We’re back at it and almost done with our best albums of 2008. At the very end, I’ll post the complete list in its entirety along with all of the mp3’s.  It’s been kind of quiet out there. How we doing so far? Feel free to let us know if our collective head is up our collective ass.

11. Plants and Animals – Parc Avenue (our review)

At times wonderfully complex, at others beautiful in its simplicity.

Video: Plants and Animals – Feedback In The Field

12. The Felice Brothers – Self Titled (our review)

This is great American music the way it was meant to be played – slicked back, brash, and soaked in scotch. How can you not love the lyrics: “I left my blue-eyed lady and went with Tony Mercedes to the gambling ring. I lost my diamond watch, but in the parking lot I took it back again.”

The Felice Brothers – Frankie’s Gun

The Felice Brothers – Wonderful Life

13. Blind Pilot – 3 Rounds and a Sound (our review)

Portland, Oregon’s Blind Pilot sound like a potpourri of Wilco, Iron and Wine, and The Shins. If you don’t like them then you don’t have a soul.

Blind Pilot – Oviedo

14. The Hold Steady – Stay Positive

They churn out great tunes like a machine. “Lord I’m Discouraged” is one of the best tracks of the year.

15. O’Death – Broken Limbs, Hymns and Skin (our review)

Fiddle-led chaos. Imagine listening to The Foggy Bottom Boys lit on fire after drinking half a bottle of grain alcohol. Is it for everybody? No. But give it a chance.

O’Death – Lowtide

16. The Moondoggies – Don’t Be A Stranger (our review)

The Moondoggies are The Band, the Dead, and Little Feet rolled into one. “Changing” is one of my favorite songs of the year and this Seattle band shows huge promise.

The Moondoggies – Changing

17. The Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely

I might be in the minority, but I like them better than the Stripes. White with a top-notch rhythm section is mouth-watering.

Video: The Raconteurs (Live) – Consolers of The Lonely

18. Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks – Real Emotional Trash

My favorite solo Malkmus disc. Have to say, that the addition of Janet Weiss, former drummer of Sleater-Kinney, didn’t hurt the cause.

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks – Cold Son

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks – Baltimore

19. Dead Confederate – Wrecking Ball (our review)

Dead Confederate have a great shot for mainstream  success. They have an emotional delivery that will have you thinking of Nirvana or early Radiohead – think “Creep.” Their sound deserves to be heard in an arena.

Dead Confederate – The Rat

Hear more at our live session with Dead Confederate.

20. The Whipsaws – 60 Watt Avenue (our review)

Every time I describe The Whipsaws to somebody, I mention Lucero and Ben Nichols. I think that says plenty. Great alt-country from Alaska.

The Whipsaws – 60 Watt

We were also lucky to have Joe Pug, Dead Confederate, and Samantha Crain all in the studio for live sessions in 2008.

1. Joe Pug – Nation of Heat

Joe Pug – Hymn 101

Joe Pug – Call It What You Will

Check out the Hearya Live Session with Joe Pug.

Joe Pug – Hymn 101 (via LaundroMatinee)

2. Fleet Foxes – Sun Giant

Fleet Foxes – Mykonos (Live at the Bowery Ballroom NYC)

3. The Avett Brothers – The Gleam II

The Avett Brothers – Murder In The City

The Avett Brothers – Bella Donna

4. Dead Confederate – Self-Titled

Dead Confederate – The Rat

Check out the HearYa Live Session with Dead Confederate.

Dead Confederate – The Rat (Live on Conan)

5. Samantha Crain – The Confiscation

Samantha Crain – Get The Fever Out

Samantha Crain – The River

Check out the HearYa Live Session with Samantha Crain.

Samantha Crain and The Midnight Shivers (Live w/ Paste)

“These guys are kicking ass,” someone in the control room said.  As Dead Confederate segued from “Yer Circus” to “Goner,” my buddy Jefe commented aloud to no one in particular. It wasn’t a boastful announcement that was meant to fill some dead air. It was just a simple statement that wrapped up what we were all thinking.

It was as impressive a performance as we have had in the studio to date. The Athens, GA band are a tight five piece outfit that play with unbridled passion and intensity, while being laid back southern gents before and after the performance.

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the night’s show at Schuba’s but DBT Chicago (our contest winner) echoed Jefe’s statement and said the live show was really great.

Exclusive: Dead Confederate -Heavy Petting

Exclusive: Dead Confederate -Yer Circus

Exclusive: Dead Confederate – All The Angels

Exclusive: Dead Confederate – Goner

Exclusive: Dead Confederate – Tortured Artist Saint

Coming up next: Gringo Star, The Everybodyfields, and Ben Sollee.

