The Top 12 Records of 2020

OK, it’s time….
No, I am not going to write a dissertation about the 37 month year that was 2020, but I will start with this…yes, so much of the year was different, and obviously things were bad, but, ever the “bright side” guy, I am thankful for all the GOOD that came out of this year. Kids starting new things (high school, new jobs) attacking pandemic college and hell….one of them got married! I never take for granted that I am lucky to have those around me that make my life perfect for me, and because circles had to shrink the past 10 months to stay safe, I cherish MY circle more than ever.
And then, there was the year in music. More time inside and less time traveling = more time with the turntable and a pile of records. The year was FILLED with excellence. Comebacks, debuts, long awaited and we-had-the-time albums month after month made for a tremendous listening experience the entire span of the year.
In putting together the list, I had a hard time at two cut points. Getting from 20 to 15 was rough, and 15 to the final 12 even harder. While there may not be a true “once in a lifetime” record amongst them, there are plenty of “might be the best the artist ever releases”.
Here are the last 3 that didn’t make the 12, in no particular order

Andy Bell - The View From Down Here
The solo debut from the Ride guitarist was finished in quarantine, and allowed Andy to flex his writing and singing muscles a bit. A tremendous debut, making it easy to await the follow up, whether solo or with Ride. I just liked another guitarist-from-a-seminal-band’s debut record a little bit more.

The Mountain Goats - Getting Into Knives
The winner for best album title of the year, the Goats are back with their third stellar record in the past few years. Gritty and fun, a great spin later in the night when you can just disconnect for awhile

Elvis Costello - Hello Clockface
This was the toughest omission, as I don’t think Elvis has ever put out a “bad” record, and in fact, he has topped my list twice. But, the album suffers a bit of uneven, probably due to the fact it was recorded in three distinct sessions in three different locales. Still great, just not great enough.


And now, the top 12. As always, Doug rules apply: no best of, compilations or live records are considered.

12: Ketch Harbour Wolves - Avalon
I am pretty sure, I already have my first “who” out of you….
and to be fair, I said the same when they were recommended to me. I took a chance, went to their Bandcamp page and purchased sound unheard. (the cousin of sight unseen) The recommender compared them to English bands of the 2000s, and damned if they were right and had that feel. It’s an album that might not CRASH over you, rather, will gently seep into your pores and take hold.

If you like this song, you will like the album Bloody Money

11: EOB - Earth
And now the solo debut I liked a little more than Andy Bell. EOB is Ed O’Brien, the “other’ guitarist from Radiohead, making his solo debut. Like his bandmates, if feels like Ed has a trove of endless ideas that MIGHT make a great Radiohead song, and in turn, just make for a wonderful tune on their own. While Johnny Greenwood might get more of the ink of the two guitarists, Ed definitely holds his own here, bouncing around multiple themes and genres with aplomb. A truly stirring premiere.

If you like this song, you will like the album Shrangri-La

10: Into It. Over It. Figure It’s been a while since Evan Weiss has dedicated time to the follow up to 2016’ Standards. Some work with many a side project has occupied him, until he finally had enough “ideas” to start to put together Figure, and it is well worth the wait. IIOI and others of the genre (American Football, Cap’n Jazz….) love to play around with time signatures (the genre has been dubbed “math rock” because of it) but on Figure, Weiss finds a real groove when a straight ahead approach takes the reigns. A truly captivating release. (and I love when full length LPs are cut at 45 RPM….I don’t know why, I just do)

If you like this song, you will like the album Living Up To Let You Down

9:Pearl Jam Gigaton
I VERY rarely take a look at lists until I start writing up mine, as I never want to be overly-influenced, and start “hearing” what I didn’t hear in a record. I think because EVERYONE is ready to call 2020 over, lists popped up in mid-November (which I don’t really get…) and I peeped a couple just to see what others were thinking. And much to my surprise (or, maybe it really shouldn’t be), Gigaton was on one list. 1. Singular. Either I am wrong, or most reviewers are….I’d bet on the former, but would argue the latter. Released all the way back in March, Pearl Jam ROARED back from Lightening Bolt, with their best record since Yield. The first single, Dance of the Clairvoyants has a different feel than past singles, evoking a wonderful Talking Heads era glam. People may have thought, “maybe I won’t like THIS Pearl Jam”…..but the single is an outlier (although a FABULOUS one) as the rest of the record sounds like a PJ album, slow and fast mixed together in a perfectly flowing narrative. Eddie and company at a very high high.

