Read part one, including an intro, here.
Contributors for this list include 29-95ers Sara Cress, Jordan Graber and Joe Mathlete, Houston Chronicle entertainment writer/29-95 contributor Andrew Dansby and the Skyline Network's Ryan Clark. Where available, we try to give purchasing information.
Gordy Quist -- Here Comes the Flood, 2007 -- It was a super-cool moment this year when I watched Austin's Band of Heathens on Austin City Limits promoting its latest album, One Foot in the Ether, because right out in front was former Houstonian Gordy Quist. His debut album in '04, Songs Play Me, was a pretty folk disc, but his follow-up featured some real stunners: Judas 'Scariot Blues, Lady Julianna, and Unsleeping Eye. Quist may not gain the notoriety of, say, Hayes Carll with his solo work, but it wouldn't be stretch to think we'll see him on late-night talk shows in the coming years with Band of Heathens. Available on iTunes. -- S.C.
Spain Colored Orange -- Sneaky Like a Villain, 2009 -- Sneaky is right. More than any band I've heard they seem to know how much lounge music to tip into their lush mix without resulting in a platter of cheese whiz. This was a kaleidoscopic recording with multiple songs that lingered after even one play. Available on iTunes; recommended song: Who Am I. -- A.D.
Mando Saenz -- Watertown, 2002/2005 re-release -- Saenz possesses one of the more gorgeous folk-singer voices we've ever played host to in Houston, which is where this album was hatched before he moved on to Nashville. Available on iTunes; recommended track: Watertown. -- S.C.
Robert Ellis -- The Great Rearranger, 2009 -- Intricately picked music of the most unassuming sort. Ellis sort of fits the duck metaphor: it appears effortless on the surface, but there's speedy paddling going on. -- A.D.
The Mighty Orq -- Milk Money, 2005 -- Blues-rock can be a dicey proposition, with most bands in Houston doing nothing but rehashing well-lit paths that lead to the same boring, bar-band piffle. The Mighty Orq -- I mean, the name alone kind of says it all. There's something very mighty in that grit that infuses Orq's smoky, sexy voice. Added to his funky, passionate guitar work, this is a band that doesn't have to try to forge a new path, it just naturally sounds fresh. Available on iTunes; recommended song: Heaven Sent. -- S.C.
Lee Alexander -- Out of Place, 2006 -- A striking, diverse collection featuring elegant pop songs (Venus Rising, Siren); gentle Americana (On The Down Side); piano-backed soul (Like a Knife) and even a song ripe for country radio (What I Choose). Alexander's desire to write more than just love songs is another big plus. Available on iTunes; recommended track: Siren. -- S.C.
Black Congress/MuhammadAli -- split cassette, 2008 -- Black Congress "writes" some of the best early-'90s style hardcore with dueling guitars and screaming vocals that nicely complement MuhammadAli's poppy Nirvana-esque punk. Standout tracks include Black Congress's Knights of Castle's Court and MuhammadAli's Cumincide. The cassette is available at either band's shows. -- J.G.
Hilary Sloan -- Images From Hard Luck Town, 2007 -- There aren't many local protest albums, much less good ones, which is why Americana singer/songwriter/fiddler Sloan's powerful musical statement about the Iraq war belongs on this list. Available on iTunes; recommended track: Rachel Corrie. -- S.C.
The White Papers -- self-titled, 2001 -- Even though the record is broken down into six tracks, the music is really one cohesive piece describing a weekend in Norway. Long, drawn out instrumental breaks are combined with short, eloquent and romantic prose that isn't so much lyrics as poetry. Walk Me Up the Beach is the perfect opener and sets the tone for what's to follow. The record is available at Sound Exchange. -- J.G.
Chase Hamblin -- A Fine Time EP, 2009 -- Sunshine-pop singer-songwriter Hamblin spent the decade putting together a handful of solid bands; some original, some tribute. It took a few years for his debut solo to become reality, but once it was here, it proved to be a lush morsel of pop happiness. We hope to hear far more in the coming decade. Available on iTunes; recommended track: A Fine Time. -- S.C.
