Comments on: Not-Lame Country Music

Question: Not-Lame Country Music

signal — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 10:41:21 -0800

Not-Lame Country Music: I understand that some Alice in Chains, Nirvana, etc. , songs have a strong "country" flavor, deep guitars, slow vocals, tons of mood, while still rocking. I know nothing about country music, and most of what I've heard doesn't do it for me. What dark, slow and moody Country music would you recommend?

By: jonmc

jonmc — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 10:44:46 -0800

Johnny Cash. Billy Joe Shaver. Townes Van Zant. Some of Bonnie Owens stuff. Hank Sr.

By: driveler

driveler — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 10:45:05 -0800

Neko Case.

By: crush-onastick

crush-onastick — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 10:48:36 -0800

the transmissionary six who are much like the cowboy junkies but less country.

you might try jolie holland, too.

By: luriete

luriete — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 10:50:42 -0800

There's a band called Tarnation out of the SF Bay Area - probably the darkest country ever recorded.

By: tumble

tumble — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 10:51:35 -0800

Kathleen Edwards occasionally gets placed in the alt-country genre. I have her placed at the top of my playlists currently.

By: driveler

driveler — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 10:53:38 -0800

Also check out Emmylou Harris (I'd recommend Pieces of the Sky and her newest album, Stumble into Grace) and the Drive-By Truckers (I'd recommend Decoration Day and Dirty South).

By: Dr. Wu

Dr. Wu — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 10:57:42 -0800

Seconds on the Townes Van Zandt, Hank Williams Sr., and Billy Joe Shaver.

I'll also suggest Son Volt (semi-country; semi-dark), various stages in George Jones's career (the times when he was feeling especially low about boozin' and losin' Tammy), and The Handsome Family (semi-country; extra-Gothic).

I bet I can think of some more, too. Hang on.

By: blueshammer

blueshammer — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 11:00:51 -0800

Worth checking out some Alejandro Escovedo as well, although the linked-to mp3s are hardly representative. I'd get his More Miles Than Money live CD first.

By: safetyfork

safetyfork — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 11:02:09 -0800

I'll second Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, Sr.

I don't know where the boundaries of Country begin or end when it comes to alt-country and roots music, but here's some stuff that I think is primarily alt-country which you may find helps you ease-in to country music: Gillian Welch, Ryan Adams, Old Crow Medicine Show, Uncle Tupelo. There's a lot more to mine in the alt-country realm, but I'll let others add to it. Roots: Doc Watson, the Carter Family. You can even chart the line from Social Distortion to the Carter Family with some imagination.

On preview: no longer seconding, but thirding...

By: MonkeyToes

MonkeyToes — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 11:06:56 -0800

More in the category of alt-country, but Steve Earle's "I Feel Alright" might suit you -- especially "CCKMP" ("Cocaine Cannot Kill My Pain"), "Billy and Bonnie" and "South Nashville Blues." Emmylou Harris' "Red Dirt Girl." Gillian Welch's "Hell Among the Yearlings" and "Revival" (go safetyfork) will take care of moody alt-country. I third jonmc's Hank Sr., and raise him a Hank Jr. (believe it or not, there are a few gems among the crap -- "Whiskey on Ice," "The Ride" and "A Country Boy Can Survive" come to mind. )

By: Dr. Wu

Dr. Wu — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 11:12:25 -0800

Hell, Jimmie Rodgers himself gets pretty damn bleak. Some other oldtime stuff, like Dock Boggs and Bascom Lamar Lunsford, have truly strange, Gothic sensibilities -- creepy as all hell, at times.

The Johnny Cash albums on American are probably exactly what you're looking for, and I'd recommend starting there; use those as a bridge to his earlier stuff (some of which is dark, nearly all of which is great).

Semi-alt-country, and an artist I don't know too well but who sounds like he might appeal to you, is Sparklehorse. I like what little I know, and it's definitely dark and moody, and semi-countryish.

I'll keep thinking on this.

