hey wake up

this goth girl wretched twisted soon not to be lamented decade is almost over.

when you all get done eating yr ham hocks at hooters and acting out yr hari kari fantasies of hocus pocus what exactly are the top ten lp's of the last few troubled years?

I'd like to state for the record that this has been the worst year of my life, and my extended family's. We're going to bury an effigy of it at Thanksgiving.

That said: Stankonia, Elephant, half of Kid A, The first 3 New Pornographers, Ole Tarantula, The Pipettes, You Could Have It So Much Better, and Kala made my life better over the past few years. I know I'm in quite the minority on MIA, but I love the hell out of her.

This was more a year of learning to appreciate older, stupid/ephemeral pop songs more: "I Can See Clearly Now" and "California Girls" are two examples, but the way "Sail On Sailor" re-entered and affixed itself to my life this year is kinda wonderful. That's my song of the year.

In no order of preference:

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – Hearts of Oak
Stars – Set Yourself on Fire
The Finn Brothers – Everyone is Here
Rilo Kiley – The Execution of All Things
The Gaslight Anthem – The ’59 Sound
The Libertines – Up the Bracket
Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
New Order – Waiting for the Siren’s Call
Dogs Die in Hot Cars – Please Describe Yourself
The Hold Steady – Stay Positive

I tried to go with a first thought, best thought approach. I am resisting the urge to amend...

I don't have enough perspective on some of the more recent stuff I've been digging (Madness – The Liberty of Norton Folgate, Florence and the Machine – Lungs, The Beatings – Late Season Kids) to accurately gauge where/if any of it is among my personal top 10.

Been thinking of this for about two weeks and seem to have reached some inner peace with the following selections (sorry, couldnt limit it to 10):

Favorite records

1) Destroyer - Destroyers Rubies
2) The Mountain Goats - We Shall All Be Healed
3) Quasimoto - The Unseen
4) Wolf Parade - Apologies To Queen Mary
5) Sufjan Stevens - Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lake State
6) Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
7) Spoon - Kill The Moonlight
8) The Glands - The Glands
9) The New Pornographers - Mass Romantic
10) Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
11) Iron and Wine - The Shepherds Dog
12) Hold Steady - Boys and Girls In America
13) Japandroids - Post-Nothing
14) Postal Service - Get Up
15) Guided By Voices - Half Smiles Of The Decomposed
16) eMC - eMC
17) Mouse On Mars - Niun Niggung
18) The Negro Problem - Welcome Black
19) Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
20) Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood

Favorite Songs

1) Decatur, Or, Round Of Applause For Your Stepmother - Sufjan Stevens
2) Roses - Outkast
3) Mr Rabbit - Paul Westerberg
4) Modern Girl - Sleater Kinney
4) Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk - Rufus Wainwright
6) Float On - Modest Mouse
7) Relative Ways - ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
8) I Love Boosters - The Coup
9) Happy - The Wrens
10) I Am Trying To Break Your Heart - Wilco
11) I'm Not Going To Teach Your Girlfriend How To Dance - Black Kids
12) Big Girl - Ghostface Killah
13) Kids - Mgmt
14) Let There Be Rock - Drive By Truckers
15) Look At Miss Ohio - Gilian Welch
16) We Dont Care - Kanye West
17) Irish Blood English Heart - Morrissey
18) Mistaken For Strangers - The National
19) That Can Be Arranged - Tom Vek
20) Johnny Appleseed - Joe Strummer

And why do we make such lists?

We Like Lists Because We Don't Want to Die

nosepail wrote:

> And why do we make such lists?

I make lists because it's easier than rote memorization.

I've been avoiding this, simply because I'm bored silly with top 10 lists of "best whatever." But I can tel you this: I listened to Porcupine Tree's In Absentia (2002) and the Music Lovers' The Words We Say Before We Sleep (2004) more than any records I've ever owned by anyone else.