If you like these songs, you will like the album Who Ever Said, Quick Escape

8:Bruce Springsteen Letter To You
After the truly magnificent Western Stars record last year, (and the subsequent soundtrack for the film of the same name) one would forgive Bruce if he walked away from the rock and roll that made him a legend, and settled into a late career country vibe, that quite frankly, would be incredibly well received. His voice in his older years has grown even more gruff in the best of ways, and is penetrating at it’s softest….so maybe the western route is the perfect ending. Lucky for the fans of the man who gave us the E-Street Band, Stars proved to be ANOTHER genre….but not the only one. Letter To You brings back that spirit on the very first track, but when the title song (the first single) hits as track 2, memories of 3 hour concert jams start to percolate. The record is SOLID throughout, but the true highlight is the end run of the last 3 songs, starting with a top 5 tune from 2020, Ghosts. (which, if you squint hard enough looks a LOT like Glory Days) It’s more polished than, say, Born To Run, but the raw energy is overflowing, just like a Bruce record should.

If you like these songs, you will like the album Ghosts, I’ll See You In My Dreams

7: Nothing The Great Dismal
Full length number four for Philly band Nothing came to the world in almost the same fashion as the first 3….with changes and uncertainty. A lineup that seems to change every year, had a very notable absence for Dismal when Brandon Setta left the band. For me as a listener, I was curious as to what this would mean, as it seemed that the partnership between frontman Nicky Palermo and Setta was the true backbone of the band, two swirling guitars in layers of reverb, driving them to the heights they have achieved. (most notably on 2016’ Tired of Tomorrow) So as I opened the record to give it a spin, I was anxious to hear it all play out…but then I remembered a mantra that I have said for a few years now: “In Will Yip I Trust”. Yip has produced some of the best recordings of 2010s, and seemingly everything he puts his ear to, is instantly made better. So with him at the helm again, I trusted that Nothing was in good hands…..and I was right. Nothing’s sound is an acquired taste to be sure, but what is wonderful about this effort, is that they broaden out the sound without losing the essence of who they are. While 1928 things could have been the death of this band, they prove their perseverance through excellence.

If you like this song, you will like the album Famine Asylum

6: DovesThe Universal Want
And here is where is gets a little tricky. See….I WANTED this to be my favorite of the year. It’s been 11 years since their last record, (the criminally underrated Kingdom of Rust and ever since they reformed, it’s seems it has all pointed towards this. The buildup was tremendous, as I joined a Doves Fan group, and their incredible fandom, while stranngeeeeeee at times (“let’s try and interpret what the song titles mean….”) got me really ready. And then, Carousels dropped as the first single, and it INSTANTLY became my favorite song of the year. (ok, it’s 1 to the 1A of another one coming….) The second single (Prisoners) hit, and while not as good as the first, it’s still incredible. So….all of the stars were aligned…..and then…..
I don’t know, it just didn’t hold the entire way through. There are tremendous songs, and it’s OBVIOUSLY great as it’s number 6. But, it should have been higher. And for the life of me, I can’t put my finger on it. (It might be too high expectations coupled with daily polls in the fan group that were a little too much at points.) In the end, it’s AMAZING to have Jimi and the boys back, and for an 11 year wait, it certainly fills in a lot of the blanks left.

If you like these songs, you will like the album Carousels, Broken Eyes

5: Paul McCartney McCartney III
50 years since releasing his first solo reco…..wait….let that sink in a bit. Fifty years. Half a century. OK….
50 years since releasing his first solo record, Paul McCartney comes up with III, in the same way: on his own. “Made in Rockdown” says the hype sticker on the LP, Sir Paul took bits and pieces of song ideas he has had, holed himself up in his studio on his farm, played all the instruments, and came out with a classic. Of the 3 completely Paul solo records, I think this is the strongest from start to finish. While 1 has probably the biggest hit (Maybe I’m Amazed) and 2 showed growth in recording minimally (and had the tremendous Coming Up) 3 is a collection of eclectic, silly, fun songs that show off incredible musicianship, and the simple notion that at 78, the man is still the ultimate songwriter. The lead single Find My Way is a wonderful entry point to the fun, as it’s easy beat and wonderful instrumentation bounce the track along, and the rest of the record follows suit. Is it better than Band On The Run? No, as not many are, but it’s up there in the lexicon of post-Beatles masterpieces from the legend.

If you like these songs, you will like the album Pretty Boys, Find My Way, Winterbird/When Winter Comes

4: Bob Mould Blue Hearts
It seems like just last year (it was) that it FELT like Bob had laid some of the angst of his storied past to the side. (he had) in 2019, he released Sunshine Rock, his most upbeat and positive record in decades, dressed and layered in love and hope. It was still loud, but it FELT like a new Mould formula might take hold. Fast forward a year, and the darker companion piece in Blue Hearts seemingly yelled “not so fast”. Angered and troubled by the state of the world through his eyes, Mould penned some of his finest songs, with lyrics tinged with despair and unrest. The lead single American Crisis looks at what he thought had finally gone away, shaking his proverbial head in wonderment and anxiety, and it’s incredibly powerful. The record as a whole echo’s his start with legendary punk group Husker Du as the songs are loud and fast (only record closer The Ocean clocks in longer than 3 minutes) and the band as tight as ever. It is the yang to Sunshine Rock’s yin (even the distinct colors on the covers reflect this…..Sunshine: yellow and red, Hearts: blue and black) and some of his very best solo work.

