The No Surf Music

First Annual

Shiny Silver Surfboard Awards!

December 30, 2011

 

 

At No Surf, we're pretty much born contrarians, so among the many things we humbug are those end-of-the-year wrap-ups that everyone on Earth seems to love. On the other hand, what kind of music website would we be if we didn't give you our picks for best of the year? And what fun would it be if we didn't throw in a little awards show glitz to go along? Ok, it's low budget glitz, but we still designed a spiffy statue for our winners:

That's the No Surf Music Shiny Silver Surfboard Award, or as we like to call it, the Surfy. It only exists in virtual form, but our experts advise us that the winners should still insure them for a minimum of $2.7 million each. (Spoiler alert, that's gonna make the kids from Those Darlins very rich! Take that, car commercial!) For our first annual awards, there are six categories, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Live Performance of the Year, Best Artist, Best Emerging Artist, and Best Debut Artist. The first three come with a whole list to make sure you don't miss any of 2011's awesome tunes.

We realize our list is going to be very different from many others, but we're in it for the music, not the hype. Did we miss some folks who should have been mentioned? Probably. We're a small operation and we can't get to everyone. But we'll stand by these picks as the best music you should be listening to. So, without further ado, let's do it!

 

And the Surfy goes to...

 

Gillian Welch – The Harrow & the Harvest
It’s hard to argue against The Harrow & the Harvest as the album of the year. In fact, it’s the most consistently high-quality album in recent memory, going back at least to Lucinda Williams’ West (and even that had one loser). Gillian Welch and David Rawlings managed to create an amazing collection of haunting, dreamy, deeply personal, incredibly well written songs that absolutely shouldn’t be missed.

 

Rounding out the top ten are:

 

2. Ha Ha Tonka – Death of a Decade
Ha Ha Tonka is a band best known among their rabid group of fans for their high-energy live performances, but Death of a Decade demonstrated that they have the potential to be true studio masters. Each of their three albums has expanded more and more upon their alt.country roots, and this effort went farther than those previous toward developing a truly unique sound for the band. Plus it’s just a damn great listen from beginning to end.

3. Those Darlins – Screws Get Loose
With their self-titled debut, Those Darlins proved they were a musically talented group with an uncompromisingly cheeky attitude who were willing to take country music in whatever direction their imaginations directed them. With their sophomore effort, they broke out of the bounds of country entirely and produced an album that showcased all four members’ talents, while demonstrating a heretofore unseen level of artistic ingenuity and rocking your balls off. It’s a hell of a record.

4. David Wax Museum – Everything Is Saved
David Wax Museum’s unique Mexo-Americana sound and their ebullient, energetic performances have had audiences dancing in the aisles all over the country, but the release of Everything Is Saved marks a significant step in their studio performances. Filled with well-written, highly entertaining tracks from beginning to end, it may just be the catchiest album of the year.

5. Sarah Jarosz – Follow Me Down
Sarah Jarosz’s sophomore effort is a beautiful, engaging collection that proves (as if there were any doubt previously) that she’s going to be a power on the Americana scene for a long, long time to come. It’s still hard to believe that someone so young can so adeptly demonstrate the quality of songwriting and musicianship that she does here. If you’re looking for an album that is simply beautiful, this is it.

6. Todd Snider – Live: The Storyteller
Not to knock his often-awesome studio work, but the only way to really enjoy Todd Snider is live. A master lyricist not afraid to buck convention and shout his opinions into the wind, Snider expands upon his songs in vivo with often hilarious stories that inform his works and entertain his cultish audiences to no end. If you haven’t seen him live, you really need to, but in the meantime The Storyteller is his best live album yet and amply demonstrates why his fans come back again and again.

7. Slaid Cleaves – Sorrow & Smoke
Slaid Cleaves is a master songwriter in the Texas story song tradition, and Sorrow & Smoke is an intimate look at his live presentations. Recorded at the Horseshoe Lounge in Austin, one of his regular haunts and the subject of several of the songs featured therein, the show is just enrapturing from first note to last.

8. Alice Wallace – Sweet Madness
Here’s the best endorsement I can give for Sweet Madness: I listened to the album more than two-dozen times while writing the review, and I’m still listening to it from beginning to end several times a week. Yes, Alice’s music may be on the “girlie” side for some listeners (she likes to talk about icky things like her emotions instead of pick-up trucks), but it’s the kind of album that’s so good you’ll buy a copy “for your girlfriend” and secretly copy it onto your iPod.

