10 Best Albums of 2012 So Far

10. First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar

Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit manages to nail classic Americana better than most domestic musicians. Soft, ethereal harmonies and warm production give the perfect boost to the excellent songwriting and musicianship.

Favorite Track - "Emmylou"

9. for King & Country - Crave

Christian rockers for King & Country were heralded as Australia's answer to Coldplay leading up to their debut release in February. I find them a little closer to the Fray than Coldplay, but their music does an excellent job of mixing a positive spiritual message with widespread pop-rock appeal that just might land them as a crossover success.

Favorite Track - "Light It Up"

8. The Shins - Port of Morrow

I was a big fan of the Shin's first full record Chutes Too Narrow, but they started to lose me with their next releases. Port of Morrow is the perfect mix of the band's early, stripped-down style with their later progressive leanings.

Favorite Track - "Simple Song"

7. Punch Brothers - Who's Feeling Young Now

The Punch Brothers blend traditional Bluegrass instrumentation with a curious mix of classical chamber music and almost jazz-like improvisation. Band leader Chris Thile lets his grass roots show through in many cases, but cuts it with dark dissonance throughout and a fascinating cover of Radiohead's "Kid A."


Favorite Track - "Patchwork Girlfriend"

6. The Vespers - The Fourth Wall

The Vespers' second record is a curious mix of upbeat pop,  ("Flower Flower"), back-country spiritual ("Instrument For You") and Bluegrass ("Will You Love Me"). The breathy, sweet vocals from the Cryar sisters is at times refreshing, others dark and vulnerable.

Favorite Track - "Will You Love Me"

5. Zeus - Busting Visions

In a music scene dominated by either folksy, old-time styles or bass-heavy electropop, a band that explores early 70's classic rock is amazingly refreshing. Canadian group Zeus twists vintage rock radio with a contemporary songcraft, falling somewhere between Badfinger and Weezer.

Favorite Track - "Are You Gonna Waste My Time?"

4. Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur

Kathleen Edwards' Voyageur is dark, vulnerable and beautiful. Edwards manages to take the pain, uncertainty and vanity that accompany the end of a relationship and arrange it with a haunting intensity. Producer Justin Vernon's (Bon Iver) touch is definitely recognizable.

Favorite Track - "Soft Place to Land"


3. Fun. - Some Nights

Fun. It's that simple.


Favorite Track - "Some Nights"


2. Delta Spirit - Delta Spirit

I didn't quite know how to approach Delta Spirit's third album. It's not quite a departure from the sound of their previous two releases, but it certainly takes a couple steps into new territory. I think it's a good thing when great bands take a risk, and it largely pays off for Delta Spirit.

Favorite Tracks - "Empty House," "Otherside"

1. Jack White - Blunderbuss

I hear echos of every one of Jack White's collaborative efforts in Blunderuss, from the heyday of the White Stripes to the all-out rock of the Raconteurs and the dark moods of the Dead Weather. There is even at times an echo of Rome, last year's spaghetti western-themed collaboration with Danger Mouse.

Favorite Track - "Love Interruption"

You need to see Jonny Corndawg. Now.

Jonny Corndawg (photo by Geoff Turner

Country music is steeped in too many musical traditions to count. The Bakersfield Sound, Outlaw Country, Stone Country, Honky Tonk, Country Pop, Southern Rock, Alt-Country [ad naseum...]; all with their own set of symbols, stereotypes and icons. Jonny Carndaw's ambition to embody all of them at once seems almost limitless.

 From the moment Corndawg takes the stage, you know your experience is going to be unique. The bone-white Stetson with matching pointed boots, the white-trash-tricked-out guitar (complete with leather pick guard and Jonny's namesake inlaid in pearl on the fretboard), and the sky blue western shirt with "Corndawg" embroidered on the breast pocket flap tell you all you need to know about the spectacle you are about to behold.

I caught Jonny Corndawg at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville on a Sunday night. Corndawg ran through several raunchy, tongue-in-cheek crowd favorites - "Life of a Bear" and "Down on the Bikini Line," - while also introducing plenty of new material from his forthcoming record Dad Country (which will feature a backup band consisting of none other than GeoffFM favorite Dawes).

Deer Tick's John McCauley with Jonny Corndawg (photo by Geoff Turner)

The true highlight of the night was a two-song cameo from John McCauley (lead singer and songwriter of Americana antiheroes Deer Tick) for covers of "Mom & Dad" and "Middle Brother" from McCauley's 2011 Dawes/Deer Tick/Delta Spirit collaboration album Middle Brother.

Jonny Corndawg is an act you simply must to see to completely appreciate. Is he seriously pure country, or is he a hilariously cornball tribute to trucker honky tonk at it's best/worst? You will have to judge for yourself.