If you like these songs, you will like the album Next Generation, Siberian Butterfly, Everyth!ng To You

3:Waxahatchee Saint Cloud
In 2017, I first became aware of the incredible talents of Katie Crutchfield (she is Waxahatchee) with a tremendously raw record called Out In The Storm. In the months following, it became apparent that something was going amiss with her, and it seemed as if we might not hear from Waxahatchee for some time. It was revealed that Katie had decided to take time and get help to overcome addiction issues, and took steps to sobriety in the past two years. With a new outlook and a fresh look at life, she sat down to create what will probably be known as her most internal and personal piece of art; the STUNNING record, Saint Cloud. The first thing to notice…..gone are the loud guitars and whirlwind pace. Instead, a country air fills the room, and Katie EMBRACES her growing – up roots, and unleashes her voice in a way she never has on a recording. It is part June Carter, part Willie Nelson, with a dash of….well, her. The lyrics poignant, the arrangements simple but layered, Katie produces an album that could cross over into the country charts quite nicely, while still holding on to the original sound that brought her to the party. It’s quite the turn, an amazingly deep look into the soul of someone finding themselves again. (and yes, it speaks to me on THAT level as well)

If you like these songs, you will like the album Can’t Do Much, Lilacs, Ruby Falls

2: Phoebe Bridgers Punisher
Let me start by giving you a couple of the incredible lyrics that open this record:

From Garden Song
Someday I’m gonna live in your house up on the hill
And when your skinhead neighbor goes missing
I’ll plant a garden in the yard then

From Kyoto
He said you called on his birthday
You were off by like ten days
But you get points for trying

In print, they may not look like much, but the way the are woven so seamlessly into the melody of the song….there just are not a lot of modern songwriters that can turn a phrase quite like this. And the MORE enjoyable part? Bridgers has the voice to back it up. Punisher is an auditory treat the entire way through, a record that crosses genres easily, has hooks for days, and makes the listener think more than once about what exactly is she trying to say. Last year, she teamed up with Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker on the wonderful Boy Genius EP, this year, Bridgers takes it to another level on her own. One last lyric, this from the my 1A best song of the year.

From I Know The End
Talking on a rusty swingset
After a while you went quiet
And I got mean
I’m always pushing you away from me
But you come back with gravity

If you like these songs, you will like the album (the three already mentioned and…) Savior Complex, Punisher

1: bdrmm Bedroom
And that leaves #1…
And I get it, this is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea….
And I know I favor English shoegaze bands over most……
But damn if this is not one of the best debut LPs I have heard in a long time. The musical lineage is not too tough to trace: A little Ride, a little My Bloody Valentine, a dash of (shared hometown heroes) The Music, and a taste of The Stone Roses. The minute the record takes off (with the fabulous instrumental Momo), the proverbial waves of swirl and reverb start filling the room in pure beauty. There are moments of pure noise, and moments of pin-drop whispers…..within 30 seconds of each other. The amazing thing this young band has figured out already is, it doesn’t ALWAYS have to be “turned to 11” and indecipherable lyrics. (see 900 other shoegaze bands from the 2010s)
And they have a song called Happy and two songs later, one called (Un)Happy (just makes me giggle…and they are both stellar tracks)
The hardest part about making this #1 on my list? (besides the obvious that not a lot of people know the record outside of the UK) Anything I write about them, I have probably said about Ride or Catherine Wheel in the past….and that is an AMAZING thing, because 2020 needed a band like CW to go forward with this sound and lead another movement, and bdrmm might just be them. A truly stunning debut.

If you like these songs, you will like the album Gush, MOMO, Push/Pull, Is That What You Wanted To Hear

The Top 12 Albums of 2017

The Top 12 Albums of 2017

For the first time in the years of doing this list, I am posting AFTER the turn of the New Year, as opposed to right before. Some might think I waited until the very end to make sure I heard everything released up until 12/31. (they would be wrong) Others would opine that I was deep into the re-listen, and the order was changing daily. (closer….) A third group, would take thought two and add “and probably just hasn’t gotten around to writing it up”. (ding ding ding! WINNER!!)

That said, it’s been a pretty good year for new music, but nothing too extraordinary. (This past year pales in comparison to the awesome palate of 2016) It DID see a major return of three long forgotten (maybe?) bands, and more and more female voices being heard at a variety of different decibel levels. Before I count it down, a review of the Plourd – Rules for this list:

No Live Albums
No Best Of
No Compilations


I listened to / purchased over 50 full length albums this year, here are a few that JUST missed the top 12:

Aimee Mann – Mental Illness She is at the top of her game after a 30+ year career…yes, Voices Carry came out in 1985.

Gary Numan – Savage A concept album that falls a little bit flat on the back half. Still, an amazing run of music over the past few years.

