The folks at Sleepover Shows shot this video of Lydia Loveless doing “Learn to Say No” inside the unnamed statue at MIT. Check out the rest of the session for “More Like Them” and “Bad Way to Go.”
Loveless will stop in Columbus Friday at the Rumba Cafe with Shane Sweeney of Two Cow Garage, Lost Revival and 10 High (featuring Chris McCoy and Sean Beal). Then on Saturday, it’s Stuart’s Opera House’s all-Ohio Cabin Fever Festival with Loveless, Nick Tolford & Co., Buffalo Killers (Cincinnati), The Sundresses (Cincinnati), Sportfishing USA (Yellow Springs/Athens) and J.D. Hutchison (Athens). Tickets $12.
The biggest struggle when putting together this list is how to rank the albums. What exactly is the difference between a #1 and a #2 album? Without doubt, Viva Brother’s “Darling Buds of May” was the song I listened to the most in 2011 and the album it comes from is pretty damn good. But is it my favorite album as a whole? The Damnwells have consistently put out great material and I’m sure I listened to No One Listens to the Band Anymore more, front to back, than any album on the list but did I do that because it’s the best album of the year or because I know the guys personally and listening to them makes me happy?
So, I decided the best way to do it is to list the albums alphabetically, showing no favoritism and not being forced to rank anything. A few comebacks, a few previous favorites, a couple of new UK bands, some metal, some country, some hair metal. Pretty typical for me.
AA Bondy – Believers (Fat Possum)
Not as barebones as early solo material, not as scuzzy as his ‘90s alt-rock band Verbena, AA Bondy split the difference on this moody, late night listen. Listen: “The Heart is Willing”
Anthrax – Worship Music (Megaforce)
The legendary NYC thrashers pick up where they left off the last time Joey Belladonna sang lead vocals (1990’s Persistence of Time) on 2011’s best (and most surprising considering some internal issues Anthrax had with short-timer vocalist Dan Nelson) metal album. Listen: “In the End”
AWOLNATION – Megalithic Symphony (Red Bull Records)
I would never have checked out this band had my old friend Christopher Thorn (Blind Melon) not been playing guitar. A complete 180 from Blind Melon’s sound, AWOLNATION’s slickly-produced techno-soul-pop shows a wide range of diversity from one track to the next. Listen: “Soul Wars”
Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 (Capitol Records)
Seven years after the release of their last album and 25 years after the release of the groundbreaking License to Ill, the recent Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductees come back with a fresh and surprisingly relevant album. This may be the only CD that I bought at a record store on it’s release day in 2011. Listen: “OK”
Broken Records – Let Me Come Home (4ad)
Scottish rockers whose epic, orchestral songs put them in a league with Snow Patrol, The Frames and Frightened Rabbit. Listen: “A Darkness Rises Up”
The Damnwells – No One Listens to the Band Anymore (Pledge Music)
Not knocking The Damnwells 2009 release, One Last Century, (which felt more like an Alex Dezen solo album), but there’s something special about full-time contributions by Ted Hudson (bass) and Jay Barclay (guitars), even if it’s just for the purpose of recording new material and not touring. The Damnwells are one of my favorite bands and this is a welcome addition to their recorded catalog. Listen: “Werewolves”
The Dreaming – Puppet (Epochal Artists Records)
If Axl Rose can tour using the name Guns N’ Roses, Christopher Hall should dump The Dreaming name and call this band Stabbing Westward. Listen: “Every Trace”
Foo Fighters – Wasting Light (RCA)
After a few ho-hum releases in the last decade, I thought I had lost the Foo Fighters to a new generation of music listeners who weren’t bothered by how mainstream Grohl & company had become. This album – and the Foos performance at Lollapalooza 2011 – restored my confidence. Listen: “White Limo”
The Horrible Crowes – Elsie (Side One Dummy)
Not a huge departure from his day gig fronting The Gaslight Anthem, but Brian Fallon’s side project allows the singer to dial back on his “Born to Run”-style Springsteen worship and explore the “I’m On Fire” side of the Boss’s catalog. Fallon also cites Greg Dulli and Tom Waits as influential songwriting muses (I’d throw Bono in there as well) for this project. Listen: “Sugar”
The Joy Formidable – Big Roar (Canvasback/Atlantic)
So much noise for a trio, especially the last 3 fuzzy minutes of the 8-minute opening track, “The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie”. I would love to hear them cover “Long Day in the Universe” by Darling Buds. Listen: “The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie”
Lydia Loveless – Indestructible Machine (Bloodshot Records)
It’s nice that the world can not only discover the artist that I’ve been championing for a few years, but can love her Americana-rock-with-punk-spirit sound as much as I do (Spin named this CD the #4 best Country/Americana release of 2011!). Listen: “Can’t Change Me”
Matthew Mayfield – Now You’re Free (Sweet Exchange)
Mayfield’s voice sounds so warm and familiar (a cross between Pete Yorn and Eddie Vedder), you’ll swear you’ve heard his stuff in the background of your favorite ABC prime time drama or maybe in that one scene in that ensemble movie about Valentine’s Day or Christmas or the 4th of July or something. Listen: “Missed Me”
