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Sat 16 May – The Tragically Hip -

For almost 26 years I've been blessed to see these lads mature into one of Canada's premier recording artists... They were AWESOME in Canada's 'darling on Shuter Street', and the Massey Hall shows were beyond energetic; they were ELECTRIFYING. Gord Downie held a spell over the audience, as he 'swam', strutted and pranced about with evocative song intros. Over 90% of the audience was on its feet for the entire show, and this is at Canada's finest and oldest soft seat theater venue; this is RARE.

Only one non-original member played alongside them during their sold out Massey shows, Ottawa native, singer/songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jim Bryson, who is perhaps best known for touring and recording with Kathleen Edwards and Sarah Harmer. Bryson played keyboards and sang backing vocals during the almost three hour shows, which were separated with just one ten minute intermission.

If you get a chance to see this magnificent tour, GO! Only then will you perhaps begin to appreciate why Canadians love The Tragically Hip SO MUCH.

1. How did you get into 29? Pilot Speed
I'd heard Into Your Hideout and didn't like it...months later, an online friend got me to listen to Alright and I LOVED it. Have been a fan of all their stuff ever since.

2. What was the first song you ever heard by 22? Travis
I think it would be Sing in 2001. So glad I did.

3. How many albums by 13 do you own? Pete Yorn
Physically? 0. In file form, 4... and soon to be 5. :)

4. What is your favorite song by 15? The National
Slow Show for sure.

5. What is your favorite song by 5? Fiona Apple
Ahhh, this is tough! Gonna go with Oh Well

6. Is there a song by 6 that makes you happy? Chantal Kreviazuk
Her happy songs make me a little sad these days, but yes... Before You, Wonderful, Mad About You.

7. What is your favorite song by 10? Turin Brakes
Bye Pod because of timing and because the lyrics hit home. Beautiful song.

8. What is a good memory you have involving 30? Anastacia
No real memory with her, but she is great to listen to when you feel feisty.

9. Is there a song by 19 that makes you happy? Coldplay
Green Eyes, which is actually one of my favorite Coldplay songs. I used to wish I had a boyfriend with green eyes so I could think of him while listening to it, haha. :) Sidenote...Coldplay actually disown this song and hate it/don't perform it anymore because the girl it was about is long gone - sadness.

10. How many times have you seen 25 live? Dixie Chicks
Never, but I'd love to.

11. What is the first song you ever heard by 7? Jewel
You Were Meant for Me of course.

12. What is your favorite album by 11? Patty Griffin
So tough!! Until the last few months, I would have said Flaming Red, but now it's between that and Silver Bell.

13. Who is a favorite member of 1? Aimee Mann
She is my favorite human being.

14. Have you ever seen 14 live? Everclear
No, and I'm glad, because their live recordings are awful.

15. What is a good memory involving 27? Nina Gordon
I loved listening to Bleeding Heart Graffiti the summer before I moved to Toronto. I also remember listening to 2003 a lot.. including the New Year's where it became 2003. :)

16. What is your favorite song by 16? The Dresden Dolls
Umm... The Mouse and the Model

17. What is your favorite album by 18? Ours
Distorted Lullabies

18. What is your favorite song by 21? Holly McNarland
Dry As A Bone easily.

19. What is the first song you ever heard by 26? Natalie Imbruglia
Like everyone else, Torn

20. What is your favorite album by 2? Ashlee Simpson
Bittersweet World is underrated!

21. What is your favorite song by 3? David Usher
So tough, but I think it's Souring

22. What is you favorite song by 8? Alanis Morissette
From the newest album, surprisingly! Tapes

23. How many times have you seen 17 live? Kelly Clarkson
Never, but I would love to.

24. What is the worst song by 12? Sarah Harmer
I'm gonna pretend I wasn't asked this.

25. What was the first song you ever heard by 28? Jann Arden
Not sure! But it was probably Insensitive

26. What is you favorite album by 20? Sarah Slean
Another tough one.. but I'm gonna go with the live album, actually. Orphan Music

27. What is your favorite song by 24? Cat Power
Good Woman

28. Is there a song by 9 that makes you happy? Keane
Better Than This

29. What is your favorite album by 4? Garbage
Tough again.. but gonna go with Bleed Like Me

30. How many albums do you own by 23? Bonnie McKee
She only has one, but I love it. Trouble.

1. How did you get into 29? (Nickel Creek)
To be honest, I don't really remember. I heard one of their songs a long time before I actually got into them and I really liked it, but it wasn't until years later that I got into them. I believe it was when I was getting really heavy into Alison Krauss and was branching out for more bluegrass to listen to.

