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OK, this was hard to compile this year. And that's the best confirmation that it was an outstanding year for music. New faces, some old faces returning in big ways... I have no complaints. As always, this list is the opinion of one person and it is meant to foster discussion and debate. No need to call me an ignorant SOB... if you think something is grievously wrong, just say so... who knows, you might open our ears to some new music. Like last year , I'm including a link to a "second opinion" so you know I'm not nuts. And, when possible, I've linked to some tracks so you can hear for yourself... as you'll see, not all of these bands are mainstream. Let's start with a list of honorable mentions that werejustthisclose but didn't make the top 10: Beck - Modern Guilt - Another solid entry from my favorite Scientologist . In any other year, probably on the list. Juliana Hatfield - How to Walk Away - A surprisingly good disc by someone who ma...

Tomorrow (or later today, given the hour...), I'll be back here with the 10 Best Albums of 2008 for your reading pleasure and argument. But for now, it's the rest of the musical housekeeping for the year, where I write and blather about things I need to get off my chest: Creed of the Year Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Nickelback . Let's go over the details to see... always on the radio? Check. Overly devoted fanbase that has decided that the folks who don't think Nickelback is the best band ever are dumb and must be converted? Check. Vaguely Christian lyrics that said fanbase will inflate to one step below Luke's gospel? Check. Heaven help us all. Cover of the Year The two contenders this year both involve Radiohead . While Prince's live cover of "Creep" at Coachella made all the news, I actually think one that went below the radar goes one better. I doubt Thom Yorke will ever pull a Dylan and go so far as to say "Reckoner" was...

Today, I turn 30. I remember when I turned 20 and thinking 30 was, well, ten whole years away. It would be difficult to catalog everything that I've done through that time... and it wouldn't make a good blog post. What I can say is that I'm not where I expected I'd be. I'm better off! Life seems to be getting better every day and every year for me. And yes, the birthday gift of shiny new Nikon D80 digital SLR counts as things getting better. :-) Thank you to Sarie and all who contributed. Anyhow, I intend on not acting my age whenever possible, and by that I mean not complaining that I'm "in my 30s." Maybe I'll start feeling 30 at 40. Or maybe not. :-)

If you live somewhere that gets any manner of radio reception, you have been exposed to the "Christmas 24/7" station. Turn it on and, yep, there's "Sleigh Ride." As fun as carols are, the ubiquity of Christmas songs almost spoils the fun. My old neighborhood in NYC (Astoria, Queens) had a PA system installed the length of Steinway St., blaring constant Christmas tunes. That's fun the first week it's up. After that it's more "Man, loud fire engines do not drive by often enough." This is a shame. Compounding this is that there are plenty of good bands out there that could be played on the radio that are not. And 24-hour Christmas stations mean there's one less place on the dial for good music. So, last year, I created a mix CD of songs by modern bands doing holiday songs... some humorous, some traditional. And I will say, it was a nice departure from the radio. The list was: 1) The Dandy Warhols - The Little Drummer Boy 2) Save F...

At some point in the next few hours I will gorge myself on fowl and drink more than a few people's shares of spirits. But that means I should take the time now to pay some heed to this holiday. Times is tough, you may have heard, yet this year, to date, has been very kind to Sarah & me. We've got all we need, we're both fortunate to be working in secure jobs... and with all the strife right now, there's a lot to be said for that. So, that's what I'm thankful for this year... and here's hoping that my friends and family that are varying degrees of up against it won't be this time next year.

