Nick 13 - Self Titled (2011)

Granted, I'm a slightly new Tiger Army/Nick 13 fan (I know, late-pass city), I felt like expressing how incredibly talented of a singer/songwriter he is via his solo album, rather than posting about Tiger Army. I've been a huge fan of the whole California punk/hardcore/metal collective since my early teens. AFI, Bleeding Through, Eighteen Visions, Adamantium, Mean Season, Avenged Sevenfold (yes, I like them, legitimately), and more recently, Tiger Army & Nick 13. Tiger Army is awesome, especially in a sense that they blend traditional upbeat anthemic punk with a rockabilly twang. When I found out Nick 13 also had a solo album that was more country & Americana oriented, I had to check it out. Goddamn, this record is so good. His voice sounds even more like a mix between Chris Isaak, Elvis and Morrissey on this than it does on the TA stuff, where it slightly bends more in the direction of a more melodic Davey Havok. The style of music throughout and the lyrical content are like a contemporary/modern Johnny Cash, instrumentally, with similar undertones, while also slightly reminding me of the late, great Roy Orbison. Plain and simple, the fact that I truly and honestly enjoy a predominantly country-esque album is an understatement. 

This is just great music, flat out.

Someday, I'll wander no more.