In the midst of a tour supporting two new Merge albums – 2008’s Conor Oberst and Outer South, due May5th – Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band had a couple albums worth of material to rock out to on this April evening. Sporting a big flat brimmed black sombrero that he got on the road a couple days earlier, Oberst looked all the part of his
We don’t get a chance to talk too much hip hop around these parts, but in our relentless effort to keep you up to date on the summer concert season,
In what seems to be the hot thing to do among indie acts these days (for examples see Jenny Lewis and Arcade Fire) – Conor Oberst is set to release
North Carolina based indie-label Merge Records has a big 2009 planned to celebrate their 20th anniversary. The label, which is home to acts like Neutral Milk Hotel, She & Him,
With five years between his last two studios albums it came as a bit of a surprise to most that Bob Dylan slyly announced the release of the follow up
Earlier this week the HT Staff picked their favorite albums of ’08, when we gathered Around The Barbecue. To continue on our year-end house cleaning, we’ve got another list. Back in early July I dropped my Top 6 Of The First 6 list, and since we’re not ones for traditional Top Ten around these parts I figured I’d revisit that format to round out the year’s releases.
The second half of the year saw releases from a number of my favorite artists, many of which made it on this list. So let’s get to my favorite six albums that were released in the last six months of 2008…
6. Blind Pilot – 3 Rounds and a Sound
This album was a late discovery for me – despite its July release. I literally picked it up several weeks back after hearing it mentioned on NPR during All Songs Considered’s Year In Music show and haven’t been able to stop listening to it since. Blind Pilot have taken the White Stripes/Black Keys minimalist band model of guitarist and drummer and unplugged it – though live they play with a nine-piece band. The Portland, OR duo’s debut is chocked full of strummy, lush indie-folk that would provide the perfect Sunday morning soundtrack and has helped to cement the Pacific Northwest’s stronghold on producing some of the best albums of the year.
READ ON for Some Dude’s top five releases of the second half of ’08…
In the beginning stages of a lengthy three-month tour that stretches from Toronto to Australia, Oberst and his band took the stage following openers Coco Rosie and Tilly and the Wall. Representing his great record label, Saddle Creek, and backed by a six-person band of relatively fresh faced musicians, Bright Eyes appeared as a band of “gifted kids.”
If you still think Bright Eyes is reserved for the