I Walked with You a Ways by Plains

When you want a new Waxahatchee (#1 in 2020) album but can’t have a new Waxahatchee album, having an album that Waxahatchee, aka Katie Crutchfield, sings beautiful duets with another lovely voice, that of Jess Williamson, is more than enough to tide you over. Together, Crutchfield and Williamson become Plains, a couple of southern belles with hearts of gold, setting aside their indie-rock roots to dive deeper into their countryfied pasts.

Plains harkens back to those halcyon days of popular country music. Long before mainstream country found their post-9/11 conservative and nationalist voice, the mass, approachable appeal of 90s country reigned high. My own countryfied past is eating it up. I grew up in Oklahoma, and while my family listened to classic rock in my younger days, when I started finding my own musical tastes, I was heavily influenced by the juke box at my local Pizza Hut. The Cure next to Garth Brooks. Guns N Roses alongside Mary Chapin Carpenter. Boys II Men paired with Dwight Yoakam. It was a magical, cross-genre landscape (with a distinct lack of hip hop) that introduced me to much more music than I would have heard in my little KMOD 97.5 FM bubble. There are lots of things I’d rather not remember from my Oklahoma past. Singing Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, and Reba McEntire songs loudly while driving the backroads of suburban Tulsa in my beater Chevy is not something I’ll ever forget.

The video for “Hurricane,” shown above, brings back the Glamour-shot visuals of those days as well. It is truly a joy to listen to as well as watch. Two other videos have been put out by the duo, one for the unbelievably catchy “Abilene,” and another for the equally great “Problem With It.”

Earlier in 2022, Katie Crutchfield gave us a hint of where she was heading with Plains before we even knew that Plains existed: she performed a duet with one of her idols, Wynonna Judd, one-half of one of the most successful country acts of all time, The Judds. Judd and Crutchfield wrote and performed a new song together, “Other Side,” and its probably a little too country for my current tastes. But Crutchfield’s voice… sigh.

This isn’t the last country-ish album that will be featured on the 2022 Bacon Top 31, but it’s the most country of them all. Crutchfield and Williamson gave us something we didn’t know we needed, and it is perfect.

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14. The Last Goodbye by Odesza
15. A Light for Attracting Attention by The Smile
16. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar
17. Inside Problems by Andrew Bird
18. Laurel Hell by Mitski
19. Full Moon Project by Phosphorescent
20. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
21. I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
22. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

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All albums in their entirety.

Radio Station
A single song selection pulled from each album.

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These 13 by Jimbo Mathus & Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird is well-loved by The Bacon Top 31. He’s had three albums on the Top 31 (#17 in 2019, #5 in 2016, #22 in 2009). With his song on I’ll Be Your Mirror (with Lucius) back at #24, this is his second appearance on the 2021 countdown.

Jimbo Mathus, on the other hand, is a new discovery for me. “New” isn’t quite right, though — he’s been around for decades, most notably as the cofounding multi-instrumentalist of the platinum-album selling Squirrel Nut Zippers. I can’t say I’ve been a fan – but I just listened to their 1996 hit “Hell” and joyfully sang along.

In researching their fantastic country-esque collaboration, These 13, I learned that Bird has a history with Mathus and the Zippers: he was a member of the Zippers and recorded and toured with them from 1996-1998. Since that time, the two of them have maintained a friendship, and worked together occasionally. These 13 is the longest, most sustained work the two of them have done together.

Bird’s typically fantastic violin playing and strumming, his powerful voice, and his magical whistling are all prominent here. It’s Mathus’s deep-south Mississippi roots that bring a new side to the types of songs Bird performs. This album is what country music should sound like. Bird’s whistling reminds me of one of my favorite country music legends, Dwight Yoakam and his glorious yodel.

Give these songs a whirl. There’s a lot to unpack here, but the history that these two share between them and the road that led them here is long. That history plays out beautifully across these 13 songs.

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22. Mr. Corman: Season 1 by Nathan Johnson
23. Home Video by Lucy Dacus
24. I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground & Nico by Various Artists
25. Siamese Dream by Fruit Bats
26. NINE by Sault
27. Observatory by Aeon Station
28. The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania by Damien Jurado
29. A Beginner’s Mind by Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine
30. Where the End Begins by Knathan Ryan
31. Private Space by Durand Jones & The Indications

There are many ways to listen to the 2021 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as the countdown is completed!

Full Album
All albums in their entirety.

Radio Station
A single song selection pulled from each album.

View all previous Bacon Top 31s

#13 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Plains

#21 on the 2021 Bacon Top 31 — Jimbo Mathus & Andrew Bird