The 11 Best Songs By Ty Segall of 2012

While Ryan Adams was sleeping, Ty Segall decided to fill our stocking with three full length albums this year.  Maybe Ty made Green Day jealous.  In all fairness to Ryan, he did put out a 15-disc live vinyl box set.  Yeah, he did.

While some people have embraced Ty's proliferation, many people are criticizing him for putting out too much sub par material.  While not everything is great...there was still a lot of awesome songs stuffed into the three albums.  Enough songs that I could have done 22 top songs...and it still would have been a quality list.  I've always found it a strange how critics lament about the length of time an album took.  I understand the "rushed" feeling...but Beck made a slew of albums all recorded in a day.  And all of them sound fresh.  It should matter if an album took 1 year or 10 years to make...it should only matter on the quality of the product.  And there are many albums that take years to make...and they're still loaded with filler songs.

Here are Ty Segall's 11 Best Songs from 2012:

1. You're The Doctor (Twins)
2. Thank God For Sinners (Twins)
3. The Black Glove/Rag (Hair)
4. The Hill (Twins)
5. Tell Me What's Inside Your Heart (Slaughterhouse)
6. Crybaby (Hair)
7. The Tongue (Slaughterhouse)
8. Diddy Wah Diddy (Slaughterhouse)
9. Easy Ryder (Hair)
10. There Is No Tomorrow (Twins)
11. Scissor People (Hair)

Buy Ty Segall's albums, Twins, Slaughterhouse, and Hair...now!!

The Best Albums of 2012 (1-11)

It's the end of the year.  2012...and we survived.  Unless some mad Mayan rises from the grave in the next three days and turns us all into zombies and the inevitable Irwin Allen disaster picture.  Anything's possible.

So here are my top pics for favorite albums of 2012.  It's really a toss-up between Jack and Corin.  I went with Corin in the final coin flip because I find myself going back to the record more than JW.  It's honestly the strongest thing she's put out since the heart of the Sleater-Kinney years...if not better in some ways.

Now it's your turn.  Send in your top album pics for 2012 and I'll compile them in my super 111 best album list that I'll post about a week from now.

Remember it doesn't have to be twenty.  It can be any number of albums you liked.  Just post them in the comment section or email me.

Have a great new year!

Here are the Best Albums of 2012 (1-11):

1.  The Corin Tucker Band - Kill My Blues
2.  Jack White - Blunderbuss
3.  The Big Pink - Future This
4.  Lana Del Rey - Born To Die/Paradise
5.  Passion Pit - Gossamer
6.  Shins - Port of Morrow
7.  The xx - Coexist
8.  Delta Spirit - Delta Spirit
9.  The Divine Fits - A Thing Called Divine Fits (Bonus Track)
10.  Niki & Dove - Instinct
11.  Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods

Buy these albums and more...now!!!

The Best Albums of 2012 (12-22)

Merry Christmas to all.

Sometimes Christmas surprises you.  For years I've grown complacent with Christmas presents.  Not for others.  For others I go all out spending most of the year trying to figure out exactly what they want.  What I'm referring to is what is given to me.  I'm not bitching about peoples' generosity, everyone around me is very generous but sometimes their presents miss the mark and I spend most of the day smiling and thanking people for something I'm figuring out how I'm going to return.  This year something different happened.  I'm a huge Smashing Pumpkins fan...if you haven't noticed in my Billy Corgan manlove.  I've purchased all the reissues thus far.The Pumpkins reissues have been one of the best remaster/editions to come out in years.  Though it comes close to the "wall of sound" disaster that ruined Nevermind...it toes close enough to the line to respectfully keep the original sound intact.  Naturally, I admired the Mellon Collie box set from afar.  I thought the Pisces price tag of $40 was steep...but the Mellon Collie set weighs in at over $100.  Granted you get 5 discs worth of material...plus a DVD.  It was still far above what I could handle paying.  I joked with my brother about getting it for me...knowing fair well that he would never cough up the dough for it.  My brother would rather spend $100 on polishing the tires on his Maserati than ever think about doing something like this.  Granted, his tires do get dirty very easily.  I had begun plotting how I might be able to download the bonus tracks though the availability of them was very slim.  I had resigned the fact that this one would be the box set that would just get away.  Then, Christmas morning I unwrapped it.  The last present under the tree happened to be the one thing I wanted that I never thought I'd have.  Though it wasn't from my brother...it was a bit of a Christmas miracle.

A post about this SP set will be coming shortly...

Here are the Best Albums of 2012 (12-22):

12.  Jeff The Brotherhood - Hypnotic Nights 
13.  Chiddy Bang - Breakfast 
14.  Of Monsters and Men - My Head Is An Animal 
15.  Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
16.  The Raveonettes - Observator 
17.  Crystal Castles - III
18.  Craig Finn - Clear Heart Full Eyes 
19.  Japandroids - Celebration Rock 
20.  Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth 
21.  The Lumineers - The Lumineers 
22.  Kendrick Lamar - good kid, maad city (Bonus Track)

Buy these albums and more now!!!

The Best Albums of 2012 (23-33):

I dragged my feet on getting the countdown out this year.  The contributions so far have been fairly slim.  I know you all listen to music.  I know you all have your favorites.  So let's hear them.

It's the day before Christmas and I've sat down to spend the next 48 hours watching screeners.  If you guys are good and get your lists in, I'll loan them to you.  You know you want to watch the Hobbit in the comfort of your own home.  So, get shaking.

Here the Best Albums of 2012 (23-33):

23.  Minus The Bear - Infinity Overhead
24.  Bob Dylan - Tempest
25.  Soundgarden - King Animal
26.  The Killers - Battle Born (Bonus Track)
27.  Conor Oberst - One Of My Kind 
28.  Macklemore and Ryan - The Heist
29.  Zedd - Clarity
30.  G.O.O.D. Music - Cruel Summer 
31.  Green Day - Uno/Dos/Tre (Bonus Track)
32.  Cooly G - Playing Me
33.  Big Boi - Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors

Buy these albums and a lot more...now!!

The Best Albums of 2012 (34-44):

If you haven't voted for the best album of the year...do it now!  Right now.

Put your twenty favorite albums in the comment section.

I've been playing around with the new Myspace this week.  I'm making some playlists so when all my readers join, you can link to me and I'll have my daily lists available to listen.  Could be very exciting.  More to come on that.  right now...it's time to vote.

Here are the Best Albums of 2012 (34-44):

34.  Action Bronson - Blue Chips (download for free)
35.  Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
36.  Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
37.  Burial - Kindred/One Two
38.  Ben Gibbard - Former Lives
39.  The Cribs - In the Belly of the Brazen Bull
40.  Joey Bada$$ - 1999 (download for free)
41.  Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, Yim Yames - New Multitudes (Bonus Track)
42.  Garbage - Not Your Kind of People
43.  Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls
44.  Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory

Buy these albums and more!

