HCTF's annual list of the 20 albums that will be in regular rotation for many years to come. As per usual many genres are represented. This blog covers a lot of ground and it shows in this eclectic, final tally.
Today: countdown from number 15 to 11.
Please shop at your local record store. Most of them have a website where you can order your stuff. Buy directly from the artist, attend live shows when it's safe to do so again. Educate your friends. Word-of-mouth can't be beat as the prime source to discover new music.
Garage blues rock duo The Sideshow Tragedy once again made the track from Austin, TX to Kenny Siegal's Old Soul Studios in Catskill, NY to record the songs for a new album. It took quite some time - 18 months - to finalize After The Fall. Guitarist Nathan Singleton was an emotional mess after his marriage fell apart and it became the main theme for the new songs. With his band mate Jeremy Harrell having his back on drums the nigthmare was turned into a farewell letter to his former wife. The lyrical references to his musical heroes are plentiful, with the album's closer Forever Young as the most obvious one, with the nod the Stones classic Stray Cat Blues in Capital Crime as a close second.
Ben Senterfti (saxosphones) and multi-instrumentalist Kenny Siegal repeise their roles as musical sidemen like they did on the duo's previous album
The View From Nowhere. Marc Ribot's instantly recognizable guitar gives Hold On It a avant-jazz funk twist. Backing singers Storey Littleton, Casey Ramos and Cally Mansfield give the record a Seventies rock feel.
Garage blues rock duo The Sideshow Tragedy expanded their musical palette on their new album The View From Nowhere. Ben Senterfti played funky bariton and alto sax to add colour to Time To Taste and the album's producer Kenny Siegal played various keyboards, piano, upright bass and vibraphone, but the core of Nathan Singleton (vocals, resonator guitar) and Jeremy Harrell (drums) is always upfront.
Playing roots rocks with an irresistible backbeat is their bread and butter. Nevermind that the lyrics deal with heartbreak (For Your Love) and other mishaps (Nobody), The Austin, TX based duo deliver what their band name implies: putting one hell of an upbeat show, using raw blues to harness their grievances and turn them into a celebration.
The Sideshow Tragedy, a garage blues rock duo from Austin, TX, have made a video for Nobody, the lead single from their forthcoming new album The View From Nowhere. All they need is a resonator guitar and set of drums to create a tune about getting into serious trouble.
The Sideshow Tragedy, a garage blues duo from Austin, TX, will be on tour in Belgium, The Netherlands and France, promoting their new latest album Capital. Nathan Singleton (vocals, resonator guitar) and Jeremy Harrell (drums) play up a storm. It might get loud.
2015 was a rather good year for music. HCTF lists the 20 albums that will be in regular rotation for many years to come.
Today: final countdown from number 5 to 1. Go here for 10-6 | 15-11 | 20-16.
5 The Leonids: Satellite Broadcast Kill
Exquisite orchestral pop meets jazz. The sky is the limit on a genre-crossing concept album of sorts.
{...} an album in the true sense of the word. Each song has its own flow and texture, but all of them contribute to the overall sound and feel: jazzy pop with uncanny ear for harmonic detail. Whether they are taking a bow to the Eighties synths (The Common World) or use a bass clarinet as the lead instrument (Under The Leonids), it all fits like a jigsaw that is complicated and straightforward at the same time. The title track is a superb throwback to the heyday of UK orchestral pop. Adele will be fucking jealous.
4 Johnny Dowd: That's Your Wife on the Back of My Horse
The world most prolific trashcan Americana singer goes fiercely DIY, with an old drum machine, guitar and scary sounding pre-programmed keyboards.
Dowd is a troubadour in his own right, a Tom Waits-alike raconteur who won't back down, telling the world that "it sucks to get old" in Poor, but Proud. No problem if you cry for lost youth (Teardrops), but keep your guard up. He still might still steal your wife in the end.
Recipe for loud bluesy garage rock: take two guys and let them play resonator guitar and drums. Add vocals. Press play.
(...) a melting pot of gnarly, spicy tunes telling stories about gun fights, trying to keep a composure, funerals, highway men and love affairs from Hell.
Singleton and Harrell have an instant rapport, sounding like they are one guy with four arms and four legs. with the "don't-fuck-with-me" vocals as an added bonus. The Sideshow Tragedy have thrown down a slab of abrasive songs that will induce foot tapping, air guitar and drums.
Prog jazz fusion metal rock virtuosos having fun with their chops. Tons of notes, tons of licks and tons of ideas. Relentless touring has turned them into formidable live act and studio masters.