2. What was the first song you ever heard by 22? (Jack Johnson)
"Sitting, Waiting, Wishing," believe it or not. I know a lot of people that knew him before that, but I guess he didn't really start getting popular until "In Between Dreams" came out, so it's not that much of a shock.

3. What's your favorite lyric by 33? (Aly & AJ)
I try not to listen too closely to their lyrics, honestly.

4. How did you get into 49? (Rihanna)
I liked "Pon de Replay" when it first came out, but she was one in a large group of similar artists that came out right around the same time. Ciara was a lot bigger than Rihanna, and I had Rihanna pegged as a Ciara wannabe. Since I didn't like Ciara that much, I didn't go for Rihanna, either. Then I heard "S.O.S.," and that was it for me. I still didn't pick up her first album until just recently, though.

5. How many albums by 13 do you own? (Whitney Houston)
Four. ("Whitney," "Whitney Houston," "I'm Your Baby Tonight," and "My Love is Your Love.")

6. What is your favorite song by 50? (Mariah Carey)
"Always Be My Baby," without a doubt.

7. Is there a song by 39 that makes you sad? (Alison Krauss & Union Station)
All Alison Krauss sings are sad songs. Luckily, most of them have an upbeat enough tempo to keep me from crying. "New Favorite" kills me, though, and Alison's cameo on Brad Paisley's "Whiskey Lullaby" makes me cry almost every time.

8. What is your favorite song by 15? (Teena Marie)
As much as my husband hates this, "Robbery" is my favorite song by Lady T.

9. What is your favorite song by 5? (Gavin DeGraw)
It used to be "Chariot," but right now it's "Medicate the Kids."

10. Is there a song by 6 that makes you happy? (Jem And The Holograms)
Uhm, every single song they've ever released makes me happy. Even the shitty ones.

11. What is the worst song by 40? (Ingrid Michaelson)
To be honest, I've only listened to the first half of her album, but I've listened to it a lot. I don't really think any of those six songs are bad, though.

12. What is your favorite song by 10? (Alanis Morissette)
That's a tough one, since all of her albums are so varied. I'll have to say "One," though, if forced to pick.

13. What is a good memory you have involving 30? (Atmosphere)
I don't really have any memories associated with Atmosphere.

14. What is your favorite song by 38? (Kelis)
I like lots of her songs. "Fire" is probably the one I play the most often, though.

15. Is there a song by 19 that makes you happy? (Alicia Keys)
"No One," but it is a bittersweet kind of happy, because it makes me think of my husband.

16. Is there a song by 25 that makes you sad? (Emmylou Harris)
"Red Dirt Girl" was the most immediate, but "Little Bird" makes me sad because it reminds me of my ex.

17. What is the first song you ever heard by 23? (Kathleen Edwards)
"The Lone Wolf."

18. What's your favorite lyric by 11? (Nellie McKay)
I don't really know. I like most of her stuff, but there's no one specific set of lyrics that really sticks out in my head as better than the rest (which is not necessarily a bad thing.)

19. Who is a favorite member of 1? (Aimee Mann)
I'm going to have to go with Aimee.

20. Is there a song by 14 that makes you happy? (Tilly and the Wall)
All of their songs make me happy, because I love them, but I would probably have to say "Bad Education."

21. What is a good memory involving 27? (Regina Spektor)
I don't really have good memories associated with Regina Spektor. She sometimes makes me think about my ex, since he introduced me to her, but normally it's just whatever. I don't have any friends that like Regina Spektor, so I just haven't built any memories other than me driving in the car singing to myself at the top of my lungs.

