Middle Brother - Middle Brother
(Attached track: “Million Dollar Bill”)

In January of this year, You Ain’t No Picasso shared the song “Me Me Me” from Middle Brother’s debut self-titled album and I was instantly hooked. Middle Brother is one of those powerhouse super groups formed by the frontmen of 3 popular bands, Dawes (Goldsmith), Deer Tick (McCauley), and Delta Spirit (Vasquez). Their names alone could carry the career of this new group, but they are certainly not resting on that alone.

Although all 3 artists write music within the folk genre, their individual styles of musical composition really shines through in Middle Brother. The album truly shows a level of depth that none of their bands have been able to achieve individually. All three artists share lead vocals duties, leading to a different feel among each song. While Goldsmith’s clean country voice harmonizes well with Vasquez, it’s the way that McCauley’s raspy grandpa voice contrasts with the group that really makes these songs so unique.

I could not recommend this album enough to anyone who enjoys anything along the lines of folk, or even country. There isn’t a song on this album that I skip.

Honorable Mention: Both Dawes and Deer Tick put out great new albums this year. Dawes’ Nothing is Wrong is actually one of my favorites of the year, but Middle Brother took the cake.

For the rest of my 2011 top 10 albums, click here.