The Best Albums of 2012 (45-55):

Here it is.  My countdown of my favorite albums of 2012.  Though it's not a surprising #1 choice...my number one surprises me...because I don't love the album.  Anyway, you'll have to wait to see what that is...until then...it's time for your input.

Every year I ask you, my readers, to give me your twenty best/favorite albums.  The only rule...the album has to have been released in 2012.  That's it.

You don't need 20...if you only have 10...5...or even if you only like one release...that's fine!  Just post your top picks in the comment section.  Or email me.  And I'll add them all together and post the tally on January 1st (roughly).  Last year we had over 200 people vote...let's see if you we can top that this year.

The Best Albums of 2012 (45-55):

45.  Trust - TRST
46.  Calvin Harris - 18 Months
47.  Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten (Bonus Track)
48.  Mumford And Sons - Babel
49.  Rival Sons - Head Down
50.  Father John Misty - Fear Fun
51.  Fun. - Some Nights
52.  Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas
53.  Pinback - Information Retrieved
54.  Metric - Synthetica
55.   EL-P - Cancer For Cure

Buy Theses albums and more now!!

The 11 Best Songs By Big Boi (solo):

I wanted to discuss the new Myspace, which I have spent the week playing with and obsessing about.  It's pretty cool...and there's much about it I want to bring up...but there was a big event last night that is more topical...since the new Myspace is still in very beta form and hard to get onto.

Last night, we came as close as we ever will come to a Nirvana reunion.  Dave Grohl, Pat Smear, and Krist Novoselic jammed with Paul McCartney at the 12-12-12 relief concert.  For some reason this caused a huge uproar among Nirvana fans and music fans alike.  And honestly, this uproar needs to be addressed.

First of all, people were pissed that it was Paul McCartney.  Many said they'd be okay if it was John Lennon, if he was still alive.  That's the worst exception ever.  Yeah, that would be cool.  But you know who would be cooler?  Kurt Cobain.  But they're both dead.  So shut the hell up.  That's not an option.  It's Paul McCartney, the greatest living rock and roll legend out there.  It doesn't get bigger.  If you're going to pick anyone to fill Kurt's shoes...starting at the top is not a bad way to go.

Second of all, it was not a Nirvana reunion.  It was the remaining members of Nirvana jamming with Paul McCartney on a new song.  It was not billed as a Nirvana reunion, it was not sold as Nirvana, it was a bunch of quality musicians rocking out together.

Third of all, Kurt's dead.  It fucking sucks.  But why does that mean that Dave, Pat and Krist should never play together again?  They're friends and they have great musical chemistry. They're not touring, recording or performing as Nirvana...they're just having fun.  Which they should.  Let's let them do what they do best.  You know who else hated the Paul Mac performance?  Courtney Love.  and if she thought it sucked...then it has to be good.

Lastly, and most importantly, the song was fucking awesome.  It was with exception to Blackbird...the best song of Paul's set...and possibly the best performances of the night...better than the Rolling Stones, The Who, Roger Waters and Eddie Vedder, Billy Joel and even Bruce himself.  At the end of the day, does it matter if the original members are together making music...as long as the music being made kicks ass?

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Big Boi (solo):

1. Flip Flop Rock (Speakerboxxx)
2. Turns Me On (Sir Lucious Left Foot)
3. The Way You Move (Speakerboxxx)
4. Ghetto Musick (Speakerboxxx)
5. Knowing (Speakerboxxx)
6. Daddy Fat Sax (Sir Lucious Left Foot)
7. Shine Blockas (Sir Lucious Left Foot)
8. The Rooster (Speakerboxxx)
9. Bowtie (Speakerboxxx)
10. Back Up Plan (Sir Lucious Left Foot)
11. Follow Us (Sir Lucious Left Foot)

Buy Big Boi's new solo album, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors...now!!

The 11 Best Songs By Green Day of the Teens

This is something I never do.  I never include new songs from new releases in my lists.  But Green Day has done something this year that has never been done either...they've released three albums in four months.  So if they can break the rules, then so can I.  Granted I'm breaking a rule I've self-imposed upon myself and the only one I have to answer to is me...but let's not think about that.

I've been going through my old Rolling Stones magazines for a project I'm working on.  I have twenty years of Rolling Stones.  And I've kept all of them.  Reading old stories about bands in retrospect has some incredible insight about what music we thought had potential...and what truly did.  From reading articles about breaking artists like Amy Winehouse, The Killers, and Arcade Fire to interviews with a rising young Senator named Barack Obama, who swears he will not be running for President in 2008.  The names of the past like Amy Grant, Jesus Jones and Chris Whitley.  Or how Green Day is talked about like they are a passing fad while Candlebox is the air apparent to Led Zeppelin's throne.  Truer words have never been spoken.

The 11 Best Songs By Green Day of the Teens:

1. Kill the DJ (Uno!)
2. Lazy Bones (Dos!)
3. Stay The Night (Uno!)
4. Let Yourself Go (Uno!)
5. Ashley (Dos!)
6. Sex, Drugs and Violence (Tre!)
7. Nuclear Family (Uno!)
8. Stray Heart (Dos!)
9. 99 Revolutions (Tre!)
10. Dirty Rotten Bastards (Tre!)
11. Nightlife (Dos!)

Buy Green Day's new album, Tre!

The 11 Best Songs By Crystal Castles

For years Black Friday has been the day for Christmas shopping.  I never get everything I want or need on that day but I usually end up getting a good start on where I need to be.  Oddly, I usually buy more things for myself on Black Friday than I do for others.  When it comes to buying things for myself, I'm actually really good at it.  For the past couple of years, another event has compounded Black Friday into an uber event that only further rips my wallet and bank account to shreds:  Record Store Day.  Combining the two events for me is like relocating Disneyland to the strip in Las Vegas while handing out free ecstasy tabs and buckets of $50 gambling chips.  Too many choices.  BluRay players for $50 or Velvet Underground Acetate?  $3 jackets or White Stripes 45-inches?  It's not fair.

I picked up 11 releases.  Three of them...I didn't even go into the store having any interest in...but when I was there in the moment, I bought a Wanda Jackson rarities disc...and I freaking love it.  I want to take Wanda Jackson out to a nice dinner with wine and tiramisu.  It was an impulse buy.  I feel in love with the album cover and the smile on Jackson's face.  That kind of love of music doesn't exist anymore.  It's more important to be popular than to be good.  No longer can you just be a fan of the art form and take a chance on a 6-song EP of demos and outtakes for $16 and be absolutely infatuated.  This is what makes me a fan.  Standing in line for hours to buy something I didn't even know I wanted...that makes me a fan.  Sitting in front of a record player flipping over records after one song...that makes me a fan.  Sitting by the TV waiting to see what new outfit Justin Bieber wore to PF Chang's...makes me want to shoot my eyes out.