22. What is your favorite song by 16? (Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings)
"Something's Changed."

23. What is the first song you ever heard by 47? (Maria Mena)
"You're The Only One."

24. What is your favorite album by 18? (Ben Taylor)
Probably "Another Run Around The Sun," although I really love "Famous Among The Barns," too.

25. What is your favorite song by 21? (Misfits)
Since this is The Misfits from Jem, I'll have to say "It Takes Alot."

26. What is the first song you ever heard by 26? (Hilary Duff)
"Why Not?"

27. What is your favorite album by 3? (Duffy)
I'd have to say "Rockferry," but maybe she'll release a second album someday and it will become a favorite.

28. What is your favorite song by 2? (Miley Cyrus)
Either "Full Circle" or "These Four Walls."

29. What was the first song you ever heard by 32? (Semisonic)
"Closing Time."

30. What is your favorite song by 8? (Paramore)
"crushcrushcrush."

31. How many times have you seen 17 live? (Badly Drawn Boy)
None.

32. Is there a song by 44 that makes you happy? (Emma)
"Maybe" is fun.

33. How did you get into 12? (Natalie Imbruglia)
I always loved "Torn," but I recently picked her back up on a whim and started listening to her, much to her surprise, I think.

34. What is the worst song by 45? (Vonda Shepard)
A lot of her stuff for Ally McBeal was meh.

35. What was the first song you ever heard by 34? (Alison Krauss)
Probably "When You Say Nothing At All."

36. What is the first song you ever heard by 48? (Heart)
Either "Barracuda" or "Crazy On You." Those songs are everywhere.

37. How many times have you seen 42 live? (Basia Bulat)
None.

38. What is your favorite song by 36? (KT Tunstall)
"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree."

39. What was the first song you ever heard by 28? (Macy Gray)
"I Try," duh.

40. What is your favorite album by 7? (Nina Simone)
Her greatest hits compilation. :-P

41. Is there a song by 31 that makes you happy? (Aretha Franklin)
"You Are My Sunshine" makes me happy.

42. What is your favorite album by 41? (Lucinda Williams)
"West," but to be fair, it's the only one of hers that I have.

43. What is your favorite song by 24? (Sia)
"Breathe Me."

44. What is a good memory you have involving 46? (Sara Bareilles)
Sara Bareilles makes me think of both of my exes.

45. What is your favorite song by 35? (Al Green)
"Love and Happiness," but "Let's Get Married" is up there, too.

46. Is there a song by 9 that makes you happy? (Sarah Harmer)
"Uniform Gray" is fun to sing along to.

47. What is your favorite album by 4? (Gillian Welch)
"Revival."

48. Who is a favorite member of 37? (Prince)
Prince.

49. What is the first song you ever heard by 43? (Katharine McPhee)
Who knows? Not counting American Idol, I think "Over It."

