It’s officially spring, and it’s time for a brand new Top 10 list from WDIY! Check out what our dedicated on-air hosts and lovely listeners have been hearing while the weather warms up. Want to hear your favorites on our airwaves going into the summer? Feel free to call WDIY's studio line with a request at 610-694-8100 x1 or leave your picks on our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages.
#10
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
The Future
Stax
November 5, 2021
On Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nite Sweats' third studio album, The Future, it's apparent that the band is firing on all cylinders again after their brief break. In the six years since their 2015 debut, Nathaniel Rateliff released a follow-up album with the band in 2018 and then ventured off on his own for a solo album in 2020. Since then, the Nite Sweats have been back in action, including a tour date at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks in Bethlehem last summer. Look no further than the boisterous singles like, "Survivor," and "Love Don't," for why WDIY's on-air hosts have been playing this frequently.
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#9
Colin Hay
Now and the Evermore
Compass Records
March 18, 2022
Now and the Evermore is a letter to Colin Hay from Colin Hay about enjoying his time on earth while he still has it. He captured his own struggle, loss, and mortality in his hometown of Los Angeles, heavily inspired by the Beatles, made sweeter by featuring Ringo Starr on the title track. At its most basic level, Now and the Evermore offers a deeply personal acknowledgement of the relentless march of time, but zoom out and you’ll see that Hay’s contemplations of identity and eternity are in fact broader reflections on our shared humanity, on letting go of dead weight and reaching for the light no matter how dark things may get.
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#8
The Lumineers
Brightside
Dualtone and Decca Records
January 14, 2022
Two years after the Lumineers' last album, the Colorado folk band released their fourth studio album Brightside, a short yet optimistic album that lasts only 30 minutes with only nine tracks. The consistent sound of the Lumineers over the last few years coupled with their lyrical genius crafted a perfectly Lumineers-esque album. The quick shot of optimism also serves as a short love letter to their most dedicated fans.
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#7
Janis Ian
The Light at the End of the Line
United for Opportunity
January 21, 2022
After the release of Folk Is the New Black in 2006, Janis Ian decided not to make another record until she felt she had “an album’s worth of impeccable songs.” A recurring theme in her writing and her motivation was the love and support from her fans. Once the pandemic delayed live performances, she became very busy with volunteer work, book signings, and anything else she could manage to do safely. This is her final studio album.
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#6
The Accidentals
Vessel
The Accidentals
October 1, 2021
Just like a lot of musicians and artists, the Accidentals revolved their newest indie folk-influenced pop rock album around the life lessons many of us learned during the pandemic, like “taking everything into perspective, zooming out, seeing where we are, stop feeling like we're trying to race to get to a certain place.” Recording for the album started before the pandemic with the release date originally being for sometime in 2020. However, most of the album ended up being recorded from the band members’ homes.
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#5
Spoon
Lucifer on the Sofa
Matador Records
February 11, 2022
Lucifer on the Sofa is the 10th studio album by the rock band Spoon, which started production in 2018 shortly after touring. Production continued until 2020, but resumed and resulted in a finished album by 2021. A huge reason as to why the band couldn’t finish the album in quarantine like a lot of bands did during the pandemic was how they were choosing to orchestrate it; the members realized they prefer the sound of recording as a live band versus recording separately and made that the focus of the new album. The band takes their reliably delightful perception and dial it up even more for this album, creating a casually stylish and stunningly catchy new release.
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#4
Elvis Costello & The Imposters
The Boy Named If
EMI Records and Capitol Records
January 14, 2022
The Boy Named If is the 32nd studio album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, but is reminiscent of a previous album titled Blood & Chocolate from 1986. Calling back to the days of the Attractions (an old iteration of the band) proves how much these musicians have grown and adapted since their inception. The newest albums sounds simultaneously like an homage to their past as well as a test of their skills as a music group. It’s home to a blend of genres all tied together with a timeless rock-and-roll structure. A book written and illustrated by Costello himself accompanies the deluxe edition of the album, but it isn’t necessary to own it to understand how the album unfolds as a series of vignettes recorded during the pandemic.
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#3
Buffalo Nichols
Buffalo Nichols
Fat Possum Records
October 15th, 2021
Buffalo Nichols holds a special place at Fat Possum Records as the label’s first solo blues signing in nearly 20 years, and his first solo album proves what he has to offer to the blues music scene. Nichols finds himself drawn to Black people’s influence on music, specifically within his genre, and the idea of keeping the origins of a genre alive while continuing to create a modern sound is something that stuck with Nichols. He tries to emulate this in his new record in an effort to modernize blues before it gets “frozen in time.”
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#2
Aoife O’Donovan
Age of Apathy
Yep Roc Records
January 21, 2022
Aofie O’Donovan recorded her third feature album titled Age of Apathy through a unique arrangement with Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. While in the studio she shares with her producer Joe Henry, she logged daily hours online with GRAMMY-nominated engineer Darren Schneider to get the album done. Her previous albums were composed and recorded in the rush between tours, but Age of Apathy was more deliberate and methodical as it was made entirely amid the stillness of COVID. The Irish-American artist spent plenty of her lockdown weaving an album that feels like a nostalgia trip that is somehow more dreamy and bittersweet than her other albums.
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#1
Keb’ Mo’
Good to Be
Rounder Records
January 21, 2022
Five-time GRAMMY winner Keb’ Mo’ recently released his newest full-length, Good to Be, in the beginning of 2022 from a very personal place. The album was written between Nashville and his childhood home in Compton, California, which Keb’ recently purchased and renovated. The backdrop and inspiration behind the new release as well as Keb’s seasoned musicality makes the entire album feel warm and familiar. The album release was accompanied by an official video for the title track single, “Good to Be (Home Again),” which was filmed in Mo’s hometown and features the Compton Cowboys.
