Buy from amazon BRIAN WILSON- Smile: What was previously a disjointed mess is remarkably pulled together. Even taking into consideration the passage of time and new additions, it’s a wonderful snapshot of the unlimited potential that seemed to exist in 1967. Wilson apparently had visions of being rock’s answer to Aaron Copland. Pet Sounds remains the masterpiece and this probably would have been a commercial disaster in 1967 but it would have been remembered along with the best of that year. Bring on the box set! Buy from amazon GREEN DAY- American Idiot: Career album that survives the hype. Jesus…

Buy from amazon Nirvana – With the Lights Out (DGC): This unreal 3cd plus dvd box set deserves more than a mere paragraph to do it justice but let’s just say that it shows how unbelievably talented a band they were. Each disc offers stuff that has not been issued before. I have 4 different "unofficial" box sets of theirs and there are at least 20 tracks I don’t have. The highlights include an outtake of "Verse Chorus Verse" that sounds nothing like the version that is on the "No Alternative" disc…and it’s BETTER. Also the Outtake of "Old Age",…

Buy from amazon Buy from amazon TODD SNIDER – East Nashville Skyline MOUNTAIN GOATS – We Shall All Be Healed Two literate and witty songwriters. Great songs about Linda Blair, the real meaning of “Louie Louie”, and wrestling with guilt and sin. Buy from amazon GUITAR SHORTY – Watch Your Back A Texas blues journeyman puts some rock in the mix and releases his one claim to greatness – besides being related to Jimmy Hendrix. Buy from amazon DAVID MURRAY, Pharoah Sanders and the Gwo-Ka Masters . . . Gwotet The most underrated saxophone player of our time concocts a…

Buy from amazon The Arcade Fire – Funeral (Merge) In 1971, the quirky cult film “Harold and Maude” was released catapulting Bud Cort into the spotlight for his portrayal of a teenage boy obsessed with death. Cort didn’t react positively to the newfound attention and proceeded to turn downoffers left and right. Quirky director Wes Anderson rescued Cort from obscurity this year with a small role in “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou”. Now why all the talk about an obscure actor? Let it be a cautionary tale to these death-mongering Montrealeans by way of Texas. They have a unique…

Youngblood Brass Band – Center Level Roar (Ozone) – I got this on a whim along with my semi-annual dose of underground hiphop. It turned into my favourite discovery of the year. They do brass band with hiphop. They are funky and gutbucket too. And some of the best euophonium / tuba lines this side of Kirk Joseph of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Black Uhuru – Dub Factor (Island) – Finally! I’ve been waiting for years for this thing to be re-issued! Some of the deepest electro-dub ever and still sounding fresh today. From the beginning of the second…

2003, In My Humble Opinion 1. Calexico – Feast of Wire A slightly obscure pick for the one slot, but I really love the originality and overall talent in this band. Their music has been described as a soundtrack to a spaghetti western that was never made. They blend southwestern instrumentation, some stark musical landscapes, a smidgen of experimental jazz and storytelling in the vein of “Ghost of Tom Joad”. Every time the mariachi trumpets kick in, you’ll swear you’ve been transported to the Old West. 2. The Raveonettes – Chain Gang of Love This Danish Duo followed up an…

Fave Albums Radiohead – Hail to The Thief The Mars Volta – Delousing in the Comatorium Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever to Tell White Stripes – Elephant The Strokes – Room on Fire The Darkness – Permission To Land Warren Zevon – The Wind Led Zeppelin – How The West Was Won Love – The Forever Changes Concert The Yardbirds – Birdland Richard Thompson – The Old Kit Bag Hot Hot Heat – Makeup The Breakdown Soundtrack – Lost in Translation Blur – Think Tank Ramones – Live NYC 1978 Outkast – Speakerboxx/The Love Below Paul Weller – Illumination Reissues…

De’ Poopage outta me – from the year 2003’ 2003 was a fine year in music I must say. Quite fulfilling to the pallet of my musical tastebuds. In any case, this year specifically birthed many classics for years to come. So lets – a – get – a poopin’ shall we? 1) Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – Pig Lib (Matador) How bout’ that there bonus disc? That’s a dandy, I’ll say. As is the brilliance of this record – possibly the most favorite of the year for me. “dark wave” in particular, as well as the jam of…

1. Hungry March Band- On the Waterfront 2. Deke Dickerson- in 3 Dimensions 3. Richard Thompson- the Old Kit Bag 4. Gillian Welch- Soul Journey 5. The Hedwig Soundtrack (& DVD) 6. Marc Bolan & T. Rex: 20th Century Boy- the Ultimate Collection 7. Jeff Buckley- Live at Sin-e 8. Stan Getz- Bossas & Ballads: the Lost Sessions 9. Lucinda Williams- World without Tears 10. The Come Ons- Hipcheck! The Last Waltz DVD The WFMU DJ premiums that I got from making a donation Rufus Wainwright concert at Town Hall in NYC before Thanksgiving Gillian Welch concert at the EGG…