Liam Gallagher – As You Were The first “proper” solo record for the former Oasis front man, it was the better of the Gallagher brother releases this year by a decent margin.

Foo Fighters – Concrete and Gold Despite some inspired collaborations (Boys 2 Men!!) and some radio friendly “hits” scattered throughout, it felt a little bloated at times. Not BAD by any stretch, just not a classic Foo effort.

Beck – Colors The record that FINALLY made me a fan of Beck, but not enough to slot it higher than “the best #13”.



Two others that were not even close to the top….but need mention as I was incredibly disappointed by them.

Morrissey - Low In High School By a WIDE margin, my least favorite record of the year…and maybe of the past 3 years. (no, wait, that Andrew Bird record last year is STILL much worse…) Contrived (read: awful) lyrics, pointless meandering and uneventful instrumentation. Yeah, it is THAT bad.

U2 – Songs of Experience If I had NO clue who U2 was, and someone gave me a copy of this record, I would probably walk away thinking “That’s a pretty cool band, and a really good album”. So, with that as the backdrop, I would say this is more about not meeting expectations than anything. That is the curse of being one of the best bands of the last 35 years….I am hoping for near-perfect every time.


....and here we go.....

12 – Spoon - Hot Thoughts
Admittedly, I am a little late to the Spoon bandwagon. I have dabbled here and there over the years, but never really went all in. So, in very much the opposite way of the aforementioned U2 record, I went in with very low expectations. In fact, the day I bought it, I also picked up the new Shins record (decent)….and once they were each played front to back, Spoon didn’t leave the turntable for a few days. It’s an accessible sound, with jangly telecasters and dance inspired drumming. At 10 tracks, the album flows nicely, bringing the listener through peaks and valleys throughout.

Top Song – Hot Thoughts



11-Ted Leo – The Hanged Man
After years of releases with his high-energy backing band, The Pharmacists, and a tremendous record with Aimee Mann, (under the name The Both) Leo took some time on his own to write and record this solo effort. Self-funded without major label distribution, Leo had the freedom to take his time and craft what HE wanted to, and the results are quite stunning. Like Matthew Sweet’s 2017 release, (the should-have-been-10-songs album Tomorrow Forever) Leo explores many different musical styles, from the power pop punk of his earlier days, to a solo guitar rip that epitomizes his latest tour style. A strong effort from top to bottom.

Top Song – Can’t Go Back



10-Tigers Jaw - Spin
Continuing his stunning 2016, producer Will Yip launched a new label, Black Cement, housed under the legendary Atlantic record label roof. Will’s choice for first band to be released by the new venture? Scranton Pennsylvania’s Tigers Jaw. After being a traditional 4-5 piece band for it’s early years, Tigers Jaw has essentially been the duo of Ben Walsh and Brianna Collins for the past 4 years…and the results have been beyond fruitful. On Spin, they take their sound to a new height, riding the wave of sound created by soaring guitars, a solid rhythm section, and the sound ear of Yip. They continue to tour to support the record, and seem to be gathering a larger audience. Expect bigger things over the next few years.

Top Song – June



9 – Living Colour - Shade
Growing up in the 80s, my peer group and I could come up with multiple stories of cassette tapes either becoming twisted/tangled in a player (#2 pencil to the rescue!!) and in some cases, the tape actually disintegrating/stretched/broken from over playing. That happened to my copy of Living Colour’s debutVivid….twice! And then, not to be outdone, my first CD version of it ALSO stopped playing from over use. Needless to say, I was REALLY looking forward to their first new music in 8 years. (in 2010, they released the somewhat disappointing The Chair In The DoorwayLike their first 2 albums, Shade exhibits multiple musical styles, whether it be a Robert Johnson blues melody, or a tremendous cover of Biggie Smalls “Who Shot Ya”. The band is in fine form as well, highlighted by the ever imaginative guitar stylings of founding member Vernon Reid.

Top Song – Come On



8 – Slowdive - Slowdive
Another “comeback of the year” nominee has to be Slowdive, one of the bigger of the first wave of “shoegaze” bands of the early 90s. In 1993, they had their moment in the spotlight, when they released Souvlaki, a seminal record to be sure, and then, proceeded to sort of fade away. Their return in 2017 was fast and furious, with the reverb fueled guitars leading the way. And while those guitars are front and center, it’s the layered dual vocals with the stunning bass lines, that get me with every listen.

Top Song – Star Roving



7 – Turnover – Good Nature
This is the record that I struggled with the most in ranking. On one hand, there isn’t a song on the record that I don’t like. On the other, I am not sure there is a single one that I LOVE. So in short, it’s a very steady album, that plays better as a whole, than in parts. That said? I have to give you at least one “top song”. I continue to be impressed by how much growth Turnover has shown over the past 5 years.