50. What is your favorite song by 20? (Angie Stone)
The remix of "Brotha."

saraB (metal)
Sarabatana
Saracen
Saracen (Aus) (metal)
Saracen (UK) (metal)
Saracofago
sarafan (metal)
Saragossa Band (1 album, pop)
Sarah
Sarah & Koen Wauters
Sarah Badishi
Sarah Bettens[/artist (1 album, other)
Sarah Blasko (1 album, pop)
Sarah Borges (2 albums, rock)
Sarah Brendel
Sarah Brichtman
Sarah Brightiman
Sarah Brightman (19 albums, pop)
Sarah Buxton
Sarah Clancy
Sarah Conner
Sarah Connor (10 albums, rnb)
Sarah Cracknell
Sarah Dawn Finer (1 album, other)
Sarah Dougher
Sarah Fimm
Sarah Geronimo
Sarah Harmer (4 albums, rock)
Sarah Hudson
SARAH IVAM
Sarah Jane Morris
Sareh Kaiser (1 album, other)
Sarah Kelly (1 album, other)
Sarah Khider
Sarah Mansen
Sarah Masen
Sarah McLachan
Sarah McLachlan (33 albums, rock)
Sarah McLeod
Sarah Sadler
Sarah Shannon (1 album, pop)
Sarah Sheeva
Sarah Slean
Sarah Thery
Sarah Vaughan (12 albums, pop)
Sarah's Blood (metal)
Sarai
Sarajane
Sarajevo39
SarahT (metal)
Saralee
Saram (metal)
Sarapatel com Pimenta
Sarasin (metal)
Sarasota Slim
Sarasvatn (metal)
Saratan (metal)
Sarath (metal)
Saratoga (2 albums, other)
Saratoga (Esp) (metal)
Saratoga (Hrv) (metal)
Saratustra
Sarava All Stars
Saravada
Saray
Saray Vargas & Tijeritas
Sarbel
Sarcasm (Fra) (metal)
Sarcasm (Pol) (metal)
Sarcasm (Svn) (metal)
Sarcasm (Swe) (metal)
Sarcasm (Ukr) (metal)
Sarcasm Syndrome (metal)
Sarcasmo
Sarcasmo (Bra) (metal)
Sarcasmo (Mex) (metal)
Sarcastic
Sarcastic (Bra) (metal)
Sarcastic (Mex) (metal)
Sarcastic (Mys) (metal)
Sarcastic (Prt) (metal)
Sarcastic (Svk) (metal)
Sarcastic (Swe) (metal)
Sarcastic Angel (metal)
Sarcastic Blasphemer (metal)
Sarcastic Existence (metal)
Sarcastic Existence (Che) (metal)
Sarcastic Existence (Ger) (metal)
Sarcastic Murder
Sarcastic Terror
Sarcazm
Sarcofago (metal)
Sarcofagus (metal)
Sarcolytic (metal)

Not many concerts literally overflow with beauty and awe. They usually make you shake your hips with some catchy beat, or rock you with screaming guitar riffs and rough, booming drums. Sometimes they move you with intimate atmospheres, confessional moods that nail you to your seats.

But from time to time you get the chance to encounter a concert that is the state-of-art as concerts go. It is like being brought all of a sudden to a world where everything is shaped in crystal-clear forms, bathed in bright lights that hit their surfaces and spring a full palette of emotional colours. You are gently forced to be a blank canvas and take every stroke of the brush in.

This great performance by Sarah Slean and the Art Of Time Ensemble happens to be one of those rare achievements in grasping perfection - and holding strong to it.

All the songs are led on a rich texture of arrangements for classical orchestra with a neat pop turn. The arrangers' work on the songs is just unbelievable. All the tunes soar up to new heights of beauty, greatly performed by all the musicians in the ensemble.

And, of course, there is Sarah. She chose the songbook, lining up songs by Leonard Cohen, Sarah Harmer, Feist, Ron Sexsmith, Hawksley Workman just to name a few of the better known among them, and gave her vibrant, passionate voice to them. There's such a spontaneous involvement and commitment in her singing, you sometimes find it hard to believe these songs are not hers.

When I listen to Sarah, I always have the feeling of a strife going on between dark bitter defeat in life on one hand, and that kind of laugh you discover at the very bottom of helplessness on the other. There's so much energy coming out of some of the saddest corners of human soul, and she channels it completely. I love that above everything else in her perfoming.

And take a good listen to the unreleased gem by Sarah, Lonely Side of the Moon, which would be the perfect sister song to The Rose on a completely orchestra-driven album Sarah could turn out in the future!

You can listen to the concert at CBC Radio website:
http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/singleConcert.html?20070710slean

Here's the setlist:

1. Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye
by Leonard Cohen, arranged by Gavin Bryars

2. Lodestar
by Sarah Harmer, arranged by Roberto Occhipinti

3. Dandelion Wine
by Ron Sexsmith, arranged by Aaron Davis

4. To Cry About
by Mary Margaret O'Hara, arranged by Bruce Cassidy

5. Stride
by Hayden, arranged by Finn Manniche

6. Monarch
by Feist, arranged by Cameron Wilson

7. Old Photographs
by Christos Hatzis

8. Tango a la Burashko
by Phil Dwyer

9. I Don't Need More
by Kathryn Rose, arranged by Phil Dwyer

10. Black Flowers
by Lynn Miles, arranged by Kevin Fox

11. Eyes Are the Flowers
by John Southworth, arranged by Michael Occhipinti

12. No More Named Johnny
by Hawksley Workman, arranged by Shelly Berger

13. I'll Never Tear You Apart
by Martin Tielli, arranged by Jonathan Goldsmith

14. Dress Rehearsal Rag
by Leonard Cohen, arranged by Jim McGrath

15. Lonely Side of the Moon
by Sarah Slean

Shows:

DECEMBER 9 @ SMILING BUDDHA, The Hoa Hoas, Saffron Sect, City Field
DECEMBER 10 @ HORSESHOE, Joel Plaskett Emergency (with Tara S'Appart of Elevator)
DECEMBER 11 @ HORSESHOE, Major Grange, Joel Plaskett Emergency (with Gordie Johnson of Big Sugar, Grady)
DECEMBER 12 @ THE BOAT, Cheap Speakers*
DECEMBER 12 @ HORSESHOE, Joel Plaskett Emergency (with Andrew Scott of Sloan, Gordie Johnson)
DECEMBER 13 @ HORSESHOE, Peter Elkas, Joel Plaskett Emergency (with Gordon Downie of The Tragically Hip, Sarah Harmer, Gordie Johnson)
DECEMBER 14 @ HORSESHOE, Two Hours Traffic, Joel Plaskett Emergency (with Ian McGettigan of Thrush Hermit, Mr Chill)
DECEMBER 15 @ SONIC BOOM, Fucked Up
DECEMBER 15 @ HORSESHOE, Two Hours Traffic, Joel Plaskett Emergency (with Mr Chill)

Albums:

Traveling Wilburys, Volume 1, Volume 3 (CD)
Thurston Moore, Trees Outside The Academy (CD)

1. Okkervil River - The Stage Names

This album grabbed me and never let go. Lead singer/songwriter Will Sheff writes and sings about the perils of becoming (relatively) famous, how to keep the band going when the tour becomes a drag, how weird it is to have groupies, and what happens when your creativity or songwriting ability dries up. The wonderful part of this album is the diversity of the songs (from rock Unless Its Kicks to suicide ballad Savannah Smiles to obvious motown influence You Can’t Hold the Hand of a Rock and Roll Man) and the array of instrumentation used (from coronet to pedal steel to rock piano). You can tell Sheff put a lot of time, thought, and effort into the songwriting, and his voice has really matured over the last few years. I actually had to ban myself from listening to this at about mid-October lest I burn out of it. I will love this album for a long, long time.

Standout Tracks: Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe (A kickass rock song about how life, unlike a movie, is actually quite boring), Plus Ones (what does happen to the 97th tear, or 100th luftballon?), A Girl in Port (beautiful love song), John Allyn Smith Sails (Sheff turns the west indies folk tune “Sloop John B” into a suicide note from poet John Berryman. Brilliant!)

The only song I am not nuts about is Title Track. Its not a bad track by any means, but it prevents this album from being a perfect 5 stars.




2. The National – Boxer

Although this album was released March, I stupidly didn’t hear it until early December. And when I did it immediately captured me and blew me away. In fact, I had a hard time NOT making this my number one album of 2007, and I am repeatedly kicking myself for having missed them this year when they toured through Toronto. TWICE! Lead singer/songwriter Matt Berninger sings in a baritone voice, which almost always sounds either sad or desperate. He works with the themes of white collar angst - the constant grind of the big city (Mistake For Strangers), climbing the corporate ladder (Racing Like A Pro), losing touch with your old friends (Green Gloves), and general disillusionment. The music is deep and lush, and some songs are supplemented with horns and keyboards.

For me, this was the perfect soundtrack for getting into the airport at 1:00 a.m. after Christmas seven hours later than expected due to a snow storm, having United Airlines lose my luggage, taking a bus from the airport to downtown, walking home from the bus stop in the pouring rain through the club district of Toronto with all of the super young kids getting soaked in their mini skirts and heals and their hair gel running all over, and finally getting home at 2:30 a.m. so physically and emotionally exhausted that I couldn’t sleep.

Not a bad track on this album.