Record Store Day continues on.  The lines keep getting longer.  The releases keep getting better.  And the record industry keeps blaming internet downloading for ruining their industry.  Weird.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Crystal Castles:

1. Not In Love w/ Robert Smith (II - Big Day Out Deluxe Version)
2. Vanished (Crystal Castles)
3. Celestica (II)
4. Crimewave (Crystal Castles)
5. Lovers Who Uncover w/ the Little Ones (Lovers Who Come Over)
6. Suffocation (II)
7. Untrust Us (Crystal Castles)
8. Year of Silence (II)
9. Pap Smear (II)
10. Knights (Crystal Castles)
11. Violent Dreams (II)

Buy Crystal Castles new album, III...now!!!

The 11 Best Songs By Green Day of the 90s

Green Day came out at a time when rock ruled the planet.  Decades ago.  The fact that they've hung around despite the pop and schlock is comforting...but it's not the same.  If music is cyclical, then we're right around the time of the early 80s.  The Guettas, Harrises, and Skrillexes are the Human League, Soft Cell, and Kajagoogoo of this decade.  Loosely speaking.  Rock still exists...only in the garages of your best friend's crystal meth dealer.  You can only discover it if you're in the right place at the right time.  Or if you have unlimited time to surf the internet.  Like the mainstream music in the 80s, everything had to have a keyboard or sax solo.  Today...it's not much different.  Right, M83?

Rock will return.  And soon.  The music cycle changes about every four years. People get bored and burnt out on what's popular and demand something new.  They want something that will smash what's popular.  Pop, hip-hop, emo, and EDM have all had their turn...it's fairly obvious that rock is next line.  And when it does return...and it dominates, yet again...everyone who had ditched it for day-glo bracelets will pretend like they had been fans all along.  All we need is someone to kill the DJ.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Green Day of the 90s:

1. Basket Case (Dookie)
2. Scattered (Nimrod)
3. One of My Lies (Kerplunk!)
4. Hitchin A Ride (Nimrod)
5. She (Dookie)
6. Burnout (Dookie)
7. Uptight (Nimrod)
8. Going To Pasalacqua (39/Smooth)
9. Who wrote Holden Caulfield? (Kerplunk!)
10. Christie Road (Kerplunk!)
11. Welcome to Paradise (Kerplunk!/Dookie)

Buy Green Day's new album, Dos! now!

The 11 Best Songs By Soundgarden

What the hell is wrong with Comcast?  I tried to sign up for their internet package.  It was listed as $44.95 online.  I took pictures of it to verify that this was the truth and there'd be no funny business later on.  In the picture, it says "$44.95 total price modem included."  Clear as day.  To complete the order, I had to get on the phone with a dispatcher.  They called me and put me on hold for fifteen minutes.  Fifteen minutes!!  I'm a new customer who wants to give them money for their service...and they make me wait to do it.  It's like they think they're Pearl Jam and I'm waiting all night to get concert tickets?  No.  You're not even Creed.  If you want me as a customer you should be doing everything in your power, including massaging my feet to get me on board...not exhibiting what terrible customer service you have.  If this is how you treat new customers that you're trying to lure in...imagine how bad your customer service must be once I am a customer locked into a contract and you no longer give a crap about me.

Finally, someone with a heavy Indian accent got on the phone.  She must be from Michigan.  She asked what I was calling for.  I told her that her company called me.  She said she didn't know why.  I explained that I signed up for a package online and her company needed to talk to me to complete the order.  She said I must be signing up for the $99 a month offer with cable, phone, and internet.  I said no.  She said she was confused why I didn't do that.  I said I only wanted internet.  She then asked which package.  I said...I signed up with your company...you should have this info.  She didn't.  She then said..."oh wait, here it is."  You want the $44.95 package with $3.95 for modem rental.  I said the offer online clearly states the modem is included.  She said, then that ad is false because it's not included.  I said then that would be false advertising and that would be illegal.  She said it is not illegal because she is telling me the real price now.  Sorry, it's still illegal.  I asked to speak to a supervisor and she said she didn't have one.  I asked to speak to someone in the United States...she said she'd have to look up that number.  She put me on hold.  After 10 minutes of being on hold...I hung up. 30 seconds later...I signed up with Time Warner.  Way to go to Comcast.  You're shitty customer service just cost you a new customer.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Soundgarden:

1. Searching With My Good Eye Closed (Badmotorfinger)
2. Burden in My Hand (Down On The Upside)
3. Outshined (Badmotorfinger)
4. Birth Ritual (Singles)
5. Fell on Black Days (Superunknown)
6. Hands All Over (Louder Than Love)
7. The Day I Tried To Live (Superunknown)
8. No Attention (Down On The Upside)
9. All Your Lies (Ultramega OK)
10. Rusty Cage (Badmotorfinger)
11. Superunknown (Superunknown)

Buy Soundgarden's new album, King Animal now!!

The 11 Best Albums By Pearl Members

It's been three years since our last Pearl Jam album but that hasn't stopped the members from keeping productive.  This year alone...there have been three side projects put out by PJ members.  Earlier this year we had a new Brad album, United We Stand.  And just in the past month, two new side projects were released.  The first album features Jeff Ament and Joseph Arthur, called RNDM.  The second group...which is actually truly random...features Duff McKagan (of Guns N Roses) and Mike McCready, called Walking Papers.  Two decades ago, Duff and Mike represented two different worlds of popular music.  Duff was in one of the most heralded metal group of 80s with Guns N Roses, while McCready and Pearl Jam were on the front lines of the alternative music that pretty much decimated 80s metal from the mainstream.  Now, the two musicians are basically equals.  Both groups raise the question of whether musicians can be great on their own or are they really stronger as the sum of all parts.  RNDM borrows the sound and style of Pearl Jam from the old days as if they're better doing what they do best.  Walking Papers does the opposite.  They toss the styles of their previous bands out the door and try to establish their own sound.  They have more in common with King Crimson or Black Label Society then they do with anything they've done before. It's interesting to be able to hear both strategies side by side.  On one hand it's comforting to hear the familiar sound of a band you love...but it's also an intriguing listen when a band goes out on a limb and tries something new.  Getting two side projects at the same time with both styles is basically the best of both worlds.