Top Song – Super Natural



6 – Ryan Adams – Prisoner
And thus begins the top half, or as I like to call it: “every one of these sat at #1 for at least 1 day….”. Starting with Prisoner, an album that I really loved all year. I am quite confident in also saying, that I probably would have loved it even higher on the rankings, if not for hearing the single “To Be Without You” roughly 76000 times on the Spectrum. What Adams has done with this album, is two-fold:
1) He was able to process many an emotion, following a very rough and public divorce.
2) Produce 12 tracks that are SO different, yet so cohesive.
Amazingly, this is his 16th(!!) full length release, and he doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon.

Top Song – Do You Still Love Me?



5 – Waxahatchee – Out In The Storm
From the fuzz laced guitars of the first chords of track 1, Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee herself) announces that the listener is about to go on a ride of musical noise, with her sweet voice to guide the way. Crutchfield is not breaking any new ground here, rather, using elements of past decades to get her point across. Its heady, genuine and complex lyrical content make the journey even more interesting. From front to back, there is not a clunker in the bunch, as Katie takes the title of “Best Crutchfield-Twin-Sister album of the year”. (sister Alison released her 3rd LP earlier in 2017 as well)

Top Song – Never Been Wrong



4 – Manchester Orchestra - A Black Mile to the Surface
Following the 2014 release, Cope (and it’s partner LP Hope, an acoustic interpretation of the original) I was very excited to see where Andy Hull and company would go with the next release. Thankfully, every expectation I had was met (and more) with a grandiose record, filled with scintillating harmonies, tremendous orchestration, and lovely songwriting. With a line up that has changed a few times over the years, the constant, Hull, continues to push forward with new sounds and directions, and the results are quite spectacular.

Top Song - The Maze



3- Elbow – Little Fictions
When the announcement was made that founding member, drummer Richard Jupp, was leaving the band late last year, I was very anxious to see what would come next for Elbow. Jupp’s drumming was one of the staples of sound for them over the course of their 20 year career, and while replacing him, I am sure, would be “fine”, I was worried they would lose a lot more than just an imaginative back beat. Thankfully, it seems the other four members decided to go a little “extra” in Jupp’s absence, and produced their finest work since their masterpiece release, The Seldom Seen Kid. Guy Garvey, as always, is not just in fine voice, but writing lyrics of love, and hope, while maintaining his wry wit. Their use of strings is second to none in modern rock, and the arrangements of pianist/producer Mark Potter are just extraordinary. The record made me miss Jupp a little less.

Top Song – Magnificent (She Says)



2 – Julien Baker - Turn Out The Lights In previous years, this list has broken down (typically) in the same fashion. A CLEAR #1, followed by 4-6 records that could be anywhere 2-6ish, and then a distinct third tier to round it out. This album was #1 on the list on multiple drafts, and even writing now, I am STILL not sure. Suffice to say, this is an unbelievable breakout, for a 22 year old artist whom I hope the industry (and a greater audience) adopts and becomes a big star. Armed with a guitar (and some piano / keyboards as well) and an angelic-to-powerful-in-a-second voice, Baker has written an anxious, soothing, healing like-letter to herself. It is filled with tales of sorrow, yet hope, and anger, yet calm. When I saw her in April of this year, I sat in wonder of her one-woman “orchestra” she creates with her telecaster and pedal board, and while she was able to multi track for the record, the arrangements are poetic in nature. This FEELS like a record that should be bigger than it is, and I am hopeful that in time, it will grow in stature.

Top Song – Turn Out The Lights



1 – Ride - Weather Diaries
As mentioned….it was close, but in the end, the story of one of the most amazing comebacks, for me, has to end with Ride taking the #1 spot. Is Weather Diaries perfect? No, there are a couple of songs that, while good, are not “classic” by any stretch. But, like Nowhere and Going Blank Again before it (almost 25 years ago!) the album has hits for days. With “shoegaze” being a “thing” again, it only feels right that one of the pioneering bands (along with My Bloody Valentine, Catherine Wheel and the aforementioned Slowdive) ascends to the top yet again. The beauty of Ride was always in a couple of key areas. First, the harmonizing dual lead vocals of Mark Gardener and Andy Bell have the ability to take a song great to supreme. Their voices fit perfectly together, even more so now than during their first run. Secondly, Loz Colbert may be the most underrated drummer of my lifetime. And while he has always been captured well on tape, THIS record finally captures the true essence of Loz in a live environment….and to boot, he makes his vocal debut on the simmering “Rocket Silver Symphony”. From the opening strains of “Lannoy Point”, landing in the beauty of “White Sands”, Ride has made a comeback record for the ages.

Top Song – All I Want

My Favorite Songs of 2017 - Part 1

A random list of songs that really stood out this year, in no particular order, here are 10....

Passing Thing – Froth
Opening band for Ride in Boston, I was moved to the core by the power of the entire song. A band to keep an eye on, especially if shoegaze continues to grow



Love The City That Loves You Back – Pet Symmetry
I am a sucker for anything Evan Weiss is involved in, from the subtle sounds of his main project Into It, Over It, to this, a much more amped up jolt of pop punk.