I'm actually toying with the idea of doing a list for my Big Takeover column of the top 10 artists of the last decade who impacted me the most, rather than a list of records. I'll probably lose interest in it before I finish, but I'd be more interested in folks telling me that. What artists spun your head 180 degrees? Whose music did you listen to the most? Who made you finally grok a certain genre? Who did you discover (old or new) who became a new addiciton?

Albums:

1. Radiohead - Kid A
2. The National - Boxer
3. Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock & Roll
4. Goldfrapp - Felt Mountain
5. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
6. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
7. Sigur Ros - Ágætis Byrjun
8. British Sea Power - Open Season
9. The Strokes - Is This It?
10. The Sleepy Jackson - Lovers
11. MIA - Arular
12. Grandpa's Ghost - The Tumble/Love Version
13. Cat Power - The Greatest
14. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - S/T
15. Candypants - Candypants
16. Danielson Famile - Fetch the Compass Kids
17. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
18. Deftones - White Pony
19. Sam Phillips - Fandance
20. The Knife - Deep Cuts
20a. The Helio Sequence - Com Plex

Songs:
1. Neko Case - "Deep Red Bells"
2. Sons and Daughters - "Johnny Cash"
3. Outkast - "Hey Ya"
4. Modest Mouse - "Float On"
5. My Favorite - "Homeless Club Kids"
6. Sigur Ros - "Svefn-G-Englar"
7. Camera Obscura - "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken"
8. Animal Collective - "My Girls"
9. Kylie Minogue - "Can't Get You Out of My Head"
10. Flaming Lips - "Do You Realize"
11. Missy Elliott - "Work It"
12. Goldfrapp - "Utopia"
13. The Thrills - "Big Sur"
14. Joseph Arthur - "In the Sun"
15. Stew - "C'mon Everybody"
16. Coldplay - "Clocks"
17. Tears for Fears - "Call Me Mellow"
18. Pernice Brothers - "Weakest Shade of Blue"
19. Super Furry Animals - "(Drawing) Rings Around the World"
20. Giant Drag - "Kevin Is Gay"
21. Godspeed You Black Emperor - "Coney Island"
22. Grandaddy - "The Crystal Lake"
23. Crystal Castles - "Crime Wave"
24. Hot Hot Heat - "Bandages"
25. The Rapture - "House of Jealous Lovers"
26. Andrew WK - "She Is BeautifuL"
27. Interpol - "Obstacle One"



Post Edited (11-24-09 21:55)

I just saw Camera Obscura live for the first time last night. They put on a really fun show. Aside from my ex-brother-in-law, I love Scottish people.

I'm debating whether to see them the week after next. I'd like to, but it's on a Tuesday night at the venue where nothing ever starts on time and I have a meeting at work the next morning, and I'm too old to manage late nights/early morning meetings anymore.

Despite philisophical objections, y'all really ought to submit ballots. Your vote counts!

for satch:



Badly Drawn Boy The
Hour of Bewilderbeast (2000)

Soundtrack of Our Lives Behind
the Music (2001)

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci How I
Long to Feel That Summer in My Heart (2001)

Rufus Wainwright:
Poses (2001)

Of Montreal
Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse
(2001)

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds No More Shall We Part
(2001)


Sigur Rós
() (2002)

Drive-By Truckers The
Dirty South (2004)

The Sadies
Favourite Colours (2004)

The Reigning Sound Too
Much Guitar (2004)

Sufjan Stevens Illinoise
(2005)

The Mountain Goats The
Sunset Tree (2005)

Antony & the Johnsons I Am a
Bird Now (2005)

Architecture in Helsinki In
Case We Die (2005)

Scott Walker
The Drift (2006)

The King Khan and BBQ Show What's For
Dinner? (2006)

Johnny Dowd
Cruel Words (2006)

Eddy Current Suppression Ring S/t
(2006)

Danielson Famile
Ships (2006)

Robert Wyatt
Comicopera (2007)

The Hex Dispensers S/T
(2007)

Thomas Function
Celebration (2008)

Bonnie Prince Billy
The Letting Go (2009)