Gaper's Blog

The Unheard Music Fail!!

There's a phenomenon pregnant women sometimes exhibit crudely called the 'baby dumbs' in which those with child make mental lapses that are attributed to the massive physiological and horomonal changes going on.  It's an excuse only women can use.  I set out last night to write an Unheard Music post about a band called Rational Actors I played drums for throughout high school.  I wrote a full-on four paragraph post about this band, embedded some mp3's and was all set to post it here.  Then I went to check a post I did back in September in which I thought I'd mentioned Rational Actors leading up to our 20 year high school reunion, a reunion at which 3/4's of the band would be in attendance.

In a lapse I can only blame on sleep deprivation and poor memory, I was shocked to discover that in late September of last year, I not only did a full-on post about Rational Actors, posting three of the same four songs, but I seem to have completely forgotten about it.  In the post I wrote Thursday night, there were even verbatim sentences and phrases I reused the second time around. At least I'm consistent.  What's more, is I wrote one of my bandmates and told him I was writing about the band and he didn't bat an eye either, we both seem to have forgotten I had written it a mere six months ago, even though he read the first piece and commented on it.  I've reached my self-imposed deadline, so rather than subject you to a retread, you'll have to go without this week.

So, in the absence of new content (I certainly tried) why not either suggest a band for a future Unheard Music and/or champion your favorite record/band so far this year?  Have a great weekend, I'm gonna get some sleep.

Damn Good Music at a Damn Good Price, Dammit

Someone asked me once why I've never done an Unheard Music on The Damnwells.  I just figured I'd already done so much evangelizing of the band that everybody knew about them. Not so.  This is not an Unheard Music (it's not Friday) but hopefully you will download some of their music and gain an appreciation of a grossly overlooked band.  It's not too late to hop aboard the Damnwells bandwagon.

A bit of backstory for the uninitiated.  Late 2003, I got a Best of 2003 CD from my pal Kenny.  Among a bunch of great music was a song called "New Delhi" by a band called The Damnwells, the name was familiar.   I went searching through my collection and unearthed a 4 song demo a friend of mine had sent me, he was the manager of the band.  I must've misfiled the CD because upon first listen of that demo, I was floored by it and certainly would've remembered hearing it before. Wrong righted, I was now a Damnwells fan.  I championed their music whenever and wherever I could and lobbied successfully to get them some radio airplay and some local love.  The next time they came to Chicago, I saw them live [Sleepsinging (Live)] and went backstage to meet them.  Nice guys.  After their debut, they released an iTunes-only EP which contained a stellar live version of "New Delhi [Live at XM] ".  They'd built some momentum for the release of album #2: "Air Stereo" and asked what I thought of it.  I fought hard for them to release "I Am A Leaver" as the first single, an amazing song.  The label opted for the slower song "Golden Days" which is also a great song but not as immediate.  Here's a version of the song with tour mates The Fray from You Tube.

Air Stereo came out and did fairly well.  A filmmaker also was on hand to film The Damnwells in their element eventually making a well-reviewed documentary film which made the festival rounds. Some of that material was fashioned into an electronic press kit (EPK).

Then, bad things started to happen.  The fired their manager, two original members left the band and they went dormant for a year or so.  I honestly thought they were done, I had lost contact with them and there was little activity on their website.  Flash-forward to December of last year, I got a call from the band.  They were at Double Door that night, they put me on the list and asked me to come see them.  They still had it.  Always a great live band, the addition of two new members rejuvinated them, the old stuff sounded fresh and the new material was promising.  We had drinks after the show and I was pleased to learn that they had rehired their old manager (an old high school aquaintence of mine) and had completed a new album for a 2009 release.  So, for those of you who've made it this far (or those who skimmed til the end) the good news is that the Damnwells new record is available and the better news is that it's a FREE download.  Just visit this site during February and (possibly) March and snag your own copy of "One Last Century" from Paste Magazine.  Since I put this post "to bed" before Midnight, I haven't even heard it yet.  I can't wait to hear it and I can't wait for YOU to hear it as well.  Tell me your thoughts.

