Best of 2020

 

The Un-Herd Music Top 50 of 2020

1. Low Cut Connie Private Lives

Adam Weiner's hook-heavy mix of soul, R&B, rock & roll, & basically everything else under the sun is exactly the empathetic, good vibin' music the world needs right now - just hope we're not all too far gone to hear.

2. Dangereens Tough Luck

Montreal band with reckless disregard for speed limits, a pronounced fondness for old 'Mats reckids, and a batch of hook-ridden tunes w/ pounding piano + sax riding shotgun.  

3. Cornershop England Is A Garden

One of the most original bands from the 90s indie boom returns with their inimitable mix of 60s pop, garage rock, sitars, flutes, electronics and, I can only imagine, something borrowed from a far better future.

 

 

 

4. The Yum Yums For Those About To Pop!

If the Ramones had the harmonies of the Beach Boys or the Beach Boys had the drive of the Ramones... Such perfect summer music that it'll make you forget it isn't summer.

 

 

 

 

5. Mondo Cozmo New Medicine

Backed by members of the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Josh Ostrander hooks into snatches of Lou Reed, hip hop, Jesus and Mary Chain, and singer/songwriter pop and still manages to knit it all into a cohesive whole.
 

 

 

 

6. Rookie Rookie

While so much modern power pop rests in the hands of those who view "The Long and Winding Road" as the epitome of rock & roll, Rookie allows a stomping beat and a few power chords to ride shotgun with the expected Beatles-esque hooks.
 

 

 

 

7. Nicole Atkins Italian Ice

Recorded at Muscle Shoals and backed by members of that same hallowed session band, this album sprawls comfortably into a relaxed soul groove. Also boasts help from Britt Daniel, My Morning Jacket, and some Bad Seeds... none of who come close to eclipsing Atkins' powerful voice.

 

 

8. Foxy Shazam Burn

The return of Foxy Shazam was one of the few "good news" stories of this disastrous year, and even if it might not match the heights of The Church of Rock & Roll, it definitely gets them back on track to world domination. Give 'em time.
 

 

 

 

 

9. Daniel Romano How Ill Thy World Is Ordered

Romano released 10 albums in the year 2020, ranging in sound from his more typical country to indie rock to hardcore punk to a welcome re-imagining of an entire Dylan album, and what makes his feat of ambition somewhat miraculous is the sheer quality of songwriting. This one (and Dandelion) are perhaps the most eclectic of the bunch.

10. Bette Smith The Good, The Bad, and the Bette

With some help from Luther Dickinson and the Drive-by Truckers, Bette Smith dives into southern soul and traditional R&B while embracing the distortion and power of punk.

 

 

11. Wyldlife Year of the Snake

12. Algiers There Is No Year

13. Bad Moves Untenable

14. Faz Waltz Rebel Kicks

15. The Struts Strange Days

16. Thelonious Monster Oh That Monster

17. Dramarama Color TV

18. Richard Davies & the Dissidents Human Traffic

19. Suitesixteen Mine Would Be The Sun

20. Ice Cream Hands No Weapon But Love

21. Ryan Hamilton Nowhere To Go But Everywhere

22. Hinds The Prettiest Curse

23. Kurt Baker Combo After Party

24. Chuck Prophet The Land That Time Forgot

25. Billie Joe Armstrong No Fun Mondays

26. Lucinda Williams Good Souls Better Angels

27. The Devonns The Devonns

28. Jaded Hearts Club You've Always Been Here

29. Fantastic Negrito Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?

30. Lydia Loveless Daughter

31. Candy Opera The Patron Saint of Heartache

32. Mom Pleasure Island

33. Anti-Flag 20/20 Division

34. Exbats Kicks, Hits and Fits

35. Steve Kilbey Eleven Women

36. Ginger Wildheart Headzapoppin'

37. Brad Marino False Alarm

38. Green Day The Father of All Motherfuckers

39. Mike Viola Godmuffin

40. The Speedways Radio Sounds

 