Indian Jewelry -- Free Gold, 2008 – Surprisingly accessible collection with stronger psychedelic touchstones and less overt droning tribalism than its predecessor. Free Gold is the sound of wormwood as it falls before you, poisoning the last well in the Sierra Madre. The album is available at Sound Exchange or digitally on eMusic. Start with Swans, for which there is an excellent music video. -- R.C.
Indian Jewelry - "Swans" from M. Ross Luebe on Vimeo.
A>S>H>S -- self-titled, 2006 -- A>S>H>S's music sounds like a downtown street, one where rich and poor mingle, where gleaming glass buildings sit on top of filthy parking garages. It's jazz informed by hip-hop and any sound that has ever been produced with an electrical current. I have no idea what happened to this underground, party-throwing crew, but it left behind an interesting album. Available on iTunes; recommended track: Act Fast. -- S.C.
Insect Warfare -- World Extermination, 2007 -– The only full-length from the Gulf Coast's premier grindcore band. With knee-skidding speed, asphyxiating guitar riffage, guttural vocals and speed-rivet beats, World Extermination is one of the heavies of the genre not because it tries to redefine what the genre should be, but because it so perfectly encapsulates it. Get the album as MP3s (it’s out of print) from Amazon.com. Try Nuclear Deterrence first. -- R.C.
Western Civilization -- Letters of Resignation, 2007 -- Simply great indie-pop from a bunch of sensitive souls. Available on iTunes. Recommended track: The Things We Can't Deny. -- S.C.
Woozyhelmet –- Get Down, 2008 -– If Calvin and Hobbes grew up and made an indie-rock record, this is what it would sound like. The brilliantly chaotic power trio (Susie Derkins would have to be on bass, I guess) lay down fourteen songs full of the sort of reckless abandon, goofy fun and general sense “let’s just see what happens” that recalls a childhood spent hopped up on sugar, careening down hills in rickety wagons and pondering the general weirdness of life. Available on iTunes; recommended track: Karaoke. -- J.M.
Los Skarnales -- Pachuco Boogie Sound System, 2004 -- No list of the decade would be complete without a mention of the best party band in the city that wouldn't dare call itself a party band. I'm a white girl with little knowledge of Mexican musical genres, nor do I like reggae all that much, but the mixing together of these results in one of the best live bands from Houston. That free-wheeling atmosphere was captured perfectly on this album. Available on iTunes; recommended track: Todas Las Noches. -- S.C.
Slim Thug –- Already Platimum, 2005 -– Swishahouse rapper gets help from the Neptunes, goes from local heavyweight to major star, helps cement Houston’s mid-decade dominance of mainstream hip-hop, inspires Andy Samberg parody video (“Like a Boss”), fulfills own prophecy. Available on iTunes; recommended track: Click Clack. -- J.M.
Scale the Summit -- Carving Desert Canyons, 2009 -- This Houston band's heart is in Los Angeles, where it was formed, which is why its brand of "adventure metal" sounds so much like sunny, cool skies and taking winding mountain roads at high speed. 2009 was a very good year for the young band, which will likely see greater touring and bigger headlines in the next decade. This disc makes for great driving music; try it. Available on iTunes. Recommended track: Bloom. -- S.C.
L.L. Cooper -- Old Hardin Store Road, 2007 -- Larry Cooper has the kind of voice that sticks with you; it's deep, dark, with a touch of sly sarcasm. It is the perfect accessory for his band LL Cooper's mid-tempo, organ-laced roots-rock. Available on iTunes; recommended track: Bitter. -- S.C.
Motion Turns It On -- Rima, 2007 -- A majestic mess of sound densely packed onto a six-song EP. Though this music offers no hooks or words to memorize, it does offer something grander on its 38-minute ride: escape. Opening shimmers on the title track suggest liftoff, giving way to driving drums and an angular guitar melody; a bumpy but intriguing ride. Satelightning opens violently with a moaning guitar, giving way to pure psychedelia. Daily Juice is funky and loose, the prettiest song on the disc. Available on iTunes. -- S.C.
I put together an iMix on iTunes for anyone who wants to buy a sampler of songs from some of the 100 albums that are available on iTunes:
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