Stay tuned for our live session with Dead Confederate in the coming weeks.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGr9c1cu4sg[/youtube]

Attention Chi-town readers. We just got our hands on a great prize pack from Dead Confederate. The band made 16 of these homemade tees to give out to fans. No one tee is alike, so you’ll be sure to be the life of every indie hipster party. Much like the Men’s Warehouse guy, I guarantee it.

If you’re the big winner, you’ll get:

• Whatever tee is available in your size.
• Dead Confederate’s latest CD, Wrecking Ball (it’s damn good)
• A pair of tickets to the October 4th show at Schubas (you’ll be on the guest list)

In order to qualify, I’ll need your full name, mailing address and tee shirt size emailed to hearyablog@yahoo.com. To increase your odds, send in one run-on sentence (no punctuation or grammar please) describing your favorite album or song of the moment. A winner will be chosen by Tuesday next week.

For a sample run-on sentence, here’s one from Drinking Buddy’s post about Jan Terri and her song “Journey To Mars”:

Journey to Mars: Jan Terri in very slimming hair extensions singing about an acid trip she had on a transit tram that took her from Economy Parking Lot C at O’Hare airport that doubled as a Journey to Mars with 3 lesbians where everyone wears fannypacks and they talk on the first flip-phones ever invented.

If you don’t win, you should still check out the show. Woody should be there and is more than happy to buy everyone a round of beers.  We’ll follow up with a Dead Confederate live session shortly after their visit to the windy city.

Dead Confederate – The Rat

Dead Confederate – “The Rat” Music Video

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN055pYFGZs[/youtube]

Athens, GA fivesome Dead Confederate have just followed up their excellent self-titled EP with a full-length debut, Wrecking Ball. While typically this brand of music isn’t my cup of tea, I can’t get enough of the album. It’s a heavy, dark and brooding brand of music that at times reminds me of grunge’s heyday and at other times hits me with hints of Radiohead. Alternating between tense spacey jams and guttural explosions, Wrecking Ball demands your attention.

Most bands of the the so-called “psych-rock” genre bore me after awhile. They’re typically loud and the novelty wears off after a couple of spins. But with each listen of Dead Confederate, you’ll find nuances that will require hitting the back button, repeating tracks to discover every layer of sound. Front man, Hardy Morris, is the obvious nucleus of the band. He has an emotional delivery and has been compared to Kurt Cobain. But on certain songs, especially the 12-minute track “Flesh Covered Canvas,” Morris takes a back seat as the rest of the band takes you on a long, haunting ride.

I’m really excited about the future of Dead Confederate. While Wrecking Ball is excellent, I think we’re just scratching the surface of what this very talented band has to offer. They have the musicianship and they have the front man. Their sound isn’t pigeonholed into one genre and if they continue to explore their sound, they will make a big name for themselves.

They’ll also be stopping by for a HearYa Live Session when they tour through Chicago for their October 4th show at Schubas.

Dead Confederate – The Rat

Georgia’s Dead Confederate are releasing their debut full-length album, Wrecking Ball, on September 16th on Tao Records.  According to their press release, they conjured the haunting sound of the album the old-fashioned way: by making it in the tiny concrete box of a studio in Austin, Texas, where the sound effects for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre were recorded.

Dead Confederate – The Rat

Here are their upcoming tour dates:

08.22.08 – Drunken Unicorn – Atlanta, GA
09.11.08 – Exit/In – Nashville, TN
09.12.08 – Sky City – Augusta, GA
09.18.08 – The Hummingbird – Macon, GA
09.19.08 – 40 Watt – Athens, GA
09.20.08 – The Earl – Atlanta, GA
09.23.08 – JJ’s Bohemia – Chattanooga, TN
09.24.08 – The Bottletree – Birmingham, AL
09.25.08 – Sticky Fingerz – Little Rock, AR
09.26.08 – Emo’s – Austin, TX
09.27.08 – The Cavern – Dallas, TX
09.29.08 – The Bluebird – St. Louis, MO
09.30.08 – Jackpot Music Hall – Lawrence, KS
10.01.08 – The Waiting Room – Omaha, NE
10.02.08 – The Annex – Madison, WI
10.03.08 – Mo’s Irish Pub – Milwaukee, WI
10.04.08 – Schubas – Chicago, IL
10.07.08 – TT the Bears – Cambridge, MA
10.09.09 – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY
10.10.08 – Union Hall – Brooklyn, NY
10.14.08 – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC
10.16.08 – Exit/In – Nashville, TN
10.17.08 – Proud Larry’s – Oxford, MS