The 11 Biggest Flips of Record Store Day 2015

You can't read anything about Record Store Day anymore without reading some article whose author spends pages of digital content, complaining about the vinyl holiday. "It's killing independent stores," "it excludes indie labels," and it's only for unnecessary major label titles."  You know what would be worse than Record Store Day?  NO RECORD STORE DAY.  A world where there is nothing promoting independent records stores, causing them to fade and dissolve into music history alongside the 8-track, mini-disc, and reel-to-reel.  But today, music stores are alive and well...in part, thanks to record store day.  Record stores having to deal with throngs of audiophiles twice a year (Black Friday) is a way better scenario than dealing with foreclosure.  .

Another complaint comes from independent labels themselves who have found their material excluded by the event coordinators.  Read here about Father/Daughter's comp, which seemed like a rather cool release.  Sure there are some releases that get excluded...and there are some titles that seem unnecessary.  But even if we're talking about 10% of the titles or even 25% of the released titles being unnecessary...that still leaves 300 great vital releases!  Isn't it worth some crap to get some gold?  That said, I'm not even sure how we determine which titles are unnecessary.  I read bloggers claiming the Citizen Dick release was the most unnecessary title this year...it's an unreleased Pearl Jam song from the 1991/Ten era version of the band!  I bought it and it's the title I've listened to more than any other release.  If someone wants to buy them...then doesn't that make them necessary?  (and the Citizen Dick record just missed this list...so the 12th most popular record flip is somehow unnecessary?  Okay...)

That said...it's hard to determine prior to the holiday which albums will sell out in seconds and which ones will linger until August.  Some of the most talked about releases including Courtney Barnett, Brian Eno, and Run The Jewels were still available at stores late on Sunday afternoon.  While others (like Brand New) had people lining up the night before.  I mean seriously, how is Brand New's reissue of a 12-year old album that is readily available on Spotify and itunes AND coming out in wide release next month the number one Ebay flip merely because it comes in a paper bag?  Every store I visiting had people waiting 12-24 hours for this record.

For this list, I determined the ranking based on list price versus Ebay sale...and what was the greatest increase in comparison to the price.  Stereogum lists Jurassic 5's $100 Ebay sale as a big flip...but the list price was $90 to begin with.  That's only a $10 increase.  Same with Phish's Live 1995 6-disc set that listed at $160 but sold for $200.  The biggest flips versus price, I believe, truly shows what were the must-have vinyls of RSD 2015.

Here are the biggest Ebay Flips of Record Store Day 2015:

1. Elvis Presley - My Happiness (List price $12 - Ebay price $245) 20.5x increase
2. Brand New - Deja Entendu (List price $28 - Ebay price $384) 13.7x increase
3. Interpol - Everything Is Wrong (List price $9 - Ebay price $99) 11x increase
4. John Prine - September 78 (List price $25 - Ebay price $227) 10.1x increase
5. David Bowie - Changes (List price $11 - Ebay price $99) 9x increase
6. Bob Dylan - Basement Tapes (List price $30 - Ebay price $250) 8.3x increase
7. Citizen Dick - Touch Me I'm Dick (List price $11 - Ebay price $69) 6.3x increase
8. Ryan Adams - Come Pick Me Up (List price $9 - Ebay price $59) 5.9x increase
9. U2 - Songs of Innocence (List price $36 - Ebay price $199) 5.5x increase
10. Twenty One Pilots - The LC LP (List price $20 - Ebay price $99) 4.9x increase
11. Foo Fighters - Songs From The Laundry Room (List price $20 - Ebay price $99) 4.9x increase
    

Honorable Mention:

Paul McCartney's Sweet Trash sold for a ridiculous $895 but I didn't include it since it's signed by Sir Mac (which obviously alters the true value of the vinyl).

Here are some other fun lists:

• Top RSD sellers
• NME's Top Sellers List
• Stereogum's Ebay Flips
• Bull Moose Top Sales

The 55 Best Albums of 2014 (33-23)

There have been questions about this year's countdown...to answer the big one:  I did not do a poll this year.  Though I promised, I ran out of my time in my life, day job, and parenting duties.  So, this year, you're just going to have to live with my list and my list only.  Enjoy the kitty. Here are the 55 Best Albums of 2014 (23-33):

23. Johnny Cash - Out among the Stars
24. Movement - Movement EP
25. Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams
26. Jenny Lewis - The Voyager
27. Merchandise - After the End
28. Beck - Morning Phase
39. Y.G. - My Krazy Life
30. You Blew It! - Keep Doing What You're Doing
31. Cloud Nothings - Here And Nothing Else
32. The Black Keys - Turn Blue
33. Claire - The Great Escape