41. Close Lobsters Post Neo Anti: Arte Povera in the Forest of Symbols

42. Ryan Allen Song Snacks Vol. 1

43. Advertisement American Advertisement

44. The Vapors Together

45. Supercrush SODO Pop

46. X Alphabetland

47. Sino Hearts Mandarin a Go-Go

48. Cocktails Catastrophic Entertainment

49. Psychotic Youth Forever and Never

50. Silver Sun Switzerland

Run And Tell It To Everybody Underground

1. Dangereens Microwave Boogie

2. Low Cut Connie Help Me

3. Rookie Hold On Tight

4. The Yum Yums Let's Worry About Tomorrow

5. Bad Moves Party With the Kids Who Wanna Party With You

6. Wyldlife Keeping Up With C.T.

7. Thelonious Monster Teenage Wasteland

8. Algiers Dispossession

9. Mondo Cozmo Black Cadillac

10. Bette Smith Song For a Friend

11. Foxy Shazam In My Mind

12. Anti-Flag 20/20 Vision

13. Suitesixteen The List

14. Mom I Want You To Feel What I Feel

15. Faz Waltz Got Me Goin'

16. Advertisement Pretty Money

17. Daniel Romano First Yoke

18. Ryan Hamilton & the Harlequin Ghosts Oh No

19. Nicole Atkins St. Dymphna

20. Dramarama Everyday

21. The Speedways Number 7

22. Candy Opera Crash

23. Hinds Riding Solo

24. Chuck Prophet Get Off The Stage

 

Best of 2019

The Un-Herd Music Top 50 of 2019

1. White Reaper You Deserve Love

Early fans may complain about the added sheen, space, and (gasp) maturity in the mix, but any initial resistance will be steamrollered by the boatloads of hooks. Prepare to fall in love immediately.

 2. The Sweet Things In Borrowed Shoes, On Borrowed Time

I was recently lamenting the dearth of bona fide sleazoid Exile-On-Main-Street worship in modern music, and then this album shows up to kick my ass around the block and teach us all how it's done.





 

 3. The Delta Riggs Modern Pressure

An album difficult to adequately describe, using elements of classic rock in its melody and disco in its bottom end, some punk here and indie there, all of which is topped by Elliot Hammond's oddly charismatic (or charismatically odd) drawl.



 

 4. Imani Coppola The Protagonist

A seemingly personal statement that ties together some of the various strands of Mr. Coppola's immense talent, ranging from R&B cool to indie rock to a cuttingly sardonic folk complaint. 





 

 5. Twin Peaks Lookout Low

At this point existing perfectly out-of-time, Twin Peaks continue to follow their own obscure muse, making a loosely structured version of (uh, let's call it) classic rock that requires some patience and - most importantly - richly rewards that patience.




 

 6. Natalie Sweet Oh By The Way... It's Natalie Sweet

Bouncy, hook-filled rock 'n' roll that splits the difference between the most bubblegum Ramones tunes and most bubblegum of the 60s girl groups, with welcome help from the estimable Morten Henriksen of the Yum Yums.

 7. Jordan Jones Jordan Jones

The song "Rumors Girls" might be the best pure power pop song of the year, and the rest don't land too far off that lofty target.

 8. Attic Lights Love in the Time of Shark Attacks

Scottish group reappears after a 6 year lay-off with their absolute mastery of hooks, harmonies, and crunchy melancholy wholly intact.

 9. Pat Todd & the RankOutsiders The Past Came Callin'

From his days with the Lazy Cowgirls to the present, Pat Todd has married Johnny Cash to Johnny Thunders in ways that'll either have you crying in your beer or moshing in a frenzy.

 10. Starcrawler Devour You

While still trafficking in big riffs and chaos, the band has opened the door to honest-to-god hooks and (swear to god) subtlety, as evidenced most notably on the Stonesy "No More Pennies."