10 Albums I Enjoyed in 2008.

I'll be honest, I see the end game for this blog coming down the pike.  I'm approaching 500 posts, have been at it for nearly five years and in the not-too-distant future I will become a father.  I still love doing this and will miss it if I do stop but I'll evaluate my options over the next few weeks. That said, there were some memorable records that came out last year, here are a few. By no means definitive or exhaustive, just a tidy round number.

1) The Hold Steady - Stay Positive - You either love 'em or hate 'em. Very little middle ground.  Ever since I heard their debut--The Hold Steady Almost Killed Me-- I've counted myself among their biggest fans.  To hear some of the out-sized riffs on this record, it's amazing that none of them have ever been used before.  First-rate songwriting, amazing riffage and a top-notch live show, THS were the best of 2008 for me.

2) TV on the Radio - Dear Science - I'm not quite sure who TVOTR think they are and that's a beautiful thing.  Three records in and they haven't released a bad one yet and they defy categorization.  There are two types of people when it comes to TVOTR, those who adore them and those who haven't heard them yet.

3) The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely - An old friend of mine from college said this about The Raconteurs: "I really like them but every time I hear a record, I can't help but think the world is being deprived of a great Brendan Benson record."  True that.  As much as I enjoy The Raconteurs, I do miss Brendan putting out solo material.

4) M83 - Saturdays = Youth - Bad name, great music.  Not unlike a French version of Sufjan Stevens, Anthony Gonzalez is a wise-beyond-his-years wunderkind who keeps getting better. Lush, beautiful melodies with soaring choruses.

5) Vampire Weekend - S/T - I almost forgot this came out in 2008 (early January). They rode in on a tidal wave of blogger hype and managed to be among the rare bands that actually deliver on their considerable promise.  Well-heeled preppy kids with Ivy League degrees and a serious jones for African beats and pink sweaters seemed an odd combination but not so much now that most of us accepted it and have grown to love it.

6) Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig! Lazurus, Dig! - A genre unto himself.  The best mustache in rock.  And a guy who's never made a bad record. And the only guy on this list who's ridden in the back seat of my car. For real.

7) R.E.M. - Accelerate - About time. I had just about given up on R.E.M. but since they were once my favorite band in the world, I'd given them more slack than most bands.  If they'd released another Around the Sun, that would've been it for me but instead they made a loud, rockin' album. It certainly won't make anyone forget Murmur or even Life's Rich Pageant but it's the best thing they've done since Bill Berry left.

8) Sloan - Parallel Play - They followed up the longest album of their career with their shortest.  While not as ambitious, it didn't lack any hooks either.  Why isn't this band bigger than they are?  Why aren't you listening to Sloan?

9) Kaiser Chiefs - Off With Their Heads - Like The Kinks, The Jam and Blur before them, Kaiser Chiefs are as British as fish-n-chips and a pint of lager.  They keep getting better and funnier along the way.  They must be doing something right if Noel Gallagher says they're rubbish and their girlfriends are ugly.

10) The Kooks - Konk - Konk proved that their debut was no fluke and that the Kaiser Chiefs shouldn't get to comfy as the standard bearers of Britpop.

What did you like in 2008?  2008 was a stellar year for reissues, I went nuts with the Joy Division, Replacments and U2 deluxe reissues, you?  Comment freely. Make a case for Fleet Foxes, why don'tcha?

Top Ten Live Performances of 2008

I'm getting old.  Gone is the 'Golden Era' of the Late 80's-Late 90's in which I regularly attended in the neighborhood of 100 shows a year.  It was easy, I was in college from '88-'92 and then lived in Wicker Park (three blocks from Double Door) in the Mid-to late '90's, so going to 2-3 shows a week was easy. I still saw between 40-50 shows this year, which ain't bad for an old man and honestly, I was a bit more selective, so what I did get out to see was largely quality over quantity.  Here's a list of ten shows I was glad I saw in 2008.

1) The Hold Steady - November 14th -The Riviera - So few bands let their audience see them having fun.  As if enjoying yourself is against some unwritten "Code of Rock".  Not so with The Hold Steady, the second Craig Finn takes the stage, he's beaming with a joy and excitement that's infectious. If you can't crack a smile and laugh at a Hold Steady show, you probably take yourself too seriously.

2) Killing Joke - October 14th - House of Blues - I wrote extensively about this show back in October, relive the magic by clicking here.

