Elliott Brood

You may as well just make a playlist out of these picks  from our top 50 albums of 2008. Not only are these outstanding albums, but these singles are some of my favorites of the year. Most notable are the tracks posted for The John Henrys, The Heavy, Elliott BROOD, Horse Feathers, and The War On Drugs.

31. The John Henrys – Sweet As The Grain (our review)

The John Henrys show that country music is still alive and well – it just comes from Canada now.

The John Henrys – Lost In The Canyon

32. Howlin’ Rain – Magnificent Fiend (our review)

Grab bong, go to basement, crank up loud. Pretty fucking good, isn’t it?

Howlin Rain – Dancers At The End Of Time

Hear more at our live session with Howlin Rain.

33. The Explorers Club – Freedom Wind (our review)

A wonderful approach to The Beach Boys sound. Their acoustic live session moved them up 10 spots. Amazing 5 part vocal harmonies.

The Explorers Club – Do You Love Me?

Hear more at our live session with The Explorers Club.

34. Elliott Brood – Mountain Meadows (our review)

A rock and roll band playing bluegrass instruments.  That’s a recipe for success with HearYa.

Elliott BROOD – Write It All Down For You

35. The Heavy – Great Vengeance and Furious Fire (our review)

The Heavy capture the 70’s spirit like no other. By far the sexiest album on our entire list.

The Heavy – Colleen

36. Horse Feathers – House With No Home (our review)

There’s a trend following of whispering vocals over sparse instrumentation in the indie world. Iron and Wine, Great Lake Swimmers, Bon Iver…and now let’s add Horse Feathers to the list. Melancholy Americana at its finest.

Horse Feathers – Curs In The Weeds

37. War On Drugs – Wagonwheel Blues (our review)

One of those albums that grows on you. Three months ago it wasn’t on this list, but it continues to get better. You’ll hear traces of Wilco throughout.

War On Drugs – Taking The Farm

38. Jessica Lea Mayfield – With Blasphemy So Heartfelt (our review)

It’s hard to believe that this Kent, Ohio songstress is only 18 years old. Her debut is soulful and sultry – a cross between Mazzy Star, Loretta Lynn and Neko Case.

Jessica Lea Mayfield – Kiss Me Again

39. Helio Sequence – Keep Your Eyes Ahead (our review)

The Helio Sequence takes you on a meandering daydream of folk-inspired pop tunes. The perfect background music for a quiet Saturday morning, or a windows-down drive through the city on a sunny day.

The Helio Sequence – Keep Your Eyes Ahead

40. Glossary – The Better Angels of Our Nature (our review)

This alt-country outfit out of Tennessee have put out five great albums and continue to fly under the radar. The Better Angels of Our Nature is still available for free on their website. You should download it if you haven’t already.

Glossary – Little Caney

Elliott BROOD is not a singer/songwriter. It’s a band. The band has no one with Elliott or Brood in their names. They play with banjos and ukuleles, but they aren’t country and don’t dare call them bluegrass. They are from Canada and they are rock and roll.

Mountain Meadows grabs your attention immediately with “Fingers and Tongues,” a song with grainy vocals that hum over electric guitars, rolling drum beats, and clashing cymbals. It builds into an anthem with a repeating chorus, “Where they take our bones”  before moving seamlessly into a mostly instrumental arrangement on “T-Bill” that showcases fine banjo playing and the band’s true musicianship.

While the back country jam session on “T-Bill” settles you in for the ride, it’s the highly addictive following track “Write It All Down For You,” that smacks you in the face. After each verse in the chorus you’ll hear “Hey, hey, hey” chants that make hand claps jealous.  They’re like jolts of electricity from a cattle prod being jabbed in your ass.

The rest of the album weaves in a few slower ballads like “Notes” and the stunning “31 Years” and another instrumental rocker in “Chuckwagon.” The album trails off in the sunset with upbeat track “Miss You Now;” the perfect ending to one of the best albums of 2008. Their unique harmony of gruff vocals and non-traditional use of classic country/bluegrass instrumentation create a sound that is distinctly Elliott BROOD.

Elliott BROOD – Write It All Down For You

Elliott BROOD – “Without Again”

Normally when I review a show, I try not to get smashed. I have a couple of beers, take some notes and try to put something together that makes sense. O’Death is far from a normal band and I was far from sober. I took a look at my notes the next day and I can’t make heads or tails of them. So away we go with a very incoherent and rambling review of an excellent show.

Let’s start with Elliott Brood. I enjoyed Ambassador from Elliott Brood and I had just got one listen from their most recent and excellent release Mountain Meadows before heading downtown. Shoddy notes aside, these guys were great. Tunes that I remember hearing were “Write It All Down For You,” “Garden River” and “Acer Negundo.” On the other hand, I could be completely wrong. Whatever the hell they played, it kicked ass and I plan on seeing them again in the near future.

Elliott Brood were the perfect appetizer for O’Death – full of piss and vinegar, making the crowd thirsty for more foot-stomping music. As they finished up their set, I made my way to the bar to meet HearYa reader, DBT Chicago. Who did I find him there with? None other than Luke from Ha Ha Tonka. That’s when the night slowly melted away. DBT, Luke, my buddy Paul and I proceeded to knock down several Shiners, lubing us up for O’Death’s visit to the Bottle stage. It just so happens that pissed drunk is the perfect mindset to see the lunatics calling themselves O’Death.

Jesse Newman, the heavily tatted bassist, and Bob Pycior, the fiddle player, were bare-chested by song one. The sound and the performance are utter insanity. The build up during “Nathaniel” was excruciating as Greg Jamie plodded along through the opening verses and Pycior gently tweaked the fiddle as the crowd waited for them to explode. And explode they did. It was unreal.

They also fired up an amazing “Down To Rest” with help from the Elliott Brood boys. New tunes performed included “Low Tide,” “Fire On Peshtigo” and I am fairly certain “Vacant Moan.” The night was fantastic. Had a few too many beers, made some new friends and saw two excellent bands that I can’t recommend enough. As I mentioned in my review of Broken Limbs, Hymns and Skin, O’Death might not be for everybody but if you dig live music being played with reckless abandon, than check them out at least once. It’s an experience.

See more photos here.

Make sure to check out Shirk’s live session with Elliott Brood. Here’s two of those tracks:

Elliott Brood – Cadillac Dust (Schubas/Amplify Series Live Session)

Elliott Brood – Bowling Green (Schubas/ Amplify Series Live Session)

Elliott Brood – “Without Again” live in Austin, TX

This is not from the Bottle, but a live video will give a better taste for O’Death’s live show. It’s a little blurry, kind of like my vision was all night.

O’Death – Lowtide