Fave Albums of the Year

Like my books selection these are in no particular order. These are just the albums I played the most during 2007.

Dexateens - Lost and Found - These guys opened for the Drive by Truckers when we saw them in Greenville, SC. If the Drive by Truckers are a punkish/modern Lynryd Skynryd then the Dexateens are a southern style Replacements.

Drive by Truckers - Brighter than Creations Dark - Some have called this DBT's White Album and it's not a bad comparison. It's all over the map stylistically (which isn't unusual for a DBT album) and it's long. It has many moods and rewards repeated listenings from start to finish.

Mudcrutch - Mudcrutch - Tom Petty's old band reformed with original members. This was a heavy favorite for hanging on the back porch this summer.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand - This came out in 2007 but this was, by far, the most played album of the last year. I saw a BBC interview with Plant where he remarks on how this was the first album he had made with American musicians and how he was impressed by all their vintage equipment. Robert Plant made an Americana album and this may be what he has been aiming for all these years.

Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer - An oldtimey album in the best sense. The best voice from the Band has matured nicely. The musicianship is topnotch and the harmonies between Helm and his daughter are magnificent. Another porch favorite from this summer.

Jay Reatard - Matador Singles '08 - Bouncy pop punk from a disturbed individual.

Dirtbombs - We Have your Surrounded - An awe inspiring monster of a rock album. It has the crunch of Led Zeppelin, the edge of the Stooges and chorus melodies worthy of the Decemberists. The Dirtbombs are a force of nature live and this album kicks ass. Also it has a cover of "Sherlock Holmes" by Sparks.

Was (Not Was) - Boo - They're back! One of my favorite bands. It's funky and weird and has a spoken word freak out by David Was. It's perfect.

Paul Kelly - A to Z - He's from Australia and he writes awesome songs. He does this thing where he plays a series of concerts that feature songs from his catalog in alphabetical order. This year he has been releasing songs from these concerts every month in, of course, alphabetical order. He is now up to the letter 'M.' It's been a great project and I love selecting this album on my Ipod and shuffling.