By: signal

signal — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 11:21:56 -0800

So far loving Transmissionary Six. Forgot to mention guitars: I like guitars, any intricate or cool guitar work is a definite plus.
Keep 'em coming!

By: edgeways

edgeways — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 11:24:05 -0800

The Blacks, Raspertina (sp?)

For me it's like mainstream pop. Can't stand the heavy commercial stuff for the most part but there is good stuff if you dig. The genera lines get awfully blurred once you venture off the top 40 (even them sometimes)

By: COBRA!

COBRA! — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 11:36:10 -0800

Lots of good suggestions so far... here are some more that haven't come up:

Pre-1996 Jayhawks
Merle Haggard
Roger Miller
Johnny Horton

The Bottle Rockets are somewhere between country and rock, and their guitar honcho, Brian Henneman, can really throw down. Their more recent albums suck hard, but their first three (The Bottle Rockets, The Brooklyn Side, and 24 Hours a Day) are gems.

By: NickDouglas

NickDouglas — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 11:36:34 -0800

On the edge, try the alt-pop band Cake or the blues-jazz-folk singer Tom Waits.

By: fabesfaves

fabesfaves — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 11:41:20 -0800

Will Oldham, or "Bonnie Prince Billy" which he usually goes by on his albums. He also has albums under the name Palace, as well as Palace Brothers.

By: transient

transient — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 11:43:44 -0800

Seconding Cash, Townes, Hank Sr., Neko, Will Oldham. Oh Susanna sounds up your alley, particularly the album Johnstown.

By: fabesfaves

fabesfaves — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 11:44:39 -0800

Also worth checking out--I forgot to mention--Ryan Adams and also his band, Whiskeytown (both more along the lines of alt-country than just plain old country).

By: octothorpe

octothorpe — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 11:44:56 -0800

Nobody's mentioned Gram Parsons. The albums Gp and Grievous Angel are great as is his work on Sweetheart of the Rodeo with the Byrds. He was sort of the first alt-country artist, twenty years before Uncle Tupalo. Emmylou Harris put together a very good tribute album to him a few years ago called "Return of the Grievous Angel" that is very worthwhile also.

By: smartyboots

smartyboots — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 11:52:56 -0800

Freakwater - they've written some of the saddest country songs ever. Check out the album End Time for a good introduction.
I'll also second Neko Case, especially the album Furnace Room Lullabye.
Kelly Hogan has a great voice, and her most recent album, Because It Feel Good, has plenty of dark songs to bum you out.
Calexico is occasionally sort of country - they have a really great spaghetti western sound sometimes.
More folk than country, but I've been unable to stop listening to Iron & Wine lately - and if you want mood he has it by the truckload.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 11:54:37 -0800

Seconds on The Bottle Rockets. Although I think the newer albums are actually OK, but not up to the standard of the first 3.

Also, some of The Band's more countryish material ("Jawbone," "Rockin' Chair," "King Harvest," "Rag Mama Rag") is some stupendous stuff. Merle Travis and some of Johnny Paycheck's eary stuff fits the bill, too.

By: KirTakat

KirTakat — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 12:05:50 -0800

Lucero, especially the first CD (haven't heard much of the later stuff). They suck live (everytime I see them live they are way too fast and "rock"), but their first CD is awesome

By: occhiblu

occhiblu — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 12:46:05 -0800

Bloodshot Records, which is a great resource for this type of music, used to also have a great description of this type of music. It seems, alas, to have gone away.

In any event, they deem it "insurgent country," a term that might help your search results. There is also this article that you might find interesting and/or informative.

By: felix betachat

felix betachat — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 12:52:24 -0800

This is a fantastic thread.

I'll just add Old 97's. Their earlier stuff can get pretty dark, in a hard-drinking kinda way. Satellite Rides is shite, but what I've heard of the latest album seems like a return to form.

By: isthisthingon

isthisthingon — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 13:00:04 -0800

You should definitely check out Blanche. They're kind of a Detroit garage country band, but definitely dark and moody. They're contemporary but they've got a whole country gothic aesthetic thing going on.

