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Bruce Leperre's Top Ten Albums of 2008
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1. Tinderbox
- Fred Eaglesmith |
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Plaintive
electric guitars, moody organs, metallic percussion and
plucky banjos work together with potent lyrics,
inventive production, repetitive chants and Eaglesmith’s
mighty voice to create one hell of a fire and brimstone
riddled aural document of the state of the world that
hypnotizes and captivates with its stark, brazen beauty.
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2. Little
Honey - Lucinda Williams |
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On Little
Honey, Lucinda Williams mates rock, blues, country and
even a hint of gospel. Using early Rolling Stones as a
template (as they did with Muddy Waters and Chuck
Berry), Williams’ unique gravel and honey-slathered
vocal sensually slithers all over Doug Pettibone’s raw
gritty guitars and Buick 6’s impressively solid backing.
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3. Evil Urges
- My Morning Jacket |
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On their
5th disc, Kentucky based rockers My Morning Jacket
surprises bigtime as they deliver a gift that is truly
heterogeneous as they broaden their existing musical
thrill ride to include detours to Prince style funk
(complete with falsetto) and seventies era light rock to
the classic rock influenced sound they are known for.
The undeniably infectious groove which permeates the
disc may not take immediately but when it does you'll be
hardpressed to listen to anything else for weeks.
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4. Trouble in
Mind - Hayes Carll |
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Hayes
Carll plays an irresistible blend of country, folk, rock
and blues influenced by Guy Clark, Fred Eaglesmith and
triple name club members Billy Joe Shaver, Ray Wylie
Hubbard and Townes Van Zandt. Combine Carll’s charming
laid-back Texas twang with his dry wit and sometimes
irreverent lyrical observations (She Left Me For Jesus)
and he’ll transport you away from your everyday problems
right into someone else’s broken hearted or just plain
broken life. Trouble in Mind is a diamond, it may be
polished but the edges remain.
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5.
Blood's Too Rich - Luke Doucet and the White Falcon |
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Doucet
refers to the album as a “love letter to the guitar” and
he doesn’t hold back stretching songs out to 7 minutes
in order to let loose on his emotionally expressive
weapon of choice, the Gretsch White Falcon. Influences
range from Blue Rodeo and The Band to Neil Young and
Dinosaur Jr. as indie-rock collides harmoniously with
rootsy twang on a lonely stretch of highway at 3AM.
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6. Tennessee
Pusher - Old Crow Medicine Show |
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Influenced
by Dylan, The Band, The Carter Family and Springsteen’s
Nebraska, OCMS paints a rather dark portrait of the
American South. Drug pushers and addicts, martyrs and
hustlers, the homeless and the restless all inhabit
their expertly executed aural canvas. Although their
“newgrass” palette is dominated by black and grey they
dip their brushes in colour for the tongue in cheek
Humdinger and the double entendres of Mary’s Kitchen.
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7. Mountain
Meadows - Elliot Brood |
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Elliot
Brood may be from Toronto but they sound like they were
raised in the mountains of Appalachia by murderers and
thieves whose mother and sister are one and the same.
Lyrically they are influenced by history and politics
but musically their death country calls to mind Ralph
Stanley being chased by the Violent Femmes playing
Ramones covers.
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8. Brighter
Than Creation's Dark - Drive-By Truckers |
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DBT
successfully continue their “Steinbecks with guitars”
approach. Guitars, bass and drums join forces with pedal
steel, piano, banjo and Spooner Oldham's Wurlitzer and
Hammond B-3 and banjo to forge an ambitious sonic
backdrop to accompany the 19 mostly dark southern gothic
tales of death, family, war and regular Joes trying
their damndest to follow a righteous path. Country and
rock, rhythm and blues, beer and whiskey, hope and
despair all play their part in confirming once and for
all DBT's lyrical and musical depth is way Brighter than
Creation’s Dark.
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9. Devil's
Rawking Chair - Chris Goertzen and the Hazy Pilgrims |
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Goertzen’s
barbed wire vocal conspires with Ryan Maier’s wailing
guitar as they ride the Devil’s Rawking Chair all the
way to the Crossroads. It’s the witching hour, the moon
is full and the hounds of Hell are howling like their
lives depend upon it. Then comes the angelic voice of
Valerie Paton providing the yang to Goertzen’s Yin much
like the pretty mandolin and acoustic guitar compliment
the thrashing drums, thundering bass and electric lead
and slide guitars. This recording isn’t perfect and
that’s why it’s, well, damn near perfect!
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10. Dig!
Lazarus Dig! Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds |
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Nick Cave
reunites with the Bad Seeds and plant anything! Cave's
hellfire and brimstone vocal delivery is propelled along
by the stabbing guitars and sinister percolating rhythm
section to create another excellent entry in a catalog
that rarely disapoints.
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Honourable
Mentions
The Band of Heathens - The Band of Heathens
Only by the Night - Kings of Leon
Damn Right Rebel Proud - Hank III
Narrow Stairs - Death Cab For Cutie
Life, Death, Love and Freedom - John Mellencamp
Fast Paced World - The Duhks
XOK - NQ Arbuckle
Just Us Kids - James McMurtry
Goin' By Feel - Ray Bonneville
Asking For Flowers - Kathleen Edwards
Just a Little Lovin' - Shelby Lynne
Viva La Vida - Coldplay
Ridin' High - The Swiftys
Kickin' Up Dirt - After All These Years
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