No one will be denied on my boat, on my boat
No getting ahead or falling behind on my boat, on my boat
Hello, friends.
The Speakers in Code Album of the Year for 2017 is Stitch of the World by Tift Merritt. Mainly because when I heard Tift sing “My Boat” live in St. Louis, I got the kind of chills that remain for days. I felt it was incredibly honest, hopeful, and like the full album, went the extra 5% to be great.
Thank you, Tift, and everyone else on this list for giving the gift of music.
Jason
Editor, Speakers in Code
1. Tift Merritt, Stitch of the World
Top Tracks: “My Boat,” “Dusty Old Man,” “Icarus,” “Wait For Me”
2. Josh Ritter, Gathering
Top Tracks: “Train Go By,” “Myrna Loy,” “Showboat,” “Cry Softly”
3. Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton, Choir of the Mind
Top Tracks: “Fatal Gift,” “Nihilist Abyss,” “Choir of the Mind,” “Minefield of Memory”
4. Matthew Ryan, Hustle Up Starlings
Top Tracks: “Hustle Up Starlings,” “Run Rabbit Run,” “Battle Born,” “Maybe I’ll Disappear”
5. Laura Marling, Semper Femina
Top Tracks: “Soothing,” “Nothing, Not Nearly,” “Wild Fire,” “The Valley”
6. John Moreland, Big Bad Luv
Top Tracks: “Sallisaw Blue,” “Old Wounds,” “Lies I Chose To Believe,” “Latchkey Kid”
7. Nicole Atkins, Goodnight Rhonda Lee
Top Tracks: “A Little Crazy,” “Goodnight Rhonda Lee,” “Listen Up,” “Colors”
8. Ryan Adams, Prisoner
Top Tracks: “Outbound Train,” “Prisoner,” We Disappear,” “Broken Anyway”
9. Noah Gundersen, White Noise
Top Tracks: “The Sound,” “Bad Desire,” “Fear & Loathing,” “Send the Rain (To Everyone)”
10. Jillette Johnson, All I Ever See In You Is Me
Top Tracks: “Bunny,” “Like You Raised Me,” “All I Ever See In You Is Me,” “Throw Out Your Mirror”
11. David Ramirez, We’re Not Going Anywhere
Top Tracks: “Telephone Lovers,” “Good Heart,” “Eliza Jane,” “Twins”
12. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, The Nashville Sound
Top Tracks: “Molotov,” “Anxiety,” “Last of My Kind,” “If We Were Vampires”
13. The War on Drugs, A Deeper Understanding
Top Tracks: “Pain,” “Thinking of a Place,” In Chains,” “Up All Night”
14. Kasey Chambers, Dragonfly
Top Tracks: “Ain’t No Little Girl,” “Summer Pillow,” “Dragonfly,”
15. Ha Ha Tonka, Heart Shaped Mountain
Top Tracks: “Arkansas,” “Everything,” “Race To The Bottom,” “Favor”