Bradley Wik and the Charlatans / Burn What You Can And Bury The Rest

Bradley Wik and the Charlatans' Burn What You Can And Bury The Rest (release date 1/17/12)  proves that rock and roll is not dead but it is in fact alive and well.  Bucking the recent trend of popular bands that don't rock Fleet Foxes, Vampire Weekend, The Decemberists, etc.  Wik saw...

The Coloradas / Review and Interview

Roy Davis and the Dregs' alt-country flavored Deadweight (2008) was one of those nuggets that make listening to all the "free" music worthwhile. Davis and company (some old and some new) shift gears on The Coloradas' self-titled debut swerving into the bluegrass lane while retaining much of what initially made me a fan....

Why didn't I like these discs?

The discs by these well-known artists just didn't click for me: Lucinda Williams, John Hiatt, Ryan Adams, Steve Earle and Wilco. It isn't that I don't dig these artists. I've seen them all live multiple times. I have every official release from each artist as well as a slew of...

Finnishing up 2011 with Jonathan Rundman and Sarah Pajunen's "Kaivama"

I've been a fan of Jonathan Rundman's music since a double dose of review discs landed on my desk over at HickoryWind.  Jonathan's previous albums were filled with hooked filled gems, more power-pop and rock than Americana or roots.  On their self-titled disc Kaivama (Salt Lady Music, 2011), Jonathan and Sarah team up to...

Sean's 10 Favorite Albums of 2011

I don't generally do the whole New Year's resolution thing, but if I were to start a list I'd begin with "more time to write." I can assure you, though, that the lack of verbiage doesn't indicate a lack of thought. As always, there were at least 10 other albums that could have made it onto this list.

10. "21," Adele: No one was more surprised than me that I fell in love with this album. But it's not a shocker by any means. What a voice.
9. "Bad as Me," Tom Waits: A different kind of voice, but virtuosic nonetheless.
8. "Here We Rest," Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit: Isbell is making it easier to forget that he once was in another band.
7. "Go-Go Boots," Drive-By Truckers: Recorded at the same time as last year's "The Big To-Do," but in no way does it sound like leftovers.
6. "Helplessness Blues," Fleet Foxes: As good as this album is, the bigger revelation was seeing them live and discovering they really can harmonize like that.
5. "The Whole Love," Wilco: Being their own label boss suits these guys.
4. "The Harrow & the Harvest," Gillian Welch: Welcome back. It's been too long.
3. "The King is Dead," The Decemberists: On which the band finds its inner R.E.M., much to my pleasure.
2. "Middle Brother," Middle Brother: 1a might be a more accurate ranking for this one, which combined the talents of Deer Tick's John McCauley, Delta Spirit's Matthew Vasquez and Dawes' Taylor Goldsmith to great effect.
1. "Nothing is Wrong," Dawes: Their second album was a step forward. The next one might bring them the audience they deserve.