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

The 11 Best Songs By Ryan Adams in 2014

For years, Ryan Adams was a faucet of music that your needed only to turn the knob and album after album would come pouring out.  Between 2000-2011, Adams had 19+ releases in the form of albums, EPs and exclusive singles.  Then for the last three years...nothing.  Well, it's 2014 and Adams is back.  In the past three months, Adams has four releases including a traditional Adams album, an 80s punk album, a country EP, and a Halloween inspired EP.  If he's making up for lost time, then we should see at least three more releases by the end of the year...probably a Christmas-inspired release, a dubstep EP, and a duets covers remix album.  It's funny because it's true. Happy Halloween. Here are the 11 Best Songs Released By Ryan Adams in 2014:

1. Am I Safe? (Ryan Adams)
2. Suburbia (Vampires)
3. Trouble (Ryan Adams)
4. I Keep Running (Jacksonville)
5. Jacksonville (Jacksonville)
6. Kim (Ryan Adams)
7. Vampires (Vampires)
8. Wolves (1984)
9. Stay With Me (Ryan Adams)
10. Tired of Giving Up (Ryan Adams)
11. When The Summer Ends (1984)

Buy any of Ryan Adams' 2014 releases:  1984, Jacksonville, Vampires or Ryan Adams...now!   Don't forget to check out our blog's awesome new book The 111 Best Lists of the 2000s.  Available now!  (featuring Ryan Adams)

The 11 Best Songs By Ryan Adams And The Cardinals

With such a big week of releases and the awesome return for a few big artists...who has the time to write about all of them.   I'm doing my best to catch up...so here's another post from the book...with one alteration.  In the book, I only rank the best songs by an artist between the years 2000-2009.  But Ryan Adams added a couple more songs to the Cardinals catalog in 2010...so I thought I'd throw them in for fun. _______________________________________________________________ Obsession with Ryan Adams does not have to do with the music he makes as much as it has to do with the amount of music he makes.  Over the course of the decade, this heartbreaker has released twelve official albums, half a dozen EPs, and over fifty non-album tracks.  He has had six unreleased albums leak to the internet along with a 5-volume, 25-disc, 350-song live bootleg collection.  Listening to Ryan Adams’ music isn’t as exciting as trying to collect it all.  Ryan Adams fans don’t discuss what our favorite album is, we discuss:  what unreleased material do you have?  This list focuses only on his songs with the Cardinals.  I mean, who has time to include all his music? Fun Fact:  Besides performing solo, Ryan Adams has a glam metal band called Orion, a punk band called The Finger, a death metal band called Werewolph, a hardcore-punk band called The Shit and a hip-hop persona, called DJ Reggie.  The 11 Best Songs by Ryan Adams & The Cardinals:

1. If I Am A Stranger (Cold Roses)
2. Don't Fail Me Now (Jacksonville City Nights)
3. How Do You Keep Love Alive (Cold Roses)
4. Lovely And Blue (III/IV)
5. Sweet Illusions (Cold Roses)
6. Always On My Mind (Jacksonville City Nights B-Side)
7. Majik (Cardinology)
8. P.S. (III/IV)
9. These Girls (Easy Tiger)
10. Let It Ride (Cold Roses)
11. The Hardest Part (Jacksonville City Nights)

Buy Ryan Adams new album, Ryan Adams...now!!!   Don't forget to check out our blog's awesome new book The 111 Best Lists of the 2000s.  Available now!  (featuring Ryan Adams and the Cardinals)

The 11 Best Albums this Week

I never do this...but holy crap there's a ton of great new music coming out this week.  This honestly might the biggest releases of music this year...if not the decade.   Yeah it's that huge.  Interpol's best album since their sophomore release, Tricky's best solo album since his debut, Ryan Adams first album in 3 years, U2's first album in five years (which came out of nowhere...and is FREE), Death From Above 1979's reunion, Karen O's first solo album, the lead singer of Led Zeppelin's new solo offering, and four lads from Liverpool.  Why are you still reading...get listening.

