(What's a music list without the jams? Listen to this whole mix for a limited time at the Wordsworth Muxtape.)

1. Wolf Parade - "Language City"

Perpetual insomniacs Wolf Parade stay wide-eyed and twitching for all of their new record, At Mount Zoomer (as observed by Amanda Petrusich in her terrific review for Pitchfork). At times they're kept up at night by the fluorescent hum of the modern world and an itch to travel, but singer Dan Boeckner tells us this song's "about a coke party, where 'language city' is a metaphor for the pointlessness of staying up all night talking about nothing." When he growls, "it's crowded here, none of us leave," he could be talking about his tweaked-out friends as much as the chatter that clutters the airspace around them.

2. Elvis Costello - "Pump It Up"

This hit from the philophobic Costello is mostly packed with combustible images about some high-heeled sexual dictator. But the drug-alluding chorus only hints at the other thing putting him "on tenterhooks" -- he once told Rolling Stone that he wrote and threw out five verses of "amphetamine nonsense." Anyone else think it was weird when the NBA used in their TV spots last season?

3. The Mountain Goats - "Letter From Belgium"

Stage makeup, sketch notebooks, and cake recipes lie strewn around some apartment, while someone's bringing over a batch of electrical equipment. We've no idea what it's all for, but each piece of flotsam hints at a halted ambition, a dozen schemes and inspirations aborted and discarded around a drug den. "Letter" is one of several songs about crystal meth on We All Shall Be Healed, as John Darnielle pens a languid scene of tweakers "chewing our tongues off."

[To avoid monopolizing the market, the next Muxed Bag will include neither The Mountain Goats nor Elvis Costello. -Ed.]

4. Clipse - "Nightmares"

Drug use can lead to paranoia, but what about drug dealing? Success in the drug game -- compounded by the materialism and braggadocio that fills Clipse's verses -- has rapper Malice questioning his friends' loyalties: "When you see millions, there are many chameleons." By the end of the track, Pusha T even fancies himself an assassination target, saying, "top off the coupe, that's how JFK got shot," though he manages to turn this into a boast by the comparison alone.

5. The Streets - "Not Addicted"

Ultra-detailed narrator Mike Skinner takes on an addiction less common stateside: sports gambling. His skill with specifics is on full display as he slips in a line about mid-match bets, but more subtle is the shift of the chorus's meaning. At first "it's his lucky day," as in, he's bound to win; by the end, Skinner's just lucky he never made it to the betting shop.

6. The Clash - "Hateful"

Though it's clear what Joe Strummer's after in this song, he gets unambiguous with the most ambiguous words: "I got a friend who's a man," it starts. He's in such a hurry to see his man for some more, the word "hateful" never even gets put into a sentence. Just "hateful," a declaration.

7. The Hold Steady - "Hot Fries"

All your favorite movies, they ain't all that funny
If you ain't that high, and I ain't that high

Craig Finn, whether lovelorn or scene-tired, can be counted on to weave drugs or drinking into his reminiscing. But while he's usually the one doing the celebrating (or regretting), on "Hot Fries" he lays into another worn-out partygoer.

As narrator Finn is more sober than usual, offering life lessons such as "the things that make you high will make you die." He's also more hungover, shown in bitter accusations like "Elliott Smith seems like a mess to me / and you cry way too easily." Watching his friend burn out on dilaudid and hook-ups, Finn isn't reaching out so much as scorning an old version of himself.

8. Quasimoto - "Come On Feet"

Quasimoto, one of Madlib's more blacklight-friendly aliases, tends to rap in fits and flits, pausing for knob-twiddling, other-worldly reflection, and the occasional toke. This beat is as sluggish as his plodding verse, as Quas watches his own steps, each movement a struggle: "I pick 'em up and put 'em down." And if the lines "won't catch me now / never put us in some cold-ass ground" don't spell paranoia, then the horror-flick screams in the background will.

9. Of Montreal - "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse"

Chemicals are both friend and foe in this frenetic, paranoid dance single. The lysergic Kevin Barnes addresses his drugs like a wrongdoing lover: "Know you bait me way more than you should." Barnes decries the sins wrought by his substance use, but the intro of "come on mood shift, shift back to good again" promises solace; he knows he's in the valley of a sine wave, that it's only a matter of time before the good feeling rushes back.

10. Phosphorescent - "Cocaine Lights"

Mathew Houck's lyrics can get buried under Phosphorescent's dusky atmospherics, but "Cocaine Lights" has several verses worth unearthing. After an electric night, Houck describes the hollow ache of the morning:

In the darkness
After the cocaine lights
I will miss you
More than ever

And to color my eyes into rose
Is to ask of my beaten bones
To be less of meat and stone
And more of feather

His body sagging into the bed, heavy as stone, Houck recalls last night's transpirings, impossibly from the same bed: "There is light that pours sweet from new hips / there is beer that pours sweet through my lips." He replays the fond parts of the night -- a girl in a dress, a flirty joke before they collided -- but in the end he returns to the new sunrise, sobering, humbling, and shaming.

I will recover my sense of grace
And rediscover my rightful place
Yes and cover my face
With the morning

Full update still coming - please take a look at this link to find out a little more about contributing to Brainwaves 2008. A quick and easy link to V/Vm's website is right here; that Twin Peaks related vinyl is sold out, but the fine folks at V/Vm Test Records make lots and lots of music available for absolutely free. The amount of music and/or strange sounds there are enough to keep you busy for weeks. Make sure to check it all out... And don't forget that The Caretaker has a new record coming out.

Come back, soon! More will be posted...

DOWNLOAD: Laughter 6/30/2008 - Hour 1 - .zip
DOWNLOAD: Laughter 6/30/2008 - Hour 2 - .mp3

01. The Shins “Caring is Creepy” from Oh, Inverted World (2001) on Sub Pop

02. Okkervil River “For Real” from Black Sheep Boy (2005) on Jagjaguwar

03. Low “On the Edge Of” from The Great Destroyer (2005) on Sub Pop

04. Palace Brothers “Riding” from There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You (1993) on Drag City

05. Fleet Foxes “Ragged Wood” from Fleet Foxes (2008) on Sub Pop

06. Sigur Rós “Med Sud I Eyrum” from Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (2008) on XL

07. Extra Life “Blackmail Blues” from Secular Works (2008) on I and Ear Records

08. Folklore “Across the Susquehanna” from Carpenter's Falls (2008) Self Released

09. Melvins “Zodiac” from Bullhead (1991) on Boner

10. Adam Arcuragi “Go with Them” from Soldiers for Feet (2008) on High Two

11. Talk Talk “Runeii” from Laughing Stock (1991) on Polydor

12. I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness “According to Plan” from According to Plan (2006) on Secretly Canadian

13. Tinariwen “Cler Achel” from Aman Iman : Water Is Life (2007) on World Village

14. Bala Miller & the Great Music Pirameeds of Afrika “Ikon Allah” from Nigeria 70: The Definitive Story of 1970's Funky Lagos (2001) on Afrostrut

15. Ofo the Black Company “Eniaro” from Nigeria Rock Special (2008) on Soundway

16. Neil Young W/ Johnny Depp & Gary Farmer “Dead Man 8 & 9” from Dead Man Soundtrack (1996) on Vapor Records

17. V/VM “ITxPIG2xC=[BOB]” from There Was a Fish... in... the Percolator (2008) on V/VM Test

18. SUJO “Dora” from Sujo (2008) on Inam Records

19. Hammock “We Will Say Goodbye to Everyone” from Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow (2008) on Darla

20. Phosphorescent “The Waves at Night” from Pride (2007) on Dead Oceans

It's one of the coolest festivals in The Netherlands but hey, what is Finntroll, doing there? But the rest of the line up from this FREE festival in Nijmegen from 12-18 July is great, including The Teenagers, Liars, DeVotchKa, Why?, Fink, The Juan Maclean, Mugison, Phosphorescent, Miracle Fortress, Get Well Soon, James Pants, YACHT, The Black Seeds, Heidevolk, Pivot, SixNationState, Krause, Chrome Hoof, The Accidental, Lucky Fonz III, Lea, Lynn, Jean Parlette, John & Jehn, Leine, Okieson, Blaudzun, Smash The Statues, Bonne Aparte, Marten de Paepe, capacocha, INVASIVES, De Staat, Intero, The Cohens, Anavarin, Voer, Beansprouts, Pedro Delgados, Pierre Courbois, Black Bottle Riot, Dead Man Running, De Kwelling van Pythagoras, Wax 'n' Wane

Check the site.

[Explosions in the sky - ATP 2008 by una fotografa da marciapiede]

Where to start? We arrived on Friday 16 May in Minehead and nearly missed Mono, Japanese experimental/postrock foursome (really liked their set) due to endless queue for transportation from Taunton. We stayed in the cavernous central stage eagerly awaiting Dinosaur jr., I was very excited as I'd never seen them live but listened their albums so many times in the 90s. They played new songs from the album Beyond (2007) and old ones, I was jumping like a crazy rabbit when I heard the first seconds of Feel the pain. It was almost embarrassing. After the dinosaurs we moved to the pavilion for Explosions in the Sky, who were scheduled to play only once, although they were curating the weekend. Strangely enough their set didn't impress me, too many slow songs after a good start. I've seen them only once before and was expecting something heavier, more heartfelt. I went to see Phosphorescent before going to bed, good concert, sadly the third (and smallest) venue at Butlins has horrible acoustics and noisy slotmachines.

Saturday was quite busy, I was trying to see as much as I could and was happy to switch Okkervil River for Gostface Killah (that was a lot of fun), but I quickly returned to the pavilion for The National, definitely one of the festival's highlights. Brainy, Fake Empire, Squalor Victoria, great band. On the other hand, I found Iron&Wine very boring, as much as I love Beam's albums I don't seem to get him on a stage (the large band didn't help).

Sunday was slightly more relaxed, we even managed to eat a full lunch and spend some time in the sunshine, but rushed back for some great post-rock courtesy of Polvo. After listening to the first part of Silver Jews, we moved to the central stage for Animal Collective, my favourite set of all the weekend. The stage had been equipped with huge speakers with built-in lighting system, synchronising sound and colours. The effect was hypnotic. The sheer noise was one of the best things I've ever listened to. Fireworks was so good live. Broken Social Scene gave all they had, even calling Dinosaur Jr and others onstage. Battles were the perfect closure for the weekend, pumping loud sounds, playing the beautiful Tonto. After, a good night sleep and on Monday creeping post-festival blues during the journey to London. And so it ends.

Phosphorescent (Matthew Houck) - Wolves

[audio http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/1/3/589091/Phosphorescent%20-%20Wolves.mp3]

The Breeders/Mountain Battles

Phosphorescent/The Weight of Flight

Fairport Convention/What We Did On Our Holidays

Alasdair Roberts/No Earthly Man

Warp 10+3 Remixes

[A Silver Mt Zion, photo by Mark Slutsky, via pitchforkmedia.com]

In terms of music last week was great, seeing A Silver Mt Zion at Scala was a real treat. Two straight hours of music and the occasional comments of Efrim Menuck on the Olympic torch in London and all. They started off with 1,000,000 Died To Make This Sound, track 13 of their new album (the preceding 12 tracks being a few seconds short sounds) 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons, and hypnotised the audience (mainly) with new songs. Personal highlight was BlindBlindBlind, also from their last album.

The exhibition I saw last week: Cranach the Elder at the Royal Academy (until 8 June). Thank god there were two different ticket queues for Cranach and the Russian collections, otherwise I would have been there for half an hour or more. The exhibition is on the top level, which means that it can get quite crowded as the spaces aren't very big. Well it was crowded, but, worst of all, it was full of visitors equipped with evil audio-guides. Standing in line and waiting to see a painting I wondered why people can't appreciate what's hanging on the walls without pretending to know everything about it. There are large panels (and large print is available too) with information, context etc., do people need more? Most of them end up listening without actually looking. End of rant. The show is good, many paintings and works on paper on loan from important foreign collections and the always interesting portraits of Martin Luther, old school propaganda.

This week I have tickets for two gigs, Phosphorescent at Borderline and Low playing at the Union Chapel. I'm quite excited for both: I saw Phosphorescent opening for Akron/Family at Cargo a few months ago and liked his voice and songs (as my friend M would say, 'he's very Will Oldham, right?') and now that I've been listening to Pride for a bit I'll probably like his set even more; well, and Low in a church, who can beat that? Art-wise: courtesy of my friend P I have tickets for the Chinese design exhibition at the V&A, I'll come back here to report on that.

Phosphorescent is currently in the middle of his U.S. tour, which recently included a stint at SXSW.

More @ SXSW...

Check Out:
"A Picture of Our Torn Up Praise"

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

- Ein College stolz auf seinen Absolventen: Berklee schreibt die CD Baby-Erfolgsgeschichte auf.

- Got Soul? Im neuen Mixed Tape Videoflashirgendwas erforscht Mercedes-Benz den Soul. Und ich find dieses Format (Autobude macht einen auf "Tracks") übrigens seltsam.

- Mir macht der Typ ja Angst... Ich erinner' mich noch mit Grausen an das legendäre "Motivationsvideo".

- Sinéad O'Connor: Covern und Gecovertwerden. Nette Hommage bei Cover Lay Down.

- Das is doch mal ne schöne Website. Und die Musik ist auch nicht schlecht.

- Neuentdeckung des Tages: Phosphorescent. mp3 hier, unten das Video zum Song. (via)

[audio http://www.scjag.com/mp3/do/tornuppraise.mp3]

I went to see Phosphorescent and The Bowerbirds at Union Hall a few weeks back. I was more impressed by the opening-opening band, The Acorn, than by the two groups I had gone to see. But that's not what I've come here to tell you about. What I'm here to tell you about is Viking Moses. At one point in the night, Matthew Houck (aka Phosphorescent) brought Brendan Massei (aka Viking Moses) to the stage. They performed a song together (I'm pretty sure it was Funny Little Photographs). Brendan Massei made me giggle and sway side to side and feel emotions which I'm still working out. He wore high waisted, light wash jeans, a baggy cotton sweater and nondescript loafers (or maybe they were white LA Gear sneakers? I can't remember exactly). My buddy Chris said he looked like an IT guy circa 1995. I agree.

Werewolves In The City video:

Viking Moses- Werewolves In The City

Has anyone else noticed the influx of songs and band names that use the word bear or wolf? Do a search in your iTunes, you'll see...

Phosphorescent- Wolves

Panda Bear- Comfy In Nautica

Wolf Parade- Dear Sons And Daughters Of Hungry Ghosts

Sufjan Stevens- Sleeping Bear, Sault Saint Marie

Vampire Weekend, yes Vampire Weekend! played at SXSW:

MGMT played at Urban Outfitters:

Jens Lekman played "pop music":

The Breeders were interviewed during their set:

Cut Copy got interviewed too:

Lykke Li performed "Little Bit":

Bon Iver performed "What Might've Been Lost" and were also robbed:

The Weakerthans played at the Paste/Stereogum party:

Enter Shikari performed "Mothership":

What we missed for Wednesday...

The Presidents of The United States of America played at Cedar Door:

Phosphorescent were at Emo's:

Ben Harper and Tom Morello played together for War:

Billy Bragg played at the SESAC Day Stage Cafe Austin Convention Center:

Tokyo Police Club got interviewed by NME:

What else?  

•  Austin 360 has video from the Pitchfork party along with tons of photos from day three.
• Club.kingsnake saw Blue Rodeo and Friends.
• Spin interviewed Tapes 'n Tapes and reviewed the Playboy party.
• Pitchfork continues to have many reviews.
• Donewaiting.com is drinking.
• Flickr has many photos tagged "SXSW".

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

NPR previews the massive number of shows all over Austin. There are the official events, of course, and the FREE unofficial Hot Freaks events, hosted by music bloggers Daytrotter, Largehearted Boy, Aquarium Drunkard, Chromewaves, You Ain't No Picasso, My Old Kentucky Blog, and Gorilla vs Bear.

Download a more than generous helping of easy-like-Sunday-morning mp3s from Hot Freaks bands at Aquarium Drunkard, who puts together one, two, three fantastic compilations for ya that include a track from each of the following blistering bands:

Dr. Dog, Bowerbirds, Bodies of Water, AA Bondy, Centro-matic, Castanets, Chris Bathgate, Akron/Family, Bobby Bare Jr., Jason Collett, Collections of Colonies of Bees, Cloud Cult, Black Mountain, Black Angels, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Citay, The Dodos, Jens Lekman, Lightspeed Champion, Evangelicals, Everest, Foreign Born, My Brightest Diamond, Kaki King, Langhorne Slim, Danile Lanois, Minipop, Lucero, Madeline, Phosphorescent, Throw Me The Statue, The Whigs, White Hinterland, White Denim, Ola Podrida, O’death, Parts & Labor, Mark Pickerel & His Praying Hands, Pink Nasty, Slaraffenland, Snowglobe, The Submarines, The Theater Fire, British Sea Power, Peelander Z, and King of Prussia.

Kiss puns are great. I've said it. They are great.