3) Van Halen - Allstate Arena - May 30th  - My wife and I wanted to plan a special trip to commemorate our Five Year Wedding Anniversary back in 2007. We picked an autumn week close to the actual anniversary, sat down with our travel agent and booked the trip (to Italy) and made a deposit.  About a month after we locked it in, David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen made nice, decided to tour and announced a North American Tour.  Of course the two Chicago dates fell while we'd be out of the country.  Luckily they couldn't say no to a second round of being handed Brinks trucks of dough and they toured again in 2008.  A few weeks before the Chicago date, Eddie relapsed and re-entered rehab and it looked as if the Rock Gods were going to deny me my chance to the Van Halen again.  But no, they rescheduled the date for late May and I finally got to see Diamond Dave, Eddie and Alex (but, alas, no Michael Anthony).  It rocked.

4) R.E.M. - United Center - June 6th - I almost gave up on R.E.M.  Their last album (Around The Sun) was a snoozefest and the two before it failed to justify them once being my favorite band on the planet. Then Accelerate came out and gave me hope again.  While it's not their finest, it's certainly their best since Bill Berry left the band. Even though it was an arena show, they reminded me why I once loved them so much. Hearing gems like 'Pilgrimage' and 'Pretty Persuasion' live again warmed my heart.

5) Lemonheads - Abbey Pub - May 2nd - The summer of 1992, I was painting this huge farmhouse in Iowa with a friend and we only had one cassette with us in the car, so for a week, we listened to It's A Shame About Ray on our way to the house and Juliana Hatfield's Hey Babe on the way home.  This show opened with the Ray album, start to finish, and then other Dando favorites afterward.  As Chicago began to finally feel summery, I couldn't think of a better album as the soundtrack.

6) Buddy Guy - Legends - January 17th - It's Chicago tradition, the month of January belongs to Buddy Guy, he plays his namesake club Wednesdays through Sundays all month long.  I've been going for over a decade now and while I've never seen a bad show, some certainly stick out more than others. Last year's show was simply amazing, Buddy was on fire with an amazing setlist and an intensity I'd never seen before.  He's got a lot to live up to this year.

7) Paul Weller - House of Blues - September 16th - The Modfather.  It had been over a decade since I'd seen Paul live.  Amazingly, he looked younger in 2008 than he did in 1996 and with over a decade of additional material to work with he sounded better than ever.  Curiously, he did not play a single Rickenbacker all night.

8) New Pornographers - April 20th - Riviera - Even without Neko Case, The New Pornographers delighted.  A.C. Newman played the redhead lead singer role with aplomb. And while it may seem blasphemous to say so, the best song of the night was an encore of a spot-on "Don't Bring Me Down" (E.L.O.).  They even patted themselves on the back afterward and said,  "Yeah, we've got that one down pretty good!"

9) The Residents - Lakeshore Theatre - October 15th - I missed the boat on the days when The Residents performed in the old tuxedo and eyeball mask outfits.  Even more disconcerting was seeing the 'singing Resident' without any mask in this performance.  We're not supposed to see them and for good reason.  I'm told this wasn't their best performance but I am glad I fianlly got to see them live and promise an Unheard Music on them soon.

10) Sunday Morning Chameleons - Elbo Room - April 11th/The Damnwells - Double Door - December 6th - I didn't know at the time it would be the last time I'd see SMC but it was.  They did do another gig in May but I was in Pittsburgh, then they sadly (but amicably) parted company over the summer.  The curse of me liking a band continues.  As for The Damnwells,  I thought they had already broken up.  They hadn't played Chicago in a few years and the four members lived in four different states and I hadn't heard from any of them in over a year.  Then on December 6th, I got a call from Ted, asking me to come see them at Double Door that night.  I caught them mid-set but saw enough of the old spark and a few great new songs that make me hope their label will release the album the band delivered last year.

So, did you see any of these shows?  What were your favorites of the year?  Please share with us.

A Labor Day Weekend Music Roundup

Since we're in the final grip of the dog days of summer (though it's been quite nice in Chicago this week) and we're also up against a holiday weekend in which a lot of you will be out of town, I figured I'd forgo an Unheard Music today.  Plus, nobody seemed to care about last week's selection--Electric Six-- so I'll have a new one next week.  You will not be lacking in content however.  I will write about a few of my favorite albums of the year so far and hope you will share your faves.