Here are the 11 Best Releases This Week:

1. U2 - Songs of Innocence
2. Death From Above 1979 - The Physical World
3. Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams
4. Interpol - El Pintor
5. Robert Plant - lullaby
6. Tricky - Adrian Thaws
7. Justin Townes Earle - Single Mothers
8. Karen O - Crush Songs
9. Delta Spirit - Into the Wide
10. Banks - Goddess
11. The Beatles - Vinyl Mono Masters

Along with new releases from classic legends: Loudon Wainwright III, Pere Ubu, The Grateful Dead, Gladys Knight, Sergio Mendes, and Chick Corea

The 11 Best Record Store Releases (Triple List)

I picked up so much vinyl this year...I'm not even sure how I'm going to pay rent.  And isn't that what good music is about?  Living in a van...down by the river.  There wasn't a release this year that I went in excited about...but I came out loving almost everything I purchased.  I've had the chance to listen to most of my purchases and have heard a lot of other stuff.  And the Calexico album...best release of the year...Period.

It was a crazy day...and I'm still reeling from it.  Some say Record store Day is Christmas for music fans.  It's better than Christmas...because on Record Store Day you get exactly what you want.

To celebrate such a momentousness day and with nearly 400 releases...there's no way to condense it down to a mere 11.  Instead, I've created 3 lists to give light on some on a lot of the material that you may have missed.  And by the way, many record stores still have a lot of product...so if there's something that was sold out at one store...I'd check out the store down the street...just in case.

Here are the 11 Best Record Store Day 7-inches:

1. Pornography (Ryan Adams)  - 7 Minutes in Heaven
2. Elliott Smith - Either/Or Demos 
3. Pink Floyd - See Emily Play
4. David Bowie - Drive-In Saturday Night
5. Hold Steady - Criminal Fingers
6. The Black Keys/Iggy & The Stooges - No Fun
7. Gram Parsons & The Fallen Angels - Live 1973
8. Old 97s & Waylon Jennings - Double Set
9. Superchunk - Void 
10. Iron & Wine - Next To Paradise
11. Husker Du - Amusement

Here are the 11 Best Record Store Day Reissues:

1. Orange Juice - Rip It Up
2. Porno For Pyros - Porno For Pyros (splatter vinyl)
3. White Stripes - Elephant (red, white and black vinyl)
4. At The Drive-In - Relationship in Command
5. Braid - Frame and Canvas
6. The Roots - Things Fall Apart
7. The Band - The Last Waltz
8. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (yellow vinyl)
9. Blind Melon - Blind Melon
10. Built To Spill - Live
11. The Zombies - The Zombies

Here are the 11 Best Record Store Day Releases:

1. Calexico - Spiritoso
2. Stephen Malkmus - Ege Bamyasi
3. A Place To Bury Strangers - Strange Moon
4. Soundgarden - King Animal Demos
5. Garbage - Because the Night
6. Willie Nelson - Crazy Demo Sessions
7. G. Love and Jack Johnson - Bloodshot & Blue
8. Mumford and Sons - Live At Bull Moose
9. Grouplove/Manchester Orchestra/Frightened Rabbit - Make It To Me
10. Big Star - Nothing Can Hurt Me
11. Deftones - Live: Volume 1

The 11 Best Bands Who Have Never Played Coachella

There's something sadly thrilling about getting to sit in front of my computer and watch Coachells unfold before me without paying hundreds of dollars, enduring crazy temperatures, dust, dirt, and douche bags.  Right now I'm flipping back and forth between New Order and Phoenix.  I couldn't do that at the festival...I would have to choose...currently, I'm winning.  Because at home, I get both.

While enjoying Coachella from the comfort of my home, I started to realize how many bands have never played the festival...some that I'm actually shocked.  Some I thought for sure had played only to find out they had never made the journey to Indio. (Journey being one of them)  Below is a list of the best bands that have never played Coachella.  I have only chosen bands that are still together.  Reunions...well, that's really for another list...so, check in tomorrow for that list.

Who Am I missing?

Here are the 11 Best Bands Who Have Never Played Coachella & Should (that are still together):

1. U2
2. Pearl Jam
3. Ryan Adams
4. Fiona Apple
5. Tori Amos
6. Royksopp
7. Iron & Wine
8. Burial
9. Morcheeba
10. Sufjan Stevens
11. Garbage

Watch Coachella now!!

Record Store Day Recap (only a month late)

As I jump back into the world of blogging (I promise, baby, this week I'll be different), I figure I need to address the biggest music event of the past few weeks...Record Store Day.  I've been going every year and when I used to get to the store about 30-minutes prior to opening, I was upset that I was 5th or 6th in line.  But every year the line has been getting longer, forcing me to get there earlier.  This year I arrived earlier than I had ever been there...almost 3-hours prior to opening and I was 20th in line.  As alarming as that was, by the time the store opened, there were over 250 people in line...which made me a little less bitter about my placement.  I got just about everything I wanted.  Of the three items I didn't get (The Civil Wars 7", the Brad 7", and the Flaming Lips - Heady Fwends) only CW and Brad were sold out. I was bummed about the CW...and less about the Brad.  Although I was most upset about the Flaming Lips, which never even got shipped.  Even stranger...in LA, the three stores I checked out didn't get copies.  What's even stranger is that the Flaming Lips was the widest release of any Record Store Day release...over 10,000 were made.  That's close to the actual sales figures of their last album...so why in the world was it so hard to find?

