My Top 5 Albums of 2012

Everyone's got a year-end list of highlights and memories. I'm keeping it simple with naming my favourite albums of the year, with a couple of songs from each.

Check 'em out & let me know what you think.

(Email subscribers, click here to see the full post with videos)

1. Matt Mays, Coyote
I've been a Matt Mays fan for a while. I liked the self-titled Matt Mays + El Torpedo in '05. I liked Terminal Romance (2008) even more. Coyote beats them all, hands down.

2. Jack White, Blunderbuss

When I first heard this album, I thought it was going to be my album of the year. Though it's edged out by Matt Mays above, it is still a great album and a must-have.

3. Big Wreck, Albatross
Big Wreck's In Loving Memory Of... (1997) remains one of my favourite albums of all time, so this one might slide in here on sentimental value...or it may not: it's a great album, with or without sentimental reasons. I was one of many people  uber-excited to see Ian Thornley team up again with guitarist Brian Doherty for a reincarnated Big Wreck.

4. Japandroids, Celebration Rock
By far the most 'fun' album I added in 2012. Love it. It deserves to be played loud. One of my main memories of working in Niger in early December will be cranking this up on my headphones to drown out the call to prayer over the loudspeaker on several occasions.

5. Gary Clark Jr., Blak and Blu
Mad guitar skills, rocking blues. What more can you ask for? A great album, start to finish.

Honourable Mentions:

Ross Neilsen, The Shack Up Sessions
Any blues fan absolutely needs to have some of Ross Neilsen's albums in their collection. The Shack Up Sessions are an acoustic companion to some of Ross's hard-rawking blues albums.

To see the full performance of the show previewed below, click here.

Crooked Saws, Mo'Fi
Dirty. Whisky-chugging. Bar-brawling. Greasy. Blues.

'nuff said.

Things of Three III

The third edition of three items/subjects/places/people worth checking out to make life as an angler and global citizen far more enjoyable.

1. Howler Bros apparel
If shallow people were to align a product line with their 'personal image' (*cough*), I wouldn't blame them if they chose Howler Bros of Austin, TX. From their About page:

We are Howler Brothers. We are not really related by blood. But we are bonded by many shared callings: surfing, fishing, paddling and the good things that come with these pursuits. Things like fire pits, really good tequila, limes, and pre-dawn coffee.

My surfing career was cut short by lack of waves, a fear of sharks and limited motivation to learn how to surf. But I do like fishing, paddling (for fishing), fire pits (we call 'em bonfires), tequila, limes, limes/lime juice in tequila, and coffee (pre- or post-dawn makes no difference to me).

But that's neither here nor there.

Howler makes clothing that is durable, comfortable and practical. Some would say stylish, but I use practical in place of stylish; as in, "Can I where this in public without my lovely girlfriend being embarrassed?" For Howler's apparel lineup, the answer to that is a heck yeah.

I just received my (third) order from Howler this AM and I'm impressed as always. Their t-shirts are the most comfortable (and softest things) I own. And that hat is just damn cool.

Know who else digs Howler swag? This guy. Oh yeah, it's true.

Website: howlerbros.com

Social: @HowlerBros & facebook.com/howlerbros

Note: Cameron over at The Fiberglass Manifesto has a TFM promo code for $10 off your order, check out the details here.


2. My (new) old-timey shaving kit
This started as a multi-paragraph rant about much of a money-grab cartridge razors have become, but instead I'm just posting this pic:

A better shave, a more enjoyable shave, and a far less expensive shave. Less plastic waste, too. Bam.

After using the double-edge razor for the first time, I was already looking forward to my next opportunity to shave.

That's telling in itself: I normally hate shaving.

Website: classicedge.ca
Resources: sharpologist.com

3. Wolves
Last week it was Coyote. This week it's Wolves, from Big Wreck's Albatross album. Enjoy.

Friday Redfish Fix

An oldie* but a goodie.

* - Old as in 4 years. Which isn't that old, but it appears the guys at WorldANGLING were, much like me, redfishing before it became super-cool** at last year's IFTD show in the Big Easy.

** - I call this hipster fly fishing: fishing for a species before there's a massive video collection of people fishing for it. It's probably the reason I'm the only person in New Brunswick fishing for smallmouth bass with a Hardy reel...while drinking from a Cuppow.

Drum preview by WorldANGLING from WorldANGLING on Vimeo.

POST-SCRIPT
Another little note for y'all here: This is my 200th post since I started this (semi-illiterate) literary journey.

Thanks to everyone who has stopped by, and especially those of you who read along regularly. I would never have imagined over 100 people subscribing or following along to this dribble I spew out, but now that it's happened, it's pretty damn cool.

I know this month has been pretty lame for regular updates, but that'll be fixed soon, that I promise: twenty-twelve will see more fishing than ever before...which is goddamned insane, once you think about it.

It wasn't planned for a redfish video to be the 200th post, but it's pretty effin' appropriate. Once I knew this was my 200th post, I figure this music video was most appropriate. I would've been in Canadian artist fan-boy heaven at that show.

Music...

One of my favourite bands has reunited & is releasing an album.

I could go into a long, rambling tale of how, at age 21, one of their tracks "spoke to me."

Or a tale of how catching the lead singer as the show-stealing opening act for The Trews caused me to fail an advanced calculus exam the next day.

Or how the lead singer, headlining the opening night of FredRock 2010, came into the Lava Vodka Lounge (where I used to sling booze) the night before & really dug the vibe...and the vodka...and dug it enough to make a special request for a certain brand of vodka the night of his show.

But instead, I'm just going to play their (awesome) new track from their upcoming album.