Here are the 11 Best Side Project Albums by Pearl Jam Members:

1. Brad - Shame (1993)
2. Mad Season - Above (1995)
3. Brad - Interiors (1997)
4. Eddie Vedder - Into The Wild (2007)
5. The Rockfords - The Rockfords (2000)
6. Jeff Ament - Tone (2008)
7. Brad - Welcome to Discovery Park (2002)
8. Eddie Vedder - Ukulele Songs (2011)
9. Tres Mts. - Three Moutains (2011)
10. Three Fish - The Quiet Table (1996)
11. Stone Gossard - Bayleaf (2001)

Buy Jeff Ament's side project RNDM's new album Acts and Mike McCready's new side project Walking Papers.

The 11 Best Songs By Muse

The second best day of the year for music fans is coming.  Black Friday 2012 aka Record Store Day Part Deux.  It's much smaller than the typical record store day but almost as exciting:  Acetate Velvet Underground, Rolling Stones EP, David Bowie Picture Disc, and a ridiculously cool Beach Boys single set.  And even though the amount of releases is minor in comparison to the amount of releases in the Spring, it's ironic because it's still more product than was featured in the first couple Record Store Days.  All this means is the longer that Record Store Day exits the bigger it will get.

But there's a more important implication here.  While everyone in the music industry is whining that music sales are down...a holiday that celebrates buying physical musical releases keeps getting larger and more popular every year.  The demand is actually going up.  At what point is the industry going to wake and realize it's not necessarily the internet that's causing the problem...maybe it's the shitty uninteresting music that they're putting out?  Oh wait...that couldn't be the problem...because then the music industry would have to take responsibility for their own demise.  Maybe they should talk to Metallica about how that worked out for them.

New releases: Record Store Day Releases (Black Friday Edition)

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Muse:

1. Map of the Problematique (Black Holes and Revelations)
2. Hysteria (Absolution)
3. Uprising (The Resistance)
4. Time Is Running Out (Absolution)
5. Assassin (Black Holes and Revelations)
6. Undisclosed Desires (The Resistance)
7. Showbiz (Showbiz)
8. Starlight (Black Holes and Revelations)
9. Knights of Cydonia (Black Holes and Revelations)
10. Resistance (The Resistance)
11. Supermassive Black Hole (Black Holes and Revelations)

Buy Muse's new album, The 2nd Law...now!!

The 11 Best Songs By Interpol

At Piedmont high school in Northern California, the varsity boys created a Fantasy Slut League.  Each girl in the high school is given a number (a point value).  Then the boys draft the girls to their team and try to hook up with them.  The boys with the most points at the end of the season gets a PS3.  Of course they got caught and the list was made public.  This brings up many questions, if you're a father and your daughter ends up on the list...are you more upset at the boys for creating the league or if they give your daughter a bad score? Also, what's the waiver wire situation like?  Is there a bench?  Are there trades...and if so, is there a deadline?  Maybe I should be making jokes about a serious situation.  But seriously, do you think they ran this through Yahoo or CBS sports?

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Interpol:

1. Slow Hands (Antics)
2. PDA (Turn On The Bright Lights)
3. Evil (Antics)
4. Narc (Antics)
5. The Heinrich Maneuver (Our Love To Admire)
6. Memory Serves (Interpol)
7. Who Do You Think? (Our Love To Admire)
8. Barricade (Interpol)
9. The New (Turn On The Bright Lights)
10. Not Even Jail (Antics)
11. Leif Erikson (Turn On The Bright Lights)

Buy Paul Banks new solo album, Banks...now!!

The Unknown: That Noise

I don't do a lot of posts for unknown bands or songs despite the title of the blog...and the tons of unsigned bands sending me material.  Mainly, I don't have time to sift through the piles of garbage MP3s that I get sent.  I don't have enough time to listen to music I like let alone music I don't want to listen to.  So, when something grabs me, it means something.  I've known That Noise's singer for years and anything he puts out is always a reason to tune in.  They're Southern California locals and are always playing and I highly suggest checking them out live. If you go to their website now...you can get their EP for free.  Honestly, how can you beat that?

You can find them at the following links:  Facebook and Thatnoisemusic.com

Check out their video below.  And let me know what you think.

The 11 Best Solo Songs By Benjamin Gibbard

I know some troll is going to go all haywire because these songs are not all purely solo songs by Benjamin Gibbard.  It's amazing how loose the rules on the internet are for conduct...but how everyone out there holds websites up to extreme scrutiny.  And not just about facts...about whether our facts abide by their own personal opinions.  Like I'm supposed to make my lists a certain way because some yahoo in Nebraska doesn't like my list of Martin L. Gore songs includes covers.  Like really?  Why does that matter?  It's like the debate.  Binders full of women?  Who cares?  It's funny for like two seconds.  But I've had to spend all day reading stupid Facebook posts making jokes about it.  People need to get lives and obsessing over minutiae.  That said, I'm going to go play some Angry Birds. 

Here are the 11 Best Solo Songs By Benjamin Gibbard:

1. You Remind Me Of Home (Home with Andrew Kenny)
2. These Roads Don't Move (One Fast Move Or I'm Gone with Jay Farrar)
3. Where Our Desolation Lies (Arthur Soundtrack)
4. California Zephyr (One Fast Move Or I'm Gone with Jay Farrar)
5. Carolina (Home with Andrew Kenny)
6. One Fast Move Or I'm Gone (One Fast Move Or I'm Gone with Jay Farrar)
7. When The Sun Goes Down (Arthur Soundtrack)
8. All In One (One Fast Move Or I'm Gone with Jay Farrar)
9. Indian Summer (Kurt Cobain About A Son)
10. Farmer Chords (Home with Andrew Kenny)
11. Train Song with Feist (Dark Was The Night)

Buy Benjamin Gibbard's solo album, Former Lives...now!!

The 11 Best Songs By Pinback

The video for Gangnam Style has 430 million views on Youtube.  That's more views than all of Pinback's videos combined.  It makes me wonder if I could give Psy a run for his money with my own Youtube Channel.  From now on I'll be posting videos of the songs I find on Youtube.  Some will be straight up album tracks (usually hard to find B-sides) other tracks will be live tracks from obscure gigs or even big time shows.  I want to have fun on it.  So click, enjoy, and share.