That said...the rest of the day and the following two weeks began a scavenger hunt of about a dozen stores...all in hopes of finding the one gem I overlooked.  And yes, I found a few.  Overall, the 7" dominated this year with the longer album being bigger let downs (Flaming Lips production included).

So here are my 11 favorite releases of the Day...and I've heard quite a few.

My 11 Favorite Releases of Record Store Day 2012:

1. Jeff the Brotherhood - Upstairs 10-inch - Strangely, it's probably one of the few albums that didn't even come close to selling out.  I've seen it at dozens of stores...yet it might be the most enjoyable and best vinyl capture of the day.  It's really just a great underrated band jamming the fuck out...but captured on vinyl it's like being in the room with them.  This is what exclusive releases should be all about...something that would never make it as a usual release because it's so up close and intimate it's unplayable except to the people who actually give a shit.

2.  Chris Robinson and the Brotherhood - Blue Suede Shoes 7" - I bought this two weeks after RSD as an impulse buy because it was half off.  The two new songs (not on the new album) are as rocking and raw as anything Chris has done in decades...a definite find.

3.  Feist & Mastodon 7" - A release that should have never happened.  But it's so weird, raw, unlistenable but unresistable...it's a collector's dream.  Can't listen to this one enough.

4.  Arctic Monkeys - R U Still Mine 7" - Where the fuck did this come from?  Maybe the best release by the Monkeys since their debut.  Hopefully this is a good sign that we should expect other great things by them.

5. The Electric Anthology Project of Dinosaur Jr. LP - It's going to be released normally in the coming weeks...but this has to be the most fun of any of the releases.  It's Dinosaur Jr. meets the Breakfast Club.  It's fucking odd...and great at the same time.

6.  Horrible Crowes - Live At Amoeba 7" - This was another album I bought a couple days after RSD.  I was not a huge fan of the actual HC album...it was tolerable.  But these live couple of songs capture the band ripping it up live that is fantastic and deserves many repeat listens.

7.  Ryan Adams - Heartbreak 7" - After last year's super boring album...Ryan at least shows he still has something still in the tank.

8.  Ra Ra Riot - Valerie 7" - Though their are two covers on this record...the Valerie cover is so exceptionally good...it's worth the price of admission all on it's own.

9.  The Flaming Lips - Heady Fwends LP - I never actual got a physical copy...but I have heard this release.  I can't say I'm blown away...or even that upset that I didn't get a copy.  But it's just that crazy that it's worth seeking out to listen to...just once.

10.  Jay Farrar - New Multitudes 10-inch - A companion to possibly one of the best actual albums of the year.  These four songs feature a couple of demos that rock as hard as anything on the album.

11.  Animal Collective - Traverse Temporal Gyrus LP - I don't know if I liked this...or love this...or hate this.  Again, this is what is great about RSD...they can feature album that should never be released in any other fashion except to hardcore fans.  Sure it's experimental bullshit...but I have a copy and you don't.

The ones that got away...

1.  Flaming Lips - Heady Fwends - I have it digitally...but sure wish I had a physical copy.

2.  Brad - Waters Deep 7" - had no idea this would sell out so fast.  Had no idea anyone knew who they were.

3.  Civil Wars - Covers 45 - I've heard the Billie Jean cover...but have sleepless nights dreaming about hearing that Portishead cover.

4.  Mike McCready/Star Ana - A co-worker got a copy and I have to say I'm quite jealous...heard it's pretty good too.

5.  Atmosphere & Aesop Rock - The album had a freaking C-side!  Yes, it had 3 sides!!  That's just epic.

6.  Shabazz Palaces - Live - Just wish I had it.

The 11 Best Black Friday Record Store Releases

Every April...us old dudes who still own record players crowd around record stores to pay a lot of money for limited edition colored vinyls with one extra track.  But Christmas has come early this year.  The wonderful folks at RSD have a new day for us...like a teaser trailer for spring's epic event.  Black Friday features a much smaller amount of releases but some exclusive and exciting ones none-the less.  Here's some of the most interesting releases...and click here for the the full list.