11. Sheer Mag A Distant Call
12. Ryan Hamilton & the Harlequin Ghosts This Is The Sound
13. The Brothers Steve #1
14. Ulysses On Safari
15. Charlie Faye & the Fayettes The Whole Shebang
16. The Dip The Dip Delivers
17. Josie Cotton Everything Is Oh Yeah
18. Terry and Louie ...A Thousand Guitars
19. Olivia Jean Night Owl
20. Velveteen Rabbit Velveteen Rabbit

21. More Kicks More Kicks
22. Ten Tonnes Ten Tonnes
23. Nick Waterhouse Nick Waterhouse
24. The Successful Failures Saratoga
25. Diamond Dogs Recall Rock 'n' Roll and the Magic Soul
26. Alex Lahey The Best of Luck Club
27. Pale Lips After Dark
28. The Whiffs Another Whiff
29. Asa Lucid
30. Ex Hex It's Real

31. Amyl & the Sniffers Amyl & the Sniffers
32. Reese McHenry No Dados
33. The Regrettes How Do You Love?
34. Extra Arms Up To Here
35. Rusty Dogs of Canada
36. Pernice Bros. Spread the Feeling
37. Geoff Palmer Pulling Out All The Stops
38. The Rallies Upside Down
39. Råttanson I'd Much Rather Be With the Noise
40. Hollerado Retaliation Vacation

41. Brad Marino Extra Credit
42. New Swears Night Mirror
43. Papernut Cambridge Outstairs Instairs
44. Long Ryders Psychedelic Country Soul
45. Rheostatics Here Come The Wolves
46. Lisa Prank Perfect Love Song
47. Foxygen Seeing Other People
48. Bloodboy Punk Adjacent
49. Redd Kross Beyond the Door
50. Baby Shakes Cause a Scene

Man, This Is What I Call An Epidemic

1. Imani Coppo1a Blackteria
2. The Br0thers Steve We Got The Hits
3. New Swears Concrete Cowboy
4. The Sweet Things Drained
5. Terry & Louie (I'm) Looking For A Heart
6. Attic Lights Ruby's Song
7. The De1ta Riggs Fake That 
8. O1ivia Jean The Hunt
9. Ryan Hami1ton & the Har1equin Ghosts Mamacita
10. Pat T0dd If Only I Could Fly Backwards in Time
11. Jordan J0nes No Makeup
12. White Reeper Might Be Right 
13. The Whiffs My Vision of Love
14. Diamond D0gs Somebody Have Mercy
15. M0re Kicks What a Mess You Make
16. Successfu1 Fai1ures Love You So
17. Pa1e Lips Some Sort of Rock 'n' Roll
18. U1ysses Piper's Chest
19. Nata1ie Sweet Pizza Man
20. Asa Good Thing
21. Twin Peaks Better Than Stoned
22. Nick Waterh0use Undedicated
23. Ve1veteen Rabbit Mind-Numbing Entertainment
24. Sheer Mag Blood from a Stone
25. Starcraw1er Hollywood Ending 

The Best of 2018

The Un-Herd Music Top 50 of 2018

1. Jeff Whalen 10 More Rock Super Hits

Leader of shoulda-been legendary power poppers Tsar delivers what amounts to a master class in melodic perfection. Hooks upon hooks, vocal hooks, guitar hooks, just mofuggin' hooks in every direction. And it's not afraid to rock either.






2. The Peawees Moving Target

Songs so good they sound like classics from a non-existent golden era where Phil Spector, girl groups and Otis Redding rubbed shoulders with the Ramones and the Replacements, but it's new and all original.




 


3. Twin Peaks Sweet '17 Singles

Collects various awesome singles released the previous year, an act which seems almost heroically retro... and that's not a wholly inaccurate way to describe the band's approach to music as well.







4. Macy Gray Ruby

After seemingly being lost in the wilderness for quite some time, Ms. Gray arrives at the intersection of classic and modern R&B with her most satisfying album since "On How Life Is."

5. Gold Star Uppers & Downers

An album of modest glories that seems simple enough on first listen, then reveals a knack for low-key earworms underneath its shimmering twilit charm.

6. The Glands Double Coda

Tidies up twenty-three loose ends from the storage shed of the Glands, bringing closure to a truly wondrous and tragic tale. As sprawling, slack, and hook-filled as you'd expect (and hope for).

