. . . I was never that good at the words anyways - bn


. . . you're not punk and i'm tellin everyone, save your breath i never was one - bs



Monday, January 13, 2014

Guest List: Todd Farrell Jr. - 2013 Favorites

I'm going to go ahead and assume that many, if not most, of you who follow this site are already familiar with Todd Farrell Jr., his records and maybe his live show. There's a good chance you've even met or hung with him in person, something I regrettably am yet to do (just a matter of time I suspect). If you are not acquainted, even better, because I relish any occasion to further introduce him to (even a small) audience.

Todd's discography includes his 2012 solo EP "Where Fake Cowboys Go to Drink" and his full band full length from last year "All Our Heroes Live in Vans." Both of which I highly recommend, and both of which parenthetically carry some of my favorite album names in recent memory.

If you don't already own them you can, and should, find and buy both on his bandcamp site here.

I personally have Bryan and Ninebullets (which i'm even more positive you all know) for my initial exposure to Todd sometime in early 2012.  I've been a sincere fan of not only his heartfelt twang and punk rock inspired rock n' roll songs, but also of his heartfelt twang and punk rock inspired rock n' roll self ever since. Oh and metal i forgot todd and his songs are very metal at their core.

I've discovered Todd and I share a strong affinity for many things to include certain bands/albums, friends, cities, and baseball teams, so I thought he'd been an excellent candidate for one of these guest  favorites posts. Thankfully he obliged me with a list of albums and songs. You'll notice the overlap with DPDC list(s). Also I know he wanted to include Banquets S/T.

TODD FARRELL JR’S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2013

1. Restorations – LP2
This is my favorite record to come out in a very long time. I don’t even know what genre it is. It was the soundtrack to the end of a cold, wet, Tennessee winter. It was the soundtrack to me driving my Jeep down to Alabama to play shows. It’s the soundtrack to ones escape, and it’s my favorite record of 2013.

2. John Moreland – In the Throes
There is not a better living songwriter than John Moreland. When we played in Nashville last month, he said the idea of this record was to write songs that he could play live without needing a band. If you’ve seen John play this year, you know he more than succeeded. 

3. Two Cow Garage – The Death of the Self Preservation Society 
Two Cow Garage holds a special place in my heart. You will not find a more genuine group of guys who absolutely mean and believe every word they say. That’s because they don’t know anything different, every word is true. This is also the first record I had the pleasure to handle the digital distribution for (that I was really proud of, at least).

4. Arliss Nancy – Wild American Runners
Another band that is very special to me. Incredible dudes, and Cory and GB write great tunes. I didn’t think I could like anything better than Simple Machines, but Wild American Runners is a record I can listen to front to back without skipping anything over at all.

5. The 1975 – The 1975
This may be the dark horse of the list. I’ve been following the 1975 for about a year and a half now, and knew they would blow up eventually. They finally put a record out, and it’s glorious. I was disappointed at first, because their EPs are a little more moody and experimental, but the songs and hooks on this are so solid. The soundtrack to being a dude in his mid-20s.

6. Red City Radio – Titles
This is the bet punk band in the world right now. Dangers of Standing Still meant so much to me, and I was really worried about this, but Titles lives up to and surpasses my own personal hype I set for it. It is a fucking juggernaut.

7. Doc Feldman and the LD 50 – Sundowning at the Station 
Corey Flegel of This is American Music told me a story about how he was driving around backroads of south Georgia during an emotional time, and the master of this record was playing in his car, and affected him so much that he immediately knew that they had to grab this release. This came out of nowhere, and is one of my favorites of the year.

8. Jason Isbell – Southeastern
A cliché pic for top 10s this year, but it’s good enough to deserve it. The songs are great, the playing is great, the background story is there, all the pieces came together for Isbell on this one.

9. The Bronx - The Bronx IV
Favorite Bronx record? Maybe? That should say enough there. It’s so good. IT’S SO GOOD.

10. Nightmares For A Week – Civilian War
The line between punk and Americana has been blurred bit by bit every year, and this record is a good example of that. This one spent a long time on constant rotation for me.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
11. Jkutchma & the Five Fifths – Sundown, USA
12. Drag the River – Drag the River 
13. Elway – Leavetaking
14. Kasey Musgraves – Same Trailer, Different Park
15. Have Gun, Will Travel – Fact Fiction or Folktale?
16. Austin Lucas – Stay Reckless

TOP 10 SONGS OF 2013
1. John Moreland, “Nobody Gives a Damn About Songs Anymore”
2. Aaron Lee Tasjan, “Telling the Truth” (it’s not released yet, but shit man)
3. Restorations, “The Plan”
4. Jason Isbell, “Live Oak”
5. The 1975, “Pressure”
6. Two Cow Garage, “Hey, Cinderella”
7. Great Peacock, “Tennessee”
8. Have Gun, Will Travel, “Take Me Home, Alice”
9. Lucero, “Texas & Tennessee”
10. Daughter, “Youth”








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