top ten albums - no. 9

Dear Sheddists,

after the 'sturm und drang' of the Stooges, 'Fun House'  here's something a little more down-tempo.

William Tyler, son of noted songwriting parents, Daniel and Adele Tyler, first emerged on the music scene with the brilliantly eclectic Lambchop.

William's third solo album, 'Modern Country' is a beatific celebration of the wide open spaces of America. It cements his place in an illustrious line of American Primitive guitarists which leads all the way back to the 1960s and the late John Fahey, who first integrated country blues finger-picking with avant-garde and neo classical stylings. If you haven't heard Fahey's music before it repays further exploration.

The American Primitive lineage takes in such brilliant musicians as Robbie Basho, Jack Rose and Leo Kottke and its future lies in safe hands. Modern day exponents include Ben Chasney, Steve Gunn and Nathan Bowles.

'Modern County' invokes the very spirit of Fahey. It is by turns melancholic and uplifting, combining the traditional and the modern effortlessly.  A veritable tour de force. If you haven't heard it before you're in for a treat!