7. Ural Thomas & the Pain The Right Time

Touching on ol' Stax/Volt R&B and James Brown funk with equal authority, it's hard to believe Mr. Thomas is approaching 80 years old. As impressive as it is authentic.

8. Low Cut Connie Dirty Pictures Part 2

Reportedly the band's "Boozophilia" made it onto Barack Obama's playlist back in 2012, and if there's any justice this entire album is showing up on everybody else's playlist this year. A bar band turning into a major player right in front of our ears.

9. Miesha and the Spanks Girls Girls Girls

Attempts to describe the music - in this case punky pop (or poppy punk) - may make it seem generic, but that's only because it's near impossible to quantify the charisma of Miesha's vocals, not to mention the efficacy of her hooks.

10. Primal Scream Give Out But Don't Give Up (Original Memphis Sessions)

Scrapped sessions with super-engineer Tom Dowd (along with the famed Muscle Shoals rhythm section) might have cost them their audience in '94, but from a 2018 vantage point their commitment to sleazy southern soul could be the best thing the band ever did.

11. Simon Love Sincerely S. Love X

12. Bass Drum of Death Just Business

13. Beechwood Inside the Flesh Hotel

14. Bad Moves Tell No One

15. Minky Starshine Dirty Electric

16. Parker Millsap Other Arrangements

17. Damian O'Neill & the Monotones Refit Revise Reprise

18. The Sick Things The Sick Things

19. Shannon Shaw Shannon In Nashville

20. Twin Temple Bring You Their Signature Sound... Satanic Doo Wop

21. Rich Hope I'm All Yours

22. Blockhouses Greatest Hit Songs of All Time

23. J.P. Bimeni & the Black Belts Free Me

24. The Prettys ¡Tapas!

25. The Buttertones Midnight in a Moonless Dream

26. High Up You Are Here

27. Valley Lodge Fog Machine

28. Dot Dash Proto Retro

29. Bat Fangs Bat Fangs

30. Death by Unga Bunga So Far So Good So Cool

31. The Longshot Love Is For Losers

32. Daddy Let's Do This

33. Shannon and the Clams Onion

34. The Chills Snow Bound

35. Kurt Baker Combo Let's Go Wild!

36. Emperor Penguin Walnut Fascia

37. Extra Arms Headacher

38. Thomas Abban A Sheik's Legacy

39. Elise LeGrow Playing Chess

40. Deva Mahal Run Deep

41. Alejandro Escovedo w/ Don Antonio The Crossing

42. Neko Case Hell-On

43. The Sha La Das Love in the Wind

44. Lucy and the Rats Lucy and the Rats

45. Lovesores Gods of Ancient Grease

46. Taggart L'maskin

47. Walter Lure & the Waldos Wacka Lacka Loom Bop a Loom Bam Boo

48. Gin Wigmore Ivory

49. The Real Sickies Get Well Soon

50. Handsome Jack Everything's Gonna Be Alright

Honorable Mentions:

The Furies The Furies

Ruen Bros. All My Shades of Blue

Bee Bee Sea Bee Bee Sea Deluxe

Skytone Jangle Waves

The Vibrators Past Present and Into the Future

Robbie Fulks & Linda Gail Lewis Wild! Wild! Wild!

Willie Nile Children of Paradise

The Connection Wish You Success

The Blank Pages Before Your Summer Fades

Leon Bridges Good Thing

EPs:

The Dahlmanns American Heartbeat

The Pandoras Hey! It's the Pandoras!

The Number Ones Another Side of the Number Ones

Nick Lowe Tokyo Bay

The Regrettes Attention Seeker

The Best of 2017

The Un-Herd Music Best of 2017

 1. Chuck Berry Chuck

You may suspect I'm gifting the #1 spot to Mr. Berry solely on the grounds of his importance to every single note on every single mix I've ever made in my life. And you may be right. And I don't care.

2. Needles//Pins Good Night Tomorrow

The band continues their expected trajectory, which combines the ragged hooks of the Replacements with the sonic wallop of a car crash, but with a truly impressive growth in songwriting.