That said...I will still include the random MP3 here and there...but more of a great thing is always a great thing.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Pinback:

1. No-Photo Blue (Summer in Abaddon)
2. From Nothing To Nowhere (Autumn of the Seraphs)
3. The Hatenaughts of Melancholy Wall (Autumn of the Seraphs)
4. Bloods on Fire (Summer in Abaddon)
5. Off By 50 (Autumn of the Seraphs)
6. Penelope (Blue Screen Life)
7. Manchuria (Some Voices)
8. Good To Sea (Autumn of the Seraphs)
9. Fortress (Summer in Abaddon)
10. Concrete Sounds (Blue Screen Life)
11. My Star (Too Many Shadows)

Buy Pinback's new album, Information Retrieved...now!! (only $3.99 for a limited time)

The 11 Best Songs By Deadmau5

With the first of the Presidential elections past this week, we're entering the critical time of the election.  And the lack of interest in the election could not be higher.  I just think people are getting too wise to the candidates empty promises...along with getting sick with both sides "fact checkers" disproving everything the other one said.  By now, we all know that the candidates will say whatever to get elected...then do the opposite once they're in office.  Therefore, I promise a new way to decide who is President.  I call it:  "Feats of Excellence." The candidates all battle in a competition-style set of contests, to decide who is most in touch with today's population.  Here's what I've come up with so far:  A pop culture trivia quiz hosted by TMZ, Best of 5 battle in the Halo arena, Skateboard Half-Pipe routine scored by Tony Hawk, Iron Chef competition hosted by Bourdain and Batali, Karaoke contest with song choices by the cast of Glee, Speed texting, and a finale where both candidates get 15 minutes to battle it out as DJs.  First of all, I think this type of competition would be a lot more fun...and second of all, let's be honest, it probably matters just as much.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Deadmau5:

1. Ghosts N Stuff (For Lack of A Better Name)
2. Animal Rights (4x4=12)
3. I Remember (Random Album Title)
4. Some Chords (4x4=12)
5. Aural Psynapse (Aural Psynapse)
6. Raise Your Weapon (4x4=12)
7. Strobe (For Lack of A Better Name)
8. Intelstat (Get Scraped)
9. Alone With You (Random Album Title)
10. Hi Friend! (For Lack of A Better Name)
11. Sometimes Things Get, Whatever (Random Album Title)

Buy Deadmau5's new album, album title goes here...now!!

The 11 Best Songs By Band of Horses

My biggest issue with Band of Horses is that they've never been brave enough to break out of their melodic My Morning Jacket-lite mode.  Don't get me wrong, they make great music.  I've just always felt like their music was never that inspired to be different...their music was always safe.  There's solace in taking the safe road.  You don't risk losing it all...but you're never going to make it big either.  Finally, this record, BOH sounds like their tired of living quietly in everyone else's shadow and are ready to rock.  The first song on the new album is bigger, braver, louder, ballsier than anything else they've ever done.  If this new sound loses some long time fans...then fuck em...they were never true fans to begin with because BOH is ready to hit their stride.  You're either with them or you can go buy the new Kelly Clarkson.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Band of Horses:

1. Wicked Gil (Everything All the Time)
2. Cigarettes, Wedding Bands (Cease To Begin)
3. Laredo (Infinite Arms)
4. Is There A Ghost (Cease To Begin)
5. Infinite Arms (Infinite Arms)
6. Our Swords (Everything All the Time)
7. Weed Party (Everything All the Time)
8. Dilly (Infinite Arms)
9. The Great Salt Lake (Everything All the Time)
10. Detlef Schrempf (Cease To Begin)
11. The End Is Not Near (The OC mix 6)

Buy Band of Horses new album, Mirage Rock   ...now!!!

The 11 Best Songs By Lupe Fiasco

Last weekend I went to Magic Mountain with my daughter.  Even at 7, she's obsessed with roller coasters.  I hadn't been in 15 years and wasn't sure what to expect.  We went on some of the coasters (like Superman, Goliath, and Lex Luther) that were bigger and more life threatening than anything they ever had when I was kid...and these were only the rides she was big enough to go on.    I can't even fathom the next level of rides when she grows another 6 inches.  We went on some of the old rides that were there when I was kid.  She hated them for not being intense enough...as well as being old and falling apart.  I felt nostalgic being on the old rides...but found myself as disappointed as she was.  Magic Mountain is smart because with every new coaster, they are re-inventing themselves...taking amusement parks to the next level.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Lupe Fiasco:

1. Just Might Be OK (Food & Liquor)
2. State Run Radio (Lasers)
3. The Instrumental (Food & Liquor)
4. And He Gets The Girl (Da Exam)
5. Coming Up (Lasers)
6. Hurt Me Soul (Food & Liquor)
7. Kick Push (Food & Liquor)
8. Daydreamin' (Food & Liquor)
9. Til I Get There (Lasers)
10. Letting Go (Lasers)
11. Superstar (The Cool)

Buy Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor Part II Now!!!

The 11 Best Songs By Green Day of the 00s

Carmageddon II strikes today.  and like some awful Summer blockbusters...not everything needs a sequel.  The hype is huge as usual and like all big plugged sequels it will likely be a letdown.  But at least...and let's hope there's not a Carmageddon trilogy.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Green Day of the 00s:

1. Holiday (American Idiot)
2. Jesus of Suburbia (American Idiot)
3. Minority (Warning)
4. Viva La Gloria! (21^st Century Breakdown)
5. American Idiot (American Idiot)
6. East Jesus Nowhere (21^st Century Breakdown)
7. Whatsername (American Idiot)
8. Dead Beat Holiday (Warning)
9. Working Class Hero (Instant Karma)
10. Murder City (21^st Century Breakdown)
11. Restless Heart Syndrome (21^st Century Breakdown)

Buy Green Day's new album Uno!...now!!!

The 11 Best Songs By the Killers

You can't replace quality.  We expect perfection and we expect it all the time.  We never acknowledge that nobody is perfect and imperfection should be expected.  We set our standards for others higher than we set them for ourselves and when they don't perform up to our expectations, we label them as failures.  Even if the imperfection is minor and tolerable...we always expect better.  And instead of choosing our battles, we decide to search for the blue rose. The real problem comes when you try to replace these people we label as failures.  That's when disaster strikes and the real meltdowns occur.  Replacements never match the originals in quality, performance, or reliability.

I'm of course talking about the NFL referees.  Now, I may be the only one who doesn't necessarily disagree with the final call by the refs.  There is a rule that says if two players come down with the ball at the same time, then possession is awarded to the offense.  Position is not established until both feet are on the ground. And even though the Green Bay player has possession of the ball first...by the time his feet touched the ground, the Seattle receiver had also grabbed the ball and established position.  I'm not saying this means it should have been a touchdown...but there is reasonable doubt that the refs weren't completely off base.  This call wasn't the issue.  This wasn't the worst call in the game.  This wasn't even the worst call on the same play. There was an offensive pass interference foul and a late hit on the QB.  Neither called.  The touchdown call was not the worst call...it was the straw that broke the camel's back.  And not just of this game...but of the poorly officiated season thus far.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Killers:

1. Jenny Was a Friend of Mine (Hot Fuss)
2. Somebody Told Me (Hot Fuss)
3. Bones (Sam's Town)
4. When You Were Young (Sam's Town)
5. Spaceman (Day & Age)
6. Losing Touch (Day & Age)
7. Mr. Brightside (Hot Fuss)
8. Midnight Show (Hot Fuss)
9. Tranqulize (Sawdust)
10. Bling (Sam's Town)
11. For Reason's Unknown (Sam's Town)

Buy the Killers new albums...now!!!