By: soviet sleepover

soviet sleepover — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 13:02:34 -0800

The Mekons are British country crossed with punk, a peculiar-seeming mix, and though some of their albums are tough to get into if you're not a fan of punk, one in particular, Journey to the End of the Night, is such an amazing, mournful tribute to the dying British empire & also to unrealized dreams..

I also really dig Roseanne Cash, Lyle Lovett, and will listen to Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard sing Pancho & Lefty (ctrl+f to find it) over and over again for the rest of my life.

By: Chuckles

Chuckles — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 13:03:41 -0800

Willie Nelson's Stardust isn't really country at all, but it is a great great album.

Be very careful which mastering you get though... If you can't hear the sweat beading on his brow you haven't found the right version yet. The Columbia Mastersound edition is good.

By: m0nm0n

m0nm0n — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 13:06:24 -0800

Califone, Boxharp, Jesse Sykes & The Sweethereafter..

Incidentally Epitonic's Folk Section has a nice selection of free mp3s for your perusal.

By: billysumday

billysumday — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 13:13:37 -0800

Unbelievable. All these great posts and no mention of the true genius of country music, Kris Kristofferson.

By: Evstar

Evstar — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 13:15:44 -0800

The Silver Jews are a favourite. And I'm amazed noone's mentioned Wilco (at least the older albums).

By: mudpuppie

mudpuppie — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 13:33:06 -0800

More folk than country, but I've been unable to stop listening to Iron & Wine lately - and if you want mood he has it by the truckload.

I too am addicted.

Townes is god. Lucinda Williams is good. John Hiatt is country-tinged rock. Flying Burrito Brothers.

If I had my CD case with me, I could give you a serious list.

How come no one's mentioned Wilco?

By: mudpuppie

mudpuppie — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 13:34:18 -0800

Oops, sorry Evstar.

And yes, that's supposed to be "Townes is God."

By: picea

picea — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 13:45:15 -0800

Vic Chesnutt is mighty fine, though not pure country, per se.

By: stet

stet — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 13:54:07 -0800

I second the Jesse Sykes recommendation. Also consider Richmond Fontaine. Their latest album, Post to Wire is dark, well-written, well-performed, and has lots of Paul Brainard playing pedal steel. Richard Buckner's Devotion and Doubt and The Hill are both moody and dark as well as very, very good. The former has Lloyd Maines on steel, IIRC, and the second is based on the death poems of Edgar Lee Masters.

Also, pretty much anything Bobby Bare Jr. touches is gold. You might prefer Young Criminal's Starvation League to From the End of Your Leash as it has more weepers.

By: enrevanche

enrevanche — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 14:06:59 -0800

Guy Clark.

By: sonofsamiam

sonofsamiam — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 14:28:36 -0800

Raspertina
Did you mean Rasputina, the goth ladies' cello society?

I'd second Dock Boggs. His songs are violent and weird, and he himself was a very violent and weird man.

By: whatideserve

whatideserve — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 16:22:33 -0800

Some of my favorite country singers that haven't been mentioned yet are Lonsome Bob, Allison Moorer, Mike Ireland, and Buddy Miller.

By: whatideserve

whatideserve — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 16:23:15 -0800

Lonesome Bob. That'll teach me not to hit "spell check."

By: Dag Maggot

Dag Maggot — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 16:56:28 -0800

I will Third Gillian Welch. She is our absolute favourite. It's old-timey stripped back 2-part harmony and Guitar. If you are a musician at all, it's a great way to start out playing the blue grass.

I would also recommend The Waifs from Western Australia. They are dark and moody but slightly alt-country.

And my other favourite, the Steel Wheels on a Gravel Road album by Lucinda Williams

By: softlord

softlord — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 17:12:28 -0800

Patsy Cline can be pretty spooky. (see Walking After Midnight, although the Cowboy Junkies version outdoes it i think...maybe i should be submitting to the 'covers better than the original' thread)

By: Dr. Wu

Dr. Wu — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 17:14:12 -0800

I'm glad youse guys came up with Kristofferson and Guy Clark, whom I've been listening to recently but whose names I couldn't for some reason summon. They are both fantastic.

just to nitpick (for anyone interested in obtaining this great album), Lucinda's record is called Car Wheels on a Gravel Road ... though I hear the bootleg version has a killer cover of "Between a Rock and a Hard Place."