3. The Crazy Squeeze Savior of the Streets

In the band bio they rightly reference 70s pub rock, but these guys remember the tough and melodic Ducks Deluxe brand over the ersatz Band-isms of Brinsley Schwartz. That's the way I prefer to remember it too.

 4. The Regrettes Feel Your Feelings Fool

Astonishingly, front woman Lydia Night was 16 years old when this album was recorded, but that didn't stop her from copping (and refining) moves from relatively ancient precursors like 90s riot grrls and 60s girl groups. The future is female.

5. The Stanleys The Stanleys

The inescapable descriptor is power pop, but these guys deliver an advanced thesis in muscular hook-craft that most comparable bands barely understand, let alone strive for.

6. Daniel Romano Modern Pressure

After releasing a number of straight retro-country albums, Romano reached back into his own punky roots and unleashed something that sounds like the Basement Tapes beamed in from a galaxy where Hank Williams played power pop.



 

 7. Spoon Hot Thoughts

At this point Spoon is flying far above the Un-Herd purview, but it's difficult to ignore the quality of Britt Daniel's songwriting, not to mention the breath-taking invention of the band's arrangements. Great band just keeps getting greater.

8. Biters The Future Ain't What It Used To Be

70s glam stomp meets 80s glam rawk meets modern punk attitude - this could go wrong in so many ways but is constantly redeemed by leader Tuk's gift for melody, as well as his apparently honest respect for his antecedents.

 9. Black Joe Lewis Backlash

I don't know what this guy needs to do to get more respect and/or attention out there, but I hope he keeps the pedal to the metal and continues in this skronkin' sax 'n' molten R&B mode. This shit's the real deal.

10. QTY QTY

The kind of album that could only come out of NYC. Droll vocals drenched in charisma and elliptical guitar lines make comparisons to Lou Reed and the Strokes (and all points in between) inevitable, yet there's a melancholy cool that is entirely the band's own.






11. Low Cut Connie Dirty Pictures (Part 1)
12. Bash & Pop Anything Could Happen
13. Suzes Fragile Development
14. The Rich Hands Take Care
15. Sheer Mag Need To Feel Your Love
16. White Reaper The World's Best American Band
17. The Rubs Impossible Dream
18. Colman Gota Fear the Summer
19. The Jesus and Mary Chain Damage + Joy
20. The Pilgrims No Focus

21. The Lowest of the Low Do The Right Now
22. The Singles Sweet Tooth
23. First Base Not That Bad
24. Dude York Sincerely
25. Plasticsoul Therapy
26. Gregg Stewart Gregg Stewart
27. New Swears And The Magic Of Horses
28. Ted Leo The Hanged Man
29. Wyldlife Out On Your Block
30. Aimee Mann Mental Illness

31. Indonesian Junk Stars in the Night
32. JD McPherson Undivided Heart + Soul
33. The Successful Failures Ichor of Nettle
34. Hanni El Khatib Savage Times
35. Sweet Spirit St. Mojo
36. The Church Man Woman Life Death Infinity
37. Shinyribs I Got Your Medicine
38. Eyelids or
39. Chuck Prophet Bobby Fuller Died For Your Sins

40. Two Cow Garage Brand New Flag
41. The Hooten Hallers The Hooten Hallers
42. Robyn Ludwick This Tall To Ride
43. Rancid Trouble Maker
44. Shilpa Ray Door Girl
45. Tim Heidecker Too Dumb For Suicide; The Trump Songs
46. The Rallies Serve
47. Pugwash Silverlake
48. Dirty Fences Goodbye Love
49. Willie Nile Positively Bob: Nile Sings Dylan
50. Sharon Jones Soul of a Woman

Honorable Mentions, Reissues, & Late 2016 Releases:

The Replacements For Sale; Live At Maxwell's, 1986
Teenage Head Fun Comes Fast
Sam Cash & the Romantic Dogs  Tongue-in-Cheek Vows
The Dollyrots Whiplash Splash
Samantha Fish Chills & Fever
Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires Youth Detention
Hayley Thompson-King Psychotic Melancholia
The Pink Tiles #1 Fan
Alex Lahey Love You Like a Brother
The Red Button Now It's All This