The 11 Best Albums of 2008 (so far)

This will be my last post for awhile. I'm on the verge of having my second kid, so I'm planning to take a brief hiatus but shall return for the new Beck...with a sleigh of goodies.

It's mid-terms and let's see how the year is unfolding so far...these are my faves...what are yours?

The 11 Best Albums of 2008 (so far):

1. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
2. The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely (only $5.00!!)
   
3. Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
4. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
5. Mars Volta - Bedlam in Goliath
6. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals (free!!)
   
7. She and Him - Volume One
8. Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell (With free remix disc)
9. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
10. The Watson Twins - Fire Songs
11. Tapes N Tapes - Walk It Off

The 11 Best Anniversary Songs:

I don't like talking about the bands I list on the site. There are 5000 music blogs in this world. Every single one of them talks about the music. If I'm just like them...then what's the point of reading this blog?

But the release of the The Anniversary's B-side album is a reason to break the mold. For those who don't know them, The Anniversary was one of the bands that helped defined the emo scene. Their album, Your Majesty, was hailed by many as not only one of the best albums of 2002, but possibly the best album of the year. Success seemed like a forgone conclusion. Real estate brokers were lining up in hopes of helping them buy their first of many mansions. Car companies were gifting them fully stocked vehicles in hopes of peeling off one endorsement. Even Macy's was planning to rename the 10th marriage anniversary from the Tin Anniversary to the Anniversary Anniversary. But then...despite standing on the doorstep of superstardom...The Anniversary broke up. Half the members formed The Only Ones, while one of the singers formed D*R*I. Both bands have struggle at achieving even marginal recognition.

Today, the Anniversary will have one more bat at the plate by releasing a double-album packed with B-Sides. Interestingly, there are more b-sides than official album tracks, which makes this release less like an addition to their career and more like a final act.

The Anniversary's B-Side album, Devil On Our Side, is out now. Buy it!

The 11 Best Anniversary Songs:

1. Husam, Husam (Your Majesty)
2. Peace, Pain, and Regret (Your Majesty)
3. All Things Ordinary (Designing A Nervous Breakdown)
4. Outro in No Minor (Designing A Nervous Breakdown)
5. The Death of the King (Your Majesty)
6. The D in Detroit (Designing A Nervous Breakdown)
7. Sweet Marie (Your Majesty)
8. The Siren Sings (Your Majesty)
9. Alright For Now (7" split)
10. Emma Discovery (Designing A Nervous Breakdown)
11. Vasil + Bluey (7" Split)

Today, I'm doing something different...instead of posting songs from the Anniversary (since I did that already) I'm going to post two B-side tracks that didn't make the cut of the new album.

1. Up In the Sky
2. Anais

The 11 Best Reggie and the Full Effect Songs

First the Earth cooled.

Then, rock stars came. But they got too big and fat and they all died and rock turned into emo.

Then the Get-up Kids came. And they defined punk emo. But they, also, got too fat...although, instead of dying...they broke up into a hundred different bands: The New Amsterdams (folk emo), The Blackpool Lights (rock emo), The Terrible Twos (kids emo), and White Whale (prog emo). But the least known side project...and the one who has been around the longest is Reggie and the Full Effect, which is fronted by the GUK's keyboardist, James Dewess. Originally, it was started as a joke...but now with six albums under their belt...they have more songs to their name than the Get-Up Kids ever did. True dat.

The 11 Best Reggie and the Full Effect Songs:

1. Congrats Matt and Christine (Promotional Copy)
2. Take Me Home, Please (Songs Not To Get Married To)
3. Congrats Smack and Katy (Under the Tray)
4. Relive the Magic (Promotional Copy)
5. Get Well Soon (Songs Not To Get Married To)
6. Your Boyfriend Hates Me (Greatest Hits '84 - '87)
7. Your Girlfriends Hate Me (Lord of the Bling EP)
8. The Two Blings (Lord of the Bling EP)
9. Thanx For Stayin (Promotional Copy)
10. Girl Why'd You Run Away (Greatest Hits '84 - '87)
11. From Me 2 U (Promotional Copy)

Buy Reggie and the Full Effect's new album, Last Stop: Crappy Town.

The 11 Best Sigur Ros Songs

The First Rule of Fight Club: Don't talk about Fight Club.

It's no long news that the new GNR leaked yesterday. 9 fully mastered tracks are now every where on the internet.

The world has changed in the 15 years that Axl has been working on the album (even though there's still a Bush in the White House). The computers in our cell phones are more powerful than the computers that used to sit on our desks. People communicate more over email and text than any other form of communication. And news is instantaneous. I could be at the top of Mt. Everest pull out my cell phone and get up-to-minute reports of the Dodger game. When 15 years ago, I'd be lucky to find a news paper that could get the information to me within a week. So what' the point of holding the genie in the bottle.

Instead of embracing the new world of technology like Coldplay, Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, The Offspring, and others...GNR (and their label) is running around threatening to sue anyone that even reports the information. Even the GNR websites are forbidding their users to talk about it. What good will this do? Make people care less about your product.