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
I listened to the Beady Eye CD a handful of times. By virtue of it not showing up on this list, I guess I’m putting all of my eggs in the elder Gallagher brother’s basket. I liked Oasis well enough, but never thought I’d love Noel’s solo debut as much as I do. Listen: “The Death of You and Me”
Pale – In the Time of Dangerous Men
Even after seeing this Houston-based band live and hanging out with them, I still can’t believe that not a single member was born or raised in the UK. Pale’s emotional material draws heavily from bands like Catherine Wheel and Muse. Listen: “That Sinking Feeling”
Sebastian Bach – Kicking & Screaming (Frontiers)
At 17, I stood in front of the mirror, wearing a sleeveless t-shirt, holding a hairbrush pretending to front Skid Row opening for KISS at the Richfield Coliseum. At 40, I stand in front of the mirror, wearing a black concert t-shirt, holding a hairbrush pretending to be Sebastian Bach singing “Kicking and Screaming” while opening for Guns N’ Roses in Tokyo, Japan. Listen: "Dance on Your Grave"
True Widow – As High As the Highest Heavens and From the Center to the Circumference
of the Earth (Kemado)
True Widow’s self-described stonegaze is the perfect soundtrack to the dark, grey, gloomy winter skies that hang over Ohio. If you thought Hope Sandoval’s last solo record sounded like Mazzy Star covering Black Sabbath (check it out, it did) after smoking lots of weed, this thing will blow your mind. Listen: “Jackyl”
Viva Brother – Famous First Words (A&M)
The baby that Oasis and Blur secretly gave birth to 20 years ago has finally come out of hiding. iTunes tells me I listened to “Darling Buds of May” more than any other song in 2011 and I don’t dispute that fact. Listen: "Darling Buds of May"
Warbringer – Worlds Torn Asunder (Century Media)
Finally had the chance to see Warbringer live in 2011 and confirmed that not only do they sound like Slayer circa 1990, their life shows are like stepping into a time machine and being transported back to the early days of thrash metal before it left the basement and made it’s way to 1,000 seat venues. Listen: “Shattered Like Glass”
Wussy – Strawberry (Shake It Records)
Man, this is getting really incestuous. I wrote a preview for a Wussy show a few weeks ago. In his year-end wrap-up, Joel quoted from that preview in his Wussy description. I guess it was so good that I’m going to quote it again! One wouldn’t expect Chuck Cleaver, the heavily tattooed Cincinnati songwriter, to produce his best collection of songs this late in his already highly-prolific career, but that’s exactly what he’s done. Listen: “Asteroid”
Yuck – Yuck (Fat Possum)
Take all my favorite indie rock bands (Superchunk, Dinosaur Jr, Sparklehorse, Pavement, The Flaming Lips) from the early-to-mid ‘90s, mix ‘em together and you get something YUCK-y. It may not be very original but it’s still one of the best things I heard all year.Listen: “Get Away”
This year’s list of favorites is fairly sedate (even for me), with just a little ruckus here and there. Lots of morning-coffee music, which I guess says something about my 2011. But music’s strength is its pliability. It can be whatever you need it to be at the moment, especially when we have instant access to virtually any song ever recorded, often for free. Judging by this list, I needed music to be a salve more than a release valve this year.
I also never expected my favorite album to come from someone who held the spot previously, but the iTunes “most played” playlist doesn’t lie. It’s a divisive one, but people who like it really like it.
I picked 15 favorites and several honorable mentions, plus a Favorite Columbus Albums list below — separate but equal in enjoyment and quality. As usual, I limit my lists to albums, so some EPs and 7”s I liked (e.g. Envelope, Sundown, Malefactors of Great Wealth, Dolfish) aren’t listed.
As Chip said about Wussy’s Chuck Cleaver, “One wouldn’t expect the heavily tattooed Cincinnati songwriter to produce his best collection of songs this late in his already highly-prolific career, but that’s exactly what he’s done.”
By now, I know every moment on this album, but I’m still continually surprised by its beauty. Seeing Bon Iver in Philly would also make my Favorite Life Occurrences of 2011 list.
Honorable mention:
The Roots – Undun
The Black Keys – El Camino
Dawes – Nothing is Wrong
Joe Henry – Reverie
Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire
Mountain Goats – All Eternals Deck
Richard Buckner – Our Blood
Thurston Moore – Demolished Thoughts
J Mascis – Several Shades of Why
Tim Easton – Beat the Band/Since 1966 Vol. 1
Thao & Mirah – Thao & Mirah
Joseph Arthur – The Graduation Ceremony
Favorite 2011 Columbus albums:
1. The Black Swans – Don’t Blame the Stars
2. Lydia Loveless – Indestructible Machine
3. Times New Viking – Dancer Equired
4. Psandwich – Northren Psych
5. Saintseneca – Last
6. Blueprint – Adventures in Counter-Culture
7. Bicentennial Bear – Lost Summers
8. The Regionals – The Regionals
9. Psychedelic Horseshit – Laced
10. The Lindsay – Deep in the Queue
Honorable mention:
P. Blackk – Blackk Friday
Moon High – Six Suns
Shane Sweeney – The Finding Time
Tin Armor – Life of Abundance
Alyosha Het – The Purgatourist
The Black Keys donated a signed guitar that will be auctioned off leading into this year’s Andyman-a-thon on CD102.5.