1. NEW PORNOGRAPHERS – Electric Version 47 minutes of lyrical and, yes, musical non sequiturs on a CD that could easily have been called If It Ain’t Broke. . . Neko makes a Case for being a great background singer too. 2. VARIOUS ARTISTS – Almost You: The Songs Of Elvis Costello In this collection, each artist’s aim is true to the songs themselves, and without Elvis’s snarl the lyrics become the real star of each track. And not a clinker among ‘em. 3. THE BANGLES – Doll Revolution Pure, unadulterated, guitar-pop, sugar-coated, fluffy ricecakes. 4. YOUNGBLOOD BRASS BAND –…

I can’t really believe that I’ve been doing this for almost ten years now (and neither can my ever-patient wife Nat) … and somehow I still seem to suffer from the same old symptoms of deviation and procrastination. Oh well, at least I know that I’m not alone in my sickness. As usual, trying to fashion a formula for my fancy has left me scratching my head, with a pile of CD’s in my car, and a slight case oftinnitis. Well, I could just listen to these sounds and voices in my head for …ever, so I should just take…

page one…the old stuff, piero umiliani – la ragazza fuori strada (soundtrack) alessandro alessandroni – wizard of sound (compilation) mondo morricone compilations – 3 volumes millennio morricone (compilation) francoise hardy ‘ messages personnels 3cd box zouzou – integrale morricone – veruschica (soundtrack) piero piccioni – il disprezzo (soundtrack) ana lucia – canta triste fiore, neve, luna, sole – italian soundtrack compilations on Rambling Records, japan. the AVANZ label…more Italian soundtracks from japan including the amazing “Kill” score by berto pisano. armando trovaioli – la matriarca (soundtrack) various Trojan rocksteady box sets nick drake lps reissued on 180 g. vinyl edu…

There is no new thing under the sun. I think I read it on the back of a cereal box or heard it in a car ad. That being said… the movement of the moment seems to be a , Rough Trade yard sale with a jesus and Mary Chain BBQ after. I guess there are worse trends: Rush + Santana + King Crimson= Mars Volta.Over-the-hill singers doing standards, Elvis Costello marrying Diana Krall, that whole American Idol thing, putting my passport in the washing machine, dreams of being eaten by wolves, gray hair and bad hats… but i saw…

Johnny Jah – Pooplist 03 As I was thinking of my list I was wondering where did the time go? It seems like only yesterday that I wrote last years’, and the years’ before list. I now have to check for the date of issue on the CDs because some of the material I can’t remember what year it came out. Some times I don’t even know what day of the week it is..but I digress Oh well, who cares? Not you. So here goes. The Best Album Cover. .. Too bad I could not find this sucka in vinyl,…

1. WANT ONE – Rufus Wainwright A bucket of rhymes he threw up threw up somewhere. Big, bold and beautiful. 2. SOME DEVIL – Dave Matthews Sweet, sad and soulful. 3. A MARK, A MISSION, A BRAND, A SCAR – Dashboard Confessional “…like you meant it and I knew that you meant it.” 4. YOU ARE FREE – Cat Power “Cool hands from the get go can feast on the real one….” 5. KIMI GA SUKI / RAIFU – Matthew Sweet “rocket with a heart”. 6. LLOR N KCOR – Ryan Adams I’m spinning ‘round the room in awe. This…

Greetings to all. Sorry, to those who felt otherwise, but it was a very average year in music. Not to say we didn’t have a wide selection to choose from, but I don’t expect much to stand the test of time. Perhaps I didn’t put in the required listening time this year, but nothing jumped out and told me that it will be soothing my soul for years to come. Don’t feel sorry for me. I was always cynical, yet somehow I can still manage to find a few records to spew about. And as usual, I’m 5 minutes away…

Turbines to Power! Rockets to Speed! DAS LIED DER DEUTSCHEN What does it say about me that I chose as my album of the year a Kraftwerk record that was made in 1983 and has been sitting on a shelf for 20 years? Florian und Rolf have either been tweaking the thing all this time or they just got tired of it or maybe they needed the money. Note that they still haven’t written any new songs since 1986, except for Expo 2000. Nice way to make a living. But the thing was continually on my stereo. No other electro…

The following is not a top ten, but just a list of some records that I enjoyed enough to listen to several times. It’s also not in any particular order. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Fever to Tell Evanescence: Fallen The White Stripes: White Blood Cells Chevelle: Wonder What’s Next Ryan Adams: Rock & Roll, Love is Hell parts 1 & 2 The Shins: Chutes too Narrow Johnny Cash: The Man Comes Around Longwave: The Strangest Things The Mars Volta: De-loused in the Comatorium Howie Day: Stop all the World Now Third Eye Blind: Out of the Vein The Strokes: Room on…

It was a pretty good year to be in the garage. Garage music hit mainstream although it will probably be back in the garage in a couple of years so enjoy it while you can. There were plenty of great songs although not necessarily on great albums. The best album of the year could have been a new Nuggets-like compilation if there had been one. As it was, there wasn’t any one album that clearly towered over all the rest. A lot got played and the following was what got played a lot: 1. THE WHITE STRIPES- Elephant: Lets just…