THURSDAY MORNING MIX

June 23, 2011

Scott Foley

Using both hands, I can see that we're almost exactly halfway thru the year 2011. This prompts the listmaker in me to collect my playlists for each week and subject TMM listeners to my Favorite CDs of 2011 (So Far ( ... and subject to radical change upon a whim)(but by no means in order of favorites (rather, in order of appearance)) ( ... and I'll try to keep it to 20 of 'em)):

. Caitlin Rose, Sinful Wishing Well
. Only Sons, American Stranger
^ Kasey Anderson, Heart of a Dog
. Drive-by Truckers, Go-Go Boots
. Decemberists, King Is Dead
. Hayes Carll, KMAG YOYO
. Kasey Chambers, Little Bird
. Dolorean, Unfazed
. Low Anthem, Smart Flesh
. Middle Brother, Middle Brother
. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Here We Rest
. Israel Nash Gripka, Barn Doors & Concrete Floors
. Amanda Shires, Carrying Lightning
. Emmylou Harris, Hard Bargain
. Michael Fracasso, Saint Monday
. Lindi Ortega, Little Red Boots
. Matt the Electrician, Accidental Thief
. Felice Brothers, Celebration Florida
. Star Anna, Alone In This Together
. Robert Ellis, Photographs

Cohorts have opined both that this is a good year and a bad year for our kind of music. I'd like to propose that it's one of the strongest in recent memory, with worthy offerings from established names and enough debuts to keep folks with a short musical attention span (like me) occupied.

* Madeleine Peyroux, "I Threw It All Away" Standing On the Rooftop (Rounder, 11)
* Boulder Acoustic Society, "Until Then" Punchline (9 Mile, 09)
* Zoe Muth & the Lost High Rollers, "Come Inside" Starlight Hotel (Signature Sounds, 11)
* Dave Alvin, "Gary Indiana 1959" Eleven Eleven (Yep Roc, 11)
* Neil Young, "Amber Jean (live)" International Harvest (Reprise, 11)
* Justin Townes Earle, "Maybe Baby" Rave On Buddy Holly (Concord, 11)
* Band of Heathens, "Polaroid" Top Hat Crown ... (BoH, 11)
* Haunted Windchimes, "Lordy Lordy" Live at the Western Jubilee (Blank Tape, 11)
* Cody Canada & the Departed, "Long Way To Nowhere" This Is Indian Land (30 Tigers, 11)
* Emmylou Harris, "New Orleans" Hard Bargain (Nonesuch, 11)
* Jayhawks, "She Walks In So Many Ways" Mockingbird Time (Rounder, 11)
* American Gun, "1500 Jessicas" Therapy (Jangly, 11)
* Jessica Lea Mayfield, "Blue Skies Again" Tell Me (Nonesuch, 11)
* Radical Knitting Circle, "Tum" When Bees No Longer Fly ... (Self, 11)
* Michael Fracasso, "Elizabeth Lee" Saint Monday (Self, 11)
* Guy Clark, "LA Freeway" Old #1 (Sugar Hill, 75)
* Robert Ellis, "Comin' Home" Photographs (New West 11)
* Eilen Jewell, "Queen of the Minor Key" Queen of the Minor Key (Signature Sounds, 11)
* Civil Wars, "Poison & Wine" Barton Hollow (Dualtone, 10)
* Catherine MacLellan, "Stealin'" Silhouette (True North, 11)
* Israel Nash Gripka, "Four Winds" Barn Doors & Concrete Floors (Self, 11)
* Richmond Fontaine, "Mechanic's Life" High Country (Self, 11)
* Matt Bauer, "Blacklight Horses" Jessamine County Book of the Living (Crossbill, 11)
* Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside, "Danger" Dirty Radio (Partisan, 11)
* Gillian Welch, "Way It Goes" Harrow & the Harvest (Acony, 11)
* Jill Andrews, "Little Less" Mirror (Liam, 11)
* Matt the Electrician, "All I Know" Accidental Thief (Self, 11)
* Brian Wright, "Rich Man's Blues" House On Fire (Sugar Hill, 11)
* Amy Black, "Whiskey and Wine" One Time (Reuben, 11)