The Wildy's World Top Ten EPs of 2009: #7

7 Samuel Stewart - The Beginner EP

When your parents are The Eurythmics' Dave Stewart and Banarama/Shakespeare's Sister's Siobhan Fahey there's bound to be some heavy expectations if you take up a career in music. Samuel Stewart shrugs off expectations and does his own thing. He does it so well he might even leave his prolific father behind on The Beginner EP.

The Wildy's World Top-40 of 2009: #20-26

The Wildy's World Top-40 of 2009: #20-26


26 Vienna Teng - Inland Territory

Ethereal Art/Folk/Pop that will quite literally blow you away. There are few like Teng, and Inland Territory is especially a treat as its the first time she's really begun to explore her own roots in song. Grandmother Song may well be the highlight of an auspicious collection.

25 Fractal - Sequitur

West coast Prog-Rock gods Fractal bring the creative flourish of bands like Yes and King Crimson with Gibby Haynes-style panache on Sequitur, riding the dividing line between Progressive and Experimental Rock. By placing a bit more emphasis on structure than in the past, Fractal found their footing with one of the most interesting Rock albums of the year.


24 The Doctors Fox - Plural Non-Possessive

Magic is the word; music is the medium. Boston's The Doctors Fox perform musical alchemy on their debut album, Plural Non-Possessive, blending Rock, Funk, Klezmer, Jazz, Doo-Wop and pretty much anything else they can think of into a new-yet-comfortable sound that's bound to move even the most cynical of music fans. Plural Non-Possessive is like being reborn in music.

23 Chip Taylor - Yonkers, NY

Taylor is a decorated songwriter that established artists ask to work with, but on his own he is a master story-teller. On Yonkers, NY, he spins yarns about brothers Jon and Barry Voight, and a father whose family ranked right up there with thoroughbred racing. It would be hard to call Yonkers, NY a breakout album given Taylor's resume. Then again, it would be hard not to.

22 Jerin Falkner - Pyro Aesthetic

Seattle's Jerin Falkner brings a quirky Pop sensibility to her latest album, Pyro Aesthetic. Falkner stands out among her peers as a singular talent, and she just keeps getting better and better. Pyro Aesthetic is a tremendous introduction if you haven't come across Falkner before.

21 Amy Speace - The Killer In Me

Speace is at the spearhead of a new generation of Folk artists, blending Folk, Rock and Country with whatever fits the moment. Speace is a powerful songwriter with an ability to opens up images in the listener's mind with subtle turns of phrase and the force of her personality in voice. The Killer In Me is a stunning follow-up to Songs For Bright Street, and will likely end up on a lot of these sorts of lists.

20 Carrie Rodriguez - Live In Louisville

Chalk another entry up to Chip Taylor, who discovered Carrie Rodriguez while she was playing with Hayseed as SXSW 2001. Rodriguez is one mean fiddler, but is also an amazing vocalist and songwriter in her own right. It's rare for us to rate a live album so high, but Rodriguez is a singular talent, and she sure shines bright on Live In Lousville.

The Wildy's World Top Ten EPs of 2009: #8

8 Justin McMillan - McMusic Sampler

Justin McMillan is a young, up-and-coming singer/songwriter based in Toronto with an almost unerring Pop sensibility. The McMusic Sampler is one of two demo recordings to make the list of Top Ten EPs of 2009, and McMillan has the opportunity to catch on in a big way based on the material he's writing/performing.

The Wildy's World Top-40 of 2009: #27-33

The Wildy's World Top-40 of 2009: #27-33

Day two of our Top-40; a day closer to #1. Let's get started!

#33 Rosanne Cash - The List

When Rosanne Cash told her father she wanted to make a career of music, he gifted her with a musical syllabus of 100 songs she had to learn as part of her musical education. The list has been much discussed over the years and has become something of a musical legend. With The List, Cash reveals some of the songs from the list Johnny Cash gave his daughter. The CD may be significant as a historical document for some, but the performances are filled with more than a little of the love a daughter has for her father.

#32 The Dimes - The King Can Drink The Harbor Dry

Educational music that's fun and frisky: that may be an apt way to describe the creations of The Dimes, the Boston-based band responsible for The King Can Drink The Harbor Dry. Folks familiar with Mike Ford's musical works incorporating elements of Canadian history will have an idea of what they're getting into here, although The Dimes focus on US History through the eyes of Boston and its environs.

#31 Monte Montgomery - Monte Montgomery

Monte Montgomery's guitar style is nothing less than intense. His propensity to break guitar necks actually inspired Alvarez to design a guitar with a reinforced neck in Montgomery's honor. Aside from the potential side-show, Montgomery was named one of Guitar Player's "Top 50 All-Time Greatest Guitarists" in 2004, and won "Best Acoustic Guitar Player" at SXSW for seven years running beginning in 1998. While Montgomery may have slowed his pace a bit in recent years, his intensity and songwriting talent haven't suffered, as indicated on his self-titled eighth studio album, released late in 2008.

#30 Kevin Hearn & Thinbuckle - Havana Winter

Anyone who has heard Kevin Hearn knows his talent is almost as boundless as his kind nature. The Barenaked Ladies keyboardist/songwriter/singer has done time with Look People, Corky & The Juice Pigs and The Rheostatics, as well as recording several solo albums both on his own and with his band, Thinbuckle. Hearn's latest offering, Havana Winter, expands the sphere of Hearn's signature brand of spacey, melodic Pop. Hearn is a singular voice in the Alt/Indy world.

