Albums of the Year: Honorable Mention Edition

First of all, let me make it clear that these are not necessarily the best or most popular or most significant albums of 2015. These are my favorite albums that I have listened to more than once or twice. It's my list.

I'll link to the album spotlights and interviews from this blog. There won't be any commentary in this post.

The list would be shorter if I were genre specific or only listened to mainstream stuff. This is about good music that I like. And I don't listen to much of anything mainstream. I listed my favorite albums of 2015 and came up with 24. This honorable mention list will include the 14 that didn't make the top ten.

The artist's name will link to my posts, the album name will link to the artist's web site.

In no particular order:

Plastic Rhino - Recondition

Jonathan Tyler - Holy Smokes

Lindi Ortega - Faded Gloryville

Frankie Bourne - Californicana

Samantha Fish - Wild Heart

Koritni - Night Goes On For Days

Europe - War of Kings

Striking Matches - Nothing But The Silence

Allison Moorer - Down To Believing

Gretchen Peters - Blackbirds

Butch Walker - Afraid of Ghosts

Brandi Carlile - The Firewatcher's Daughter

honeyhoney - 3

Ray Wylie Hubbard - The Ruffian's Misfortune

Look for my top 10 coming out later this month.

1st Quarter of 2015: My Favorite Albums

These are my favorite albums released so far in the 1st quarter of 2015 that I've heard. The list is not all-encompassing, as it only includes records I've listened to. I reserve the right to update this list as I find new stuff released in January, February and March of this year. The list will be fluid. And I plan on doing one for each quarter of 2015. And none of this music actually exists, as it is not played on mainstream radio.

Right now, in no particular order:

Blackberry Smoke: Holding All The Roses

Black Star Riders: The Killer Instinct

Striking Matches: Nothing But The Silence

Butch Walker: Afraid of Ghosts

Allison Moorer: Down To Believing

Houndmouth: Little Neon Limelight

Brandi Carlile: The Firewatchers Daughter

Kid Rock: First Kiss

2015 Has Been Pretty Good So Far, Musically Speaking

Music. New music. Good new music. That's what I'm loving right now. And there is some good stuff out there. And that's just the stuff that I've found.

I probably wouldn't have said that two years ago. Everything new that I heard on the radio, I did not like. Therefore, I mistakenly assumed that nobody was putting out any good music. Then I fired my local radio stations and took matters into my own hands.

Spotify, blogs, YouTube and Twitter have led me to the land of good music. If i never hear another Florida Georgia Line song, I will be thankful. I'm not even sure what an Iggy Azalea is. The only Iggy I know is Iggy Pop.

We are only three months in to 2015 and there have already been several good records released. The only problem is that you are not going to hear any of that on the radio.

My little place here on the internet is dedicated to featuring good music that I like. I don't have the time or energy to spend listening to and then writing about stuff I don't like.  I'll leave that to someone else.

Records that have come out in 2015 that I like, so far include:

Blackberry Smoke
Allison Moorer
Striking Matches
Houndmouth
Kid Rock
Butch Walker
Brandi Carlile

And then I've found music that came out in previous years (mostly 2014) that is good:

Kate Vargas
The Glorious Sons
Salvation Jayne

I love finding good music. I'll continue sharing it here. Join me if you want.

Album Review: Striking Matches: Nothing But The Silence

If you read my blog at all, you know I don't review stuff I don't like. There's enough of that out there, I just want to spotlight those making music I like. The new record by Striking Matches may be my favorite in 2015 so far. That being said, I do have one problem with Nothing But The Silence.

It is being marketed as a country album. While it is so much better than 99.99% of music being played on mainstream country radio, it's just not country. Of course, I have no idea what country music is in 2015.

The duo comprised of Sarah Zimmerman and Justin Davis put out and eleven song (nine to eleven is the perfect number of songs for a record) album with no filler. It's all good.

Nothing But The Silence was produced by T Bone Burnett. It is two voices, drums, bass and two other stringed instruments, mostly guitar with some mandolin in the mix.

It's groovy. And by that I mean it has groove, not Greg Brady groovy.

It has soul, something missing in a lot of today's music.

There is enough muscle for this headbanger to bob his head.

Sarah and Justin's vocals blend seamlessly. But the guitar interaction is what I love the most. Both went to the Berklee College of Music, so they should be good. But that means nothing if the music isn't good. Their diverse styles intertwine magically to create a musical tapestry that is beyond reproach.

There are country elements scattered around the record, But to me it has much more of a 70s and 80s rock vibe while sounding new and fresh. Maybe that's why I like it so much.

Here is "Hanging on a Lie". Enjoy.

Striking Matches Release New Video For "Hanging on a Lie"

Striking Matches released a video for the song "Hanging on a Lie" from their forthcoming album Nothing But the Silence set to come out March 23rd.

Everything I've heard so far from the record had been great and this is no exception.

It's being billed as country, but it's not. It's just good music. Enjoy.

New Stuff: Striking Matches and Houndmouth

Just a couple of good new singles put out before the full album releases.

First one is "Missing You Tonight" by Striking Matches. The album, Nothing But The Silence, comes out in March.




Next is "Sedona" by Houndmouth. Again due out in March, from the upcoming album Little Neon Limelight.