By: holloway

holloway — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 17:27:58 -0800

Gillian Welch! (her concert in Wellington was a great night out). Jolie Holland is pretty good too.

Some Ani DiFranco sounds pretty country in that it's so depressing you'll kill yourself (not most, but the odd song on Revelling and Reckoning album, like "Sick of me", "Your next bold move", "Old old song", "Garden of Simple").

And there's cheesy stuff like the Statler Brothers, but it's removed by your "not lame" filter.

By: socratic

socratic — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 18:26:49 -0800

Hi, my name is socratic, and I have a music downloading problem because all these nice people suggested such awesome music. God, I need to learn to stay away from the music threads.... in a good way... heh.

By: socratic

socratic — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 18:30:03 -0800

Oh, and, I'll third or fourth or whatever Neko Case. It's hard to believe she's also in The New Pornographers, which is about as .. un-country as you can get. And Merle Haggard, yes.. Also (here's a curveball almost like holloway's), Norah Jones' newest CD is almost shockingly country, but she's from Texas isn't she?

By: crush-onastick

crush-onastick — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 18:45:12 -0800

oh, and i always recommend the jesus and mary chain darklands for people who "don't like country but want to listen to some country"--it's nothing like my earlier recommendation (the transmissionary six or the junkies), but it's pretty country.

By: thewittyname

thewittyname — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 19:16:22 -0800

16 Horsepower has a great dark country sound. Its all the Appalachia creepiness and despair you can stand. You might also try Clem Snide, although they are definitely more on the lighter, alt-country side of things.

By: Wolfdog

Wolfdog — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 19:30:31 -0800

John Prine

By: echolalia67

echolalia67 — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 21:46:22 -0800

The Handsome Family and Richard Buckner. I second the 16 Horsepower and have to mention a closely related band, The Denver Gentlemen. Not country per se, but definitely worth checking out if you like the 16HP.

By: notsnot

notsnot — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 22:11:08 -0800

Oh yeah on the Buckner. "Devotion + Doubt" would be in my CD changer continuously, if I had a CD changer. Me 100th on Townes, whose "Highway Kind" is the only song for which I've had to pull of the road (though Son VOlt's "Tear Stained Eye" came close), and Allison Moorer has the best voice in the bizness (you can hear her *taste* every word).

By: TimeFactor

TimeFactor — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 22:42:55 -0800

Dwight Yoakum (terrible site, sorry) is a great overlooked modern (but respectful of traditions) country artist out of Bakersfield. He does a lot of different styles: twangy Western swingy, rock-a-billyish (with great guitarist Pete Anderson), country crooner, norteno (with accordian virtuoso Flaco Jimenez). He can do many flavors of sad; "Thousand Miles From Nowhere" and "Lonesome Roads" are favorites.

By: aspo

aspo — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 23:11:47 -0800

Robbie Fulks. Even people who hate country love She Took A Lot Of Pills And Died.

Faun Fables is sort of dark and odd and countryish. Great to see her live.

If you live in the Bay Area you have to go see a Rube Waddell show, although that isn't really country. The album I have is decent but not great. It is pretty old, so maybe their sound has changed.

I happen to be a big fan of Lyle Lovett but I suspect that might not be the kind of music you are looking for. Also Steve Earle is fun, although I find his last few albums have suffered from his need to beat you over the head with his politics (and I agree with most of what he says!)

But really Robbie Fulks and Faun Fables. Can't go wrong with those two.

By: arto

arto — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 23:34:10 -0800

Fred Eaglesmith's style ranges from almost punky two-chord rave-ups to slow, tearjerking heartbreakers. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the greatest country-rock band ever, Blue Rodeo, who manage to make Beatles-esque harmonies and jagged Neil Young-style lead guitar sound at home in a country framework.