Standout Tracks: Fake Empire (amazing syncopated piano opening), Mistaken for Strangers, Green Gloves




3. The Sadies – New Seasons

The Sadies are my favorite Canadian band, and although they are mostly known for putting on kick butt live shows, which they do (I saw them twice this year), their albums aren’t bad either. Its nearly impossible to classify this band. They area incredibly talented musicians who are smart enough not to limit their music to one genre. Their previous releases have been parts country, rock, gospel, alt country, folk, bluegrass, surf rock and psychedelic. They are quintessentially americana, (or Canadiana, I guess).

New Seasons is another great release. It starts with a bluegrass instrumental Introduction, and launches into a slightly psychedelic rock song. The variety on this album is immense. This album sees the lead singers, brothers Dallas and Travis Good, doing a lot more harmonizing than on previous releases, and it really works. The frantic dual guitar work and country twangs that Sadies fans know and love are still included on the album, but this recoding also showcases some of the Sadies softer sides, with beautiful tracks such as My Heart Of Wood and the instrumental Wolf Tones. The album drags a little at the end, but otherwise its another wonderful release from a superb band.

Standout Tracks: What's Left Behind, Yours To Discover, Anna Leigh




4. For the Sake of His Songs: A Tribute to Townes Van Zandt by Various Artists from the AltCountryTab.ca forum

This tribute album is all that is good about the internet. It was put out by a group of people who have never met each other who all post and discuss music on the http://www.altcountrytab.ca forum. Eric Rhame, from Duluth, Minnesota, coordinated the project. People electronically submitted their home recorded tracks as MP3s to Mr. Rhame from locations as diverse as Tustin, California, to Denton, Texas, to Oxford, United Kingdom. The artists range from professional musicians, to law students, to stay at home dads, to civil servants. Some were singing for the first time, and others had never recorded before. It turned out so well that Mr. Rhame contacted Townes Van Zandt’s widow, and she accepted a copy of it, and thanked the group for keeping Van Zandt’s memory alive! Morgan King of The Popehawks and owner/operator of Yer Bird Records did the cover art.

I was only a passing Townes Van Zandt fan before I heard this album. Since then I have gone out and purchased three Van Zandt CDs and become a true believer. That is the point of projects like this. To keep the memory of a wonderful artist alive, and to encourage people to dig into his vast catalog. Amazing album.

You can still download this album at: http://www.altcountrytab.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9791

Standout Tracks: Marie by Karl Haglund, Kathleen by Kristine Jones, Flyin’ Shoes by Matt Kidney, and a punk version of Mr. Mudd & Mr. Gold by The Popehawks.




5. Son Volt – The Search

If I learned one thing in 2007, its that I am a Jay Farrar chick instead of a Jeff Tweedy person. For the longest time I have been denying it, but after comparing Son Volt’s The Search with Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky (or, Sky Snooze Sky, as I have dubbed it), there is now no question. Although The Search is not a perfect album, and some of the lyrics are quite esoteric, I think that it’s the best thing Farrar has done since Trace. Farrar is still the lyrical master of the blue collar plight. A good example of this is the second track The Picture, and if you search the internet a little bit, you can find a version of it without the Miami Sound Machine influenced horns. (Seriously Jay, horns?) But this and other minor blunders are forgiven by what is, in my opinion, the song of the year, Methamphetamine. You can feel the desperation of the recovering addict in this song, trying to make it though the night without giving in to his demons. A must have album for all alt country fans.

Standout Tracks: Circadian Rhythm, Methamphetamine, Adrenaline And Heresy, Highways and Cigarettes




6. Chris Knight – The Trailer Tapes

Chris Knight is the most underrated songwriter in North America. Knight recorded these tracks by himself in his singlewide trailer near Slaughter, Kentucky, back in 1996. Bootlegs and outtakes of these tracks have been floating around ever since. They are stripped down, emotional, and very raw. Knight is a master of storytelling – recalling lost love and broken hearts, hating the dead-end job, the bank foreclosing on the farm, and disillusion with city life.

My person favorite track, Rita’s Only Fault, tells the story of unrequited high school love – of course she marries the high school quarterback. But will anyone believe Rita when Mr. QB isn’t very nice to her?

