Top 10 Alt. Country / Americana Albums

Admittedly, Uncle Tupelo is more or less the face of this genre, and much of this list is based around Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar. But it's still great music that deserves to be mentioned.

10. Winnemucca - Richmond Fontaine (2002)

Winnemucca is a pretty bleak and depressing album overall. There's little hope to be found in it outside of the instrumental "Twyla" and "Out of State". Themes of heavy alcoholism are present behind the sonic boom of a pedal-steel guitar in "Winner's Casino" and "Northline". "Five Degrees Below Zero" and "Western Skyline" are about as desolate as it gets - closing out the album with windswept imagery of Nevada. Nothing is very upbeat here, but if you're in the mood it does go down as some good and thoughtful cowboy music.

9. A Retrospective: 1995-2000 - Son Volt (2005)

Sure, this is a compilation and some of it overlaps with Trace and Straightaways, but overall there's a lot of good tracks here that otherwise would be considered unreleased material. "Rex's Blues", "Looking at the World Through a Windshield" and "I've Got to Know" all come to mind. Don't forget about the Byrds cover of "Tulsa County". All in all, there's no surprises here, just good old fashioned Son Volt covering some oldies mixed in with the highlights of the band's first three studio releases.

8. March 16-20, 1992 - Uncle Tupelo (1992)

This is the Led Zeppelin III of Uncle Tupelo's catalog, with pared down acoustics recorded in a short time period under the roof of Peter Buck's studio in Athens, Georgia. The majority of March 16-20, 1992 goes away from the raw energy that helped to define the Uncle Tupelo sound: yet I attribute "Moonshiner" for being the song that got me into Uncle Tupelo. It also helps that "Sandusky" was always a familiar ditty of an instrumental (I remember hearing it around the house at a young age). Jeff Tweedy sang and wrote much of the original material while Jay Farrar mainly sang the traditional covers like "Coalminers" and "Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down". But as I dug deeper, I began to appreciate the forgotten tracks like the barren "Fatal Wound" and "Wipe the Clock". Other short ditties like "Black Eye" and "Wait Up" help to round out the album nicely.

7. Gold - Ryan Adams (2001)

Gold might be a bit removed from alt-country at this point, as Ryan Adams was shifting his solo career towards that of a comtempory songwriter. I don't think this is considered alt-country or Americana as it gets a little poppy here and there. I'll have to update this list sometime soon - stay tuned.

6. A.M. - Wilco (1995)

Given Wilco's catalog, this is far from their most ambitious effort. It doesn't even scratch the surface of the band's potential - but when you ignore all of that, the album still shines brightly. It goes down as one of my timeless favorites with simple songs based around nothing more than love. "Passenger Side" details a sidelined driving experience with a suspended licence, while "Casino Queen" brings some hard rocking energy to pair with the medium tempo songs. A.M. has a rudimentary formula with songs like "I Must Be High", and "Box Full of Letters", but it fits the bill of the alt-country sound and is a favorite of mine regardless of its reception.

5. Trace - Son Volt (1995)

I've always loved Jay Farrar's voice - it always felt true to where he came from. Trace displays his voice and songwriting with 13 songs that deliver across the finish line. "Drown", "Windfall", and "Tear Stained Eye" all became a staple trio of Son Volt's repertoire after the release of Trace. But don't forget the songs in between like "Ten Second News", "Too Early", and "Loose String" (along with a superb cover of Ron Wood's "Mystifies Me"). Unfortunately it does feel like the band peaked after this record - as Jay Farrar refused to break outside of his self-inflected mold. Without pushing himself to greater limits, Jay Farrar never evolved out of the open string "cowboy chord" format - as the only thing diversified his songwriting was his guitar capo.

