Favorite Records this Year?

What was your favorite record(s) this year? Post a quick comment and let me know. Now is the best time of the year for music. All the year-end lists have come out, and its a big ole feast of highly-recommended stuff.

That's why its so hard to come up with a year's best list in December. Usually there are at least 1-2 albums I hear in early 2008 (as a result of year-end lists) that end up being favorites. I'll try to post my list soon.

Year-End: Best Songs

So far, LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends" has claimed the coveted indie-site crowns, winning best song on Pitchfork's poll, as well as Stylus (may the latter site rest in peace). I have to agree with both -- "All My Friends" is the best song I've heard all year, hands down. Click play to the right, and listen.

This could perhaps be the only "Song of the Year" candidate to ever feature a single piano chord throughout. Most critics concentrate on the lyrics, and they are incredible, but I found the piano to be the most noticeable component. At first the consistency of the instrument is quite bothersome. Forty-five seconds in you wonder if it will ever stop. By the end, you've accepted it and actually grown to love the way the piano leads the charge in to the climactic final verses.

Elsewhere, Slate is all over M.I.A.. Hell, Christgau loves the whole album. Is it that good? I really didn't love her first record and so I naturally overlooked this one. The first disc was a little sophomoric and immature in terms of musical ideas (not so much lyrically). It reminded me of Licensed to Ill in that respect.

A.V. Club's Worst Bandname Feature

This has to be the year-end list I've read so far. So many classic band names. I hate to just reprint, but here are a few personal favorites. You really should read the whole article.

• Baboon Torture Division
  
• Gay Witch Abortion
  
• Neil Diamond Phillips -- "Part Neil Diamond, Part Lou Diamond Phillips, 100% Rock!" Sadly, the band doesn't sound like Lou Diamond Phillips singing Neil Diamond songs.
  
• Capitalist Hippie Complex -- What's the recipe for the Capitalist Hippie Complex? They'll tell you: 1.5 oz top shelf Funk, 2.0 oz conscious Hip Hop, 1.0 oz underground Jazz, Mix with anything, add High Energy Twist, Serve Chill as a Motha Fucka
  
• With Blood Comes Cleansing
  
• Cocktards
  
• Killgasm -- First line of their bio: "Started in 2002 to try and end Christianity. Instead we spent the years just drinking, doing drugs, and fucking a lot of whores. All while trying to rip off Carcass and Darkthrone."
  
• Algebro
  
• Jewsus
  

Top 25 Albums Ever (or whatever)

One of the better download blogs out there, Peanut's Playground, has a user-generated Top 25 list out today. The best part: each and every record is posted for your listening pleasure. Click here to check it out.

The Top 25 Albums of All-Time according to the readers of Peanut's Playground are:

1. ???
   
2. My Bloody Valentine – Loveless (1991)
   
3. Nirvana – Nevermind (1991)
   
4. Portishead – Dummy (1994)
   
5. Radiohead - Kid A (2000)
   
6. Radiohead - Ok Computer (1997)
   
7. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead (1986)
   
8. Sufjan Stevens – Illinois (2005)
   
9. Death Cab For Cutie –Transatlanticism (2003)
   
10. Interpol –Antics (2004)
    
11. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998)
    
12. Pixies – Doolittle (1989)
    
13. The Postal Service - Give Up (2003)
    
14. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow (2003)
    
15. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)
    
16. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966)
    
17. The Beatles - Abbey Road (1969)
    
18. Depeche Mode – Violator (1990)
    
19. Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump (2000)
    
20. Jeff Buckley – Grace (1994)
    
21. Joanna Newsom – Ys (2006)
    
22. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures (1979)
    
23. Joy Division – Closer (1980)
    
24. Manic Street Preachers - Holy Bible (1994)
    
25. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)

Final Score -- Top 50 Drummers

Final Sc0re: Byron 234, Mike 241. Damn you Phil Collins!

So yeah, more than a couple of surprises in the Top 10. And to think I almost went with Dave Grohl.

Byron's Picks ::::		Mike's Picks ::::
Neil Peart	22nd	Neil Peart	22nd
John Bonham	1st	John Bonham	1st
Keith Moon	2nd	Keith Moon	2nd
Mo Tucker	9th	Ringo Starr	26th
Carl Palmer	--	Lars Ulrich	--
Stewart Copeland	8th	Stewart Copeland	8th
Ginger Baker	16th	Mitch Mitchell	18th
Bill Bruford	23rd	Phil Collins	--
Mark Portnoy	--	Dave Lombardo	11th
Terry Bozzio	--	Alex Van Halen	--

Top Rock Drummers

Stylus has a great feature this week, counting down the top rock drummers of all time. Is John Bonham a shoe-in for #1? It's hard to say.

Here's my list of drummers that might appear in the Top 10:

• Neil Peart (Rush)
  
• John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)
  
• Keith Moon (The Who)
  
• Ringo Starr (The Beatles)
  
• Lars Ulrich (Metallica)
  
• Stewart Copeland (The Police)
  
• Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix Experience)
  
• Dave Lombardo (Slayer)
  
• Phil Collins (Genesis / solo)
  
• Alex Van Halen (Van Halen)
  

I'll predict Bonham takes gold, as he is easily my favorite drummer of all time. This is definitely NOT a of Top 10 personal favorites -- just those I think are likely. To me, Keith Moon is incredibly overrated, and Lars doesn't get enough credit -- probably because he's kind of a douchebag.

That said, Stylus will inevitably throw us a couple of curve balls, Animal from the Muppets, or something. Will Ginger Baker make the cut? Dave Grohl? Max Weinberg? Who did I forget?

Post your list, and we'll see who's closest later this week, once they're all announced.

One Last Post

CDs I'm bringing on a 4 hour roadtrip with the momms, between Manchester, NH and Bar Harbor:

The Band - The Last Waltz
Wilco - Being There
The Beatles - Past Masters Volume 2
The Best of Taj Mahal
Phil Collins - Hits!
Crosby, Still, Nash & Young - Four Way Street
Belle & Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
Grateful Dead - Two From the Vault
Postal Service - Give Up
Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days

Mom-approved / Mom-might-also-enjoy listening!