I know a name shouldn't sway someone one way or the other but when you name your band M83, you're kind of shooting yourself in the foot.  Even though the name came from the galaxy of the same name, who's going to know that?  The name had kept me from learning more about the band, even though I had read some favorable reviews of the band.  Then I heard the song "Kim & Jessie" on XM Radio and checked the car's display to find out who it was.  Lo and behold, it was that M83 band I'd heard about who made one of the most gorgeous songs I've heard this year.  Equal parts Talk Talk, Cocteau Twins and a dash of Sigur Ros atmosphere hints at what M83 sounds like.  M83 are French, if that mattters to any of you.

That whole band name thing dogs MGMT too, because you see the name MGMT and you think, "This band named themselves Management, why on earth would they do that??!".  But they didn't, kind of.  Apparently they were originally known as The Management but shortened it to MGMT and don't like people to call them "Management", even though that's the root of their name. Go figure. Dodgy name notwithstanding, MGMT have made a really solid, quirky record called Oraclular Spectacular.  The album highlight (for me) is "Time To Pretend".  Based in Brooklyn now (like 8 out of every 10 bands these days) they originally met and formed at Wesleyan University (Andy T. holla!). 

And last (but actually first in my heart) is the latest from Brooklyn-based band (see what I mean?!) The Hold Steady: Stay Positive.  I consider myself pretty clued in to most 'new' music especially stuff from the Midwest, which is why I'm still puzzled that I never heard the band Lifter Puller, based in Minneapolis, MN in the 90's.  Two former members of Lifter Puller went on to form The Hold Steady, who I've adored since their debut Almost Killed Me.  They had a nice little streak going, for the first three years of their existence, they released an album a year (2004, 2005, 2006) until the success of their third record was so great that they continued touring and promoting that third album Boys and Girls in America.  They took their time on this one and lead singer Craig Finn has said they were making a conscious effort to write accessable material this time out.  Their power hasn't been diminished a bit and Stay Positive may just be their best yet. Check out " Constructive Summer", it's the anthem of the summer, if you ask me.

O.K., your turn.  Post a comment telling us what your favorite(s) records or songs have been so far this year.  Or, if you prefer, tell us your Labor Day Weekend plans.

Everything I Hoped it Would Be

First off, sorry for the dearth of posts lately.  I failed to account for my readership's complete lack of internet usage over the holiday weekend, so if I'd planned ahead, I should've taken Memorial Day weekend off and posted The Screaming Blue Messiahs Unheard Music this past weekend. As it happened, the past week was a blur and was spent frantically doing housework/yardwork, planning a bachelor party (for this weekend) and what little idle time that remained was spent avoiding sports reports so I could watch Cubs games late at night on DVR. What a week for the Northsiders, eh? Seven in a row!!

Last summer we were planning a huge autumn trip to Italy to celebrate our Five Year Wedding Anniversary in October.  Of course, once you lock those plans in, something always presents itself.  In my case it was the official announcement that Van Halen had finally mended fences with David Lee Roth and were touring North America for the first time (with DLR) in over twenty years and both Chicago dates fell during the week we were going to be in Italy.  Carla felt bad and even suggested we re-book the vacation to accomodate the shows.  "No way", I said. As monumental as a Van Halen reunion is, we were not going to miss an amazing opportunity to visit Italy in order to see a two hour rock concert.  Maybe if it was The Smiths or The Replacements, we would've reconsidered.

That ended up being a sound decision as the 2007 Tour was so successful and well-received, the band decided to add another leg in 2008 playing mostly secondary markets and a few key larger markets, like Chicago. I've been fortunate as far as seeing some pretty amazing and far-ranging shows in the 25 or so years I've been attending concerts but Van Halen with David Lee Roth was on the short list of 'Must See" shows. Come hell or high water, we were going to this show, I bought a pair of tickets to see them on April 3rd at the Allstate Areana (Rosemont Horizon).  About a week into the second leg of this tour, word got out that the band was postponing the rest of the tour as Eddie Van Halen was seeking treatment for a "medical condition" (called booze) and dates would possibly be rescheduled.  Just as Kent and I were shut out vying for tickets to the 1984 Tour and we missed the first leg in 2007, I just assumed it wasn't to be. I wasn't holding my breath waiting for a rescheduled date.  Then, low and behold, they solidified a new date: May 30th, last Friday night.