#29 Derek Byrne - Seize The Moment

Derek Byrne might be based in Milwaukee, but the spirit of his homeland in Kildare Ireland runs through his music. Seize The Moment is one of those albums whose sum is greater than its individual parts. Byrne sings each song as if he's living it, and creates some beautiful melodies along the way.

#28 Bunmi Adeoye - Paper Dolls Glass Houses

Part Tracy Chapman, part Ani DiFranco and part Carole King, Toronto's Bunmi Adeoye will surprise you with adept lyrics and melodies that sink into your brain and won't let you go. Paper Dolls Glass Houses grabs listeners slowly but doesn't fade like many albums with time.


#27 Willy Porter - How To Rob A Bank

The devilishly talented and uniquely styled Willy Porter has tasted real commercial success in the past, but these days he writes and plays more the purity of his craft than for the big wave he chased in the early 1990's. How To Rob A Bank may be his best work to date, showing off both his distinctive fingerstyle guitar playing and his propensity for free-form creation. How To Rob A Bank is a treat for the ears.

The Wildy's World Top Ten EPs of 2009: #9

The Wildy's World Top Ten EPs of 2009


One step closer to #1...




9 Audra Mae - Haunt



When you count Judy Garland and Liza Minelli amongst your family tree there are bound to be big expectations. Audra Mae lives up to them all on her debut EP, Haunt. Using her unforgettable voice and a sophisticated folksy style, Audra Mae weaves the sort of magic that will leave you yearning for more.

The Wildy's World Top-40 of 2009: #34-40

The Wildy's World Top-40 of 2009: #34-40

Because of the fractured nature of the Indie music world, don't be surprised if any of the artists on our Top-40 for 2009 show up on other end-of-year best-of lists. We've been lucky to receive a splendid mix of recordings in 2009, and 2010 looks pretty bright from all that we're hearing as well. But before we get to 2010, let's say goodbye to 2009 properly, by recapping the top albums of the year! We'll be spreading them out between now and New Year's Eve, when we'll crown the Album and EP of the year! Let's not waste another moment!

#40 Akiva - If I Didn't Work Nights/The Daylight

The versatile and prolific singer/songwriter returned in 2009 with an album and a half. While the full length If I Didn't Work Nights was the better of the two offerings packaged together, The Daylight displayed Akiva's knack for melody and an ability to tell stories in music that are off the beaten track yet comfortable.

#39 Kat Edmonson - Take To The Sky

Edmonson's distinctive voice lights up Take To The Sky from within like a nightlight in the pitch. Her sound is definitely different; full of textures and tones that take might make you think twice at first, but audiences warm to Edmonson and her highly personal style quite quickly.

#38 Megan Munroe - One More Broken String

Former TV starlet and current Indie Country darling Megan Munroe seems to live a charmed life. One More Broken String marches right up to the steps of Modern Country and paints it anew with a bit of attitude and a strong respect for where Country's come from. Munroe's voice is a pleasure, and her future looks very bright.

#37 Roger Joseph Manning Jr. - Catnip Dynamite

Manning is a major-label talent with a love of the quirky DIY sensibility of the Indie Music World. If his work with Jellyfish, Imperial Drag, Moog Cookbook and TV Eyes haven't convinced you, Catnip Dynamite is the proof in the pudding of Manning's talent and creativity.

#36 Matt & Shannon Heaton - Lover's Well

Matt And Shannon Heaton are among the cream of the crop of Boston's Celtic music scene. This husband and wife duo have a special chemistry on stage and it carries over to their fine album, Lovers Well. Shannon Heaton's voice is heavenly, and Matt Heaton's guitar work is impressive to say the least.

#35 The Dear Hunter - Act III: Life And Death

Sometimes its the side projects that take off. As a member of Boston's The Receiving End Of Sirens, Casey Crescenzo knew success, but it was the material he wrote that didn't fit into TREOS' zeitgeist that drives him nowadays. The Dear Hunter started out as a hand-pressed for EP for friends. Four years later, The Dear Hunter has released 3 musical chapters of a six-act concept super-album. The Dear Hunter has proven a very marketable band considering their genre is more toward the progressive side of Rock N Roll and is delivered in the long-vilified concept album format. Act III: Life And Death speaks of brilliance, and will have you out chasing Acts I & II.

#34 Halie Loren - They Oughta Write A Song

Halie Loren is a perfect example of the sort of uber-talented artists out there who fly under the radar in the Indie world. Even with a fair amount of critical praise, Loren is a relatively unknown quantity. You won't regard her as such once you've heard her voice, however. They Oughta Write A Song sticks more to the jazz end of the spectrum, but Loren can sing most anything.

The Wildy's World Top-10 EPs of 2009: #10

2009 saw two EPs tie at #10 in the Top-10 EPs list. Read on!


#10 (tie) Jessie Murphy In The Woods - Jessie Murphy In The Woods

Jessie Murphy In The Woods is one of those projects that happened nearly by accident. As happy accidents go, Jessie Murphy In The Woods might be among the most pleasant surprises of 2009. Quirky by nature; Jessie Murphy has a voice that will wrap you up and won't let go.

#10 (tie) Terio - Eternally I Wait For You

Terio brings Cuban music back to the fore, reliving the glories of greats like Desi Arnaz and Celia Cruz on Eternally I Wait For You. Terio mixes the charisma and creative spark that makes for long careers without giving an inch of his style.