MY FAVORITE RECORDS FROM 2005
1. Steve Wynn + The Miracle Three, ...tick...tick...tick...
(Down There)
2. The Bats, At the National Grid(Magic Marker)
3. Robbie Fulks, Georgia Hard (Yep Roc)
4. Neko Case, The Tigers Have Spoken (Anti-)
5. The Chills, Stand By (self-released)
6. The Go-Betweens, Oceans Apart (Yep Roc)
7. Gorillaz, Demon Days (Virgin)
8. Fat Freddy's Drop, Based On a True Story (self-released)
9. Low, The Great Destroyer (Sub Pop)
10. Graham Parker, Songs of No Consequence (Bloodshot)
MY FAVORITE RECORDS FROM 2004
1. Camper Van Beethoven, New Roman Times
(Pitch-A-Tent)
2. Joel R. L. Phelps and the Downer Trio, Customs
(Moneyshot/12XU)
3. Holly Golightly, Slowly But Surely (Damaged Goods)
4. American Music Club, Love Songs for Patriots (Merge)
5. Silkworm, It'll Be Cool (Touch & Go)
6. Jon Langford, All the Fame of Lofty Deeds (Bloodshot)
7. Chuck Prophet, Age of Miracles (New West)
8. Richard Buckner, Dents and Shells (Merge)
9. Paul Kelly, Ways and Means (SpinArt)
10. Robyn Hitchcock, Spooked (Yep Roc)
MY FAVORITE RECORDS FROM 2003
1. Outkast, Speakerboxx/The Love Below (Arista)
2. Steve Wynn, Static Transmission (Down There)
3. Drive-By Truckers, Decoration Day (New West)
4. Jon Langford & His Sadies, Mayors of the Moon (Bloodshot)
5. Warren Zevon, The Wind (Artemis)
6. Karl Hendricks Trio, The Jerks Win Again (Merge)
7. Calexico, Feast of Wire (Touch & Go)
8. Wire, Send (pinkflag)
9. Richard Thompson, The Old Kit Bag (SpinArt)
10. Janet Bean, Dragging Wonder Lake (Thrill Jockey)
11. Vic Chesnutt, Silver Lake (New West)
12. Victor Krummenacher, Nocturne (Magnetic)
13. Holly Golightly, Truly She Is None Other (Damaged Goods)
14. The Long Winters, When I Pretend to Fall (Barsuk)
15. Mark Eitzel, The Ugly American (Tonguemaster)
16. Throwing Muses, Throwing Muses (Throwing Music)
17. New Pornographers, Electric Version (Matador)
18. Scenic, The Acid Gospel Experience (Parasol/IPR)
19. Nina Nastasia, Run to Ruin (Touch & Go)
20. Gillian Welch, Soul Journey (Acony)
21. Silkworm, You Are Dignified (Touch & Go)
22. Yo La Tengo, Summer Sun (Matador)
23. Jon Langford & the Pine Valley Cosmonauts, The
Executioner's
Last
Songs, Vols. 2 & 3 (Bloodshot)
24. Jay Farrar, Terroir Blues (Act/Resist/Artemis)
MY FAVORITE RECORDS FROM 2002
1. Silkworm, Italian Platinum (Touch & Go)
2. Kelly Kessler, The Salt of Your Skin (Melungeon)
3. Peter Jefferies, Closed Circuit (Emperor Jones)
4. The Mekons, Out of Our Heads! (Quarterstick)
5. Wire, Read and Burn 01 EP (pinkflag)
6. Lonesome Bob, Things Change (Leap Recordings)
7. Linda Thompson, Fashionably Late (Rounder)
8. Sinister Luck Ensemble, Anniversary (Perishable)
9. Chuck Prophet, No Other Love (New West)
10. Jenny Toomey, Tempting (Misra)
Other good stuff:
Chris Brokaw, Red Cities (Atavistic)
Neko Case, Blacklisted (Bloodshot)
The Soft Boys, Nextdoorland (Matador)
David Grubbs, Rickets & Scurvy (Drag City)
Pere Ubu, St. Arkansas (SpinArt)
Tom Waits, Alice (Anti)
Honky Tonk Confidential, Your Trailer Or Mine? (Too Many Dogs)
Richard Buckner, Impasse (Overcoat)
Sue Garner, Shadyside (Thrill Jockey)
Various Artists, Red Hot + Riot (MCA)
Jim Roll, Inhabiting the Ball (The Telegraph Company)
Tom Waits, Blood Money (Anti)
Camper Van Beethoven, Tusk (Pitch-A-Tent)
Consonant, Consonant (Touch & Go)
The Sovines, Stupefyin' Jones (Oahu)