First Radiohead , then Nine Inch Nails, now... Matt Pond PA. If you're into the rootsy indie rock, Brooklyn-by-way-of-Philly band Matt Pond PA is giving thanks for its fans with a free EP ! Haven't listened yet, but this is low-risk. Free music from a pretty good band. And yes, I'm biased b/c this is one of the bands that, when I lived in NYC, played a show every two months or so just by virtue of living near the venue. Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Starting a new feature... every Tuesday, I pick a song that I am obsessed with. Or think you need to know about. Or just feel like posting for some reason. Today, a band out of Syracuse, NY called Ra Ra Riot. You should read up on them . Pretty sad story involving the death of their original drummer. Of course, that means death is a big theme on their (excellent) disc The Rhumb Line. Here's "Ghost Under Rocks." Enjoy! Ghost Under Rocks - Ra Ra Riot

In my life, I've only skied once before Thanksgiving and that happened in New York. THIS is the scene in Banner Elk, NC today.

We all know the radio is generally terrifying. Rappers using the Autotune song after song on one station, Nickelback on another and some station that is "great to listen to in the office." Needless to say I am wary of music once I leave the house or the comfort of my iPod . Lately, though, I've been finding quality tunes in places I wouldn't expect, for instance: Airside "F" at Tampa International Airport - It's like they have some classic alternative station rolling right there in the terminal. The past few times I've been in there, it's been a hit parade: Weezer , Nirvana, Spacehog , Guster ... waiting for my plane has never been so pleasant. The Mall - This is completely counterintuitive . But in the Gap today I heard Bloc Party. In Aerie (of all places) I heard Franz Ferdinand. And here in American Eagle we heard, The Cure, Matt Pond PA, Kurtis Blow and Shiny Toy Guns consecutively. If these kids would hang up their cell phones, they...

Something happened in Charlotte this week: it got to be really flipping cold . Not that it never gets cold down here. Most every year, we get nights in the 20s... in February. It has rarely been this cold in Charlotte this early in the year. So cold that, tomorrow, I am going to be able to ski in North Carolina . There were snow flurries in North Charlotte yesterday morning. Normally, people down here bitch about the cold weather. Maybe it's because it's already Christmas around here, but people are loving the cold weather. That said, on a chilly walk last night, we saw that one family in the neighborhood already has Christmas lights up. I'm talking the full effect here: animatronic reindeer, light-up snowmen, trees with lights... even sign on the mailbox that says "Letter Snow." Hee . We'll see how long the cold spell really lasts... right now, it looks like for a good bit. And if gets too warm here in Charlotte, I can always look here to feel a lit...

After that disaster of a Kanye West song the other day, I owe y'all something good. And good you can have. I came upon A Tribe Called Quest only b/c of The Beastie Boys and always enjoyed Q-Tip, Tribe's " frontman " of sorts. Anyhow, Tribe is long gone, and Q-Tip was apparently taking the Bush presidency off b/c it's been eight years since we had new material from him. And, man, like another band who took a long break (see: Portishead ), it's good to have Tip back. He keeps things pretty simple on this new disc, The Renaissance , with solid beats, great rapping and special guests that you can love (Raphael Saddiq , Norah Jones...). Anyhow, here's one that sums it up: Official - Q--Tip

Frequent readers know I am a former New Yorker, that I grew up not far from NYC and that nothing this area can through at me really throws me for a loop. Sex shows on public access? Whatever. A woman on the 7 Train yelling at a man that he should love her so much that he "should pre -ejaculate" as soon as he hears her name? Maybe a bit much on a train with kids after a Mets game, but, again... it's New York. So, it was very jarring to hear an ad this morning on K-Rock while driving to Connecticut that seems to cross every line. As a PR guy, I cannot believe I'm even blogging about this b/c if I'm talking about it, most likely others are as well... spreading word-of-mouth. And they do not deserve word of mouth. Even though a Google News search shows they barely need my help to raise awareness. Who is this I am discussing? The fine folks at Ashley Madison. I will not link to them, though it won't be hard to find the Web site if you are so motivated. As...

Since I prefer to get my news from online or print outlets (how droll!), I missed this: Mike Huckabee , former governor of Arkansas and former presidential candidate, has his own TV show on Fox News. I have to admit, I think I would probably enjoy hanging out with Gov. Mike listening to music and such. Seems like an affable guy even though his social views scare the dickens out of me. But, I have to object to him having his own talk show. It has nothing to do with his politics, too. See, like it or not, Fox News (like CNN, MSNBC , etc.) aren't nearly as concerned with news as they are with ratings. Ratings are the name of the game in TV land... the better to sell ads with. And when ratings tank, ad dollars go south, too. To that end, Mike Huckabee is exactly the kind of person Fox should have on TV. Not only is he engaging to watch, he is the kind of person who would capture Fox's key audiences and deliver big ratings. And to do that, he has to entertain. And he has t...

The scene in Ft. Mill, SC:

Around here, we've got DirecTV . DirecTV's insistence on treating customers like human beings as apposed to other digital TV providers sets it apart. Thems the facts. One of the bonuses with DirecTV is that you get all kinds of XM channels, which, believe it or not, we use often. I don't think I would ever purchase satellite radio on my own for, say, my car, but it's nice to have in the house. Doing housework? I always turned to Lucy, the "classic alternative" option. Or I could have put on "Ethel," Lucy's edgier younger sister. Sophisticated dinner? Jazz channel. This morning, however, was the first time I'd dialed up our music all week and... remember those news reports about the Sirius / XM merger? And how you didn't care because you didn't have satellite radio and it doesn't affect your life? Yeah. Apparently it affects mine. ALL my stations (and their corresponding channels) are different. Like, now I'm lis...

You know how every rap song on the radio right now seems like it's employing the whole voice effects-processor singing/rap? It kinda started with T-Pain's "Drank." Well, as that has been going on, there have been bright spots. For instance, N.E.R.D.'s album was a wonderful mix of old-school influence mixed with 70s soul and tremendous beats. And, you had always had Kanye West to lean on. But apparently, that might not be the case anymore. I've been previewing tracks (that seem to be showing up all over the Internet) of Kanye's forthcoming 808s & Heartbreak , and, hate to say it: I'm really disappointed. This is the guy who brought us smart-minded raps and rose above the pack for three straight discs and now, we've got an album that is 11 songs of this: Amazing feat. Young Jeezy - Kanye West In fairness, that by itself is not a bad song. nor is it amazing, despite its title. The strongest tracks still use the annoying voice effects (...

When I left New York City, a lot of people made comments that were not exactly the kind that help unify. Mainly it was "How are you going to deal with all those Republicans?" Soon enough I will rant on here about some of the ultra-right folks down here, but today, I want to point out that, pretty much officially now, North Carolina voted for a democrat for president . If you had told me this when I left NYC, I would have thought it not only wishful thinking, but an unrealistic statement. I had thought no way, no how; we are too divided on social issues. I guess a rough economy can do weird things. Certainly, immigrants from New York and Pennsylvania helped "swing" North Carolina. But lots of rural voters went for Obama. I try to see myself as a moderate and it's stories like that one there that give me some hope that the way we get stereotyped isn't reality. That we still do think for ourselves now and then, not just what the TV talkers tell us to think...

Tonight, I will make my first ever trip to Gainesville , FL, the home of the academic bastion known s the University of Florida (OK, they've got some good programs...). U of F, though, is one of those Florida schools mainly known for sports, and, a few years ago, after winning the basketball national championship, their star player had this to say: I have no idea what he's talking about. And since, after dinner tonight, I am unlikely to leave my hotel room, I doubt I will get the answer (not sure I want to know anyway). That said, if there's a t-shirt that says "I went big in Gainesville ," I'm buying it.

Or, I should say, it seems like it. There's an ad on TV right now during the Steelers game using "Carol of the Bells." At target today, it was a Christmas wonderland - lights! cards! trees! And if you turn on K104.7 in Charlotte (this is the "great to listen to in the office" station in town), they have flipped the switch to "Christmas K104.7." I imagine I'll see a semi on the Interstate with reindeer horns soon enough. I bitch about this every year - as those who followed the old blog are well aware - but that's because it never ceases to be ridiculous. I realize life isn't all that great for some folks right now, but... really? We have so little to give thanks for that we're skipping any Thanksgiving promotion in favor of skipping right to Christmas? I'm sure in a few weeks, we'll start hearing the local churchgoers imploring everyone to "keep Christ in Christmas." Can I start my own lobby to have Christmas kept...

So, I wouldn't say that starting my Sunday morning at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is my preference for how to pass time, but here I sit. And to pass the time, I'm on the Internet, trying to find news that will allow me to ignore the fact that Penn State lost yesterday. And what do I come upon first? MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- An engine fell off a Mexican government jet before it crashed, killing the second-highest official in the nation, the Cabinet member in charge of the investigation said Saturday. Awesome. And then there's this (in comparison) "feel-good" story : LONDON (AP) -- A British pilot who was suddenly blinded by a stroke during a solo flight was talked safely down by a military pilot. I have no fear of flying, but why not some nice stories like "Flight 821 to Charlotte is on the safest plane ever and being flown by bionic pilots who never even catch a cold?" Wishful thinking, I suppose.

My first stop upon checking into my hotel this afternoon was the gym. Hotel gyms can be hit or miss. The place I stay in Tampa has the same machines as my YMCA. That's, of course, rare. Today, the gym had passable equipment. Four treadmills, a bike and an elliptical. Because we all like to run, apparently. I hopped on the elliptical and got to work. A few minutes later, a woman walked in. Looked to be in her 20s. Looked like she needed the gym, I'll be honest. I guess she wanted the one elliptical machine, b/c when she came in, she saw me on it and left the room. She returned, apparently ready to wait for me to be done. And to get her through her wait, she had a large bag of beef jerky. I have to say, I have no idea why I haven't been taking beef jerky to the gym with me and I think I may start to.

This has been a grand year for music. My annual roundup of what I thought was the best is coming soon - very soon - and it's a struggle for me. There has been so much good stuff. Including the emergence of Fleet Foxes. Seattle-based, you would never be able to tell from their sound. I'm one of those people that thinks a California band sounds different than one from Brooklyn. It's the weather. And more seriously, it's the bands that they hang out with from being in one area as opposed to another. Maybe it's the folksy sound, maybe it's the harmonies. I dunno. But I am obsessed with them and they have been getting me through plane rides. Try them on for yourself with "Ragged Wood:" Ragged Wood - Fleet Foxes

I have to wean myself from room service when I travel. It's expensive. And, while we don't talk about work on the blog, I think everyone can agree that delivery charges, automatic inflated gratuity and such is no way to go. So, this evening, I went to the hotel restaurant. I had though about driving to Ybor City or even out to the Gulf, but really, no need. So downstairs I went. When I dine alone, I usually sit at the bar. There are TVs to look at, so you've got the ultimate small-talk escape route. Annoying person next to you wants to talk? "Dude, I'm watching the game." Also, you get great service at the bar. The waiter may have 10 tables to deal with. The barkeep has you. You also get weirdos. Like the guy who ended up sitting next to me. Also alone. He must come here often because the bartender knew exactly what he wanted. And that was a scotch on the rocks... and a hot Tazo tea. Because, when I want a scotch, I always think, now if only I...

So, we're going to keep housekeeping "behind the curtain" for the most part, but let's get a few things clear: We've still got some kinks to figure out. Like, we need to figure out how to get the fonts to default to something normal and that's apparently not as cut and dry as you might suppose. We need to expand the Blog Roll and Links section because I can hardly assume you're going to read this drivel. I mean I can come up with cool stuff to discuss and all, but you're busy people. All that said, we're going to have some good things here. Free from the bounds of MySpace, an honest-to-heavens RSS feed... I mean, we're really getting somewhere. I mean, we keep this up, we might someday have our own domain name and other features that happened most other places several years ago. Ah, but, dear readers, you will continue to be entertained. If you're familiar with the scene here, bear with me. This blog is apparently now public, so all k...