Here are 11 of the Best Releases for Black Friday:

1. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Kiss My Amps Live (No one has made a bigger effort to support vinyl than Tom Petty...so this live EP with songs from the Mojo tour promises to sound amazing.)
2. Wilco - Speak Into The Rose (a 4-song EP with two unreleased tracks from the Whole Love Sessions)
3. Janis Joplin - Move Over 7-inch box set (4 7-inch singles with unreleased tracks and versions)
4. Iron & Wine - Morning Becomes Eclectic (An collection of live tracks recorded for the show)
5. The Kings of Leon - The Early Vinyl (The first three albums on vinyl with a 4th album of unreleased material)
6. The Byrds - Eight Miles High & The Times They Are A-Changing (Two singles that were never released)
7. Ryan Adams - Do I Wait/Darkness (two songs from the Ashes & Fire sessions)
8. Silversun Pickups - Seasick (Unreleased Tracks from the Swoon Sessions)
9. The Civil Wars - Tracks in the Snow (Two new holiday tracks and two live tracks unavailable anywhere else)
10. Craig Finn - Honolulu Blues (The first single with solo material from the Hold Steady frontman)
11. Sea Wolf - Song of the Magpie (Two unreleased tracks produced by Mike Mogis)

Check out Black Friday here.

The 11 Best Ryan Adams Solo

Doing any sort of list for Ryan Adams is a complicated mess.  The guy has so many different albums it's hard to compile them in any sort of comprehensive list.  There's the music he made with the Cardinals, his dozens of B-sides, his unreleased albums and bootleg albums.  Since I've done Cardinals albums and posted many unreleased tracks...I thought I'd go back to his solo work since this is the first solo album in years.  Well...as long as you don't count Orion.

Here are the 11 Best Solo Songs by Ryan Adams:

1.  La Cienega Just Smiled (Gold)
2.  This Is It (Rock N Roll)
3.  Hotel Chelsea Nights (Love Is Hell)
4.  Call Me on Your Way Back Home (Heartbreaker)
5.  Firecracker (Gold)
6.  New York, New York (Gold)
7.  To Be Young (Heartbreaker)
8.  Strawberry Wine (29)
9.  When the Stars Go Blue (Gold)
10. I See Monsters (Love Is Hell)
11. Nightbirds (29)

Buy Ryan Adams new album, Ashes & Fire, now!!

The 11 Most Exciting Releases for Record Store Day 2011

Record Store Day should be a national holiday.  It is a music fan's wet dream.  And I mean every part of the imagery that comes with.  Over 200 exclusive releases on CDs and vinyl, just for independent record stores.  Last year I got in line a half hour before the store opened and I was 25th in line, this year...I'm planning on two hours in line.  I don't think I've been this excited about new music since GNR's double album midnight sale back in 1991.  And I know I'm not the only one.  The music blogs are buzzing...fans are frothing at the mouth.  This makes Bieber Fever look like a case of mild night sweats.  All the record labels are getting involved which means they know how profitable this day is.  Last year, they sold more records on Record Store Day on single day than any other day in the history of Soundscan.  Obviously, fans still want to buy music.  Instead of playing the blame game for music sales plummeting, why don't you figure out how to harness this musical obsession that is still turning a profit.

Now everyone will have their different favorites...so instead of making a general list, these are my favorites of this coming holiday.  If you want to check out the full list...go here.  What are you favorites?

Here are my 11 Most Exciting Releases for Record Store Day 2011:

1.  The Foo Fighters - Medium Rare LP
2.  Ryan Adams - Class Mythology EP
3.  The Decemberists - Live At Bull Moose CD
4.  Fucked Up - Town Comp LP
5.  Sonic Youth - Whore's Moaning LP
6.  Fistful of Mercy - 7-inch single
7.  Guided By Voices Tribute - LP
8.  Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Telesterion 2CD
9.  Deftones - Covers LP
10.  Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American 3LP
11.  Naked and Famous - This Machine CD


Check out the official site for more information and a store near you.

The Unknown: Ryan Adams at KCRW

All week I have scoured the city for a hard copy of the new Ryan Adams album.  Best Buy (the once best place in town to buy new CDs) had it on back order.  But they had a dozen of the new Bryan Adams. True story!  I went to Target, they didn't have it either.  I went to three independent music stores.  None of them had it.  I ended up buying it on Amazon.  Certain albums I don't mind getting digitally...but I have found I give more attention to an album when I get the hard copy of it.  That's why I wanted the Ryan Adams.  With two discs...it was a lot to absorb and would get lost in my 95,000 MP3 song library.  I would have bought the pre-order on Pax-Am, the record label...but they were sold out.  I almost didn't buy the album because I couldnt find it.  It's like the music industry is working overtime to fail.  I just don't get it.