The 11 Best Songs By Grizzly Bear

Getting used to technology may be our biggest downfall.  Cellphones have become more important to us then some of our limbs.  Do we need two pinky toes?  This past week, I've been without my smart phone and regulated to a ancient-style phone.  Texting on this phone is more time consuming than writing a letter. There's nothing worse than have to hit the 6 button five times just to type the word "no."  Being without internet access on the fly is sadly tragic. Not being able to change my fantasy football roster while listening to the new Grizzly Bear when I'm in the grocery store makes me feel like I'm living in the dark ages...or worse...the 70s.  I've become sickly attached to Angry Birds, Temple Run, Netflix, Scramble, and Where's My Perry?  (Where's My Water is so six months ago).

The good thing is, I have found myself more attentive to the things that matter...like my Wii and downloading music.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Grizzly Bear:

1. Knife (Yellow House)
2. Foreground (Veckatimest)
3. Two Weeks (Veckatimest)
4. On A Neck, On A Spit (Yellow House)
5. While You Wait For The Others (Veckatimest)
6. Deep Sea Diver (Horn of Plenty)
7. Cheerleader (Veckatimest)
8. Easier (Yellow House)
9. Southern Point (Veckatimest)
10. Don't Ask (Horn of Plenty)
11. He Hit Me (Friend EP)

Buy Grizzly Bear's new album, Shields...now!!

The 11 Best Albums by Bob Dylan

Last week Bob Dylan released his 567^th album, which is only a few short of Ryan Adams.  Marketing a new album has vastly changed since Dylan strummed it onto the scene almost 50 years ago.  You can’t push your songs to radio.  There’s nowhere to buy a physical album.  You could have the next big EDM-artist do multiple remixes but Dylan’s music really doesn’t lend itself to that.  But even if you were to do a decent sounding remix of a new Dylan track, you would need to be on bath salts to enjoy it.  So, how does Bob Dylan…one of the most iconic singers of all time…do to market a brand as big as he is?  He builds a pop-up store.  That’s right…Bob Dylan had his own store.  A store that sells nothing but Bob Dylan merchandise like CDs, vinyl, t-shirts, pants, hats, furniture, cars, musical instruments, guns, toilets…okay, I made up the last one.  This is brilliant.  When you think of Dylan and where he came from…he embodied the anti-corporate mentality.  Today, it’s only fitting that he snubs the record industry by succeeding at the one thing they failed at doing…running a record store.

Here are the 11 Best Albums By Bob Dylan:

1. Blood on the Tracks (1975)
2. Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
3. Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
4. The Times They Are A-Changing (1964)
5. Planet Waves (1974)
6. Blonde on Blonde (1966)
7. Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964)
8. Time Out of Mind (1997)
9. The Free Wheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)
10. Nashville Skyline (1969)
11. John Wesley Harding (1967)

Buy Bob Dylan's new album, Tempest...now!!! (only $5 for a limited time)

The 11 Best Songs By The Avett Brothers

My life is traffic.  I can’t go anywhere in LA without being 15 minutes late because of traffic.  I can leave an extra 15 minutes earlier…then I hit road construction…and I’m still 15 minutes late.  I’ve tried leaving 30 minutes earlier…then there’s an accident/road closure…and I’m still 15 minutes late.  The only thing that makes a the journey tolerable and keeps your mind off the explanation you’re giving the person that you’re late to meet…is good music in your car.  Music is my best friend.  When you’re fighting traffic that is bumper-to-bumper for no reason (which is the worst scenario) having on a great album of mellow, calming music is sometimes the only way to survive.  If you’re going to be late, then you might as well enjoy the ride. 

Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Avett Brothers:

1. November Blue (Country Was)
2. Talk of Indolence (Four Thieves)
3. Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise (I and Love and You)
4. If It's the Beaches (The Gleam)
5. Bella Donna (The Second Gleam)
6. I And Love And You (I and Love and You)
7. Paranoia in B-Flat Major (Emotionalism)
8. January Wedding (I and Love and You)
9. Colorshow (Four Thieves)
10. Pretty Girl In San Diego (Emotionalism)
11. At The Beach (Mingnonette)

Buy The Avett Brothers' new album, The Carpenter...now!!

The 11 Best Songs By Jamie XX

It's the first weekend of football and everyone is freaking out.  The Redskins upset the Saints.  Dallas beat the Giants.  Broncos beat the Steelers.  The Niners beat the Packers...in Lambeau!  This happens every year.  A bunch of mediocre teams have crazy upset wins and the fanbase goes crazy.  Sure, it's a great thing to get the first win out of the gates but you can't tell anything by the first week of games.  Just because one team has a stellar debut doesn't mean they're a front runner for a Super Bowl run.  The first week is the worst week to tell a team's prognosis.  The real assessment of a team's quality is their longevity over an entire season.  It's the second week when true colors start to show.

Here are the 11 Best Songs Featuring Jamie xx:

1. Islands (The xx)
2. Crystalised (The xx)
3. VCR (The xx)
4. You've Got The Love Rework (Florence + The Machine - You've Got The Love)
5. Teardrops (The xx Bonus Track)
6. Intro (The xx)
7. I'll Take Care Of You (Gil Scot Heron - We're New Here)
8. Bloom Rework Part 3 (Radiohead - TK08)
9. Shelter (The xx)
10. My Cloud (Gil Scot Heron - We're New Here)
11. Far Nearer (Far Nearer/Beat For)  

Buy The xx's new album, Co-Exist now!!!

The 11 Best Songs By The Animal Collective

Being cut off from the internet is like being cut off from your feet.  And I mean that literally in a Cary Elwes/Saw kind of way.  Not only is my computer's internet not working...but my cellphone internet capabilities have been turned off.  Not being able to look up obscure trivia is like not be able to get up from the couch and walk into the kitchen for a glass of water.  And to think, people lived like this for thousands of years.  I can't do anything anymore.  I can't find a gas station.  I can't find movie times (I had to buy a newspaper...and I'm not going to even get into how long that took me to find).  I can't play Scramble...I've heard there's a board game...but who would I find to play with me.  Because I have no internet...there's no tracks to upload.  I'm putting this up via a work computer...so don't go telling my boss and I'll reward you all greatly when my internet access returns.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Animal Collective:

1. Did You See The Words? (Feels)
2. Bluish (Merriweather Post Pavilion)
3. Summertime Clothes (Merriweather Post Pavilion)
4. Banshee Beat (Feels)
5. What Would I Want? Sky (Fall Be Kind)
6. My Girls (Merriweather Post Pavilion)
7. Prospect Hummer (Prospect Hummer)
8. Peacebone (Strawberry Jam)
9. Turn Into Something (Feels)
10. Water Curses (Water Curses)
11. Kids on Holiday (Sung Tongs)

Buy Animal Collective's new album, Centipede Hz, now!!!

