe that moderation is not in Florence Welch's playbook.
22. High Highs, Low Lows by Stephen Kellogg.
"But most of your critique
Doesn't sound that much like me.
But I wonder if it sounds
A bit like you."
The second artist on this year's list that I heard at a most excellent Mountain Stage. C thinks it sounds like a Lyle Lovett song. High praise in my book.
"I can't sleep for crying
I cry all the time
Everybody's got an angel
I got mine
Wings of a crow
Overshadowin'
I got that old black magic rolling in."
One of my favorite artists backed by The 400 Unit and produced by Jason Isbell (who, I'm guessing, plays lead on the studio version)? Oh heck yes. The studio version is here:
14. Western Stars by Bruce Springsteen.
"Here in the canyons above Sunset, the desert don't give up the fight
A coyote with someone’s Chihuahua in its teeth skitters 'cross my veranda in the night.
Some lost sheep from Oklahoma sips her Mojito down at the Whiskey Bar
Smiles and says she thinks she remembers me from that commercial with the credit card."
In addition to the many fine covers of The Boss this year, we also had the good fortune to listen to his 19th album. This song seems to be from the perspective of an aging actor in Westerns -- for which there doesn't seem to be much call these days. Far from a coincidence that it comes from Springsteen in his 70th year of life.
15. Mercury in Retrograde by Sturgill Simpson.
"Mercury must be in retrograde again
But at least it's not just hangin' around, pretendin' to be my friend
Oh, the road to Hell is paved with cruel intention
If it's not nuclear war, it's gonna be a divine intervention."
Mercury is truly (but of course, "truly" being a relative term since it only appears that way to us) in retrograde this year, but that's not what our friend Sturgill is singing about. This is actually one of the quieter songs on what is a rather pronounced turn to the loud for Simpson. Check out "Sing Along" and "Last Man Standing" to see what I mean.
16. everybody knows by pronoun.
“I've been trying to make some sense of things
I know deep down don't make any at all
And the things I thought would build me up
One-eighty'd now and make me feel so small.”
Much like another list favorite, Sjowgren, pronoun would dribble out a few songs a year for us. Until 2019, when Alyse Vellturo graced us with her first album “i’ll show you stronger.” And what a treat it was. I recommend to you “stay” and “wrong” on the album as well - but this is my favorite.
17. Left Alone by Houses.
"I wake up dreaming everyday
It's just like living but it doesn't feel the same
'Cause the sky up above me starts falling down on me
Like a shovel full of graveyard dirt."
Houses' "Fast Talk" was high on my list last year. I like this song almost as much ...
18. Forever Half Mast by Lucy Dacus.
"We're in a state of disarray, united by our darkest days
Aching from the growing pains, they always say it's just a phase
America, the tried and true, red and white and black and blue
Tell me, who did this to you? If it was me I hardly knew."
Last year's list queen, Ms. Dacus spent this one rolling out one song at a time in celebration of various holidays (including Bruce Springsteen's birthday). This was her take on the Fourth of July, which expresses the ambivalence a lot of us are feeling these days toward the country that we love. A friend described Lucy as a "teacher's pet" for me. Absolutely accurate.
19. Heavy Like the World by Guided by Voices.
"It's a lonely world I've heard
I might have the knot pull through
It's so difficult to do
I might have to get one too."
When I first heard this song, I was convinced it was a certain aging but far from over-the-hill alternative rocker -- Bob Mould of Husker Du, Sugar, et al. fame. Then I learned that Guided by Voices are actually contemporaries of Mould, and are from of all places, practically our backyard -- Dayton, Ohio. I'm ashamed to admit I hadn't heard of them until a few months ago.
20. Dope Queen Blues by Adia Victoria.
"It's a culmination
Of my ruination
We are lost
In vain."
The subject matter is a little lost on me, but the vocals aren't. And then the sax kicks in ... Ms. Victoria's album was produced by Aaron Dressner of The National, which certainly isn't a negative (in my book) either.
21. Moderation by Florence + The Machine.
"Can't hold it back, I can't take the tension
Oh, I'm trying to be good
Want me to love you in moderation
Well don't you know, I wish I could."
Given the way she puts her soul into every song, it's easy to believe that moderation is not in Florence Welch's playbook.
22. High Highs, Low Lows by Stephen Kellogg.
"But most of your critique
Doesn't sound that much like me.
But I wonder if it sounds
A bit like you."
The second artist on this year's list that I heard at a most excellent Mountain Stage. C thinks it sounds like a Lyle Lovett song. High praise in my book.
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