During their live concerts they spice things up with squealing noises made by a plastic pig and chicken, but after given it some serious thought the pig didn't' make an appearance on the aptly titled Govan showcase Pig’s Day Off - the DVD extra includes Pig’s Day On and it isn't as good; they choose wisely. Beller goes Morricone in his composition Smuggler’s Corridor, with Govan laying down flawless Latin runs and Beller leading a small choir going "Ähaa-Ahaa-Ahaa", a dead ringer for audience participation.
The London rhythm & noir band take a look at life and English history, with a an album honoring "listen, learn, read on".
Alberteen is well aware that there are two sides of the coin in life, a concept that comes to the fore in We Are The Mods (youthful hope for a brighter future) and We Are The Last (sadder but wiser).
Miss World is an album for adults and smart kids. With Mike Bennett (The Fall, Ian Brown) once again the producer's seat, they have come up with a timeless post-punk album filled with a wealth of cultural references that never get in the way of enjoying the music as such.
The Sideshow Tragedy, a garage blues duo from Austin, TX, will be on tour in Belgium and The Netherlands, promoting their new latest album Capital. Nathan Singleton (vocals, resonator guitar) and Jeremy Harrell (drums) play up a storm. It might get loud.
Live dates:
10/17 Gullegem, Belgium @ Zetelbleus
10/18 Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands @ Het Zwijnshoofd/Crossroad
Austin based garage blues duo The Sideshow Tragedy premiered the video for Let the Love Go Down on Diffuser.fm. They added a second show in Marfa (07/31) to their tour to promote the release of their new album Capital.
Live dates:
05/15 Tyler, TX @ Stanley’s BBQ
05/16 Richardson, TX @ Wildflower Festival
05/19 Little Rock, AR @ Whitewater Tavern
05/20 Knoxville, TN @ Preservation Pub
05/22 New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall w/ Johnny Society (CD RELEASE SHOW)
05/24 Washington D.C. @ Electric Maid
05/26 Nashville, TN @ The Five Spot
05/26 Nashville, TN @ The Five Spot
05/27 Birmingham, AL @ The Nick
05/29 Starkville, MS @ Dave’s Darkhorse Tavern
05/30 Ocean Springs, MS @ Government Street Grocery
Austin based garage blues duo The Sideshow Tragedy will be touring extensively behind the release of their new album Capital. Guitar, drums, vocals and tons of energy.
Live dates:
05/09 Austin, TX @ Continental Club CD Release Show (10:00 pm) w/ T Bird and the Breaks (midnight)
05/15 Tyler, TX @ Stanley’s BBQ
05/16 Richardson, TX @ Wildflower Festival
05/19 Little Rock, AR @ Whitewater Tavern
05/20 Knoxville, TN @ Preservation Pub
05/22 New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall w/ Johnny Society (CD RELEASE SHOW)
05/24 Washington D.C. @ Electric Maid
05/26 Nashville, TN @ The Five Spot
05/26 Nashville, TN @ The Five Spot
05/27 Birmingham, AL @ The Nick
05/29 Starkville, MS @ Dave’s Darkhorse Tavern
05/30 Ocean Springs, MS @ Government Street Grocery
Nathan Singleton (vocals, resonator guitar) and Jeremy Harrell (drums) are The Sideshow Tragedy, a back-to-basics garage blues duo from Austin, TX. Their new album Capital is a melting pot of gnarly, spicy tunes telling stories about gun fights, trying to keep a composure, funerals, highway men and love affairs from Hell.
Singleton and Harrell have an instant rapport, sounding like they are one guy with four arms and four legs. with the "don't-fuck-with-me" vocals as an added bonus. The Sideshow Tragedy have thrown down a slab of abrasive songs that will induce foot tapping, air guitar and drums. Hats off to Kenny Siegal at Old Soul Studios, in Catskill, NY, who managed to capture the excitement of a live show. They needed only five days of hard work to create a remarkable album.
Capital is a self-released album. Buy it from their website. Release date: May 5th. The album will be distributed in Europe via Continental Record Services.
Tracks:
Number One
Blacked Out Windows
Keys To The Kingdom
The Winning Side
Capital
Two Guns
Animal Song
Let The Love Go Down
Plow Song
Live dates:
03/27 Fort Worth, TX @ Lola’s
03/28 Denton, TX @ The LABB
05/15 Tyler, TX @ Stanley’s BBQ
05/16 Richardson, TX @ Wildflower Festival
05/19 Little Rock, AR @ Whitewater Tavern
05/20 Knoxville, TN @ Preservation Pub
05/22 New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall (album release show - w/ Johnny Society)
05/24 Washington D.C. @ Electric Maid
05/26 Nashville, TN @ The Five Spot
05/26 Nashville, TN @ The Five Spot
05/27 Birmingham, AL @ The Nick
05/29 Starkville, MS @ Dave’s Darkhorse Tavern
05/30 Ocean Springs, MS @ Government Street Grocery