Ugly Luck – Citizen
Just like above, and falling for anything Weiss, the producer of the Citizen record Will Yip, can do no wrong in my eyes. After achieving greatness with the Balance and Composure and Nothing records last year, I hoped for more from the Citizen record. Not great over all, but I really like this song.



Hot Thoughts – Spoon
So good, I also bought the (same version) 12” single on Record Store Day this year. They find a groove VERY quickly here, and don’t let it go at all.



Cherry Hearts – The Shins
The Shins, and frontman James Mercer, have never been afraid to forge new ground and sound, putting it on full display throughout the entire 2017 release, Heartworms. Of these adventures, Cherry Hearts is definitely the stand out track.



The Man – The Killers
As I write this out, I still don’t know if I even LIKE the new record - or think it is a lot of filler with one really great song. Nonetheless, The Man IS a really great song.



Happy To Be Here – Julien Baker
The words, the voice, the unexpected “get” of the fourth “then why”…..not many songs make every hair on my arms stand up….this is one



Lonsdale Avenue – Ted Leo
Like the Julien Baker song: the words and subject matter are moving as anything, solo voice and guitar, and I have had the pleasure of seeing it performed live.



Waxahatchee – Never Been Wrong
The Crutchfield twins, Katie (here) and Alison (solo in January) both released records this year. If it’s a sibling rivalry, score one for Katie and her band. Angst, fury, passion.



Magnificent (She Said) – Elbow
If I went deeper on the record to just throw a curve ball, I would be deceitful of the very name of the post. Since January, this has been one of my favorites, and I have only grown to love it more as the year has gone on, punctuated with a perfect rendition live in NYC in November.



Part 2 to come soon! And then? The top 12 Albums of the Year!

2017 - 1 quarter down...here's what I love so far... (video form)

A little past the ¼ pole of 2017….here is a look at my favorite songs of the year so far. (in no particular order)

Elbow – Magnificent

Their 7th full length is right up there with their best yet, and the lead single is a BIG reason why…



Elbow – Little Fictions

Pretty obvious, I love the record…



Spoon – Hot Thoughts

Title track off another spectacular record…



Ryan Adams – Do You Still Love Me

There are like 9 different era’s of rock ALL rolled into 1 with the lead track from the new album…



Aimee Mann – Rollercoasters

Mental Illness is an incredible album…and this is my favorite from it…



Bonus – Look what I found
Ted Leo and Aimee Mann – Voices Carry

No words needed

The Top 15 Albums of 2016 - Part 2 (The Top 6)

If you missed part 1, you can access it HERE

Continuing on! Here are my top 6 records of 2016. As always, remember the Doug Rules:
No Live
No Best Of
No Comps

6 – Jimmy Eat World - Integrity Blues

Family men now
No longer in the Middle
Rocking once again



5 – Into It Over It - Standards

After two great ones
Evan delivers Standards
It's even better



4 – Nothing – Tired Of Tomorrow

Shoegaze and voice haze
Dominic writes his opus
No sophomore jinx here

(side note, I did a full review of this record which can be found HERE)



3 – Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool

From Creep until this
And everything in between
Pure bliss and brilliance



2 – Bob Mould – Patch The Sky

One from the top spot
Record is no less awesome
Formidable year



1 – Pinegrove - Cardinal

Four words reserved for
The very best of the tippy top:
It Is Near Perfect

The TOP 15 Albums of 2016 .... Part 1

I have been in agony...

This year has been great for music. Not great....TREMENDOUS for new music. And I have listened and fretted and listened more and fretted more. Why??
1) I committed to myself that I would rank a top X records every year since I started this in 2013. Seems easy enough....right? But...
2) There are SO many good records, I did not know what the cutoff number would be for a ranking....and then once I did....
3) I still had to RANK them and my goodness it was difficult. Any one of the top 4 has sat at #1 on some variation of this list, multiple times. Once I hit enter, I am sure I will want to change it again! And it's not as if 5-15 were easy to figure out either! So...ok....got the SORTA KINDA ranking done...publish right? Nope...
4) I am suffering through writers block! It happens to me from time to time, and this year, just happened at the WRONG time. I tried to go the short video route, but honestly, I looked goofy, so I scrapped that idea. And then, thanks to my brother's inventive Christmas Card message this year, the idea of short, haikus for each record seemed imminently conceivable! And thus, the list is finally ready to go!

So, here is the bottom of the top 15 list, with the top 6 to be published tomorrow. As always, normal rules apply
No Live
No Best Of
No Comps

Enjoy!