The show did not disappoint.  Imagine sitting down and drafting your own Van Halen setlist, touching on the classics with a nice smattering of more obscure material as well.  David Lee Roth may have lost a few inches of hairline but still looked as chiseled as ever and was in great voice.  While looking a bit older, Eddie still shreds and hasn't lost a step.  Alex looked every day of his 55 years but still knows his way around the kit. As for Wolfgang, I don't know too many 17 year old kids who could not only play respectable bass and sing Michael Anthony's high harmonies but also not completely freak out under the pressure of touring the country playing songs twice as old as you with your dad in front of thousands of people every night.

Everyone onstage certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves, with DLR in particular having the time of his life, smiling, mugging for the video cameras and just being his campy old self. He even showed off his guitar skills on a nice version of "Ice Cream Man".

Complaints?  A few minor ones.  Lousy sound (it is a basketball arena) and despite it being on the set list for most of this tour, "Little Guitars" was not performed.  And the keyboard parts from songs from 1984 ("Jump", "I'll Wait") were completely canned, no attempt was made to even pantomime playing a keyboard.

Did anyone else go Friday, or last fall?  Who is on your list of 'must see' concerts? 

Oh No You Di'nt!

I normally wouldn't be so knee-jerk reactionary to a quote from a has-been in the music business but this story got my dander up.

If the link expires or doesn't work for you, here's what Natalie Cole said:

"I don't think she should have won," Cole said of Amy Winehouse [winning five Grammys], who is currently receiving treatment at a rehabilitation clinic for drug abuse.

"I think it sends a bad message to our young people who are trying to get into this business, the ones who are trying to do it right and really trying to keep themselves together," added Cole, 58.  "We have to stop rewarding bad behavior."

"I'm sorry. I think the girl is talented, gifted, but it's not right for her to be able to have her cake and eat it too.

"She needs to get herself together ... this is about discipline and hard work, and you don't get to just do your drugs and go onstage and get rewarded."

Cole however said she would have preferred to see R'n'B stars Beyonce or Rihanna rewarded instead of Winehouse.

This quote from a woman who:

1. Is most famous for her last name, bestowed upon her by her talented, late father.
2. Who's second most famous act was winning four (of her eight) Grammys for basically doing karaoke with her dead father on two different albums.
3. Had her own well-documented past with myriad drugs, which nearly claimed the life of her own child.
4. Seems to be playing the race card by saying Beyonce or Rihanna deserved it more.

Now I'm no Amy Winehouse apologist but I did find her record entertaining and a lot more distinctive and timeless than Beyonce or Rihanna.  I also believe that one's personal life, however tumultuous, shouldn't have any impact on their eligibility for awards or honors.  If NARAS disqualified artists from winning Grammys because of drug or alcohol abuse, it would be a pretty small stable of qualifiers/winners.  Ty Cobb was one of the biggest pricks on the planet but I doubt you'd find a single baseball fan who doesn't think he should be in Baseball's Hall of Fame or counted among baseball's greatest players.

Did anyone else see this story and were you as put off by it as I was?  I'd love to hear what you think.

It's Like A Super-Sized Unheard Music, But Elsewhere

I know I just did an Unheard Music on Friday but today's post isn't technically an Unheard Music segment, more like a giant version, on another site.  For those of you who've been visiting this site for awhile, you may recall I've done some writing for what was for a long time called jefitoblog (defunct) but as of January 1st relaunched as Popdose.com .  My old friend (and frequent commenter/collaborator) Jeff R. and I collaborated on what then (2005) was called an 'Idiot's Guide to The Smiths' in which we basically took a look at the Smiths' body of work and evaluated it, reviewed it and gave readers a primer on The Smiths and their contribution to music.  Last summer, I collaborated with Robert Cass on an Idiot's Guide to The Lemonheads.  The latest labor of love is a 'Popdose Guide to Lloyd Cole' which I wrote the bulk of but Jeff R. did some serious editing on, it's a tough job keeping a lid on my excessive wordiness.  He also helped bring the funny, when my funny bone wasn't working.