Robbie's going all UFO on us. He is still a pop star, yes? (Thank you to PopSugar UK)

Fifty most influential blogs. I'm not there. That's fair.

The Guardian also has a great profile of Samantha Morton and on the dearth of interest in bleak Iraq filmmaking.

Obama has scored a proxy victory over McCain with the congressional seat win for Bill Foster.

Alec Baldwin discusses Hillary and her experience on The Huffington Post.

Stephen A Crockett Jr is an addict. Of The Wire. Read his story.

Everyone loves The THAT. Check the stats.

Another link to the fantastic Michael Chabon essay on superheroes for The New Yorker.

Bush has sealed his legacy with the veto of a bill which again protects executive power.

Amy Adams is doing a different type of reputation cementing with her performance in Miss Pettigrew.

Sopranos debate.

EWWWW!!!!! Paula Abdul is going to make a comeback album.

Rolling Stone has endorsed Barack Obama.

The Pakistani government rivals Musharraf and Zardari have formed a coalition pact.

Buffy lesbian action. Except Buffy. Not Willow. Buffy. Yep.

Here's the fifty best paid folk of last year.

Here's Norman Mailer having a scrap with Rip Torn.

Time talks to Dee Dee Myers, the first female press secretary.

Mother Jones interviews a renditionee.

Phosphorescent does a great set for Daytrotter.

The National
Phosphorescent
Maps & Atlases
Eisner and Lubin Auditorium NYU
February 28th 2008

Let’s get the negatives out of the way, shall we?

1st- There was no beer. Now this might seem to be a point of rather small stature but given points 2 and 3, the omission of alcohol was severely detrimental to the entire experience.

2nd- Don’t let its name fool you, The Eisner and Lubin Auditorium is pretty much a high school gym. The sound was pretty awful. The show was only $8 so complaints are hard to make, however, them's the facts folks.

3rd- I was surrounded by NYU students. This isn’t inherently a bad thing, but I felt as if I was attending a hipster-slut convention.

I entered the auditorium as Maps & Atlases began their set. Mustaches make for darling bands, do they not? These guys were very talented on the music making front. Their style is very similar to Unique Chique, utilizing elements of jazz guitar tone fused with progressive rock beats. In fact Maps & Atlases are a pretty standard example of Chicago indie rock. They even use vibraphones. If Tortoise, Sea & Cake, and Unique Chique are your thing I am absolutely positive that you’ll appreciate Maps & Atlases. The vocals of Dave Davison set them apart from other bands in their genre in that they are punchy. The vocals don’t necessarily play second chair to the jazzy, experimental music. The guitars are tapped instead of strummed so that the collective punch of the drums, bass, vibraphones, and vocals combine in a free-flowing percussive orchestration. All the instruments work in syncopation.

The three bands were very different from one another. Phosphorescent has a beautiful and soft quality laden with animistic lyrics and an American Gothic aesthetic. I would not be so familiar as to outline Matthew Houck’s influences except to say they certainly hail from the vicinity of southern folk. As mentioned to me by a friend, the band seemed stuck in a perpetual state of near collapse. Each musician was very concerned with what the other band members were playing. But this looseness did not detract from the performance. Houck’s vocals were a tremendous croon. He did not shy away from experimentation, looping his voice over with octaves of bellows and screams, a sure sign that he writes his music solo. In many ways I’d compare him to O’death minus the psychosis. He seems to be pleading not seething. Fair play Southern troubadour, fair play.

When The National took the stage, it was immediately apparent that this band had their shit together. First off it must be said that even as I compared Bryan Devendorf‘s drumming to Stephen Morris from Joy Division, experiencing the on stage presence of Matt Berninger was amazing. It was as if Ian Curtis never died, grew up, and mellowed out. The resemblance is pretty astounding, if not in looks than in spirit. When he wasn’t spittin' his poems into the mic, he turned away from the audience and let the music consume him. His stage manner is conterminously intense and timid. Especially memorable was their performance of Mr. November. Watching this guy go ape-shit was a treat. When I watch a gorilla looking metal fuck scream and wince it has no more appeal than a cow fart. When a rail thin, contemplative type, hugs him self so hard that he bellows out his sweet, sweet words, I am simply moved.

These guys definitely knew what they were doing. I got the sense that they have been around for a while. In contrast to Phosphorescent, they commanded their instruments with exactitude. Every note was hit with deliberation. Fake Empire was ridiculous. They made us certain that after our trite experience as 20 somethings, we can definitely look forward to a period of disgruntled 30 somethingness. In short through no fault of their own they made the bourgeois problems of the disaffected youth look pretty pathetic. What does a 21 year old really have to say about life? Sigh…

7/9

http://mapsandatlases.org
http://www.myspace.com/mapsandatlases
http://www.myspace.com/phosphorescent
http://www.americanmary.com
http://www.myspace.com/thenational

Review of The National- Boxer

Another of my El Perro Del Mar faves is "God knows (You Gotta Give to Get Back)"--that's actually a great one to play for kids. If you've never listened to The Tragically Hip, they're Canadian. Yer Favorites is available on itunes. "Walters" by Pinback was one of NPR's songs of the day--great to subscribe to if you're a music fan. KEXP also offers this feed. See those links above for more information. The Handsome Furs and Rogue Wave get a lot of rotation in my house and car, too. As Joe has observed, that Earlimart track is very REM-ish. Which is not a bad thing for many of us.

I'm not savvy enough to provide mp3 links, but that's just as well. All of these tunes can be listened to or purchased at the sites above. (I'll get my Blog Roll up soon.)

Happy listening. And may March be better than February--

Transliterator-DeVotchKa
Answers & Questions-Earlimart
Thoughts of Rena-Voom Blooms
5 Years Time-Noah and the Whale
Two Daughters And A Beautiful Wife-Drive-By Truckers
Dry Lips-Lightspeed Champion
However Many Takes It Takes-Vandaveer
Wolves -Phosphorescent
Walters-Pinback
You're a Wolf -Sea Wolf
Get Your Head Around It-Headlights
2080-Yeasayer
Cannot Get, Started-Handsome Furs
Have You Seen In Your Dreams-Miracle Fortress
People-El Perro Del Mar
Yer Not The Ocean-The Tragically Hip
Right Hand on My Heart-The Whigs
Chicago X 12-Rogue Wave
This Harness Can't Ride Anything-Chin Up Chin Up

Let's see if this works: 1Mar08Playlist

Matthew Houck's band, Phosphorescent, is starting their tour across the United States and eventually Europe tomorrow. I don't want to throw out any comparisons or hyphenated genres -- just check it out for yourself.

I haven't heard many of their tracks but what I have heard is most excellent and I'm going to their show in Northampton, MA on Saturday. I lost my magic 8 ball so I'll have to wait until next week to tell you about the show.

You can grab some of their tracks from a Daytrotter session here: [Link]

And some YouTube:

At Death, A Proclamation

Full Grown Man

And last, but not least, the myspace page with more songs, videos, and tour dates: [Link]

Why 18 you ask? I honestly don't know. But I've chosen now so I have to stick to it. I was only going to do ten but it seemed nice to give a little shout out to some further albums and also, I feel like much past 18 and the number begin to become less meaningful. I really couldn't tell you past eighteen why anything would deserve to be the number of places above anything else. Anyway.

This list is again based on albums released in the UK during 2007 and therefore, I know on in particular which will rankle with American readers on that point, is not based on those to have arrived in the US this year. Apologies for this. I cannot tell when this wrong will finally be righted and albums released in our countries on the same day.

Again, as with all the lists. If you see anything you want to know more about, don't hesitate to ask in the comments. Enjoy. Next week will see the list for songs of the year which will be long and less well written. Look forward won't you?

18. Grinderman - Grinderman

So Nick Cave streamlines the most aggressively middle-aged and cantankerous of his Bad Seeds, strips them to base instruments and unleashed the finest garage punk record of the year. In thrall almost fully to the brilliance of The Stooges, the abrasive guitars and thumping, sexually-charged vocals unveils Cave's heavier aural side to partner his lyrical darkness. Best Track: No Pussy Blues

17. Rufus Wainwright - Release The Stars

An opulent melodrama in which Wainwright casts himself as the damsel at its centre, searing through intensely personal themes and arriving on the other side draped in gold and glorious rain. A huge, semi-operatic mansion of an album, this sets Wainwright alongside the Scott Walkers and Billy MacKenzies of the world as a chronicler of great sadness through enormous music. Best Track: Slideshow

16. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, You Are The Destroyer

Kevin Barnes had for years toiled away as the key figure in Of Montreal's Paisley psych popsicles but in the past few years has discovered the joys of full, monolithic tunery and came into full bloom on this devastatingly brilliant album. It all centres around the astounding 'Past Is A Grotesque Animal', a motorik Neu-indebted work of propulsive genius, all filtered through Barnes' kaleidoscope eyes. Best Track: Past Is A Grotesque Animal

15. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

They could never have hoped to capture the impact of Funeral again but Neon Bible is a strong attempt. While it lacks the raw, personal catharsis of its predecessor, the record is quite breathtaking on its own terms. The songs are bigger, stronger and politically furious, only really lacking the sense of self the first had to truly draw its audience into the mix. Still, you have to think that number three will be just beyond belief. Best Track: No Cars Go

14. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

While Ga x 5 isn't as satisfying as previous Spoon albums, the taut white funk remained tight and the songs managed to find some of the expanse explored on Gimme Fiction, if without the full consistency of that album. 'The Underdog' though might be there finest ever song while the compact whole, while insubstantial, packs a mighty punch which seems to have futher propelled Spoon towards the big leagues they still seem unsure they want. Best Track: The Underdog

13. Kings of Leon - Because of the Times

For a short time this year, I was absolutely in love with this album. There previous had been a true grower, sneaking up in time to take its place among my recent favourites. This doesn't quite manage it due to a sense of inconsistency and a lack of real peaks but it does contain some fabulous, chugging records and some of the year's absolute best vocal performances. Best Track: 'On Call'

12. Liars - Liars

I used to absolutely hate Liars. Pretentious tuneless nonsense. For album four, they set about to prove me wrong by finding their inner OMD and JAMC, churning out an album filled with menacing guitars and fuzzed up, leather jacket wearing New York art punk. Yet far from the spindly excesses of previous years, they complimented it all with a terrific, full noise and created their best yet. Best Track: Freakout

11. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala

Just the most sugar-meltingly lovely record of the whole year. Lekman constructed an arch-pop masterwork in the tradition of Paul Simon and provided a selection of downhome, keenly observed stories of love and cardigan-clad lust. A just gorgeous album to while away the hours drinking cups of tea and thinking about the girls whose parents hated you while spilling crumbs all down your woolly jumper. Best Track: Postcard to Nina

10. Radiohead - In Rainbows

There is nothing more to write about this. Yes, it did change the music industry. Yes, it is a very good record. No, it is not a patch on their two previous peaks, The Bends and OK Computer. Yes, it is low-key, quite sexy and sounds more like a Thom Yorke record. And Yes, it is absolutely worth listening too again and again because repeated plays reveal this as their most sensuous, lush record to date. Best Track: House of Cards

9. The Black Lips - Good Bad Not Evil

Skronky garage rock chugging from the bayou on the year's most enjoyably old fashioned release. While Black Lips are hardly revolutionary, they play with a swagger and confidence which made me immediately fond of them while this albums continues to impress further upon repeat listens. They ain't reinventing the wheel, but they are rolling along just fine. Best Track: Oh Katrina

8. Bjork - Volta

Bjork is one of those women in song who I am just a little bit in love with. I feel the same about Cat Power and Joni Mitchell but while I think time with them would consist of acoustic guitars, great bourbon and cigarettes, Bjork is an altogether different proposition. Streamlined by working with Timbaland, she delivered a breathless album of future-pop and space-torch ballads. Best Track: Innocence

7. PJ Harvey - White Chalk

I'm not in love with PJ Harvey at all, mostly because she frightens me greatly but this record, her most overtly fragile and tingly one to date, is an emotional battering ram. The familiar themes of sex and death remains but are explored in a hazy fog of piano-led gentleness rather than abrasive Albini-guitars and screaming orgasm vocals. That she is a genius was already set but now, she shows she can be a gentle genius too while still pummelling you with her song. Best Track: White Chalk

6. Menomena - Friend and Foe

A strange beast this lot. A great live band capable of a titanic racket and slinky tunes and makers of a true grower for the year. First listen revealed little of what was to come but soon it came, a semi-epic album of fairly straightforward indie. Yet something is there, something indefinable which makes me return again and again. I can't explain it to you so I'll just say you should try them and love them. Best Track: Wet and Rusting

5. Panda Bear - Person Pitch

If Menomena was a bit of a grower, this was an overgrown garden of evolution. I hated this when I first heard, just couldn't understand the fuss. Now, it's pushing for higher in this chart as I write this. Moments on this headphone masterpiece are sublime, transcendent even as Noah Lennox carries the Beach Boys through sumptuous house textures and lushly constructed mood pieces. Best Track: Bros

4. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

A grown-up album of electronica and a truly great New York record, James Murphy really stepped up with this one. Delivering propellant grooves and epic Krautrock-inspired dancefloor monsters alongside pensive, reflective songs of aging, nostalgia and sadness. On the peaks too he provided both with 'All My Friends' the masterwork of his labour, a perfect dissection of the low after the years of high. Best Track: All My Friends

3. The National - Boxer

Their previous effort, Alligator, provided the midpoint between Springsteen and Tindersticks and was maybe the best album of its year. Boxer is more subdued, careful about its points and taking its time to create its atmosphere of 4am reflection. Best description of it all though comes from an unknown source; like Nick Cave wrapped in velvet. Sumptuous and worthy of breathing in. Best Track: Fake Empire

2. Battles - Mirrored

If there is anyone out there who thought that a math-rock supergroup would be among the top ten list of everyone who knows Tom, Dick and Harry, give them a round of applause. This record is really only math-rock in terms of categorisation, for it manages to transcend that at a canter. Battles, to coin this NME-esque hideousness in phrase, are the Led Zeppelin of math-rock, tight but loose with all the elements interacted with perfect precision and yet the feel of improvisation. Best Track: Atlas

1. The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America

Out in the US last year but January for us, I haven't loved a record this much since Chutes Too Narrow by The Shins. Craig Finn spins his tales with the touch of a master, celebrating the teenage fuck ups and and beauty of the that experience with poetry, humour and jackhammer tunes. There just isn't a moment on the album out of place and, by some distance it contains the best lines of the year. Choice for now being "She was a real cool kisser and she wasn't all that strict of a Christian", a teenage dream in fifteen words. Best Track: Chillout Tent

Other notable albums from the year were made by: Arctic Monkeys, Iron & Wine, The Twilight Sad, New Pornographers, Yeasayer, Les Savy Fav, Band of Horses, The Shins, Beirut, Sunset Rubdown, Nicole Atkins, Bon Iver (out in UK next year), Handsome Furs, Bill Callahan, Thurston Moore, Rilo Kiley, The Bees, John Vanderslice, St Vincent, Dinosaur Jr, Richard Swift, Bright Eyes, Queens of the Stone Age, The White Stripes, The Black Kids (EP), New Young Pony Club, The Broken West, Caribou, Dirty Projectors, Jason Isbell, Gonzales, Kevin Drew, Lil Wayne, Kanye West (in places), Magik Markers, Scout Niblett, Marissa Nadler, Miracle Fortress, Neil Young, Noah & The Whale, Pela, Phosphorescent, Ra Ra Riot, Seasick Steve, Wilco, The Maccabees, The 1990s, Stars of the Lid, Patti Smith and probably more besides.

pyramid of black crystal

down which the cars

slide like phosphorescent beetles

while I, walking backwards in obedience

to the wind, am possessed

of the fearful knowledge

my compatriots share

but almost never utter:

this is a country

where a man can die

                                    simply from being

caught outside.

-Alden Nowlan

This is a poem that I wanted to share with you, as we are in the cold wintery months. It is a poem that I have just recently read in my English course. It's appeal really struck me. I hope that you all enjoy this poem like I have. Remember, it's icy out there, so please drive safely and all come home for the holidays!

Passando ad altro: mentre Lost sta raggiungendo livelli di sublimazione clamorosi - con Desmond che più passa il tempo e più sta diventando l'indiscusso protagonista della serie - ieri sera Italia 1 ha trasmesso le ultime due puntate della seconda serie di Prison Break, di cui avevo parlato poco tempo fa. Personalmente non posso dirmi certo deluso dal risultato, anche se Mahone da solo ha tenuto in piedi gran parte della storia.

Chiudiamo con la musica, visto che ne ho parlato in apertura di post: il disco di/dei Phosphorescent è la cosa più adatta a queste giornate fredde, umide e tremendamente invernali. Roba che si presta a farsi ascoltare davanti a un caminetto con un ciobar caldo caldo, avvolto in una coperta di lana. In attesa di ascoltare il nuovo degli Efterklang - che a quanto pare hanno virato verso territori simil Arcade Fire - un altro cazzo di candidato alle classifiche di fine anno. Avanti di questo passo ci vorrà una top100 e non una top10 (a confronto la lista dei 23 per l'Europeo è una cazzata).