The Andyman-A-Thon is a Holiday tradition that is entering it 19th year. The late Andyman Davis would stay on his radio station’s airwaves, awake for 48 hours straight to raise money for children’s charties in Columbus.CD102.5 Listeners were encouraged to call in to request songs and donate money.
The Andyman-A-thon will take place December 16-18th this year.
The 2nd annual Andyman-a-thon Benefit Concert is this Wednesday (Nov. 23) at the LC. Watershed, Nick Tolford & Company, Lydia Loveless, and The Phantods will perform. Check out the event video below.
Black Keys fans will be stoked to know that the Keys will be on Saturday Night Live December 3rd. Steve Buscemi is the host.
She sings, “Being good is killing me inside,” and it makes sense that she can’t stand that inner death happening so she changes it. She shuffles the deck and makes sure that she’s not going to get beat down much more than she can take, or much more than she can handle. For being so young, Loveless has already honed a sassiness, a sexiness and the sharpest of personalities as a woman and as a songwriter. She’s salty and she’s willing to get into the details, never pulling punches, but singing it the way that it needs to be sung. Her sorry stories about the bullshit that happens to her over and over need to come out with the piss in them, with the he momentary lapses in decorum or ladylike behavior.
You can download Lydia Loveless’ 5-song Daytrotter session here.
Not exactly a CD release party for a CD that’s been available to purchase both physically and digitally for a few weeks, Lydia Loveless plays Columbus on Saturday night for the first time since her badass twang-rocker Indestructible Machine was released by Bloodshot Records on September 13.
While Josh Krajcik put Columbus in the national spotlight due to his 7-minutes (so far) of fame on the X-Factor (one of Loveless’s first shows was with Krajcik), glowing reviews have been piling up for Loveless, the introverted (at least when she’s not on stage) singer whose biographical tales of local stalkers, woebegone relationships with both bad boys and alcohol, and the reality of everyday life have struck a chord with music listeners worldwide.
Welcome Lydia Loveless back to Columbus on Friday night when she makes an appearance at Rumba Cafe along with The Mooncussers and a solo set from Two Cow Garage’s Shane Sweeney. Copies of Indestructible Machine will be available at the show though you all certainly own it by now!
He won’t stop calling and I’m not sure how to blow him off
He stands outside my window until I have to call the cops
But they always let him out of jail cuz he’s a famous face
That’s a funny way of asking me to go out on a date…
Steve Earle, won’t stop calling me
Lydia Loveless’s Comfest set was one of my favorites, and new song “Steve Earle” was a set highlight. It’ll be on her new album, Indestructible Machine, out in September on Bloodshot.
A few months ago I hit up a Happy Hour/CD release show (The Mooncussers) at Rumba Cafe. Honestly, I left work a bit late and was hoping that I wouldn’t have to sit through the opening act (Tom Evanchuck) that I didn’t know anything about. So glad that my timing was off and I arrived just as Evanchuck was getting started. What I saw really blew me away … a two-piece dirty blues band (I hesitate using the word “blues”, but there is elements of blues and folk in Evanchuck’s music).
Peloton Records – the local label that has already hit a home run by pushing their artist Lydia Loveless to the next level (ie – a label deal with Bloodshot) – is handling the release of Evanchuck’s TWO new CDs, the acoustic/folky Fadin’ Glow and the rougher, plugged-in Tom Evanchuck is Back as The Evanchucks. We’ll explore these two releases next week but right now the electric album, which paints Evanchuck as a young Chris Whitley in my opinion, is at the top of my playlist.
Evanchuck joins The Mooncussers and Lydia Loveless, fresh off a lengthy midwest/west coast tour, tonight at Rumba. Show starts around 9pm.
Though never among the elite artists to be named a “Band to Watch” in her hometown, Lydia Loveless still has managed to attract the attention of the Americana label Bloodshot Records who announced today that they have signed the 20-year-old country singer to a roster that includes artists such as Justin Townes Earle, Waco Brothers, Eddie Spaghetti and The Bottle Rockets.
Loveless is currently working on her Bloodshot debut, due out this fall. She says she prefers a raw sound and has always preferred rock n’ roll to country so expect the new album to rock a little more than 2010′s Only Man. “The attitude is still country but it’s definitely less fake country,” Loveless says.
Among the first order of business, Loveless will be performing on February 20th at
North Star Bar in Philadelphia, PA at Bloodshot’s Philly Brew Bash, alongside Eddie Spaghetti, Whitey Morgan and the 78′s and Jon Langford. Then, in March, she’ll head to Austin to perform at Bloodshot’s legendary SXSW party at the Yard Dog Gallery.
And just to show that she’s not all country, here’s a video of Loveless and band performing a cover of Def Leppard’s “Hysteria”.