Well, I will say...I've listened to it. And it's good. Let people trade the songs. Let people talk about the product...all it can do is give you more publicity and help you sell more items.

Here Are The 11 Best Sigur Ros Songs:

1. Hoppipolla (Takk...)
2. Svefn-G-Englar (Agaestis Byrjun)
3. Vaka - Track 1 ( () )
4. Saeglopur (Takk...)
5. Ny Batteri (Agaestis Byrjun)
6. I Gaer (Hvaf - Heim)
7. Glosoli (Takk...)
8. Agaestis Byrjun (Agaestis Byrjun)
9. Ba ba (BA BA TI KI DI DO)
10. NjoSnaveLinin - Track 4 ( () )
11. Hafsol (Hvaf - Heim)

Buy Sigur Ros' new album, Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust.

The 11 Best Coldplay Songs

Today gay marriage became legal in California. The state didn't fall off into the ocean. A giant sinkhole didn't open up and suck everyone in. Instead, lots of people had a very good day.

Here's what I don't understand, all these anti-gay marriage haters say that gay marriage destroys marriage. But how is getting married...destroying marriage? Doesn't DIVORCE destroy marriage? Adultery? Abusive spouses? Why are all these things all okay...but more people getting married is a bad thing?

Here are the 11 Best Coldplay Songs:

1. Don't Panic (Parachutes)
2. Clocks (A Rush of Blood To The Head)
3. Easy To Please (Brothers and Sisters)
4. Talk (X&Y)
5. Spies (Parachutes)
6. White Shadows (X&Y)
7. Things I Don't Understand (B-Side)
8. Green Eyes (A Rush of Blood To The Head)
9. Speed of Sound (X&Y)
10. The Scientist (A Rush of Blood To The Head)
11. Sparks (Parachutes)

Buy Viva La Vida NOW!

The 11 Best Offspring Songs:

We are on the verge of $5.00 gas. When less than 3 years ago, we just broke the $2.00 per gallon barrier. Why the sudden surge in price? Well...let's look at why prices go up in the first place. In any free market, there are two entities that decide the price: the supply and the demand. Of course, it's slightly more complicated than that...but these are the two major factors that control price in any situation. So, how is the supply of oil? Currently, it's normal. And if anything, it's more plentiful than ever. So, the supply is not the problem...which would mean the demand is the problem. Well, interesting enough, volume is down. People are actually buying less gas. We're turning in our SUVs for sedans...and sedans for hybrids. So why is the price so high? Well, like any inflated market...it's hype. Gas was going to go up...and those who knew anything about the industry knew this years ago and began buying oil futures. But recently, oil futures have become the hot commodity. People who know nothing about the industry see the escalating prices at the pump and are dumping money into oil futures, falsely inflating the price. Also, middle men are beginning to stockpile the oil believing that there will always be a need. But let's take a look at history...what happens when there's too much supply...not enough demand...and over-inflated items. That's right: crash. Well, with an oil man in the White House, it'll never crash...but it will go down. Also, the oil companies should be the ones panicking. What happens when a product becomes too overpriced for consumers...the consumers find another way. (Remember Napster?)

Here are the 11 Best Offspring Songs:

1. Self-Esteem (Smash)
2. The Kids Aren't Alright (Americana)
3. Gone Away (Ixnay on the Hombre)
4. Have You Ever (Americana)
5. The Meaning Of Life (Ixnay on the Hombre)
6. Can't Repeat (Greatest Hits)
7. Vultures (Conspiracy of One)
8. Million Miles Away (Conspiracy of One)
9. Smash It Up (Batman Forever)
10. Dirty Magic (Ignition)
11. Bad Habit (Smash)

Buy the new Offspring album, Rise and Fall, Age and Grace. TODAY!

The 11 Best My Morning Jacket Songs

Are the NBA Finals fixed? Are the NBA games fixed? No one wants to admit it...everyone wants to believe the games are honest. But we all know deep inside that the NBA has been controlling the games. There is too much money involved for NBA to take a completely hands off approach. It would be just plain bad business. Sure it's illegal. But jails aren't built for law-abiding citizens. Through-out this series, Boston has been given incredible freedom on defense. It's been almost amazing to see the level of foul they are able to get away with. In game 2, Pierce flat out punched Kobe and Kobe got the foul. Don't get me wrong, I hate Kobe Bryant...I think he deserves a punch in the face. But how is fixing the series a benefit to anyone? The games become unwatchable. I'd rather my team lose fair and square. I'll watch that game. But a fixed game? What's the point of even tuning in?

Here are the 11 Best My Morning Jacket Songs:

1. Golden (original) - (It Still Moves) & the acoustic version on (Acoustic Citsuoca)
2. Cobra (Chocolate and Ice)
3. One Big Holiday (It Still Moves)
4. O Is the One That Is Real (Split EP w/ Songs: Ohia)
5. Anytime (Z)
6. The Way That He Sings (At Dawn)
7. Where To Begin (Elizabethtown Sdtk.)
8. Just One Thing (It Still Moves)
9. Gideon (Z)
10. Chills (Off The Record B-Side)
11. By My Car (Tennessee Fire)

Buy the My Morning Jacket's new album, Evil Urges.