Here is Ryan Adams at KCRW:

1.  Two
2.  The Sun Also Sets
3.  Once Whatever
4.  Everybody Knows
5.  I Taught Myself How To Grow Old
6.  Sweet Caroline
7.  Stars Go Blue
8.  Come Pick Me Up
9.  Down In A Hole
10.  Morning Becomes Eclectic Ditty
11.  Pearls on A String
12.  How Do You Keep Love Alive

Buy Ryan Adams' new album, III/IV...now!!

The 11 Best Songs By Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

It's been three years since we've seen any new material from Ryan Adams.  That's an insane drought from a guy that released a five new albums a year for most of the decade.  Sure, there was Orion (get it?  O Ryan)...but does that really count?  Then there was the Pax-AM single series...but then again...I don't even know anyone who was lucky enough to score a copy of any of the singles.  And, even now, the new Ryan Adams & the Cardinals album, III/IV is really just a bunch of leftover tracks.  Leftover Ryan Adams is like leftover pizza...at worst...it's still pizza.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Ryan Adams & The Cardinals:


1. If I Am A Stranger (Cold Roses)
2. Don't Fail Me Now (Jacksonville City Nights)
3. How Do You Keep Love Alive (Cold Roses)
4. Sweet Illusions (Cold Roses)
5. Always On My Mind (Jacksonville City Nights B-Side)
6. Majik (Cardinology)
7. These Girls (Easy Tiger)
8. Meadowlake Street (Cold Roses)
9. The Hardest Part (Jacksonville City Nights)
10. Fix It (Cardinology
11. Let It Ride (Cold Roses)


Buy the new double album, III/IV...now!!

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (12-22)

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (12-22):

12. Coldplay - A Rush of Blood To The Head (2002)
- If Viva La Vida is this generation's Joshua Tree...A Rush would be this generation's Unforgetable Fire.

13. Ryan Adams - Gold (2001)
- If charting was based on most material released...RA would win by a landslide. But Gold feels the most personal...that the most time went into crafting this one. (La Cienega Just Smiled)

14. Jay-Z - The Black Album (2003)
- Jay-Z turned the industry on its head when he allowed the public to freely remix and distribute his momentary swan song.

15. The Strokes - Is This It (2001)
- The Jam who? The Strokes tight and underplayed debut was a snub in the face of the loud and obnoxious music of the day. (Soma)

16. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am (2006)
- The Jam who? The AM's loud and obnoxious debut was a snub in the face of the quiet and mopey music of the day.

17. Bright Eyes - Lifted Or The Story is in the Soil (2002)
- This is the album that earned him the nickname: "the next Bob Dylan" or "the next Bob Dylan until the next Bob Dylan comes along." (You Will.)

18. Zero 7 - Simple Things (2001)
- If there was ever a soundtrack to this decade...Zero 7 did it first.

19. Interpol - Antics (2004)
- 20 years later...Ian Curtis is cool again.

20. Death Cab For Cutie - Plans (2005)
- The emo masterpiece from a band who has done everything in their power to be anything but... (Someday You Will Loved)

21. Bruce Springsteen - The Rising (2002)
- In the wake of 9/11, it was Bruce who came to the rescue to lead us out of the darkness. No album has ever said more about the strength and resolute nature of our country than the Rising.

22. Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak (2004)
- The Kings emerged this decade as the last true patriots of American rock n roll. And no where is that more clear than on their second effort.

Buy these albums now.

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (67-77)

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (67-77):

67. The Decembrists - The Crane Wife (2006) (Get it now for $5)
- Though Hazards was supposed to be Meloy's epic project, the Crane Wife may be the bands best collection to date. With fantastic songwriting that crossed epic 12 minute ecclectic compilations with blissfully Fleetwood Mac-influenced pop songs while pushing their sea shanty style to the forefront, the band delivered an album that made them popular while keeping their indie cred intact. (The Perfect Crime #2)

68. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere (2006)
- Was it hip-hop? Was it electronic? Was it R&B? Was it rock n roll? What made this album so spectactular was that it was a little bit of everything...and a Violent Femmes cover that outperforms the original (IMO) never hurts.

69. El-P - Fantastic Damage (2002)
A blast of fire from the hip-hop underground came from a white guy. A new voice would break ground that is still forming the hip-hop world today. Though he keeps shaping his more recent albums in new directions...it was his first that fired the bullet from the gun.