9. Robert Earl Keen – Ready for Confetti
I almost feel bad. I think I was a little hard on Robert Earl Keen when this record first came out. And while I stand by my original gripe that there's no great song on this thing, there's a lot to be said for the fact that there are a ton of really good ones. His most consistent album in a long time, and easily one of the most consistent of 2011, Ready for Confetti is an album that really grows on you with repeated listenings. Try out "I Gotta Go" and "Black Baldy Stallion," just for starters. And don't forget the fuck-you-Toby song "The Road Goes On and On."

10. Steve Earle – I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive
Steve Earle’s latest, incredibly long-titled release is another one we may have been a little harsh in reviewing. Yes, several songs on it really, really, really suck, so badly that they really do drag the whole effort down. And yes, it doesn’t have any truly great songs on it, which is a rarity for an Earle effort. But at the same time, there are a lot of really good ones, in fact probably more than on any of his other records.

Honorable Mentions:

Hayes Carll – KMAG YOYO (And Other American Stories)
Kasey Chambers – Little Bird
Feist - Metals
Alexa Woodward – It's a Good Life, Honey, If You Don't Grow Weary

 

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And the Surfy goes to...

 

Those Darlins – “Be Your Bro” from Screws Get Loose
Holy crap, this song is just awesome. The biggest leap forward by Those Darlins on their second album Screws Get Loose has to be in Jessi Darlin’s newly expanded songwriting. This hard rocker combines the band’s trademark tongue-in-cheek style with a serious examination of women’s sexuality in the 21st century. It’s deceptively deep and a shit ton of fun all at the same time. It also features some catchy music, including several of the bouncy little riffs that make Kelley Darlin a darkhorse candidate as one of my favorite guitar players.

 

Rounding out the top ten are:

 

2. Ha Ha Tonka – “The Humorist” from Death of a Decade
It’s hard to believe the closing track from Ha Ha Tonka’s album almost didn’t make the final cut. The song, which is a tribute to Missouri’s own Mark Twain, is easily one of frontman Brian Roberts’ best compositions. Roberts’ talent often lies in crafting perfect, pithy little lines that stick in the brain, and while this song has several of those (“Tell me how deep that river is. / Tell me how deep that river is. / Say my name. / Say my name. / Everybody yell Mark Twain!” chief among them), it’s the passion with which Roberts examines the man that really makes this song stand out as a whole. Add to that great guitar riffs from Brett Anderson, Lucas Long’s deep bass vocal tones, and a whole lot of great beats from drummer Lennon Bone and you’ve got one hell of a song.

3. Amanda Palmer – “Ukulele Anthem”
This is the one song that made the list that wasn’t on an album we reviewed, but that’s only because it’s a non-album single. Some might argue that this is “just” a novelty song, but it’s so much more than just a hell of a fun romp. It’s an expansive masterpiece that weaves its way nimbly through elements of rock history, political discourse, and art’s role in society. Most of all, it’s a clarion call to stand up to the grey world and be your own fucking person. And it’s a hell of a fun romp, too.

4. David Wax Museum – “Yes, Maria, Yes” from Everything Is Saved
With an irrepressible rhythm and plenty of jawbone-beating excitement, David Wax’s story of a commitment-phobic girl and her suitor is a perfect example of everything that makes David Wax Museum one of the most entertaining bands on the Americana scene. Complimenting David’s lighthearted vocals and spirited jarana strumming, the song is really made by cousin Jordan Wax on the accordion and with some great call-and-response vocals that add just the perfect touch.

5. David Wax Museum – “Born With a Broken Heart” from Everything Is Saved
There’s one thing that just pours out of bandmates David Wax and Suz Slezak, and that’s a joy for life that they couldn’t contain if they wanted to. Nowhere is this more evident than in “Born With a Broken Heart,” a song where every instrument seems to be dancing through the measures like a careless child. From the snappy clapping to the bounding jarana to the blaring cornets to the bouncing bass clarinet to David and Suz’s floating voices, every part of this song just grabs the listener and pulls him into the fray.