The 11 Best Song By Minus The Bear

I know I've been bitching about the lack of good music/major releases over 2012.  After the most unlikely reunion of all time (Van Halen) kicked of the year...it's really been downhill as far as marquee releases.  This fall...all that's about to change.  There are so many releases coming out in September that I tried to do a poll for the site but it got too big and the poll wouldn't save.  I cut the poll in half...and it still wouldn't save.  With about 50 big releases coming this month...yes 50...2012 may actually finish with a bang after starting with a whimper.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Minus The Bear:

1. Fine + 2pts (They Make Beer Commercials Like This)
2. Knights (Planet of Ice)
3. Hold me Down (Omni)
4. Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!! (Highly Refined Pirates)
5. My Time (Omni)
6. Throwing Shapes (Planet of Ice)
7. Memphis and 53rd (Menos El Oso)
8. Into The Mirror(Omni)
9. Get Me Naked 2: Electric Boogiloo (Highly Refined Pirates)
10. Spritz!!! Spritz!!! (Highly Refined Pirates)
11. Buying Luck (Planet of Ice)

Buy Minus the Bear's new album, Infinity Overload now!!!

The 11 Best Songs By dispatch

There's no better example of East Coast/West Coast divide than with the band Dispatch.  Dispatch is an East Coast college staple.  You couldn't get a diploma from an Eastern Time Zone college in the late 90s if you hadn't spent one night baking out to Bang Bang or Silent Steeples.  But if you went to school on the West Coast...the mere mention of the term "dispatch" made you think the cops were on the way to break up your party.  The only people on the West Coast who even know who the band were...are transplants from the East Coast who brought their box of CDs with them.  You never heard their albums thrown into mixes because they were always outvoted in Southern California by Sublime and in Northern California by Primus...and in Pac Norwest by Soundgarden (still!). Maybe a 12 year hiatus is what the band needs to seep into the audio pores of the rest of the country.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Dispatch:

1. Flying Horses (Silent Steeples)
2. Time Served  (Who Are We Living For?)
3. Lightning (Who Are We Living For?)
4. Mission (Bang Bang)
5. Railway (Bang Bang)
6. Mayday  (Silent Steeples)
7. Even  (Who Are We Living For?)
8. Melon Bend (Dispatch EP)
9. Headlights (Who Are We Living For?)
10. Turn This Ship Around (Dispatch EP)
11. Cover This (Four Day Trials)

Buy Dispatch's new album, Circles Around The Sun...now!!

The 11 Best Songs By Bloc Party

Lance Armstrong is getting stripped of his Tour De France titles.  It's like Santa stripping off his clothes and it turns out he's a little Jewish boy down the street named Ira Goldstein.  It's like getting punched in the stomach and the back at the same time, then are told to run 5 miles in the rain uphill with rabid sharks chasing you.  And just for your information, rabid sharks run really fast...much faster than normal sharks.  He was found guilty of blood doping, which is like Al Capone being found guilty of tax evasion.  But cheating is cheating.  His excuse?  It's not like he was using performance enhancing drugs...

We expect our heroes to be flawless.  So, with that incredible burden...they cheat their image to be greater than they really are in order not to let us down.  Sometimes being human and failing is okay.  It's empathetic. It's good for us to see our heroes go through the same struggle and every day strife we are going through.  Trying your hardest and failing is much more admirable than cheating your fans in order to win.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Bloc Party:

1. Flux (Intimacy)
2. Banquet (Silent Alarm)
3. Biko (Intimacy)
4. Kreuzberg (A Weekend In The City)
5. This Modern Love (Silent Alarm)
6. Version 2.0 (Another Weekend In The City)
7. Positive Tension (Silent Alarm)
8. Helicopter (Silent Alarm)
9. The Prayer (A Weekend In The City)
10. Secrets (A Weekend In The City)
11. Ion Square (Intimacy)

Buy Bloc Party's new album, Four, now!

The 11 Best Songs By The Darkness

So Mitt Romney finally picked a running mate.  He chose Paul Ryan.  Do you know how much I know about Paul Ryan?  Almost nothing...except I'm supposed to hate him.  That's according the 5,000 Facebook posts I see about him every day.  He's anti-abortion, he's anti-poor people, he's anti-gay rights...but he loves Rage Against the Machine.  Then Tom Morello came out and wrote a letter bashing Paul Ryan...that somehow disqualifies his taste.  I just find it funny how outraged the blogosphere is that the Republican nominee for President picked a Republican running mate.  Who else was he going to pick?  Hilary Clinton?  Michael Jordan?  He was going to pick someone conservative.  But if you listened to the rabid blog posts it's like he picked the worst Republican to ever run for office.  He's even worse that Mitt Romney who was the last worst Presidential candidate to run for office...or Sarah Palin who was the previous worst...you get my drift.

I read a review about the new Darkness album that slammed the new album for being more of the same.  They were upset that they didn't branch out and try new styles...like Radiohead.  Yes, Radiohead.  The Darkness aren't Radiohead.  Their groupies don't even shower in the same locker rooms.  When it comes to a band like the Darkness the do one thing great...and it's good to see they're sticking to what they do best.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Darkness:

1. Is It Just Me? (One Way Ticket To Hell)
2. One Way Ticket To Hell...And Back (One Way Ticket To Hell)
3. Growing On Me (Permission To Land)
4. Dinner Lady Arms (One Way Ticket To Hell)
5. Get Your Hands Off My Woman (Permission To Land)
6. I Believe In A Thing Called Love (Permission To Land)
7. Planning Permission (Love Is Only A Feeling)
8. Bald (One Way Ticket To Hell)
9. Love Is Only A Feeling (Permission To Land)
10. Black Shuck (Permission To Land)
11. The Best Of Me (The Best Of Me)

Buy The Darkness' new album, Hot Cakes.

