Top 50 of 2010!

1. Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
2. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
3. Robyn - Body Talk
4. Marina & the Diamonds - The Family Jewels
5.Frankie Rose & The Outs - s/t
6. Zola Jesus - Stridulum II
7.Super Wild Horses - Fifteen
8. Woods - At Echo Lake
9. Night Gallery - Constant Struggle
10. Grass Widow - Past Time
11. Tamaryn - The Waves
12. Beach Fossils -s/t
13. Nobunny - First Blood
14. Reading Rainbow - Prism Eyes
15. Ty Segall - Melted
16. Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
17.Effi Breist - Rhisomes
18. Blank Dogs - Land & Fixed
19. Women - Public Strain
20. Wavves- King of the Beach
21. Janelle Monae - The Archandroid
22. Sufjan Stevens - Age of Adz
23. Magic Kids - Memphis
24. The New Pornographers - Together
25. LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
26. The Sadies - Darker Circles
27. She & Him - Volume 2
28. Drake - Thank Me Later
29. of Montreal - False Priest
30. Liars - Sisterworld
31. Ted Leo & Pharmacists - Brutalist Bricks
32. Kings Go Forth - The Outsiders Are Back
33. Glasser - Ring
34. Jamie Lidell - Compass
35. The Girls at Dawn - Call the Doctor
36. The Vaselines - Sex with an X
37. Goldfrapp - Head First
38. Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love
39. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - I Learned the Hard Way
40. Algebro - the Algebro Album
41. Scissor Sisters - Night Work
42. MGMT - Congratulations
43. The Limiñanas - s/t
44. Disappears - Lux
45. Crowded House - Intriguer
46. Best Coast - Crazy for You
47. The Autumn Defense - Once Around
48. Antony & the Johnsons - Swanlights
49. Stereolab - Not Music
50. My Chemical Romance - Danger Days

Top 50 of 2009!

1. Califone - All My Friends Are Funeral Singers
2. Woods - Songs of Shame
3. Ganglians - Monster Head Room
4. VEEDEE - Public Mental Health System
5. Wizzard Sleeve - s/t
6. Magnolia Electric Co. - Josephine
7. Smith Westerns - s/t
8. Fresh and Onlys - s/t
9. Cheveu - Cheveau
10. So Cow - s/t
11. Static Static - Psychic Eyes
12. Cold Cave - Love Comes Close
13. White Wires - s/t
14. Molina and Johnson - s/t
15. CoCoComa - Things Are Not All Right
16. Almighty Defenders - s/t
17. Zola Jesus - The Spoils
18. Kurt Vile - Childish Prodigy
19.The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
20. King Khan and BBQ Show - Invisible Girl
21. Real Estate - s/t
22. Thee Oh Sees - Help
23. Baroness - Blue Record
24. Nothing People - Late Night
25. Meth Teeth - Everything Went Wrong
26. Jacuzzi Boys - No Seasons
27. Coathangers - Scramble
28. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Beware
29. The Yolks - s/t
30. Baby Teeth - Hustle Beach
31. Jay Reatard - Watch Me Fall
32. The Dutchess & the Duke - Sunset/Sunrise
33. Vivian Girls - Everything Goes Wrong
34. Blank Dogs - Under and Under
35. Former Ghosts - Fleurs
36. On Fillmore - Extended Vacation
37. John Doe & The Sadies - Country Club
38. Lady GaGa - The Fame Monster
39. The Intelligence - Fake Surfers
40. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
41. Sir Lord Von Raven - Please Throw Me Back in the Water
42. Box Elders - Alice and Friends
43. Dent May - The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele
44. Young Fresh Fellows - I Think This Is
45. Monsters of Folk - s/t
46. Shrinebuilder - s/t
47. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
48. Ty Segal - Lemons
49. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
50. Flight of the Conchords - I Told You I Was Freaky

Just Because...

Songs From My Digital Music Library That Contain the Word Because:

1. Because - The Beatles
2. Because - Alice Cooper with the Bee Gees
3. Because I Do - X
4. Because Of You - Gene Clark
5. Because Of You - Glaxo Babies
6. Because The Night - Patti Smith Group
7. Because The Night - Bruce Springsteen
8. Because You're Young - David Bowie
9. I'm Leaving You Because I Don't Love You - Jens Lekman
10. Just Because - Lloyd Price
11. Just Because I Do - My Morning Jacket
12. Let's Hear That String Part Again, Because I Don't Think They Heard It All The Way In Bushnell - Sufjan Stevens

(Idea from another blog)

Top 10 of 2008 and more!

1. Blank Dogs On Two Sides
2. Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Primary Colours
3. Cut/Copy In Ghost Colours
4. Gentleman Jesse and His Men - s/t
5. Liam Finn - I'll Be Lightning
6. Portishead - Third
7. Nobunny - Love Visions
8. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Dig Lazarus Dig!
9. Cheap Time - s/t
10. Vivian Girls - s/t


...AND MORE (unranked):
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Crystal Stilts - Alight of Night
Thee Oh Sees - The Master's Bedroom is
Worth Spending a Night In
The Goodnight Loving - s/t
Two Cow Garage - Speaking in Cursive
Tilly & The Wall - o
The Wax Museums - s/t
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Lie Down In the Light
Sloan - Parallel Play
No Age - Nouns
Mudcrutch - s/t
Matthew Sweet - Sunshine Lies
Old 97s - Blame It On Gravity
R.E.M. - Accelerate
TV on the Radio Dear Science
She & Him Volume 1
Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular


Still to come: 7"s...

