For the Record
Bonny Light Horseman - Bonny Light Horseman (Ltd. Ed. Blue Vinyl)
The timeless qualities of traditional tunes can carry us across oceans and eons, linking us not only to the past but to each other as well. It was under the banner of those eternal connections that the trio of Bonny Light Horseman came together. From festival fields and a German art hub to a snowy upstate studio and everywhere in between, the astral folk outfit-comprised of Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson (Fruit Bats, The Shins), and Josh Kaufman (The National, Bob Weir)-is mixing the ancient, mystical medium of transatlantic traditional folk music with a contemporary, collective brush. The resulting album, Bonny Light Horseman, is an elusive kind of sonic event: a bottled blend of lightning and synergy that will excite fans of multiple genres, eras, and ages. The album features fellow 37d03d artists-in-residence Michael Lewis (bass, saxophone) and JT Bates (drums) as well as Justin Vernon, Aaron Dessner, Kate Stables, Lisa Hannigan, The Staves, Christian Lee Hutson, and more. Leaving the 2018 37d03d Berlin event with roughly 60-percent of a record, the band reconvened at Dreamland Studios in Woodstock, NY, in January 2019 to finish, bringing Lewis and Bates as well as engineer Bella Blasko along with them.
Eddie Money - Take Me Home Tonight: The Best Of (Ltd. Ed. Pink Vinyl)
Celebrate the life and music of '80s rock legend Eddie Money with this collection of blockbuster hits that encapsulates the very best of his storied career. Includes the unforgettable '80s classics "Take Me Home Tonight," "Baby Hold On," "Two Tickets To Paradise," and so many more plus exclusive acoustic versions.
Marcus King - El Dorado (180G)
"Written by King and Auerbach with songwriters like Pat McLaughlin, Paul Overstreet, and Ronnie Bowman. El Dorado also finds King backed up not by his eponymous Marcus King Band (as he was on his last effort, 2018’s Carolina Confessions), but by Auerbach’s roster of studio heavyweights, including keys payer Bobby Wood, drummer Gene Chrisman, and bassist Dave Roe."
G. Love - The Juice (Ltd. Ed. Hot Pink Vinyl)
Recorded in Nashville with a slew of special guests including Robert Randolph, Marcus King, and Roosevelt Collier, ‘The Juice’ is indeed diploma-worthy. Co-produced and co-written with GRAMMY-winning icon Keb Mo’, it’s an electrifying collection, one that tips its cap to more than a century of blues greats even as it offers its own distinctly modern pop spin on the genre, mixing programmed beats and hip-hop grooves with blistering guitar and sacred steel. G. Love’s lyrics are both personal and political here, artfully balancing his appreciation for the simple joys in life with his obligation to speak out for justice and equality, and his performances are suitably riotous and rousing to match, with infectious call-and-response hooks and funky sing-along choruses at every turn. Easy as it is to succumb to cynicism these days, the songs on ‘The Juice’ refuse, insisting instead on hope and determination in the face of doubt and despair.
Little Big Town - Nightfall (Ltd. Ed. Clear 2XLP)
Following the release of their new single, "Over Drinking", Little Big Town plans to drop their ninth studio album. The new project, called Nightfall, will come out early in 2020, just one day after the group's landmark Jan. 16 performance at New York City's historic Carnegie Hall. "The record feels kind of cinematic to me, but there's also a lot of beautiful intimate moments," she explains. "In a theater, this record is really going to shine." Read on to learn everything we know so far about the group's forthcoming ninth record!
The Best of Vinyl 2019 Round Two - The Top 30
Here is Round 2! If you want to see the 106 albums we started with, read the For The Record post from Round One. In Round Two, the original list is narrowed down to our Top 30. These are not listed in any order. Just the top scoring albums buy our judges.
Best Vinyl of 2019 ROUND ONE!
Blind Tiger Record Club Best Vinyl of 2019 - Round One! It's that time again when every cultural, entertainment, and music publication look back over the previous year and put together their "End of Year" lists. Some of these lists start populating our feeds and inboxes in early December. In the past, we have waited until January to post our list. This year, however, we are doing things a little different!
Young Mister - Sudden Swoon + Olivia Jean Night Owl 7"
Young Mister, aka North Carolina-based singer-songwriter Steven Fiore, has been stitching songs together out of the tossed-off scraps of life for over a decade now. His eye for detail and ear for melody has always had a habit of disarming and charming music lovers worldwide. He writes like a journalist assigned to cover the human heart; no bombast, no hyperventilating, just honest truths about love and life that can only be expressed through the inscrutable alchemy of a song — and with his newest collection, ‘Sudden Swoon,’ he might have accidentally reinvented not only himself but the entire process of releasing an album in the modern age.