The 11 Best Songs By Conor Oberst

The tale of the new Conor Oberst is a great example of how upside-down the music industry is right now.  Maybe the issues are a good thing...or just another of example of its descent into self-destruction.  This B-side/alternative track collection came out in May.  I just discovered its release this weekend.  I discovered it at (of all things) a record store.  I saw the vinyl...thinking it was a vinyl only release.  I did some quick searching and found a CD copy, too.  I was so excited to know this had come out, I didn't give it too much thought why I hadn't heard about this until now.  When I got home, I figured it out quickly.  The album hadn't been released digitally.  It was a physical release only.  And unless it's Record Store Day, in this day of digital music, physical releases are about as important as a new model of rotary dial phone.  Probably less important...

I'm mixed about this.  It's a sad state that an artist as important and respected as Conor Oberst can put out a new record (albeit b-sides) but it goes completely unnoticed because it didn't come out digitally.  To the music industry not coming out digitally is practically the same as not existing at all.  At the same time, it's kinda cool.  It's been years since I've discovered a new release by one of my favorites artists by sifting through CD racks instead of seeing the torrent thread.  It made the purchase exciting.  It made it more relevant.  And it made the music more interesting.  Sometimes it's the hunt for the music...the hurdles you have to go to get it...that's as important as the music itself.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Conor Oberst:

1. I Got The Reason (Outer South)
2. Spoiled (Outer South)
3. Lenders in The Temple (Conor Oberst)
4. Moab  (Conor Oberst)
5. Danny Callahan (Conor Oberst)
6. To All the Lights In The Window (Outer South)
7. White Shoes  (Outer South)
8. Sausalito (Conor Oberst)
9. Roosevelt Room (Outer South)
10. Gentlemen's Pact (Gentlemen's Pact EP)
11. Cape Canaveral (Conor Oberst)

Buy Conor Oberst B-Side Collection, One Of My Kind...now!!!

The 11 Best Songs By No Use For A Name

The story of the under appreciated band that persevered may be no less apparent than the story of No Use For A Name.  It's not because they spent 25 years pursuing that rock star dream without attaining it...it's tragic because of how close they actually came to achieving it.  I worked in radio back in the 90s when the crest of the pop punk movement was just about to cascade all over the radio.  We at the radio stations had been given a choice:  No Use For A Name's "Growing Down" or Blink-182's "Dammit."  It was a toss-up by most stations. Our station picked NOFAN. I looked at their solid track record and predicted their music would only get better.  Blink-182 seemed more like a flash in the pan when I considered the poor quality of their previous albums.  Obviously, most stations chose Blink and the rest is history.  I wonder if it would have been different if NOFAN had the support of radio stations across the country.  "Growing Down" was on NOFAN's Making Friends album...which is sadly their best effort but at the same time their least popular.  Now with the passing of Tony Sly at a young 41-years-old, it's their perseverance that was their achievement.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By No Use For A Name:

1. Growing Down (Making Friends)
2. Death Doesn't Care (Don't Miss the Train)
3. A Postcard Would Be Nice (Making Friends)
4. Tollbridge (Don't Miss The Train)
5. The Answer is Still No (Making Friends)
6. Justified Black Eye (Leche Con Carne)
7. Fairytale of New York (More Betterness!)
8. International You Day (Hard Rock Bottom)
9. Hail To The King (Incognito)
10. I Want To Be Wrong (The Feel Good Record of the Year)
11. Soulmate (Leche Con Carne)

Buy No Use For A Name albums now!

The 11 Best Songs By The Toadies

Why is it that this Chick Fil A issue has only made me want a chicken sandwich more than ever?

I'm not sure I even understand the controversy.  All the CEO did was say that he believed in the traditional definition of marriage. Hundreds of people say this every day.  Granted...who the heck knows what the "traditional" definition of marriage is anyway? Wasn't it that woman are property?  That said...even if the the guy believed that, what difference does it make what he thinks inside his head?  As long as he doesn't discriminate against hiring or serving people of a different sexual orientation then it shouldn't matter his beliefs. (kind of ironic, huh?)  In-N-Out Burger and California Chicken Cafe have very religious owners...who cares as long as the food is good?  50% of America doesn't believe in same sex marriage...are you going to protest every other person who walks down the street?  All that's going to accomplish is heightening adversity from the other side.

My problem with the controversy is how Chick Fil A handled it...especially when the Muppets pulled out.  Instead of owning their position and letting it go.  They tried to spin it.  First it started with fake signs about defective toys...to make it seem like The Muppets were the bad guys.  That was a douche bag move.  Then sending the fake people out onto Facebook and Twitter.  That's douchey times two.  That is deceptive and in my opinion, far worse than their private ideologies.  At least their ideologies were their honest opinions.  This campaign of spin is just straight up lies.

Guess I'll stick to Freebirds and Five Guys this weekend.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Toadies:

1. Tyler (Rubberneck)
2. Possum Kingdom (Rubberneck)
3. Away (Rubberneck)
4. Push The Hand (Hell Below /Stars Above)
5. Doll Skin (Hell Below/Stars Above)
6. Pressed Against the Sky (Hell Below/Stars Above)
7. Little Sin (Hell Below/Stars Above)
8. Jigsaw Girl (Hell Below/Stars Above)
9. You'll Come Down (Hell Below/Stars Above)
10. Sweetness (Hell Below/Stars Above)
11. A Forest (No Feeler)

Buy the Toadies new album, PlayRockMusic, now!!!

* Today's list brought to you by guest blogger, Jesse Lawson.

The 11 Best Songs By The Gaslight Anthem

It's been three days since the Dark Knight tragedy.  Not only has this type event become a common American staple...our reactions have become even more typical.  Blame guns...blame culture...blame the media...blame the parents.  It's like the blame will solve the grieving.  If we can point out the fault and find the reason why this happened, then we can rationalize it.  We convince ourselves that somehow at another time...we could control it.  And...that will somehow help the grieving.  That may help...but only for the people who are not grieving.  In the movie, Bowling for Columbine...Marilyn Manson had the wisest comment of everyone in the movie.  He said that in that situation, all he would do is listen.  Because that's what the grieving needed.  As humans we share a common bond that we all suffer in some ways.  And when we're at our lowest point...what we need...is just to be heard.


The Gaslight Anthem taps in that American struggle that sometimes everyone needs to be heard.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Gaslight Anthem:

1. American Slang (American Slang)
2. We're Getting A Divorce, You Keep the Diner (Sink Or Swim)
3. The Patient Ferris Wheel (The '59 Sound)
4. Stay Lucky (American Slang)
5. The '59 Sound (The '59 Sound)
6. Boomboxes and Dictionaries (Sink Or Swim)
7. Old White Lincoln (The '59 Sound)
8. I Coulda Been A Contender (Sink Or Swim)
9. Boxer (American Slang)
10. Orphans (American Slang)
11. Bring It On (American Slang)

Buy the Gaslight Anthem's new album, Handwritten...now!