Coming Soon: Year End Type Thing

This year my number one is disappointment. Many old faves let me down. I'll get something up before the end of the year, I sorta promise.

Up up up!

here ya go!

McCain thumbs up

Now thru election day I will give you a different McCain photo with his thumbs up:

I Just Broke a Compact Disc

It was the quite out of print Man Of Colours by Icehouse. I had, fortunately, uploaded it to the hard drive. There's only 2 really great songs on it. I seemed to remember this album as being way better back in 1987 when I owned it on cassette. John Oates co-wrote of the good songs, which helps explain why it's kinda the one GOOD song on the album. I probably would never have reached for this CD to put it on, so it's not that sad that I broke it. Let this be a lesson: don't leave a CD not in a case under a blanket on your bed. You're asking for a broken CD.

New Degrassi Starts Friday!

Short Rabbits - Dying By Inches

Pissy dark Cleveland punk strikes again. This is some dark angry shit that absolutely rocks and sounds like it could have come from anytime. Bass player Charlie Ditto used to be in Easter Monkeys (we have their Splendor of Sorrow LP right now too). Isn't it just rad when someone comes back 25 years later still making fresh relevant music? If you want something to keep your blood boiling as it gets chilly, check this out.

Beardo of the Week

Phil Collins!

He had a beard, briefly.

The Sam O'Rama Halloween 2008 Video Variety Thingy

Tim and Eric make another creepy video

You Dont Know Me (Ben Folds featuring Regina Spektor)

Still Loving Liam Finn

There was a whole lot of great shows in the city tonight: Beck, Thee Oh Sees, Wreckless Eric, Gomez...uh Alanis Morrisette? But I was happy to be with Sooz at Lakeshore Theatre for Liam Finn. It was his first headlining show in Chicago and he had a couple more musicians with him including his little brother Elroy which kinda freaked me out as a long time Neil Finn Fann. Anyhoot, a super great show, go see them! Buy the album!

The new iTunes Genius thing,

Genius is an understatement. This thing is a Harvard grad on steroids and heroin. Unfreakingstoppable. You pick a song, it makes you a playlist. For example:
I gave it Lost in Love - Air Supply and it provides:
Babe - Styx
On and on - Stephen Bishop
Reminiscing - Little River Band
Can't Fight This Feeling - Reo Speedwagon
Harden My Heart - Quarterflash
Dance With Me - Orleans
The Things We Do For Love - 10cc
True - Spandau Ballet
Who's Crying Now - Journey
Do You Believe In Love - Huey Lewis & The News
Goodbye Girl - David Gates
In Too Deep - Genesis
Song Sung Blue - Neil Diamond
Sister Christian - Night Ranger
All Out of Love - Air Supply
Beth - Kiss
How Much I Feel - Ambrosia
I'm So Excited - The Pointer Sisters
Longer - Dan Fogelberg
Still The One - Orleans
I'd Really Love to See You Tonight -England Dan and John Ford Coley
Ride Like the Wind - Christopher Cross
Baby Come Back - Player
Keep On Loving You - REO Speedwagon

AMAZING!! I'll try something more interesting next.

Gentleman Jesse and His Men - s/t

While we're still in powerpop land (there's that word again!) allow me to bend your ear on this fine release from Douchemaster Records. I LOVE this album. I was singing along on like the second go-thru. The cover is certainly an homage to Mr. Costello, and the music captures the excitement of those first few Attractions records. We have the CD in stock, the vinyl may be gone for good.

Milk N' Cookies - s/t Vinyl Reissue

Radio Heartbeat has been putting out beautiful vinyl reissues of impossible to find 70s awesomeness (I don't like to pigeonhole it as "powerpop" because that is a dirty word to some ROCK fans) and this Milk N' Cookies reissue is a really lovely thing to behold. The first LP is the scrapped Island full length from 1974 (later out on Sire in 1976) and the second LP is a 45 RPMer of singles. These guys had a timeless look that I'd place as suburban Ramones and the sound is not-as-cheezy Bay City Rollers fuck yeah. If you dig current bands like the Busy Signals and Cheap Time and also have a sweet tooth, I would pick this up ASAP. I can't imagine it being around for long. Serious dance around your room good time stuff here.

Slow News Day?

Poison stops in Boise, gives $25 tip to server

You almost don't have to read the article with that headline, but you should.

Smith Westerns "Irukandji" 7" and the Temple of Whoomp! There it Is!

Anyone who knows me is already sick of me yammering about Smith Westerns. I'm sorry. Look, we finally have their first 7" on HoZac so I'm gonna wear it out almost as much as that Men Without Hats "Pop Goes The World" 7" in 1987. It's like shooting up chocolate milk. You might jump on your bed. Your dog probably won't like it. You most likely won't regret it in the morning. Look, a music video: