The 11 Best Rare Tracks By Wilco

One of the original points of this blog was to do a retrospective of a band leading up to their most recent release.  Only on a rare occassion would I include a new song, but mostly it was a guide to a band's material up until this point.  The only time, I side-stepped that rule was when a band would release their own retrospective.  Material on my list would naturally cross over with the tracklist of the release.  This is especially true in the case of Wilco.  Having heard 95% of these songs over the past two decades, there's nothing new to report except to chronicle the contents.  The retrospective is the retrospective.  A few songs didn't make it onto Wilco's 77-track rare songs LP but for the most part, this set is as exhaustive as they come. Here are the 11 Best Rare Tracks By Wilco:

1. Promising (Chelsea Walls Soundtrak)
2. Glad It's Over (Heroes Soundtrack)
3. Any Major Dude Will Tell You (Me, Myself, & Irene Soundtrack)
4. Panthers (A Ghost Is Born Deluxe Edition)
5. Bob Dylan's 49th Beard (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Bonus CD)
6. One Hundred Years From Now (Return of the Grievous Angel)
7. Blasting Fonda (Outtasite)
8. Thirteen (Big Star, Small World)
9. True Love Will Find You In The End (Daniel Johnston Tribute)
10. Message From Mid-Bar (The Whole Love Bonus EP)
11. A Magazine Called Sunset (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Bonus CD)

Buy Wilco's new Rare Tracks Set, Alpha Mike Foxtrot...now!     Don't forget to check out our blog's awesome new book The 111 Best Lists of the 2000s.  Available now!  (featuring Wilco)

The 11 Best Songs By The Autumn Defense

Five albums in, The Autumn Defense is no longer the side project living under the shadow of the greatness of Wilco.  Being in side project doesn't mean you're wearing an anchor around your neck, instead it means you have wings.  Side projects have the freedom of not being beholden to the restraints of their official band.  Side projects don't have the same expectations from fans.  They get to be anything they want.  The Autumn Defense has the ability to conjure up the light of ELO with a giant slice of Bread.  These songs would not have the most welcome place alongside a Tweedy tune.  On their own, they get to be appreciated for everything they are.  The Autumn Defense has made it this long because they come from Wilco, one of the longest running (technically) side projects in recent memory. Here are The 11 Best Songs By The Autumn Defense:

1. Sun In California (Circles)
2. Once Around (Once Around)
3. Long Forgotten Love (The Green Hour)
4. Don't Know (Once Around)
5. Iowa City Adieu (Circles)
6. Criminal (The Autumn Defense)
7. Full 5 Paces (The Green Hour)
8. Circles (Circles)
9. The Swallows Of London Town (Once Around)
10. Paradise (Ciao My Shining Star)
11. Winterlight (The Autumn Defense)

Buy The Autumn Defense's new album, Fifth...now!!  

The 11 Best Reasons To Buy The 111 Best Lists of the 2000s

 It's been one week since the release of our first book and the reception has been incredibly unexpected.  I thank everyone who has purchased the book...and am giving the stink eye to everyone who has not.  If you haven't picked up a copy yet...here are some amazing points at why you should.

 The 11 Best Reasons to Buy The 111 Best Music Lists of the 2000s:

1. There are 111 lists - where most books go to 100 ours does them 11 better and goes to 111.
2. It features many good artists including: Arctic Monkeys, Beck, The National, Wilco, and Radiohead
3. It features many bad (ass) artists including:  The Black Keys, The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and the Foo Fighters
4. It features unknown artists including: The Dirtbombs, Jay Reatard, Assemblage 23, Mr. Lif, and the Great Lake Swimmers
5. It cost less money ($12.95) than a concert ticket and it lasts longer
6. Reading makes you smarter.  This book will make you 111 times smarter.
7. It makes for a great Christmas gift and a belated Hanukkah gift for all your Jewish friends
8. It is proven to kill flies if you hit them hard enough with it
9. It is a great conversation starter for a boring New Year's party (or any party for that matter)
10. It is the perfect guide for making a '00s playlist for a '00s-themed party.
11. There's a secret ending just like in the Marvel movies which hints at a bigger story.  Sorta.

Buy The 111 Best Music Lists of the 2000s...now!!!

The 111 Best Music Lists of the 2000s

Is this the greatest book ever written?  Probably not but it's close.  I've been writing this blog for the past six years; I've written hundreds of lists.   Taking some of the best lists directly from the site and adding in some brand new lists, I am proud to present my first book.  Sticking with the theme of my blog I've delivered a book that takes a look back at one of the most chaotic decades in music.  It was the decade where music went from being physical to only existing in a digital space.  It was an era where pop dominated and rock was stuck taking the bus.  With this book, I hope to right the ship and look back at some amazing bands that were overlooked.

You can purchase the book now at Amazon and Kindle.  Right in time for all your holiday shopping needs.

The 111 Best Music Lists of the Decade

Enjoy!

The 111 Best Albums of 2011

Here they are.  The 111 Best Albums of 2011 as voted on by you my readers.  If you don't like the results...then vote for something better next year.

I personally, always like the results of this list much better than most critic lists.  This list is always more honest to me.  While Adele dominated most lists...she only cracks the top 40 here.  Or the Decemberists who barely made it on many critic lists jumped up high here because the people just liked the album.

Here are the 111 Best Albums of 2011:

1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
2. The Black Keys - El Camino
3. The Decemberists - King Is Dead
4. Yuck - Yuck
5. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
6. Death Cab For Cutie - Codes and Keys
7. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
8. Radiohead - King of Limbs
9. Wilco - The Whole Love
10. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
11. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
12. The Weeknd - House of Balloons/Thursday/Echoes of Silence
13. Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
14. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
15. Wye Oak - Civilian
16. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
17. Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch The Throne
18. The Strokes - Angles
19. TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light
20. R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now
21. Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean
22. Bright Eyes - The People's Key
23. Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials
24. Middle Brother - Middle Brother
25. Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines
26. Destroyer - Kaputt
27. War on Drugs - Slave Ambient
28. Wild Flag - Wild Flag
29. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto
30. Tune-Yards - Who Kill
31. Foster The People - Torches
32. Fucked Up - David Comes To Life
33. Real Estate - Days
34. Beirut - Rip Tide
35. Ryan Adams – Ashes and Fire
36. Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing
37. Tom Waits - Bad As Me
38. Adele - 21
39. Gomez – Whatever’s On Your Mind
40. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Hysterical
41. Raveonettes - Raven in the Grave
42. James Blake - James Blake
43. Stephen Malkmus - Mirror Traffic
44. Alexander (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) - Alexander
45. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Belong
46. Tapes N Tapes - Outside
47. Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What
48. Class Actress - Rapproacher
49. Dawes - Nothing Is Wrong
50. My Morning Jacket - Circuital
51. Dum Dum Girls - Only in Dreams
52. Ersatz G.B. - The Fall
53. Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See
54. Atlas Sound - Paradox
55. Explosions in the Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
56. Rival Schools - Pedals
57. Sigur Ros - Inni
58. Battles - Gloss Drop
59. Dustin O Halloran - Lumiere
60. Sam Roberts Band – Collider 
61. Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part 2
62. Drake - Take Care
63. Washed Out - Within and Without
64. Feist - Metals
65. Jason Isbell - Here We Rest
66. Fountains of Wayne - Sky Full of Holes
67. Grouplove - Never Trust a Happy Song
68. Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital
69. Childish Gambino - Camp
70. Low - C’mon
71. Crooked Fingers - Breaks in the Armor
72. Blitzen Trapper - American Goldwing
73. Deer Tick - Divine Providence
74. EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints
75. Hey Rosetta! - Seeds
76. SBTRKT - SBTRKT
77. The Head and the Heart - The Head and the Heart
78. The Roots - undun
79. Noah and the Whale - Last Night On Earth
80. Mates of State - Mountaintops
81. New Found Glory - Radiosurgery
82. Gillian Welch - Harrow and Harvest
83. Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi 
84. Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears - Scandalous
85. Found - Factorycraft
86. Metronomy - The English Riviera
87. Library Voices - Summer of Lust
88. The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
89. The Kills - Blood Pressures
90. Juliana Barwick - The Magic Place
91. Cut Copy - Zonoscope
92. We Were Promised Jetpacks - In The Pit Of Our Stomachs
93. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo
94. Tennis - Cape Dory
95. Cults - Cults
96. The Antlers - Burst Apart
97. Friendly Fires - Pala
98. Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind of Fix
99. J. Mascias - Several Shades of Why
100. Tyler the Creator - Goblin
101. Noah Gallagher - High Flying Birds
102. Ladytron - Gravity the Seducer
103. We Are Augustines - Rise Ye Sunken Ships
104. The Airborne Toxic Event - All At Once
105. And You Will Know us By The Trail of Dead - Tao of the Dead
106. The Felice Brothers - Celebration, Florida
107. The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
108. Okkervil River - I Am Very Far
109. Glossary - Long Live Us All
110. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
111. The Deep Dark Woods - The Place I Left Behind

Buy these albums and more here and here.

The 55 Best Albums of 2011 (1-11)

So here it is...my top 11.  My choices.  My opinion.  So, shut up.

SEND ME YOUR LISTS!  I'm still collecting your top 20 lists for a massive 111 Best albums of 2011.  It doesn't have to be 20...just all your favorites albums you can think of.

Here are the 11 Best Albums of 2011:

1.       Yuck - Yuck (Holing Out)

2.       M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

3.       The Strokes - Angles

4.       The Weeknd - House of Balloons/Thursday/Echoes of Silence (get all 3 for free!)

5.       Bon Iver - Bon Iver

6.       Wilco - The Whole Love

7.       Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing

8.       Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

9.       Wild Flag - Wild Flag

10.   Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost

11.   The Black Keys - El Camino

Buy these albums and many more for under $5...for a limited time.

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 Songs By Wilco of the 00s

This week the Flaming Lips released a new song to hear online for free.  Now this being the Flaming Lips...nothing is what it seems.  Now I've always been told, you get what you pay for.  So what's the catch?  The catch is that the song is 6 hours long.  Obviously, my curiosity is high to hear what a six hour song sounds like.  But do I want to listen to six hours of the Flaming Lips chaotic anti-songs...let alone any band for a whole six hours?  I'm not sure I'd want to do anything for a full six hours.  I tried watching all three LOTR movies in a row and only made it through the second one.  I've tried to do a Mad Men marathon but I never get past three episodes in one sitting.  I run and my marathon times taps out in less than 5 hours.

Maybe Wilco...maybe if Wilco made a six hour song I could get excited to listen to the whole thing.  But for now...I'll have to settle for their new album.


Here are the 11 Best Songs By Wilco of the 00s:

1.      Heavy Metal Drummer (Yankee Foxtrot Hotel)

2.      I’ll Fight (Wilco The Album)

3.      I Am Trying To Break Your Heart (Yankee Foxtrot Hotel)

4.      Sky Blue Sky (Sky Blue Sky)

5.      One Wing (Wilco The Album)

6.      You And I (Wilco The Album)

7.      Kamera (Yankee Foxtrot Hotel)

8.      Either Way (Sky Blue Sky)

9.      Thelogians (A Ghost Is Born)

10.  War On War (Yankee Foxtrot Hotel)

11.  You Never Know (Wilco The Album)

Buy Wilco's new album, The Whole Love...now!!

Free Music Friday (Saturday Edition): Wilco - The Whole Love

Hear the new Wilco album streaming for free.

There is a catch.  It's for 1 day only!!  Stop watching college football and get listening.

HERE

The Unknown: Spoon - Get Nice!

I had a good response from my fans picking up the Spoon album this week. You can still get it from my Amazon store although the $3.99 offer has ended.

So, as promised, I'm posting Spoon's very rare "Get Nice." A bonus CD of demos included on some copies of GAx5. But there's a catch. Sorta. I'm asking everyone to donate some money to the victims of the Haiti quake.

Below are FIVE ways to donate money to Haiti relief and get free music out of it. I'm asking everyone to please give something. You can only download Spoon's "Get Nice" if you donate. I'm not going to check and see...so it's on the honor system.

1. Music For Relief - This is a charity run by Linkin Park. Donate whatever you want...and in return you'll get a compilation of free music, featuring new tracks by LP, Dave Matthews, Slash, All American Rejects, Hoobastank, Lupe Fiasco, and more.

2. Paste Magazine - Again, donate what ever you feel comfortable doing and get access the Paste Vault, featuring over a hundred tracks (some rare) by artists like She & Him, Andrew Bird, Ben Folds, Emmylou Harris, Passion Pit, Jason Isabel, The Avett Brothers, Jayhawks, Low Anthem, String Cheese Incident, and many many more.

3. Hope For Haiti Now - This is the full concert from Friday's benefit show on TV. This will only run you $7.99. Featuring artists like Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keyes, Justin Timberlake, Coldplay, Jay-Z, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Shakira, Sting, Bono & The Edge, Mary J. Blige, Beyonce, and others.

4. WilcoWorld - Wilco is offering two full concerts for a $15 donation to Doctors Without Borders or Oxfam. Both shows are from 2009 and are pretty epic.

5. Eddie Vedder - My City of Ruins - Eddie's live cover of Bruce's song. Only .99 cents and it goes to Haiti relief.

Thanks for your support.

The 111 Best Albums of 2009

Well, here it is...the annual epic 111 best albums of 2009...as voted on by you. Usually it's a close race...but this year, Animal Collective ran away with it. In fact, the entire top ten was leaps and bounds above the rest. And...if you have a problem with the list...then blame yourselves...you're the ones who voted.

See ya, next decade!!

Here are the 111 Best Albums of 2009:

1. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
2. The xx - xx (Crystalised BBC)
3. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
4. The Antlers - Hospice (Kettering)
5. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (1901 live)
6. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca (The Bride)
7. Wilco - Wilco (the Album)
8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz (only $5.00)
9. Metric - Fantasies (Help Im Alive)
10. Girls – Album
11. St. Vincent – Actor
12. Pearl Jam – Backspacer
13. Japandroids – Post Nothing
14. Monsters of Folk – Monsters of Folk
15. White Rabbits - It's Frightening (Percussion Gun daytrotter)
16. Modest Mouse – No One’s First and You’re Next
17. Bob Dylan – Together Through Life
18. Built To Spill - There is No Enemy
19. Silversun Pickups – Swoon
20. Lisa Hannigan – Sea Sew
21. Morrissey - Years of Refusal
22. The Dead Weather – Horehound
23. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
24. Wild Beasts – Two Dancers
25. Cage The Elephant – Cage The Elephant
26. Regina Spektor - FAR
27. Fanfarlo – Reservoir
28. Various Artists – Dark Was The Night
29. Bonnie “Prince” Billy – Beware
30. Passion Pit – Manners
31. Noah and the Whale – The First Days of Spring
32. Mos Def – The Ecstatic
33. The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love
34. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
35. K’naan – Troubadour
36. Super Furry Animals – Dark Days/Light Years
37. M. Ward – Hold Time
38. Sunset Rubdown – Dragon Slayer
39. The Flaming Lips – Embryonic
40. Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures
41. Fuck Buttons – Tarot Sport
42. Samantha Crain - Songs In the Night
43. David Gray – Draw The Line
44. Fever Ray – Fever Ray
45. Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown (Know Your Enemy Colbert Report)
46. The Pains of Being Pure of Heart – POBOH
47. Karen O and the Kids – Where the Wild Things Are
48. Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King
49. Devendra Banhart – What Will We Be
50. The Swell Season - Strict Joy
51. Why? – Eskimo Snow
52. Julian Plenti - …is a Skyscraper
53. Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There Are Mountains (Cold Spring)
54. The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin (Ticket Taker)
55. Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms
56. Mew – No More Stories Are Told Today
57. Fun. – Aim and Ignite
58. The Horrors – Primary Colours
59. Conor Oberst – Outer South
60. Crystal Method - Divided By The Night (only $5.00)
61. Miike Snow – Miike Snow
62. The Big Pink – A Brief History of Love
63. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career
64. Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3.0
65. The Mountain Goats – Life of the World To Come
66. Dan Deacon – Bromst
67. Florence and the Machine – Lungs
68. Weezer – Raditude
69. Mastodon – Crack the Skye
70. Say Anything – Say Anything
71. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Up From Below
72. Trail of Dead – Century of Self
73. Paramore – Brand New Eyes
74. Sonic Youth – The Eternal
75. Handsome Furs – Face Control
76. Wavves – Wavves
77. Antony and the Johnsons – The Crying Light (only $5.00)
78. Maxwell – BLACKsummer’s Night
79. Von Bondies - Love, Hate and Then There's You
80. Deer Tick - Born On Flag Day (Straight Into A Storm)
81. Dinosaur Jr. – Farm
82. Muse – The Resistance
83. The Mars Volta – Octahedron
84. Cut Off Your Hands – You and I
85. Tanya Morgan – Brooklynati
86. Brand New – Daisy
87. Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything To Nothing
88. The Black Crowes - Before The Frost...Until the Freeze
89. The Fray – The Fray
90. Roman Candle – Oh Tall Tree In The Ear
91. Band of Skulls - Baby Darling Dollface Honey
92. U2 – No Line on the Horizon
93. Placebo – Battle For the Sun
94. Various Artists – Ghana Special (1968-91)
95. Gogol Bordello – Live from Axis Mundi
96. Flyleaf – Memento Mori (only $5)
97. Taking Back Sunday – New Again
98. Third Eye Blind – Ursa Major (only $5.00)
99. Jack Penate – Everything Is New
100. Levon Helm – Electric Dirt (only $5)
101. Mumford and Sons – Sigh No More
102. Dananananaykroyd – Hey everyone!
103. El Grupa Nueva De Omar Rodriguez Lopez – Cryptomnesia
104. Raekwon – Only Built For Cuban Linx P2
105. Wale – Attention Deficit (only $5.00)
106. Franz Ferdinand – Tonight
107. Matt & Kim – Grand ($5.00)
108. Memory Tapes – Seek Magic
109. Drake – So Far Gone (only $5.00)
110. Andrew Bird – Noble Beast
111. Tegan and Sara – Sainthood

The 11 Best Albums of 2009: 1-11 (Part 5)

So here it... the best 11 albums of 2009...according to me.


But if you want a voice...then it's time to vote on your favorite albums. Next week, I will publish a list of the 111 best albums of 2009...according to you...my readers.


If you want to vote...just put your top 20 albums in the comment section anywhere on the blog.


Here are the 11 Best Albums of 2009: 1-11 (Part 5):

1. The xx - The xx
2. Samantha Crain - Songs In the Night (Devil's in Boston)
3. Wilco - Wilco (the Album)
4. Morrissey - Years of Refusal
5. The Antlers - Hospice (Kettering)
6. The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin (Ticket Taker)
7. Built To Spill - There is No Enemy
8. The Swell Season - Strict Joy (Low Rising)
9. Crystal Method - Divided By The Night
10. Metric - Fantasies
11. Von Bondies - Love, Hate and Then There's You

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (1-11):

In creating the top 11, it really comes down to finding albums that weren't only great but also helped define the musical landscape of the decade. These ablums don't need a lot of explanation of why they were chosen. If you haven't heard these discs...then you likely were in a coma for the Bush years. It's only fitting in my opinion, that the most potent artist of this decade (Jay-z) opens the decade with the Blueprint...and closes it with the Blueprint 3.0. I've been racking my brain...trying to come up with something clever to say that sums up the decade musically...but when sitting down to finally write it...I think letting the music play...just speaks for itself.

NOW...it's your turn....

What are your top 11 albums of the 2000s???

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (1-11):

1. Jay-Z - The Blueprint (2001)
2. Wilco - Yankee Foxtrot Hotel (2002) - War on War
3. The White Stripes - Elephant (2003) - Seven Nation Army
4. Coldplay - Parachutes (2000) - Yellow
5. Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)
6. Beck - Sea Change (2002) - Lost Cause
7. Green Day - American Idiot (2004) - American Idiot
8. Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007) - Reckoner
9. Kanye West - College Drop-Out (2004)
10. The Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004) - Laika
11. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)

    
    

    Buy these albums now!

The 111 Best Albums of the 2000s (45-55)

The 111 Best Albums of the 2000s (45-55):

45. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Sank (2007)
- Add one of the 80s greatest guitar forces (Johnny Marr) to one of the most exciting alternative rock bands of the decade...and what do you get? Pure rock brilliance. (Invisible)

46. The National - Boxer (2007)
- Like a 2000-ton steel train slowly rolling down the tracks. It may not move at record-breaking speeds...but it's a force to be reckoned with. (Start A War)

47. My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves (2003)
- A mammoth album when it comes to alternative country. I assume that this album so good, the band knew they would never top it...and decided to move in other directions. (Golden)

48. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky (2007)
- Tweedy & a bunch of other guys put together a record that sounds like someone created a radio that allows you to hear music from the 1970s. One of the perfect lazy afternoon records.

49. Girl Talk - Night Ripper (2006)
- If you don't think you can create your own music...just take all the best music of the past 30 years and mash them all together in one big remix. Greg Gillis takes mash-ups to a whole other level with this epic tour through the history of commercial radio. It takes talent to steal something this good.

50. Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy (2008)
- I'm crazy to include this, right? And not just to include this in my list...but to make the top 50. Just say it. Say I'm crazy. Well...here's my reasoning: During this decade, no album has been talked about, written about, discussed, downloaded, leaked, speculated, even rumored more than this album. It was a tour de force before it even came out. And when it did come out...it had no chance. As many people who wanted to hear...just as many wanted to hate it. And many hadn't even listened to the record. But now, almost a year after its release, the record remains unique but solid effort. The album plays more like a movie score than a rock record. It challenges the concept that every song on a rock album should sound the same. It takes some gutsy chances, it pushes boundaries...sometimes with enormous payoff...sometimes not. But isn't that what great rock is supposed to be about? About challenging the norm? I honestly wish more albums sounded like this...I think rock would be alive and well if they did.

51. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (2008)
- If GNR set the stage for the future, MGMT is that future. With an album that had more nooks and crannies than your grandmother's house, they rocketed on the scene with the uber catchy "Kids" even though the rest of the album sounded like something that might be featured on the next Nuggets box set.

52. Iron & Wine - The Creek Drank the Cradle (2002)
- If freak folk defined the indie scene this decade...I&W is the grandpappy. With the ultimate lo-fi production, it was like being transported back into time to a more peaceful era...where sitting on the porch drinking lemonade actually meant something.

53. Daft Punk - Discovery (2001)
- If you're looking for albums that weren't just great but helped shaped the decade...DP's album was the album that set the standard for club music. From the likes of Kanye West to Justice to Beck...this was the album that influenced anyone and everyone to bust a move.

54. Feist - The Reminder (2007)
- With a voice like Feist's...she could sing TV jingles and still be captivating. And with 1,2,3,4 as the perfect indie pop song...she had everyone...including pre-schoolers...singing along with her.

55. Hot Chip - The Missing (2006)
- It wasn't dance record...but it had more moves than most club albums could have dreamed for. Like the bastard offspring of Thom Yorke and Beck, it was tantilizing good time. (Colours)

Buy these albums now...right here!

The 11 Best Albums of 2009 (so far):

I'm off on vacation for a couple of weeks...but will return. Until then...here's a snapshot of the first half of the year. These are my favorites. I can't belive I picked Morrissey at the top. But it's the album that's had the most play in my 2009 library. So...it's hard to argue with that.

The 11 Best Albums of 2009 (so far):

1. Morrissey - Years of Refusal (Black Cloud)
2. Samantha Crain - Songs in the Night
3. White Rabbits - It's Frightening
4. The Antlers - Hospice
5. Metric - Fantasies
6. Cut Off Your Hands - You & I
7. Wilco - Wilco
8. Crystal Method - Divided By The Night
9. Dangermouse and Sparklehorse - Dark Night Of The Soul
10. M. Ward - Hold Time
11. Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels

The 11 Best Wilco B-Sides & Bonus Tracks

It's the 4th of July and all of us Americans go out and celebrate in the one thing that Americans do best...we consume. We eat until we can't move, we drink until we can't stand up, and we end the day staring up at the sky and watch things get blown up good. Only Americans celebrate freedom by indulging in every single freedom at the exact same time. I avoided the BBQs this year...but showed my patriotism by doing the next best American thing...I went to the mall and shopped.

Here are the 11 Best Wilco B-Sides and Bonus Tracks:

1. When The Roses Bloom Again (Chelsea Walls Soundtrack)

2. Magazine Called Sunset (More Like the Moon)

3. True Love Will Find You In The End (A Shot In the Arm)

4. One Hundred Years From Now (Return of the Grievous Angel)

5. Let's Not Get Carried Away (Sky Blue Sky Bonus)

6. Any Major Dude (Me, Myself, and Irene)

7. Cars Can't Escape (Yankee Foxtrot Bonus)

8. TB Is Whipping Me (Red Hot + Country)

9. Blasting Fonda (Outtasite Outta Mind)

10. Bob Dylan's 49th Beard (More Like the Moon)

11. Thirteen (Gilmore Girls)

Buy Wilco's new album...called Wilco The Album...now!!

The 11 Best Wilco Songs

Busy Week....not a lot to say. Wilco rules. Do I need to get more detailed than that?

Here are The 11 Best Wilco Songs:

1. How To Fight Lonliness (Summerteeth)

2. I Thought I Held You (A.M.)

3. Box Full Of Letters (A.M.)

4. Outtasite (Outta Mind) (Being There)

5. Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway (again) (Summerteeth)

6. War on War (Yankee Foxtrot)

7. Sky Blue Sky (Sky Blue Sky)

8. Heavy Metal Drummer (Yankee Foxtrot)

9. Impossible Germany (Sky Blue Sky)

10. Monday (Being There)

11. At Least That's What You Said (A Ghost Is Born)

Buy Wilco's new album...called Wilco The Album...now!!