4. No Depression - Uncle Tupelo (1990)

"On liquor I spend my last dime" sings Jay Farrar before the band bursts into a catapult of energy in the beginning of the third track "Before I Break". Setting the tone for the rest of the album, much of Uncle Tupelo's No Depression pays homage to their punk and country roots while also mixing in youthful alcohol infused lyrics. This is the definitive alt-country album that started the mini movement (of sorts) in the '90s. Even a magazine was titled after this album / the renowned self titled A.P. Carter song covered on the 4th track. "Graveyard Shift", "Factory Belt" and "So Called Friend" all rock hard while "Whiskey Bottle" and "Life Worth Livin" give off some the band's most relatable lyrics dealing with middle class struggles.

3. Heartbreaker - Ryan Adams (2000)

Heartbreaker goes above and beyond the average cliché album named Heartbreaker. The album gets to a hot start with "To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)", which has a late '60s electric Bob Dylan feel. It then slows down with the airy "Winding Wheel" and eventually leads on with "Oh My Sweet Carolina" and "Come Pick Me Up" - songs I've listened to at least a hundred and fifty times (or more) each. I must admit much of Heartbreaker can be spotty at times, as the tracks can be somewhat inconsistent. But once a good song comes on, it's a keeper. The hidden gem of Heartbreaker comes out through "In My Time of Need" - which I consider to be one of the most beautiful songs I've heard. It paints a picture of a Dust Bowl era couple who have fallen on hard times, and are struggling to find hope in their current life. The couple finds solidarity in the union of marriage - knowing that no matter what, they will be with each other until the very end. I consider this song and Heartbreaker as Ryan Adam's crowning achievement. It's what helped to put him on the map in the early 2000s.

2. Strangers Almanac - Whiskeytown (1997)

Whiskeytown's Strangers Almanac still feels fresh after all these years; it feels like this album is what they should be playing on country radio stations instead of the commercialized 21st century country that has become popular. Caitlin Cary's subtle touch on Strangers Almanac really brings out the warmth and color of the album - her backup vocals and violin fiddling bring out the artistry of Whiskeytown. Moreover, "Everything I Do", has such great dynamism featuring a mini horn section and subtle organ work. There's a guest appearance of Alejandro Escovedo on "Excuse Me While I Break my Own Heart", and the delicate touch on "Avenues", "16 Days" and "Houses On the Hill" fits nicely on a sunny Sunday morning. While this album never really became commercially successful, it would foreshadow the success and sound that Ryan Adams would develop down the road with his solo career.

1. Anodyne - Uncle Tupelo (1993)

There's something to be said about the craftsmanship found on Anodyne - which goes down as Uncle Tupelo's clear-cut magnum opus. The record has a refined and polished touch in a way that still proudly stands the test of time. For better (or for worse) Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar developed a Lennon / McCartney relationship during their years in Uncle Tupelo; Farrar had a more gifted ability as singer while Tweedy's keen knack for songwriting was apparent. While having a split between the vocals /songwriting allows the album to flow, it ultimately led to a divide in the band behind the scenes. Tensions began to grow and cause a divide over the years even though Uncle Tupelo was maturing creatively.

The vocals on Anodyne, especially Farrar's have a true grassroots feel to them - as Uncle Tupelo simply wasn't trying to impress anyone with their vocal runs. Likewise, the lyrics found on Farrar's "Fifteen Keys" never seem to get old to me:

Been there, no luck at all

Nothin' left to lose

Been there, no luck at all

Nothin' left to lose

I've been there

Much of the Anodyne's lyrics deal with heartbreak but also having an inherent distrust in society as found on Tweedy's "We've Been Had":

Republicans and Democrats can't give you the facts

Your parents won't tell you 'til you're grown

That every star that shines in the back of your mind

Is just waiting for its cover to be blown

Overall between the twelve songs everything feels well balanced, especially the instrumentation. There's some tasteful banjos and mandolins on "Acuff Rose" and "Chickamauga"; Ken Coomer's percussion plays its role where needed and doesn't distract from anything. Uncle Tupelo also takes Doug Sahm's "Give Back the Key to My Heart" and improves it while also featuring him on the vocals during the later part of the song with the second verse. You couldn't ask for a better sendoff from Uncle Tupelo - as I'd probably would have to put this in my top 10 albums of all time regardless of genre.