70. Spoon - Girls Can Tell (2001)
- When Spoon jumped to Merge...half their fans left them for selling out. (And that's a hardcore fanbase who thinks Merge is selling out) But Spoon made a massive jump not just in audience but in style and substance. This album rocketed them upward as a band that now needs to be reckoned with. (Me and the Bean)

71. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (2008)
- Anytime a band's album is traded on the internet months before it comes out...there's a chance it will be good. Though this album lost some music snobs as it found itself featured on every teeny-bopper movie and TV show soundtrack, it remained one of the most talked about albums of that year....with no signs of slowing.

72. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand (2004)
- As of January, FF was not on this list. But their new releases has really given them a newfound boost of respect and influence. The has-beens are now the right now...and are making us remember that they never left.

73. Ryan Adams - Cold Roses (2005)
- Ryan's Grateful Dead opus was the first of 50 albums he released that year...and maybe his best with the now defunct Cardinals. The Dead style perfectly suited RA's talents that remains fresher than some his newer material. (How Do You Keep Love Alive?)

74. Radiohead - Kid A (2000)
- Maybe I'm the only one who doesn't get this album's popularity. It might be my least favorite Radiohead release. But this album was the one that made them the household name...and trendsetters that they are today. (Idioteque)

75. M.I.A. - Kala (2007)
- Would Slumdog millionaire have been electric with out M.I.A.? Would the Grammy's have been as exciting without her pregnant belly? And would the world of have dance survived with out her?

76. Eminem - The Eminem Show (2002)
A step-down from the epic Marshall Mathers...but still proof that Eminem was no flash in the pan. His rhymes remained crisp as he continued ripping apart his own life and those around him.

77. Linkin Park - Meteora (2003)
- Before you start bashing me for this choice. How many nu-metal bands survived? how many continued/continue to sell to this day? Linkin Park just didn't out-last the others...they pushed forward. This album wasn't just proof of their songwriting at its peak...it was also the album that launched them into rock stratosphere. And if not for this album...the collab with Jay-Z would have never legitimized mash-ups as we know.

Buy these albums now...especially if you don't have them.

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (89-99)

Here are the the 111 Best Albums of the 00s (89-99):

89. Missy Elliott - Under Construction (2004)
- Her 4th album was by far her best...not that the others are too shabby. She may easily be the best female rapper of her day...if not of all time. This is her at the peak of her game.

90. Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker (2000)
- Adams' first solo album is actually a fairly tame start to the massive amount of music he would unleash on the public in the decade to come.

91. Cat Power - You Are Free (2003)
- Is it folk, it punk, is it indie, is it alternative, is it chamber music? Chan Marshall's massive seductive voice finds its groove on her 5th and best release, setting the stage for a steady impact of other stellar releases in the years to come.

92. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (2005)
- A blast of 80s retro energy, Silent Alarm was a reminder of how much fun alternative music could be. Even Ferris Bueller would have taken the day off to listen to this. (This Modern Love)

93. The Roots - Phrenology (2002)
- The 00s were littered with hip-hop artists testing the genre of what the boundaries were. The Roots had been pushing those boundaries for years...but on this release, they merged some heavy rock groves giving birth to one of the funkiest albums of the decade. (Complexity)

94. LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem (2005)
- This album was a like a rocket on the club scene, reminding the world what it was like to dance to actual music instead of mind-numbing pulsating electronic dial tones. The white boy dance movement was born on this puppy. (Tribulations)

95. N.E.R.D. - In Search Of... (2002)
- Now there are two versions of this album. The regular old hip-hop version with computerized beats...and the awesomely 70s throwback version with a full band. I'm referring to the latter. It sounded like something Stevie Wonder would have jammed on with the Jackson 5 had they shared a dorm room in college...had they gone to college. (Run To The Sun)

96. Sigur Ros - Takk... (2005)
- A rich rebound from their second more mellow release. It was giant leap forward in songwriting style, crafting epic musical pieces over plain old pop songs. They also proved that you didn't need to sing in English to captivate an American audience...or that Bjork was the only talented one out of Iceland.

97. Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)
- It had been a good ten years since some sounded as dark, depressed and moody as Interpol sounded on their debut. Ironically, the brooding din was a bright spot in the otherwise morbid landscape of alternative nu metal.

98. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (2009)
- The band debuted in the Billboard top 10 with this year's addition. An unheard of achievement for an indie rock band. And the album doesn't disappoint. It's like the band is breathing fresh life into their music on this glowing release. At times it sounds like they managed to harness the sound of the wilderness into a harmony. It only grows more interesting with every listen.

99. Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American (2001)
- Emo music was behind the 8-ball from the start. You can thank Dashboard Confessional for that. But if more of the releases sounded like JEW's refined pop brillance, the genre would have been much more tolerable. Instead, in its wake, we got Fall Out Boy and Panic at the Disco. (A Praise Chorus)

Buy these albums now...Best of the 2000s.

The Unknown: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Hot Tulips

Okay, I partially lied. I'm stopping back in to do one more post before I take a little break. With the news of the Ryan Adams & the Cardinals split...this may be the last time I can do this post.

It's hard to get a specific read on the Cardinals. They were a terrible away team. But had a solid home record. That is until the playoffs and they went into Carolina...who was perfect at home...and completely dismantled them. Now the Cards return home, to a play where they have performed strong all season. But they must face an experienced and streaking Philly team...who has been here before...and has come away victorious. Two months ago, Philly beat the Cards by 28 points...granted that was at Philly. The week before the Cards lost to Carolina by 4 on the road. They avenged the Carolina loss...but that was a closer game. Can the Cards overcome that blow-out to make this a game?

Cardinals win!!!!!!


Here is Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Hot Tulips:

1. Tonight

2. So Hot, So Cold

3. Operator Operator

4. Learn To Love

5. Jeane

6. I Still Miss Someone

7. Always On My Mind

8. What Sin Replaces Love (acoustic)

9. Alice

10. Nobody Listens to Silence

11. Asteroid

12. Heavy Orange

13. Color of Pain

14. Memory Lane

.

Thanks to MUSIC FOR HUMANS for the last four songs.

I don't have a So Hot, So Cold. If anyone can shoot those over to me...I would appreciate it.

Buy Ryan Adams & The Cardinals material.

The 11 Best Albums of 2008 (Part 3)

Maybe I'll just make this a trend...every day I'll screw up my list a little bit further adding another new entry to the list. Today finds Peasant (#24) slipping in after downloading the album off Emusic last night. Check out their session on Daytrotter...his bare bones style is quite mesmerizing.

The 11 Best Albums of 2008 (Part 3):

23. Kings of Leon - Only By the Night (Use Somebody - SNL)
24. Bloc Party - Intimacy

24. Peasant - On The Ground
25. Ezra Furman & The Harpoons - Inside The Human Body
26. Cold War Kids - Loyalty To Loyalty

27. Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
28. The Killers - Day & Age
29. Tapes N Tapes - Walk It Off (Hang Them All - Daytrotter)
30. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - Cardinology
31. Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
32. Travis - Ode To J. Smith
33. Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark

Another reminder to visit my Amazon Store...I get a percentage...a very small one. but if I can make enough off it...I'll invest in a better archiving site than savefile...so we all benefit.

The 11 Best Songs By Ryan Adams and the Cardinals

When you have two kids, getting free time is almost better than sex. During free time, you get to do anything you want to clear your head. Having sex you run the risk of having another kid and even less free time.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Ryan Adams and the Cardinals:

1. If I Am A Stranger (Cold Roses)

2. Don't Fail Me Now (Jacksonville City Nights)

3. How Do You Keep Love Alive (Cold Roses)

4. Sweet Illusions (Cold Roses)

5. Always On My Mind (Hot Tulips)

6. These Girls (Easy Tiger)

7. Meadowlake Street (Cold Roses)

8. The Hardest Part (Jacksonville City Nights)

9. Let It Ride (Cold Roses)

10. September (Jacksonville City Nights)

11. Down in A Hole (Follow the Lights)

Buy Ryan Adams new album...Cardinology now! Hurry up before he releases another album.

The 11 Best Albums by Ryan Adams

For some reason, Itunes went buggy this weekend and erased all the information I had on my itunes library. Though all the songs remain intact...all the rating, folders, renaming of tracks has all completely vanished. It's beyond frustrating...I've honestly never used a program that had as many bugs and flaws as itunes. I've used microsoft word for 15 years...never had it crash or destroy any information on any of my documents. But itunes crashes about once ever 6 months, erasing all of my data. And somehow...Mac people think that anything mac does is perfect and anything microsoft does is evil. Explain that one to me...

The 11 Best Albums Featuring Ryan Adams

1. Gold

2. Stranger's Almanac (Whiskeytown)
3. Cold Roses (&The Cardinals)
4. Love is Hell (complete)
5. Heartbreaker
6. Pneumonia (Whiskeytown)
7. Rock N Roll
8. Jacksonville City Nights (&The Cardinals)
9. Faithless Street (Whiskeytown)
10. 29
11. Demolition

Buy Ryan Adams and the Cardinals new album...Cardinology