6. Ha Ha Tonka – “Usual Suspects” from Death of a Decade
The leadoff track to Death of a Decade has a lot going for it, from an infectious beat to great vocals to Brian Roberts’ usual intriguing writing, but undoubtedly the best part of this song is Brett Anderson’s awesome turn on the mandolin. It rises and falls and flutters through the piece like its own animal, yet remains integrated within the song as a whole, adding a powerful new dimension to the Tonk sound. On an album notable for its ingenuity, this is an especially welcome development.

7. Those Darlins – “Screws Get Loose” from Screws Get Loose
More evidence of Jessi Darlin’s growth as a songwriter, “Screws Get Loose” is probably her best lyrical composition to date. While the episodic descriptions of her own mental machinations are relatively heavy, she never loses the twisted viewpoint that make the Darlins so entertaining. With harsh vocals, a throbbing bass line, blazing guitar work, and high-gear drumming, the music’s pretty damn catchy to boot.

8. Sarah Jarosz – “Annabelle Lee” from Follow Me Down
While many of the songs on Sarah Jarosz’s Follow Me Down are highly compelling, the best for my money is clearly her retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s dark tale of thwarted lovers. The string-heavy music paints the gothic oceanside scene better than mere words ever could alone, and her reworking of Poe’s last great poem is more evidence of a talent far deeper than her years.

9. Alice Wallace – “A Little Yodel” from Sweet Madness
Now this one really is a novelty song, but it’s so entertaining that its level of seriousness is beside the point. For the closing number to her debut album, Alice Wallace vacillates between a blithely comical description of how she learned to yodel and spirited demonstrations of this particular talent. Quite simply, it is awesome.

10. Gillian Welch – “Scarlet Town” from The Harrow & the Harvest
Yes, it may seem a little odd that the top-ranked song from our number one album barely cracked the top ten, but there’s an explanation. The Harrow & the Harvest does contain a number of great songs, but its true strength is in its consistent quality, not its standout tracks. Still, “Scarlet Town” is a great song, populated with intriguing characters, filled with dark imagery, and wrapped in a veil of haunting music. Incidentally, “Tennessee” and “The Way It Goes” would probably have been numbers 11 and 12 if this list continued, but alas...

Honorable Mentions:

Hayes Carll – “Hard Out Here,” “Another Like You” from KMAG YOYO (And Other Amerian Stories)
Kasey Chambers – “Little Bird” from Little Bird
David Wax Museum – “Unfruitful” from Everything Is Saved
Steve Earle – “The Gulf of Mexico,” “Molly-O” from I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive
Foster & Lloyd – “Hold That Thought” from It’s Already Tomorrow
Ha Ha Tonka – “Made Example Of,” “Westward Bound” from Death of a Decade
Jason Isbell – “Codeine” from Here We Rest
Sarah Jarosz – “I'll Come Around,” “Ring Them Bells” from Follow Me Down
Robert Earl Keen – “Black Baldy Stallion, “ “I Gotta Go” from Ready for Confetti
Tom Morello – “This Land Is Your Land,” “Which Side Are You On” from Union Town
They Might Be Giants – “Tubthumping” from Album Raises New and Troubling Questions
Alice Wallace – “Always,” “That Was Me” from Sweet Madness
Gillian Welch – “Tennessee,” “The Way It Goes” from The Harrow & the Harvest
Alexa Woodward – “All This Sugar” from It’s a Good Life, Honey, if You Don’t Grow Weary

 

More to come after another word from our sponsors...

 

And the Surfy goes to...

 

Those Darlins – Grog Shop 10/12/11
Holy shit, this show rocked! If it’s possible for a band to actually melt somebody’s face off, one of these days Those Darlins are gonna do it. Between Jessi jumping around stage in fishnets and a sequined leotard, Kelley disappearing into her own little world during her solos, Nikki laying down throbbing bass lines, and Lin pounding the hell out of the drums, there wasn’t a spare ounce of energy left on stage by set’s end. The only complaint is that it had to end at all. I need to convince these guys to move into my place and be my own personal house band. One of ‘em can take my bed… I’d never sleep again!