14 - The Hotelier - Goodness

A small band from Mass
Pornographic album cover
Goodness it is great




13 – Paul Simon - Stranger to Stranger

Do not let Wristband
Be the song in which you judge
Record as a whole




12 - Green Day – Revolution Radio / Blink 182 – California

Two Bands, One Genre
Comebacks both, but close to same
Had to be a tie






11 – Dinosaur Jr – Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not

Mascis and the boys
Continue on the journey
Acclaimed second act




10 – Teenage Fanclub – Here

Still Going Very Strong
Twenty Five years since Concept
Sounds like yesterday




9 – Bon Iver – 22 a Million

Vernon back to Bon
Falsetto his very best friend
Almost made top 5




8 – Gaz Coombes – Matador

Going by US date
Released last year in UK
Don’t care, it’s my list




7 – American Football – LP2

17 between
LP1 and LP2
Breathtaking emo

Concert Review - Peter Gabriel and Sting - The Rock Paper Scissors Tour

When Peter Gabriel and Sting announced the forthcoming co-headlining tour at the turn of the year, my instant and first reaction was “who opens?” The name, “Rock, Paper Scissors”, seemed to imply that it would be that, a flip of the coin, a product of chance, (maybe) a rotating status from show to show. And even I, the avowed Peter Gabriel SUPER-fan had to have a good think: who would the crowd be there to see MORE? For as much commercial success as So brought Gabriel, even I, in an objective moment, would probably admit that Sting had the larger body of work, had the more POPULAR body of work, and had the more crowd appealing (for live performance) body of work. So, I was ready to acquiesce. Not grudgingly in the least, mind you, as I would put Sting in my top 15 favorites as well.

And then, something really great started to come out from both camps. This would be a different type of show. There would be no opening act, and neither of these legendary artists would have to pull the curtain for the other. It was to be a total collaborative effort. My first reaction was one of unreal excitement. YES! This could ABSOLUTELY work SO well. I started to list out in my head the reasons WHY, despite only sharing a stage for brief interludes at Amnesty Intl shows back in 1987, this would be seamless, and not present even the remotest difficulty. The criteria was so evident, I thought:

They’re both BRITISH!

They both left bands on somewhat bad terms to go solo!!

*thinking*

*more thinking*

*even more thinki….*

OH! OH OH OH! Sting played with Stewart Copeland in the Police! And Stewart lent his hi-hat talent to Red Rain on the So album….oh my GOD this is going to work!

So, of course, I started to let doubt creep in. Could it really work? Would it come across as campy? Would one clearly overshadow the other, and have a hard time erasing that look from their face? Would THEY have fun?

One of the last clips I watched, about 3 months before the tour was to kick off, Sting spoke two lines that made me think it was all going to be fine: “We’re going to play the hits…why wouldn’t we?” and “I may play a Peter song, he might play a Sting song”. With those two (paraphrased) notions, I was ready to soak it all in.

I attended the Rock Paper Scissors show at Nikon Jones Beach Theater in Long Island, NY on June 24th. What follows are a series of random (but somewhat cohesive) thoughts on the night. I can’t do the show justice in a traditional review format.

--- From the start of the evening, we noticed one thing pretty quickly. We weren’t skewing the demo up or down in anyway. We WERE the demo. 15,000 40-somethings, some in Sting shirts, some in Peter shirts (ok, I only saw ME in a Peter shirt…..) plenty of strap-on sandals for the guys, plenty of big sunglasses for the women. Conversations around us ranged from the Brexit results, to how tasty the lobster roll was from the food truck, to youth soccer..etc… If anything, this was not a crowd that was necessarily “ready to ROCK!”, but were buzzing with anticipation. (and probably the $15 Tito’s lemonades)

--- Seeing the stage, you could immediately tell that this was not your ordinary concert set-up. Two drum kits, multiple guitar and bass rigs, three piano/keyboard stations, and as the music kicked up, screens with the names of upwards of 14 musicians. (divided cheekily into “red” and “blue” teams for each band) It was Peter who came out first, but not with just his band, but also the backup singer and drummer from Sting’s band as well. For me, within the first 15 seconds, I was in heaven, as the opening tribal rhythm sounds of The Rhythm of the Heat pounded through the sound system. (with both drummers pounding so perfectly in time) I have never seen Peter do this song live, as it very rarely has seen a set list since the So tour 25+ years ago, yet it was the opening salvo for the many years prior. The red lights pulsed with the beat. The music swelled, Peter in fine voice leading the charge, and as people continued to file in, and the sun set slowly behind our seats, the tone was set.

--- Conversely, Sting came out (with a MAYBE 8 second lull in between songs 1 and 2) and launched right into a universally known, and easy-to-sing-along with “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You”. Within the first minute, it was VERY apparent that he was here to a) have fun and b) (as promised) do the hits. The energy was a TOTAL dichotomy of the dark opener from Gabriel, and brought the crowd to a higher level, very quickly.

--- When the two addressed the crowd in the early stages of the show, they let us know, (amongst other things, such as the connective thread of dairy cows between them….I can’t believe I didn’t mention that earlier!) that this night was about fun, and a “karaoke battle between team red and team blue”. (capped by Peter referring to his counterpart as “Mr. Sting” for the first of many times, in many iterations, including “Mr. Sting Sumner” and “Mr. Gordon Sting”) The result of the song swapping ranged from tremendous to tremendous.
The highlights:

Sting takes on Shock The Monkey – A straight forward interpretation, Sting and his band made the song their own nonetheless. At age 64, Sting has not lost a step in the least. His vocals, powerful and commanding, brought a new voice to a classic composition.

