2013 | Kyle’s Top Records 20 – 16

20. Jonny Fritz – Dad Country

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2_RIg0vZPQ[/youtube]
[L]ast year, Mr. Fritz was Mr. Corndawg, and he’d kickstartered a record that finally came early this year, chock full of new tunes & re-recordings of old tunes with a bunch of great musicians (Dawes) and now we have one of the funnest records in Dad Country, for the year. Fritz has his own special style that can both make you laugh and cry in separate verses. He’s a blooming songwriter, and always a good time live. For the outlaw country fan, this is an album you have to have. The Tracks > Goodbye Summer, Shut Up

Buy Dad Country

19. Toy Soldiers – The Maybe Boys

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2n-hVVEbnw[/youtube]
[P]hiladelphia five piece put out their second record in the Maybe Boys, and it’s live feel and spontaneity makes it one of the most engaging, fun records that fuses Americana, Rockabilly, and Blues into a package that will have you dancing in no time. This record will turn heads. The Tracks > Tell the Teller, Heart in a Mousetrap

Buy The Maybe Boys

18. Gregory Alan Isakov – The Weatherman

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWuLbjyf950[/youtube]
[W]ith a delicate voice, and songwriting chops that beat most anyone, Colorado’s Gregory Alan Isakov released another fantastic album, an album that is gorgeous, lush, intimate, and confident. It’s a listeners record, its quiet and contemplative, evocative, and just so goddamn beautiful his near angelic voice rings through on every song, and shudders deep into your soul, everything just feels right when you are listening to this record. The Tracks > Amsterdam, Living Proof

The Weatherman

17. Filligar – Hexagon

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2cJnk11Ln0[/youtube]
[C]hicago rockers Filligar dropped a heck of an album on us this year, Hexagon, has the band in the right place, making rock & roll music that’s fearless, fun and bombastic. If you were around for 2010’s The Nerve, this one is going to fit right in, as they haven’t broken too much new ground, but refined and streamlined into a set of solid tunes that is undeniably fun, and begs to be driven to. The Tracks > Knock Yourself Out, Pacific Time

Buy Hexagon

16. Big Harp – Chain Letters

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zH2-xCaco0[/youtube]
[W]hat on god’s green earth happened to the little folk duo that created 2011’s White Hat? All of a sudden, this husband wife duo is bringing big guitars, giant sounds, and a bunch of distortion. Getting past the initial shock of difference you realize just how damn good this record is. Every song grabs you in different ways, from the crackle of Stefanie’s bass, to Chris’ deep dark howls, it’s got a purely different undertone, darker, grittier, and just sexier. If White Hat was Chris’ Nebraskan influence, then Chain Letters is somewhere a lot closer to Stefanie’s Los Angeles roots. The Tracks > It’s Easy to Be Strange, Waiting For Some Drunk

Buy Chain Letters