Top Albums of 2011 (Quinn)

Well, 2011 is over, and that's kind of scary, but I think I'm more thrown off by the fact that my birthday is tomorrow and that day always seems so far away. None of that matters though, because the end of the year really means year-end list time. I think I'm thrown off by this more than anything else because you've got to go over the whole year and decide which albums rank higher or lower than this album and that album. Generally, these lists seem predicated on what album is technically better than a group of others. I'd like to think that it should be a mix of that, but also what you actually listened to and enjoyed throughout the year. So, without further ado, here's my "Top 10 Albums of 2011."

DOWNLOAD: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Live @ Palace Theatre (9/30/08) // Hear "Ashes & Fire" In Full Now

Ryan Adams is set to release his thirteenth studio album, Ashes & Fire, on October 10th through his own label PAX-AM (in conjunction with Capitol Records). We've already heard the first single "Lucky Now," and below, in case you missed it, you can also see a live performance of the new album's title track. If you're interested in hearing more, NPR currently has the entire album up for streaming here.

To celebrate the release of Ashes & Fire, I want to share with you a concert from Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, one of my favorite live performances I've ever heard. I've been meaning to share this for quite some time now. This particular concert took place in Cleveland, OH on September 30, 2008 and featured a 26-song set spanning many of Adams' releases from the past decade. You can download the concert for free below. And while you might think a free concert bootleg might be a bit poor in terms of sound quality, this actually sounds like a professional recording captured for a live album. Really.

Hear A New Ryan Adams Song from "Ashes & Fire"

In case you didn't hear, Ryan Adams is back -- seemingly unretired from music -- and is set to release a brand new studio album entitled Ashes & Fire on October 11 via his PAX-AM label/Capitol. This is Adams' first release of all new material since 2008's Cardinals record Cardinology -- last year's double album III/IV was a collection of material culled from sessions that ended up producing 2006's Easy Tiger. Ashes & Fire was produced by Glyn Johns (The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Clash, The Who, The Rolling Stones), a man who also happens to be the father of the Ethan Johns who produced Adams' Heartbreaker, Gold, and 29.

Hear a brand new song from Ashes & Fire entitled "Lucky Now" below.

NEW Sleazy Handshake - "Love Woman"

Sleazy Handshake - "Love Woman"

What's great about Ryan Adams going off into his random musical tangents is that it's entirely authentic despite being, by all accounts, a joke. You know? This is true hair metal but you can tell Ryan isn't taking himself too seriously. Just think, the '80s were all about music that sounded like this, by bands that were serious about what they were doing. And yet, here is Ryan Adams adding a song to his Sleazy Handshake catalogue that probably took him no more than 10 minutes to write. This is epicly awesome. Oh, yeah.

In other news, Ryan's beautiful and talented wife Mandy Moore has a new album coming out. From what I've read, it sounds like it's a total throwback to the folk/rock of the late '60s/early '70s. I'm interested.

Reflections, Ryan, and the Rain

It’s been miserable here the past few days. If it’s not raining the sky is still overcast, full of the same shades of gray, the same mess of clouds. I used to like the rain a lot, and I guess I still do. But when you have begun to grow tired of your daily routine and don’t see change on the horizon for a while, the weather can keep things exciting – it’s the one thing that does change from day to day. It’s been raining for a while. I never believed in that old adage “April showers bring May flowers” because it never really rained that much in April. That adage must be true now.

Last night it was raining and when I got in my car to drive home from school, it just so happened that I had Ryan Adams & The Cardinal’s Jacksonville City Nights playing. The record has a certain level of comfort that takes you in and lets your mind unwind. It’s got a loose and natural feeling that was highly fitting for the short trip home. It was past two in the morning, so the streets were empty aside from the washes of color laid down by the street lights and traffic lights on the rain water. Highly memorable.

Jacksonville City Nights + a drive in the rain…try it sometime.