Peter takes on If You Love Somebody Set Them Free– In direct contrast to the earlier exchanges, outside of the words, there was nothing recognizable to the original Blue Turtles era tune. And that is not at all a bad thing. In the vein of the Scratch My Back series Gabriel did a few years back (covering popular songs from a variety of artists, interpreted by him and the New Blood orchestra) Set Them Free took the sound and shape of a boozy, jazz club torch song, complete with Gabriel crooning in his lowest register.

--- Both men throughout their adult lives, have pledged support for numerous causes; performing for them, donating time and money, organizing benefits…etc… And on this night, they used their voice to recognize some of the goings on in the world, including:

Sting dedicating a tremendous version of Fragile to the victims and families of the Orlando nightclub mass shooting.
Peter shouting out Red Rain to the witness.org group in attendance, as well as the organization as a whole.
Peter singing a new song (and a beautiful one at that) Love Will Heal, to the memory of recently slain UK politician Jo Cox.

--- Back to Sting….my goodness. He has been doing this for 4 decades. Touring, and recording, and guesting, and more touring, and more recording…one would forgive him if his voice started to show some wear and tear. People would TOTALLY understand if reaching the high notes of Roxanne, or Message In A Bottle was just not possible anymore. But here is the thing. A total of ONE song was dropped in key. ONE! (Invisible Sun for the record) For everything else, it was as if you dropped the needle on Ghost in the Machine or Nothing Like The Sun, pitch perfect to the original recording. I can not state it enough how impressive this was.

And while we are here, the man ALSO knows his crowd. Whether it be the vast number of songs he pulled from the Police catalog, the solo hits he crafted thereafter, hell, even the songs he shared with Peter (Games Without Frontiers most notably) he just KNOWS the spot. That moment in the song that calls for a little audience participation. Whether it be a traditional call and response (ie: Message in a Bottle) or trailing off vocals to let the crowd take over (ie: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic) the man makes it look easy. And for us, all the better, as again, it’s “the hits”, we knew every word.

---They played almost 3 hours, they did 28 songs, it was prolonged moments of breathlessness….so in a bit of the finest nitpicking, one song from each that I WISH was played:

Sting - Little Wing - Why? Well, first of all, Dominic Miller, Sting’s longtime touring guitarist, is one of the most under-rated players around. He could handle the Hendrix stylings (although the Sting recorded version takes a lot of jazz-lite liberties with the original) with ease. Secondly, and most importantly, it took me 15 minutes to think of this one. The set list was THAT good.
Peter-Mercy Street - A little easier, as I could easily select Darkness to come off of the track list. BUT, I DO like that Gabriel broke out a song from the little appreciated UP record, so again, nitpicky

---Two funny lines from Peter:
As the bands left the stage following an incredible rendering of In Your Eyes to “close the show”, Peter deadpanned, back to audience, “this is when we pretend to go home”. The encore was obvious, of course.
The two vocalists shared responsibility for the (very apt for venue) tremendously overlooked Englishman In New York. Peter, who took the second verse, seemed to be having an issue hearing the music through his in-ear monitors, and was struggling to find the notes….and he let us know by concluding the verse with the adlib lyric “i am clearly not aware of what key”

---Best song from each? Tough to narrow down to one…but I’ll be short, and try
Sting - Roxanne - With it’s traditional beginning and end, but interspersed with a lengthy, running jazz line in the middle (complete with whipping in Aint No Sunshine as well) and, as noted, the crowd participation, it slightly ranks ahead of every other song, which are all tied for a close second.
Peter - Sledgehammer - This is a tough one, as this seems like such the easy pick, and I don’t always like going with the grain. However, here’s the thing…it closed the show, Sting took a verse, the place was dancing, and it made every emotion come all at once. Since it’s release over 25 years ago, it has held the mantle of a top 3 song for me, (yes, I did a post on that monstrosity known as “my favorite song ever”….) and it will STILL be there in 25 minutes, 25 hours, and another 25 years. It’s just that damn good.

I look down and see, I am already at 1900 words, and I feel like I could write 2000 more….and still not REALLY capture how near-pitch-perfect this night was. Granted, bias for me (my favorite artist, and another in my top 15 of all time) perfect company (her second Sting show – the first one being 25 years ago….which we were both at…but not together. And her very first PG show) an outstanding venue (holy WOW, first time for me seeing a show at Jones Beach in Long Island, definitely will not be the last….i could do 900 words on the food trucks alone) and outstanding weather. Without question, a top 3 show all time for me (of 200+ shows) and PROBABLY, factoring everything, my favorite ever.