By: hydrophonic

hydrophonic — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 23:59:06 -0800

The Carter Family's "Will the Circle Be Unbroken"
Roy Acuff's "Wreck on the Highway"
Kitty Wells' "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels"
Gene Autry's "You Are My Sunshine" -- seriously. This song has been done to death but it's still one of the most effective songs about heartbreak ever.

By: pandaharma

pandaharma — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 00:15:51 -0800

I'd fall in with the recommendation of Johnny Cash, but I'd recommend you start with 'Live in Folsom Prison'. This remains easily one of my top five albums ever.

Its one of the happiest grim records I've ever heard. Almost every song was tailored to his hopeless audience and covers the gamut betwen tragedy, schmaltzy memories of home, and really great dark humor, and the whole thing ends on this wonderful note of redemption with a hymn written by one of the prisoners.

Contains a great rendition of Cocaine Blues, Fulsom Prison Blues (with the inmates cheering at the murder), 25 Minutes to Go (The last 25 minutes of a condemned man's life which is terribly funny and great for campire singalongs). Even something schmaltzy like 'Green Grass of Home' can bring a tear to the eye, when you consider the audience and the unpretentious way Cash sings it.

If you try Hank Sr., get 'Alone with his Guitar' which, at times, can be happily gloomy and really brings out his songs.

Sixteen Horsepower is a great modern act which uses depression-era instruments and has nice bloody songs full of Old Testament imagery.

By: Clay201

Clay201 — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 00:46:17 -0800

James Fuckin' McMurtry. One of the best lyricists currently drawing breath on this planet and I'll fight anyone who says different.

There are lots of others: Charlie Sexton, Vic Chesnutt (you may remember him as the wheelchair bound band member in Slingblade), Butch Hancock, Steve James, The Bad Livers, The Gourds, Storyville, Toni Price, Dave Alvin, and for the love of god, we can't forget Robert Earl Keen. Michael Fracasso is sort of on the edge between blues and country or maybe between alt.rock and country, but you gotta check him out. And I'd include Trish Murphy, but she tends to do your more upbeat, country-rock type stuff. However, she does kick ass. Michelle Shocked does what she calls "minstrel music;" It sounds very much to me like country music.. circa 1880. Oh, and don't forget the weirdness that is Terry Allen. I should really do a front page post on this guy.

There's a radio station in Austin, TX called KGSR which invites (mostly, but not exclusively) alt.country type musicians to their studio to perform, then periodically releases selections from those sessions in the form of compilations CDs. I've got a couple and they contain a lot of stuff that meets the criteria you list.

By: Len

Len — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 04:36:02 -0800

Cash, Gillian Welch, Wilco, Bonnie Prince Billy and the Silver Jews are all great suggestions.

What you also need to get is some of the genius that is Bill Callahan's Smog. Wild Love, The Doctor Came At Dawn, Red Apple Falls, Knock Knock and Dongs Of Sevotion are all fantastic.

By: fuzz

fuzz — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 05:06:04 -0800

Not really country, but country-influenced and incredibly beautiful in a way that you'd probably like, try Songs:Ohia's Ghost Tropic album.

By: gsh

gsh — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 07:25:50 -0800

Jay Farrar (ex-Uncle Tupelo, ex-Son Volt) has put out a few solo albums that, while lighter on the alt.country side than his previous work, are still quite good. "Sebastapol" is the one to start with.

By: crush-onastick

crush-onastick — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 10:16:12 -0800

lots of people also put shivaree in the "slow, moody, like country-but-not" category. i find they go well in a playlist with t6 & the junkies.

By: echolalia67

echolalia67 — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 10:41:26 -0800

Uncle Tupelo, the band that spawned both Wilco and Jay Farrar is definitely a good place to start. I also feel the need to mention Lambchop, who aren't particularly dark but is a great example of what makes alt.country so much better than top 40 pop country.

Just as a side note, not all of the artists mentioned are instantly accessable to someone who is unfamiliar with the genre. Bloodshot Records compilations are a good place to start - I recommend this one in particular. Other than that, start with the artists mentioned most frequently in this tread.