July means a quick look back at what new records have caught my ear so far, so I’ve made a compilation of some of my favorite tracks of the past six months. 2010 hasn’t stuck out in any particular way, although listening to this I’m surprised how much more rock there is than in past years.
There’s no bluegrass, but lots of roots-rock goodness. As always it’s Austin-centric, but I also like that it covers artists from different periods who continue to make interesting music today, like Kevin Welch, Peter Case, Freedy Johnston, Tift Merritt, Grupo Fantasma, and the Texas Tornados.
There are a couple of new discoveries, too: Check out locals Austin Collins and Wendy Colonna. Tracks from Adam Carroll & Michael O’Connor, Sara Hickman, Black Prairie, the Marshall Ford Swing Band, and the Shel Silverstein tribute didn’t fit this time, but they’re well worth looking for. Click here to download the whole thing. Thanks for listening.
1) Kevin Welch, “Come A Rain,” A Patch of Blue Sky
2) Peter Case, “Ain’t Got No Dough,” Wig!
3) Austin Collins, “Forever Avenue,” Wrong Control
4) Anne McCue, “Don’t Go To Texas (Without Me),” Broken Promise Land
5) Pernice Brothers, “Goodbye, Killer,” Goodbye, Killer
6) Jim Lauderdale, “My Lips Are Sealed,” Patchwork River
7) Wendy Colonna, “Shine,” We Are One
8) Grupo Fantasma, “Teleraña,” El Existential
9) Tift Merritt, “Mixtape,” See You on the Moon
10) I See Hawks In L.A., “Shoulda Been Gold,” Shoulda Been Gold
11) Drive-By Truckers, “Daddy Learned To Fly,” The Big To-Do
12) Michael Shane Borden, “Houston (We Have A Problem),” Burden of Proof
13) Texas Tornados, “Ahora Yo Voy,” Esta Bueno!
14) Freedy Johnston, “Don’t Fall In Love With a Lonely Girl,” Rain on the City
15) Jon Dee Graham, “My Lucky Day,” It’s Not As Bad As It Looks
16) Patty Griffin, “If I Had My Way,” Downtown Church
17) Dukes of Stratosphear, “Vanishing Girl,” Psonic Psunspot
18) Deadstring Brothers, “Houston,” São Paulo
19) John Butler Trio, “C’mon Now,” April Uprising
20) Danny Barnes, “TSA,” Pizza Box
21) Shelby Lynne, “Something To Be Said About Airstreams,” Tears, Lies and Alibis
This article appears in July 2 • 2010.