 

Rounding out the top five are:

 

2. Ha Ha Tonka – Beachland Tavern, 4/15/11
This show didn’t get covered, but only because it occurred on the exact night that No Surf Music was founded (and that’s no coincidence… nor that it was the same day as the internet poker crackdown). Ha Ha Tonka puts on some of the best shows in the alt.country world, and this was no exception. In fact, at one point they had the crowd jumping up in down in unison with so much strength that I was sure the Beachland was gonna slip off its foundations and slide into Lake Erie. Damn, boys, when are you coming back to town?

3. David Wax Museum – Kent Stage, 10/24/11
It’s hard to imagine anybody matching or even surpassing the energy of the previous two groups, but if anybody could, it would be David Wax Museum. In a short opening set, they put every single other performer in the Kent State Folk Festival to shame. The way Suz Slezak was stomping around the stage, it's a surprise she didn’t set the whole theater ablaze. But it would have been ok, because David was drenched in so much sweat that he could have put out a five-alarm fire just by wringing out his shirt. These guys leave it all up on stage every time, and combined with music that’s enthralling in its own right, it makes every one of their shows a can’t-miss event.

4. Unknown Hinson – Ruby Tuesday 11/30/11
For his guitar playing virtuosity, his full-throttle energy, and his palpable insanity, Unknown Hinson makes the No Surf top five. With an epic three-hour performance, an opener of Squidbillies episodes, and fake eyebrows, how can you lose? Probably the most unfamiliar artist of the five in our top shows list, Unknown is absolutely a must-do the next time he comes into your town.

5. Asleep at the Wheel – Kent Stage, 9/9/11
With a set list a mile long and a style of music tailor-made for live performance, you can't go wrong with Asleep at the Wheel. The No Surf crew has seen them live a combined four times from California to Texas to beautiful northeast Ohio, and they never disappoint. Yeah, sure, Ray's been riffing the same "off the cuff" jokes for 25 years, but the thing is they still work. Fun for everybody and a great gateway for that annoying friend of yours who swears he can't stand country music. He'll dig this.

Honorable Mentions:

Murder By Death – Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 8/17/11
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Kent Stage, 6/4/11

 

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Gillian Welch

After a nearly decade-long hiatus from making her own recordings, Gillian Welch returned with a vengeance, crafting an exquisitely beautiful album that matches or surpasses anything else in her already-storied career. Winning the Album of the Year award doesn't automatically qualify one for Best Artist, or this honor would be completely redundant, but if the album alone weren’t enough, she complimented The Harrow & the Harvest with a tour that gained rave reviews wherever she went. For everyone who remembers Gillian Welch kicking off the bluegrass revival years ago, her 2011 resurgence after such a long absence was more than welcome. Yeah, that sounds like a banner year if there ever was one.

 

Those Darlins
“Breakout Artist” probably means something a bit different to us than most people. We don’t care much about whose name got mentioned most on television or who sold the most “units.” What we’re really interested in is who did the most to advance themselves as artists. By those criteria, good arguments could be made for several of No Surf’s favorites, but the standout has to be Those Darlins. While their first album was more than solid, the quantum leap they made in musical maturity with Screws Get Loose cannot be understated, and it sets them up for a long and fruitful career. What’s more, while they had a unique sound to begin with, their transition on this album to a more rock-based sound—while still maintaining their country qualities—gives them the potential to reach a wider audience and add substantially to their fan base. In coming years, legions of fans who would swear they hate country music will surely find themselves in love with this kick-ass alt.country quartet, adding to those of us who have always been in their corner. When the definitive story of Those Darlins is finally written, 2011 will be a pivotal chapter.

Honorable Mentions: Ha Ha Tonka, David Wax Museum, Kelley McRae

 

Alice Wallace
With our intentional focus on independent musicians, we hear a lot of first albums here at No Surf. Most of them are best forgotten. Alice Wallace’s Sweet Madness can’t be. It’s an impressive first effort, demonstrating ample talent in both singing and songwriting. Sure, she’s got room to grow, but this album shows that she has the potential to be a powerful musician for a long time to come. With Sweet Madness as a starting point and her first tour just getting underway, we expect nothing but good things from her in the future. And she’d better not disappoint us, because she wouldn’t like us when we’re angry!

Honorable Mention: Lydia Loveless

 

And that's it folks. On behalf of No Surf Music, I want to thank you for joining us in 2011, and we hope 2012 is going to be even more exciting. Remember, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!