Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

So in my last post, I mentioned that my top album from last week was Fox Confessor Brings the Flood by Neko Case. Chances are that this album is going to remain in my top ten for a while. I wouldn't be surprised if it reached number 1 again in the future.

I first heard of Neko Case in my friend's recording studio (submergent studios, check out the link on the side). We were slacking off on a break when one of our buddies Jay started showing us a remake that Jon Rauhouse, the talented steel guitarist, did of The World is Waiting for a Sunrise by Les Paul and Mary Ford. He informed that the girl singing Mary Ford's part was Neko Case. The day after I heard this, I decided to head out to the store and buy the Jon Rauhouse album we were listening to. I bought the album just for that one song! I soon became excited about the rest of the album as you can see it is in my last post's top ten. Soon after this I began seeing advertisements for Jakob Dylan's next album Women and Country produced by T Bone Burnett and featuring none other than Kelly Hogan and NEKO CASE! I picked it up and I still enjoy the album very much today.

A few months after purchasing Women and Country, I decided to finally pick up an actual Neko Case solo album. I searched her music and sampled the first track Margaret vs Pauline. I was blown away just as much as I had been while listening to her on the Jon Rauhouse album. The song had everything I needed. The instruments sounded great and they were real instruments recorded by real musicians. The chords were more than just major and minor. The rhythm was more than just a beat machine. Her voice was unique and her lyrics were meaningful. I bought the album without hesitation as if it was some kind of a rare find that I would never be able to purchase again. The truth is that this album sounded completely new and completely vintage at the same time. As a guitar player, I was also blown away by the guitar tones. They captured the essence of gentle warmess and old school country twang. This album is perfect for folk fans, indie fans, country fans, and I believe most people would walk away better for hearing it. You can check some songs on her website. http://www.nekocase.com/downloads/ 

-Rob

Week one!

So yea, this weekened was super busy and I didnt get to post last week's picks. So here ya go.

10. Self Titled-Velvet Underground
9. When I was Cruel- Elvis Costello
8. 24 hour Revenge Therapy- Jawbreaker
7. Nashville Skyline- Bob Dylan
6. Highway 61 Revisited- Bob Dylan
5. Bad Weather California- (I am still trying to figure out the name of the recording I listened to. I will find out soon and you will hear my thoughts on them.)
4. Perennial Favorites- Squirrel Nut Zippers
3. Steel Guitar Air Show- Jon Rauhouse
2. Solid- Grant Green
1. Fox Confessor Brings The Flood- Neko Case

So this week's winner as you see is Neko Case. I will be including a post on her album, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, in a bit.
-Rob

Introduction

Hello viewers!.........if any. My name is Rob. I figured that I would start off my blog with an introduction and an explanation of what it is I plan to do with this blog. This is a music blog. The name of this blog is Rob's Top Ten. I will post 10 music albums that I am currently listening to with each blog. Naturally, some of the albums will pass over into future posts as I become more obsessed with them. I plan on posting the albums and offereing insights and reviews on them as I post. I probably will not touch upon all of the albums listed in a post because 10 albums can be too much for me to do at one time. If you are curious about a particular album that I have posted but not commented on, please feel free to express that you would like to know about that certain album.
Why are you listening to me about my musical views? I'd like to think that I have much to offer to many different listeners. I have a very wide taste in music and I rarely discriminate genres that would seem uncharacteristic of my current tastes. As any other human being however, you will notice re-occuring trends of my styles and genres as we all go through musical phases. If you connect with my tastes, then bully for you. If you don't, then I'm sure with some more effort, you will be able to find the right blog that caters to your musical intellect. Lastly I want you to understand that I am writing this blog to promote the art of album making. Today's pop music industry focuses mainly on producing singles because album sales are down. My aim is to expose and recognize albums that achieve success in capturing the poetry of life. After all, a good novel should be longer than one page, and it should always take its readers for a ride. 
Thank you for reading if you have gotten this far. Alas it is time for me to get ready to go to work. So I will not be offering my commentary today. I will however start my first list either tomorrow or this weekened. If you are interested in the idea of this blog, make sure to check back soon. Happy listening.

Musically yours,
-Rob