Blackalicious, Blazing Arrow (MCA)
Taking Pictures, Friends Are Ghosts (My Pal God)
Kelly Willis, Easy (Rykodisc)
Various Artists, Nothing Left to Lose (Incidental)
Elvis Costello, When I Was Cruel (Island)
Alejandro Escovedo, By the Hand of the Father (Texas Music
Group)
Treasure State, Retain the Risk (Moneyshot)
Warren Zevon, My Ride's Here (Artemis)
My Morning Jacket/Songs:Ohia, split CD (Jadetree)
Boxstep, By Now Even the Trees EP (self-released)
The Sid Hillman Quartet, Volume Two (Innerstate)
Spaceways, Inc., Version Soul (Atavistic)
Nina Nastasia, The Blackened Air (Touch & Go)
Meshell Ndegeocello, Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape
(Maverick)
Bobby Bare Jr., Young Criminals Starvation League (Bloodshot)
One Riot One Ranger, Flat City Nights (Hayden's Ferry)
Yo La Tengo, Nuclear War EP (Matador)
Thalia Zedek, You're A Big Girl Now EP (Kimchee)
Beck, Sea Change (Geffen)
Rhett Miller, The Instigator (Elektra)
Jack Logan & Bob Kimbell, Woodshedding (Parasol)
Robyn Hitchcock, Robyn Sings (Editions PAF)
James McMurtry, Saint Mary of the Woods (Sugar Hill)
The Waco Brothers, New Deal (Bloodshot)
Mark Eitzel, Music for Courage and Confidence (New West)
Cracker, Forever (Virgin)
Lucky Pierres, Cloverleaf (self-released)
DKV Trio, Trigonometry (OkkaDisk)
Blasters, Trouble Bound (Hightone)
Dianogah, Millions of Brazilians (Southern)
Shelleydevoto, Buzzkunst (SpinArt)
Various Artists, The Bottle Let Me Down (Bloodshot)
1. Savage Republic, Trudge & Ceremonial (Mobilization)
2. Camper Van Beethoven, Cigarettes and Coffee: The Santa Cruz
Years (SpinArt)
3. Elvis Costello, Imperial Bedroom (Rhino)
4. Drive By Truckers, Southern Rock Opera (Lost Highway)
5. Paul Kelly, ...Nothing But a Dream + Roll On Summer (SpinArt)
6. Randy Newman, Good Old Boys (Rhino)
MY FAVORITE RECORDS FROM 2001
1. Mark Eitzel, The Invisible Man (Matador)
2. Rebecca Gates, Ruby Series (Badman)
3. Steve Wynn, Here Come the Miracles (Down There/Innerstate)
4. Alejandro Escovedo, A Man Under the Influence (Bloodshot)
5. Kristin Hersh, Sunny Border Blue (4AD)
6. Joel Phelps & the Downer Trio, Inland Empires EP
(Moneyshot)
7. Victor Krummenacher, Bittersweet (Magnetic)
8. Ass Ponies, Lohio (Checkered Past)
9. Moviola, Rumors of the Faithful (Spirit of Orr)
10. Pernice Brothers, The World Won't End (Ashmont)
11. Kelly Hogan, Because It Feel Good (Bloodshot)
12. Drive-By Truckers, Southern Rock Opera (Soul Dump)
13. Robbie Fulks, Couples in Trouble (Boondoggle)
14. Tindersticks, Can Our Love... (Beggar's Banquet)
15. Paul Kelly, ...Nothing But a Dream (EMI Australia)
16. Deliberate Strangers, Ghostland Next Exit (Rattler)
17. Mary Janes, Flame (Flat Earth)
18. Neko Case, Canadian Amp (Lady Pilot)
19. The Shiners, Bonnie Blue (Planetary)
20. Willard Grant Conspiracy, Everything's Fine (Slow River)
21. Graham Parker, Deepcut to Nowhere (Razor and Tie)
22. Boxstep, The Faces All Look On (Overcoat)
23. Sparklehorse, It's a Wonderful Life (Capitol)
24. Paula Frazer, Indoor Universe (Badman)
25. Tim Carroll, Free Again (self-released)
26. Barbara Manning and the Go-Luckys!, You Should Know By Now
(Innerstate)
27. Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, Bob Dinners... (Communion)
28. Joe Henry, Scar (Mammoth)
29. Star City, Inside the Other Days (self-released)
30. Low + Dirty Three, In a Fishtank (Konkurrent)
Reissues:
1. Soft Boys, Underwater Moonlight (Matador)
2. Holly Golightly, Singles Round-Up (Damaged Goods)
3. Dream Syndicate, The Days of Wine and Roses (Rhino).
Single:
1. Karl Hendricks Rock Band, "Thank God We Have Limes" (Surplus Anxiety)
MY FAVORITE RECORDS FROM 2000:
1. Neko Case & Her Boyfriends, Furnace Room Lullaby
(Bloodshot)
2. Giant Sand, Chore of Enchantment (Thrill Jockey)
3. Yo La Tengo, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out
(Matador)
4. Joel R.L. Phelps & the Downer Trio, Inland Empires EP
(Moneyshot)
5. Eleventh Dream Day, Stalled Parade (Thrill Jockey)
6. Pinetop Seven, Bringing Home the Last Great Strike
(Truckstop)
7. Naked Omaha, Belt (self-released)
8. Mekons, Journey To the End of the Night (Quarterstick)
9. Silkworm, Lifestyle (Touch & Go)
10. Warren Zevon, Life'll Kill Ya (Artemis)
11. Various Artists, Come On Beautiful: A Tribute to American Music
Club (Big Night)
12. Waco Brothers, Electric Waco Chair (Bloodshot)
13. Drive-By Truckers, Alabama Ass-Whuppin' (Second Heaven)
14. Willard Grant Conspiracy, Mojave (Slow River)
15. Kelly Hogan & the Pine Valley Cosmonauts, Beneath the
Country Underdog (Bloodshot)
16. Dirtball, Turn Up the Barn (Planetary)
17. Boxstep, Boxstep (self-released)
18. The Sea and Cake, Oui (Thrill Jockey)
19. Jim Roll, Lunette (New West)
20. Chuck Prophet, The Hurting Business (Hightone)
21. Eugene Chadbourne & Paul Lovens, Young at Heart/Forgiven
(Leo)
22. Holly Golightly, God Don't Like It (Damaged Goods)
23. Outkast, Stankonia (Arista)
24. Black Kali Ma, You Ride the Pony (I'll Be the Bunny)
(Alternative Tentacles)
25. Scenic, Spheres EP (Independent Project Records)
26. The Handsome Family, In the Air (Carrot Top)
27. Bruce Kaphan, Slider (Hearts of Space)
28. Shelby Lynne, I Am Shelby Lynne (Island)
29. Jonathan Segel, Scissors and Paper (Magnetic)
30. Richard Buckner, The Hill (Overcoat)
31. Johnny Cash, American III: Solitary Man (American/Columbia)
32. Allison Moorer, The Hardest Part (MCA)
33. Calexico, The Hot Rail (Quarterstick)
34. Vic Chesnutt & Mr. & Mrs. Keneipp, Merriment
(Backburner)
35. Dwight Yoakam, Tomorrow's Sounds Today (Reprise)
36. David Grubbs, The Spectrum Between (Drag City)
37. Dianogah, Battle Champions (Southern)
38. Christy McWilson, The Lucky One (Hightone)
39. Steve Earle, Transcendental Blues (E Squared)
40. Map of Wyoming, Trouble Is (Innerstate)
41. FSK, International (Catamount)
42. Merle Haggard, If I Could Only Fly (Anti)
43. Various Artists, Down to the Promised Land (Bloodshot)
44. Slobberbone, Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today
(New West)
45. Steely Dan, Two Against Nature (Giant)
46. Mark Kozelek, Rock'N'Roll Singer (Badman)
47. Hot Club of Cowtown, Dev'lish Mary (Hightone)
48. De La Soul, Art Official Intelligence (Tommy Boy)
49. Roy Montgomery, The Allegory of Hearing (Drunken Fish)
50. Tim Carroll, Not for Sale (Self-released)
My favorite reissues:
1. Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life (Motown)
2. All of the other long-overdue Stevie Wonder remasters on Motown.
3. Barbara Manning, Singles Under One Roof (Innerstate)
4. Camper Van Beethoven, Camper Van Beethoven is Dead, Long Live
Camper Van Beethoven (Pitch-A-Tent)
5. Magazine, Maybe It's Right to be Nervous Now (Virgin).
6. Otis Rush, Essential (Fuel 2000)
7. Buzzcocks, Time's Up & Spiral Scratch EP
(Mute)
8. The Band, The Band (Capitol)
SOME FAVORITES FROM THE PAST
Husker Du, Warehouse: Songs and Stories (Warner Brothers)
American Music Club, Everclear (Alias)
Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life (Motown)
Paul Kelly & the Messengers, Comedy (Mushroom)
Al Green, Greatest Hits (Hi/The Right Stuff)
Van Morrison, No Guru No Method No Teacher (Polygram)
Charles Mingus, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
(MCA/Impulse!)
Soft Boys, Underwater Moonlight (Matador)
Marvin Gaye, What's Goin' On (Motown)
Byrds, Greatest Hits (Sony Legacy)
Jack Logan, Bulk (Medium Cool)
Richard Thompson, Across a Crowded Room (Polydor)
Camper Van Beethoven, Telephone Free Landslide Victory
(Independent Project Records)
Richard Buckner, Bloomed (Slow River)
Randy Newman, Little Criminals (Warner Brothers)
Warren Zevon, A Quiet Normal Life (Elektra)
Elvis Costello, King of America (Rykodisc)
Henry Threadgill, Easily Slip Into Another World (RCA)
Mekons, Mekons Rock & Roll (Blast First)
Roxy Music, Avalon (EG/Warner Brothers)
Alejandro Escovedo, More Miles Than Money (Bloodshot)
Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour (Capitol)
Rickie Lee Jones, Flying Cowboys (Geffen)
Tom Waits, Rain Dogs (Island)
Joel Phelps, Warm Springs Night (El Recordo)
Scenic, Aquatica (Independent Project Records)
Sonny Sharrock, Ask the Ages (Axiom)