So apologies for the lack on new material here today, but if I were to count the amount of time I spent re-listening to Lloyd Cole records, reading up on Lloyd Cole history and finally, uploading Lloyd Cole songs for use in the guide, the sum total would be scary.  It goes without saying that I wouldn't have spent as much time as I did if I wasn't a huge Lloyd Cole fan, both with and without The Commotions, I consider him to be one of the most underrated and remarkably consistent songwriters working today. That he's been doing it for nearly a quarter century at such a level is even more impressive.  So consider the Pop Dose Guide I wrote to be one giant Unheard Music for a criminally underheard artist.  The are are plenty of songs to sample as well, including some rare cuts from my own personal archives. 

And for those of you you may be visiting this site from Pop Dose, welcome. I feel a bit like a chef who catered a giant batch of food for a big event but left his own restaurant unattended.  Well, I am the entire staff of this blog, so please peruse the archives or come back later in the week, when I'll have fresh material for everyone, including a new Unheard Music on Friday.

Top Records of 2007

I was out with a friend Friday night and we got into a discussion about David Bowie and how a particular Bowie song is among his favorite songs of all time but that particular song isn't even his favorite Bowie song, he has a different favorite within the Bowie canon.  I agreed with his logic and offered I have similar conflicts among my own favorite songs and artists. I'm also applying that logic to this list of favorite records of the year.  I make a "Best Of" CD every year which features my favorite songs (usually in the 20-22 song range, as many as fit onto a 80 minute CD-R) in a given year but that doesn't necessarily mean that the albums from which those songs came are my favorite albums.  Some bands/artists may have had a great single or song but the rest of the album was so-so, whereas, others may have put together a solid record with no representative standout track. Now that I've hedged and qualified my list, on to it.

M.I.A. - Kala - I am going to keep championing M.I.A. until she doesn't deserve it which seems unlikely to happen for awhile.  This is only her second record and she's still not reached her peak.  This album may lack a bit of the humor from her debut--there's nothing as funny as "URAQT" here--but she made the most interesting record I heard all year.  Not all of it works but a surprising amount does.  Give this record a try, download "$20" or "Paper Planes".

Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs /Rob Crow - Living Well - I don't even know what genre Pinback  falls into but I don't hear anyone else working their territory.  Bass driven, laser-sharp melodies, time signature hopping, sunny harmonies rock is too long to fit into an iTunes category list.  I was doubly blessed this year in that Pinback released another laser-precise gem and Rob Crow (one half of Pinback's core) also released a brilliant solo record.

Datarock - Datarock - Norway represent.  It sounds like the set up to a bad joke, what do you get when you take two Norwegians, give 'em matching red track suits and feed them a steady diet of Talking Heads, Devo and Happy Mondays? Datarock is the answer.  Fredrik and Ketil manage to simultaneously make you laugh and dance, a rare trait indeed.  And while you can pick up the influence of the aforementioned bands at various points of their record and live shows, none are obvious enough to accuse them of copying them.

LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver - I arrived late to the party on this one.  I certainly liked James  Murphy's debut a few years ago but a song like "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" has a limited shelf life and it went stale for me a long time ago.  When I heard "North American Scum" from Sound of Silver, it had a similar feel to "Daft Punk", funny and catchy but ultimately perishable.  Then I started hearing other cuts from the record and quickly changed my mind and bought the record immediately.  The next day, I brought it with me in the car and listened to it start to finish and couldn't find a bad cut on it.  In fact, I immediately lamented the fact that I had already compiled my Best of 2007 CD, beacause "Someone Great" not only deserved to be on my favorite songs CD but may be my favorite song of the year.  The video below may or may not be the official video for the song (you know You Tube and all their tribute videos) but it does contain the song, which you need to hear.

Sloan - Never Hear The End of It - I got a copy of this in late 2006 but it didn't come out in the States until early January of 2007.  That an album from so long ago is still on my list means it has the staying power of a great record. With 30 songs, a few are bound to miss their mark but a good 25 out of the 30 work.  This is an album meant to be listened to as an album, not as a bunch of songs that shuffle on your mp3 player as a lot of them are mixed togther not unlike XTC's Skylarking or Sgt. Pepper, both of which aren't bad comparisons, given the sunny, ultra-poppy melodies that abound here.

Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank - I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only person who scratched their head when they heard that Johnny Marr had joined Modest Mouse. Yet here I am still amazed at how deftly he was integrated into the band.  The 'weird' MM is still there, just reined in a bit.  A song like "Florida" has enough of the old charm that has always made MM interesting but it has a built-in end point.  Still one of the odder million-selling bands working today.

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away - They waited just long enough for the inevitable post-Garden State backlash to die down and remind us why we like them so much.   A thoroughly enjoyable record from start to finish.  In "Sea Legs" they have made the only song I ever thought might threaten to surpass "The Past and Pending" as my favorite Shins song.

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga- Silly title aside, Spoon keep hitting at a Ted Williams level.  This doesn't quite match Gimme Fiction but where Fiction had amazing highs, Ga is more solidly consistent throughout.  Not a bad song in the bunch.

White Stripes - Icky Thump - If you make four left turns you end up right where you started but Jack and Meg have managed to continually make left turns album after album and have covered a remarkable amount of ground. The marimbas and pianos are gone from Satan and the rock is back.  The fun is back too, "Rag and Bone" is both funny and rockin' and "Conquest" is an inspired cover.

Fountains of Wayne - Traffic and Weather - There are two types of people, those who love FoW and  those who hate FoW, I'm in the former category.  They set the bar pretty high with 2003's Welcome Interstate Managers and this album doesn't try to be "Welcome 2" and that's good.  The type of person who loves FoW will catch the Billy Joel reference in "Strapped For Cash" and think it's funny and the person who hates FoW will point to that reference as a bad sign or even feign Billy Joel ignorance and claim to not even get the joke at all.  These are the same people who think the second Clap Your Hands Say Yeah record (which they bought on vinyl) is even better than the debut.

There are some EPs I really liked, most notably Sunday Morning Chameleon's More Human and Lamps.  I wasn't overwhelmed by Wilco's Sky Blue Sky or Radiohead's In Rainbows but both had their moments.  I really wanted to love The National's Boxer but just liked it instead.  Since it came out so early in the year and got played to death everywhere, Arcade Fire's Neon Bible wore out its' welcome for me.  Rilo Kiley's Under the Blacklight was fun, like an updated, sexier Fleetwood Mac.

I'm certain an album you really loved isn't on this list, by all means tell us about it and how that made you feel.  You can also agree with my picks and/or tell me if I helped you get into a record last year.

Tony Wilson 1950-2007

Tony Wilson passed away in Manchester, England on Friday after a bout with cancer, he was 57.  Oddly enough, it was a heart attack that killed him, not the cancer that forced the removal of one of his kidneys earlier this year. 

Without overstating things, Wilson was one the most influential musical pioneers in England, ever.  Really. Wilson was a presenter on Granada Televsion, hosting the show So It Goes which featured artists like The Sex Pistols and Siouxie & The Banshees.  He founded Factory Records, the home to Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays, A Certain Ratio, Section 25 and many others.  In an unheard of arrangement for any label before, Factory split frofits with the artists 50/50.  It's a business model still followed by a few Indies today, namely Chicago's Touch & Go Records.  He famously signed the contract Factory drafted for Joy Division in his own blood.  In the early 80's he partnered with New Order and opened The Hacienda, a nightlcub which at one point was losing the partners £10,000 a month (nobody drank, they all took ecstasy) but it did launch rave culture and helped transform Manchester, England from a bleak industrial city to one of the most important musical cities of the 80's-90's.

If you're interested in a great (albeit slightly exaggerated) version of Tony's life and influence, check out the teriffic film 24 Hour Party People, which stars Steve Coogan as Wilson and features cameos from many of the musicians of Manchester and Wilson himself. Having seen it no less than a dozen times already, I may just have to watch it again tonight. When I visited England in 1999, I spent a great deal of time in London but when given the choice of a weekend trip, I had to choose between Amsterdam, Liverpool or Manchester, I chose Manchester in a heartbeat, due in no small part to the mystique that Tony Wilson helped to foster in his hometown.  Even though I never met Tony, I love a lot of the bands he championed and have learned a great deal about him from a few great books and the 24 Party People movie, so I was a bit saddened to hear of his passing, it's like hearing about a great uncle you've never met is gone.