The 11 Best Songs By The Wallflowers

In less than a month, I'm going to be a father for the second time. The crazy thing about fatherhood is realizing how much your kid absorbs everything about you. They reuse phrases that you've used, they like the same things you do, and they even learn how to mimic your mannerisms. Recently, I was watching a basketball game on TV. The team I was rooting for wasn't doing too well. I was upset. I wasn't to the point where I was hurtling empty beer bottles at the TV in hopes they crossed the space/time continuum and beaned the officials in the head, but I was annoyed to the say the least. My daughter picked up on this. Because on the next possession, my team missed a shot. Irate, I said, "Damn it." I caught myself, realizing my daughter was in the room. But my daughter had me beat. She looked up at me smiling and said, "Oh fuck." (One note: my daughter is only 2). I never swear that badly watching a game on TV, but somehow my daughter was able to associate my anger with certain "anger words," including the infamous "F" word. At that moment, not only was I upset that my daughter had started learning swear words....I was the proudest I ever had been in my entire life. Why? Because she was on her way to becoming a true basketball fan.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Wallflowers:

1. Sleepwalker (Breach)
2. One Headlight (Bringing Down The Horse)
3. Closer To You (Red Letter Days)
4. Laughing Out Loud (Bringing Down The Horse)
5. Murder 101 (Breach)
6. Days of Wonder (Rebel, Sweetheart)
7. Everything I Need (Red Letter Days)
8. The Beautiful Side of Somewhere (Rebel, Sweetheart)
9. I Wish I Felt Nothing (Bringing Down The Horse)
10. Everybody Out Of the Water (Red Letter Days)
11. Hand Me Down (Breach)

By Jakob Dylan's new album, Seeing Things...not to be confused with N*E*R*D's Seeing Sounds.

Hear a free preview of the album at James Perse. If you're not familiar with James Perse, grab some of his clothes while you're at it. You won't be sorry. Possibly some of the most comfortable clothes I own.

The 11 Best N*E*R*D Songs

Today I spent two hours in the car because of a car accident on the 405. In my new car, I have XM radio. I spent two hours switching channels, looking for a good song, for the entire trip. Even with over 200 channels at my disposal, I struggled to find something to listen to. And ironically, the best music I found was on the regular FM stations. XM is supposed to be the next evolution in radio...but sounds like it's a giant step backward. It's impossible to tell the theme of some stations...the metal station is playing Green Day...the alternative station is playing Tom Petty...and the 80s station was playing Nirvana.

Having this many stations is like going a giant buffet where your favorite dishes are always empty...and you stand around waiting for the server to come and refill the trays. And usually, by the time the server finally shows up...you're not hungry anymore.

Satellite radio is a novel concept but it's completely different than satellite TV. We watch TV when we want to...we decide when we want to watch the shows. We don't decide when to listen to radio...90% of the time, it's randomly when we are in the car. When you have computer decide what songs to play based on demographics, you get a playlist without and cohesiveness. And just because we have more crap to listen to...doesn't make the music sound any better.

The 11 Best N*E*R*D Songs:

1. Run To the Sun (In Search Of...)
2. Stay Together (In Search Of...)
3. Jump (Fly or Die)
4. Rock Star (In Search Of...)
5. Tape You (In Search Of...)
6. Lapdance (In Search Of...)
7. Drill Sergeant (Fly or Die)
8. Fly or Die (Fly or Die)
9. Things Are Getting Better (In Search Of...)
10. Loser (Clones)
11. Maybe (Fly or Die)

Buy N*E*R*D's new album, Seeing Things.

THE UNKNOWN: Jewel - Save The Linoleum

Sunday gave us the 2008 MTV movie awards. An amusing award show only for all the mildly entertaining comic sketches....but abysmal when it comes to actual awards of merit. I can forgive all the silly awards for films like Step Up 2 and Never Back Down...but giving Transformers Best Picture may be the most insulting of all. The movie sucked. Most people who saw the movie thought it sucked. Awarding it with best picture of the year is like awarding Nickelback's Rock Star with Song of the Year...or Nora Roberts with the Pulitzer Prize. Basically, all the movies nominated were popular with the youth vote...actually let me re-iterate, a youth audience went to see the movies...they didn't necessarily like the movies...they just went there because it was the most convenient place to go to get stoned without getting caught.

The big lesson to be learned from this...don't let the general public vote for quality.

Before Jewel sold-out for the mainstream...she had an indie hit EP called Save the Linoleum. It's dated now...but a good example of which direction she could have gone.

THE UNKNOWN: Jewel - Save The Linoleum:

1. God's Gift To Women
2. Intro
3. I'm Sensitive (live)
4. Who Will Save Your Soul?
5. Race Car Driver
6. Flower
7. I'm Sensitive

Buy Jewel's new album....Perfectly Clear.