Knight has been picked up and dropped by the major labels all through his career. I had the privilege to see him perform and to meet him this year, and he was very humble and soft spoken. I'll take raw emotion and brilliant songwriting in a Kentucky trailer over Nashville radio bombastic hair gel, fake smile pop-crap like Rascal Flatts any day.

Standout Tracks: Something Changed, Rita’s Only Fault, Hard Edges, Here Comes The Rain




7. Folk Music for the End of the World – Various Artists – Yer Bird Records

This compilation from Yer Bird Records is a rough concept album about things that will ruin the world – such as greed, war, violence, death, losing faith, and even global warming. All of the tracks are previously unreleased. What I love about this album, in addition to the vast number of extraordinarily talented artists, is their ability to tell stories through song. And each artist does things his/her own way, leading to a really challenging and remarkable record.

I bought this early in 2007, and it was a huge grower.

My favorite track is Mississippi Sea by Hezekiah Jones. He tells the story of the aftermath of some big unstated catastrophe (maybe the melting of the polar ice caps or a big earthquake?), then hiding for 17 years and emerging in 2043. Now he vacations at his condo near the Mississippi Sea. And with only 16,080 people left on earth, they spend all day making babies. Not a bad life.

Other Standout Tracks: Message from London by Hayden, Barter Blues by J. Tillman, Sad Little Drunks by Oweihops, Angeline by O’Death, Lay Me Down by The Hotel Ghost (unbelievable mostly a capella vocal performance by female lead singer)




8. Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger

The extraordinarily talented Ryan Adams gets back to what he does best on this album: roots-rock americana. There is not a bad track on this album. However, there are no real standout tracks either. His backing band, The Cardinals, superbly fills in the accompaniment. What really got me was seeing him on Letterman – for the first time in years Adams looked happy, like he was actually enjoying himself. I really love the consistency of this album.

Letterman, Nov. 2, 2007 –

1) Everybody Knows


2) How Do You Keep Love Alive (from 2005’s Cold Roses) / Pearls On A String (amazing bluegrass jam)


Standout Tracks: Goodnight Rose, Off Broadway, Pearls On A String, I Taught Myself How To Grow Old




9. Two Cow Garage - Three

If Paul Westerberg of the Replacements and Ben Nichols of Lucero had a kid, it would be Two Cow Garage’s lead singer and guitarist Micah Schnabel. Schnabel sings his heart out on 9 of the 13 tracks, with bassist Shane Sweeney stepping in on lead vocals for four tracks. Sweeney’s lower voice is a nice contrast to Schnabel’s wailing, and makes for great variety on the record. This album is practically an alt country super-group, with Slobberbone/The Drams Brent Best producing and playing guitar on four tracks, and Scott Danbom of Centro-matic rocking the piano and organ.

This record is more rock than alt country, but I don’t think that Two Cow Garage is too concerned about labels. They rock as hard as anything the Drive-By Truckers have done, and yet can dial it down when needed. This albums also has the best opening line of 2007, from Come Back To Shelby. “I still smell the smoke from the bridges that I burned.” Turn it up. Loud.

Standout Tracks: Come Back To Shelby, No Shame, Mediocre (bitchin’ rock piano and horns)




10. Great Lake Swimmers – Ongiara

I wish I could remember who turned me on to this trio from Toronto. It’s a very mellow, mid to low tempo record, perfect for a rainy or snowy Sunday afternoon. The opening track, Your Rocky Spine, displays beautiful banjo picking, along with backing vocals from Sarah Harmer. There's a feeling of deep longing and melancholy throughout this record, but there is also a feeling of hope. The songs are recorded using minimal instrumentation - mostly acoustic guitar, banjo, double bass, and drums played with brushes. People categorize this as indie pop and compare it a lot to the work of Elliott Smith and Iron & Wine, but I believe that, like the other two artists, this record has large crossover appeal to many genres and age groups. Very consistently gorgeous throughout the record.

Standout Tracks: Changing Colours, Put There by the Land, I Am A Part Of A Large Family