Top 10 Alt-country bands

If Hiss Golden Messenger qualifies as Alt-country, IMHO they go right to the top of the list. However, they sound more Alt-acoustic blues to me. Either way, Poor Moon is a stunningly good record.

Marty

HGM certainly would be Alt Country in my book, pretty damn pure form of it at that. Their last 2 releases, Haw and Lord I Love the Rain are right up there with Poor Moon. Give them a go if you have not already. I'd recommend the Bandcamp downloads as they are 24bit and Haw comes with a great 4 track bonus EP.

Phosphorescent is probably the one I play more than any other. One of my all time favorite song writers. My wife is about to ban me from playing "A New Anhedondia" (track 7 on his latest) anymore, it seems to be on here at least a couple times a day:)

The Gourds & Giant Sand (or Howe Gelb) are a couple I like

Admittedly, I'm not really much of a country music fan however I'm a fan of the Massachusetts band Beat Circus and their record 'Boy from Black Mountain' won the 9th Annual Independent Music Award for Best Alt/Country album in 2009. If your not familiar with Beat Circus, then I recommend that you give them a chance with this record.
Best.

Wilco Alt-country? Puh-leez.