On the fourth day of Xmas my AP gave to me ... four pedal steels a-sliding ... sliding? Is that the right verb? Twanging? Yes twanging, that's what pedal steels do, and there's a lot of twanging in today's pick:
Nick 13 - Nick 13
We're now four for four aren't we? Well as far as music I was looking forward to last year huh? Anyway, Nick 13 is the lead singer and guitarist of the psychobilly joint Tiger Army, which, if you've been paying attention, is one of my all time favorite bands. Last year I heard that he was working on a solo country album, and upon hearing that I knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was going to be one of my favorite albums of the year. I mean have you heard the country songs he's put together with Tiger Army? They're some of my favorite songs, and in one case, quite possibly my favorite song. So there's no surprise that when it came out that it was good or that I liked it.
The surprise was that I was expecting an album full of Tiger Army's country songs, which granted aren't completely country, more of a rockabilly band adding a little twang to the mix. Nick 13's solo album is country in the old school sense, that is, in the Hank Williams sense and it isn't what I expected. But it's great, it's awesome to see a punk rocker with a pretty voice from California hop over to Nashville and put the modern popular country artists to shame, because let's face it, those jokers on your country radio stations are nothing more than pop singers with country accents. Nick 13's self titled release might not be the greatest country album ever made, but to me it's a nice relief. Here, have a listen for yourself with "Carry My Body Down," "All Alone", and "Nighttime Sky." And as I final note, his country remakes of some Tiger Army classics made this fanboy quite happy.
Man this is messed up. I keep waiting for you to list an album I don't have already. But then I guess since you introduced me to 3 of the 4 artists list that's to be expected.
ReplyDeleteHa, and the 4th you introduced me to, so yeah probably not surprising. I actually almost clarified my whole "music you might not have heard of before" with a caveat: "unless you're my friend." I imagine you have most of what I'll list, but there might be one or two things you don't have, maybe around 7 or 8?
ReplyDeleteSweet. I might actually have a good one for you as well if it's not somewhere later on your list...
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