35. Handsome Furs - Plague Park
Handsome Furs is the "other" Wolf Parade side project. I say other, because after two well received albums in consecutive years, Spencer Krug's Sunset Rubdown is maybe even bigger than Wolf Parade itself. In fact, is it really a side project when they've made more albums than the main band? But that's Sunset Rubdown, and I'll be writing more about them later, so I digress.
Wolf Parade's other (there I go with that word again) front man, Dan Boeckner, is the driving force behind Handsome Furs. While Boeckner's vocals make it difficult to consider this a major departure from the band from which this project spawns, there are some considerable differences. The music is generally more stripped down, but the presence of electronic blips and drum machines make it far from an organic effort. Not as upbeat and powerful as Wolf Parade, nor as drenched in layers as Sunset Rubdown, this is still an impressive debut from a worthwhile side project. Now, I look forward to a proper Wolf Parade album this year.
34. Malcolm Middleton - A Brighter Beat
I was never really a fan of Arab Strap, but only because I was never really exposed to their music, not because I didn't like them. I still can't really say either way, but judging from Malcolm Middleton's solo output, and the fact that I've heard them referred to as Scotland's answer to Walter Becker and Donald Fagen (not just because they're both named after sexual devices), I'm pretty sure I could easily be swayed.
But, the problem is that Middleton is the Becker of Arab Strap, so who knows? Regardless, his solo albums have made me an instant fan, with 2005's Into the Woods cracking my top 20, and this impressive follow-up. You can never get enough songs about life's depressing and darker moments sung by a Scotsman as charming as Middleton. When he sings "when are you coming home...don't want to be alone" on "Fuck it, I Love You", it's hard not to want to venture out to the pub to drink a pint on his behalf. And then there's "Up Late at Night Again", as much this album's highlight as "Choir" was to Into the Woods. I dare you to listen this song without wanting a drink.
33. Radiohead - In Rainbows
I think I remember reading somewhere that this album was in danger of being overlooked musically because of all the hype surrounding it's unorthodox release. Well, so much for that. I already count it atop two critical year end lists and in 12 other top tens. That's out of 16 lists total, all aggregated on Metacritic, which leaves two in which it didn't crack the top ten. Those publications are Paste, my new favorite music magazine, and Slant, which I know little about.
In Rainbows is a good album. It's better than the new Wilco, the band I once referred to as the alt-country Radiohead. It's not OK Computer. It's not even The Bends. It's good, actually very good, with a couple weaker moments. That's all I have to say.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
38. Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond
It just occurred to me that, among this year's top 40, Dinosaur Jr. is the artist I've been a fan of the longest. But, you can read about that here. As I've said before, I've always been a much bigger fan of the post-Lou Barlow Dinosaur Jr. of the early 90's than the more critically acclaimed earlier material. Well, Barlow returns, following the band's 10 year hiatus, on Beyond, and he fails to screw it up. Don't get me wrong, it's still J Mascis who gets most of the credit, but Lou's contributions aren't so bad.
While the album lacks a killer song, a la Where You Been's "Get Me" or the consistency from start to finish of Green Mind, there are still some killer tracks here, including "Almost Ready", "Pick Me Up" and "This is All I Came to Do". Overall, this is a pretty strong effort thats hearken back to the heyday...or, at least my opinion of their heyday.
37. Aqueduct - Or Give Me Death
My relationship with the music of Aqueduct could be described as a tenuous one. When I first heard 2005's I Sold Gold, I really took to it. Then, after repeated listens...maybe a few too many, in fact...it wore on me, and when it came time to elminate a few contenders from the year end list, it wasn't difficult to leave off.
The thing of it is, this is one of those bands where the vocals can really get to even a self-proclaimed lover of annoying singers, such as myself. Then, I heard Or Give Me Death early this year and I thought it was vastly superior to the last record. There was no way I was going to grow tired of this one. But, in going back to it later this year, I discovered I had. I bumped it down in the rankings from a lock to make the list to just a contender, and one that I really thought was going to miss the cut again.
Then, realizing I just wasn't in the mood for it the last few times I'd listened, I gave it another chance, and realized there is something special about this collection of quirky indie pop. There really are quite a few standouts here, including "Living a Lie", "Keep it Together", and "With Friends Like These", and it really would've been a shame to leave it out of the top 40. That's not to say, though, that I couldn't change my mind in a few months.
36. Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer
As I peruse the entire list, I notice that there are certainly a number of bands who were recommended to me at one point or another by a friend or acquaintance. But this is the only album of the 40 that was a specific recommendation by someone this year. Of course, I didn't need my friend Macee to tell me about Levon Helm, the only American member of the mostly Canadian roots rock progenitors, The Band. I knew of the album, and might have sought it out on my own, but it wasn't until she mentioned that it sounded like a really good Americana album that I decided to check it out.
I was not disappointed. The album is a collection of his interpretations of old folk and country standards, as well as a few written by more modern artists, including Steve Earle's "The Mountain" and Buddy & Julie Miller's "Wide River to Cross". Other highlights include "False Hearted Lover Blues", "Dirt Farmer" and "Got Me a Woman". All culled together these songs could represent a look back at Helm's Southern roots, but to me they're just a pure slice of Americana.
It just occurred to me that, among this year's top 40, Dinosaur Jr. is the artist I've been a fan of the longest. But, you can read about that here. As I've said before, I've always been a much bigger fan of the post-Lou Barlow Dinosaur Jr. of the early 90's than the more critically acclaimed earlier material. Well, Barlow returns, following the band's 10 year hiatus, on Beyond, and he fails to screw it up. Don't get me wrong, it's still J Mascis who gets most of the credit, but Lou's contributions aren't so bad.
While the album lacks a killer song, a la Where You Been's "Get Me" or the consistency from start to finish of Green Mind, there are still some killer tracks here, including "Almost Ready", "Pick Me Up" and "This is All I Came to Do". Overall, this is a pretty strong effort thats hearken back to the heyday...or, at least my opinion of their heyday.
37. Aqueduct - Or Give Me Death
My relationship with the music of Aqueduct could be described as a tenuous one. When I first heard 2005's I Sold Gold, I really took to it. Then, after repeated listens...maybe a few too many, in fact...it wore on me, and when it came time to elminate a few contenders from the year end list, it wasn't difficult to leave off.
The thing of it is, this is one of those bands where the vocals can really get to even a self-proclaimed lover of annoying singers, such as myself. Then, I heard Or Give Me Death early this year and I thought it was vastly superior to the last record. There was no way I was going to grow tired of this one. But, in going back to it later this year, I discovered I had. I bumped it down in the rankings from a lock to make the list to just a contender, and one that I really thought was going to miss the cut again.
Then, realizing I just wasn't in the mood for it the last few times I'd listened, I gave it another chance, and realized there is something special about this collection of quirky indie pop. There really are quite a few standouts here, including "Living a Lie", "Keep it Together", and "With Friends Like These", and it really would've been a shame to leave it out of the top 40. That's not to say, though, that I couldn't change my mind in a few months.
36. Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer
As I peruse the entire list, I notice that there are certainly a number of bands who were recommended to me at one point or another by a friend or acquaintance. But this is the only album of the 40 that was a specific recommendation by someone this year. Of course, I didn't need my friend Macee to tell me about Levon Helm, the only American member of the mostly Canadian roots rock progenitors, The Band. I knew of the album, and might have sought it out on my own, but it wasn't until she mentioned that it sounded like a really good Americana album that I decided to check it out.
I was not disappointed. The album is a collection of his interpretations of old folk and country standards, as well as a few written by more modern artists, including Steve Earle's "The Mountain" and Buddy & Julie Miller's "Wide River to Cross". Other highlights include "False Hearted Lover Blues", "Dirt Farmer" and "Got Me a Woman". All culled together these songs could represent a look back at Helm's Southern roots, but to me they're just a pure slice of Americana.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Upon finalizing my top 40 of 2007 this weekend, I have to say that this has to be the earliest I've ever completed the list. I usually spend a little more time obsessing over it, but maybe I've finally refined the process to the point that it doesn't feel like a chore. In the first few years that I did this, I wouldn't finish until a couple months into the new year. I guess I was determined to really evaluate every album and be certain of my final list. But, in reality, this is not an exact science, so I'm never really certain. And besides, my philosophy has evolved to the point where I think of my year-end compilation as the soundtrack to my year, so it just wouldn't be right if an album on my best of 2007 list was one I listened to mostly in early 2008.
A potential downside to finishing this early, of course, is that I could overlook something. But, there's always something that I'm going to overlook, and there are always going to be friends raving about albums like Sky Blue Sky and wondering why it was left off the list. So, since I've decided that nothing I've begun listening to in the past couple of weeks is a contender, I'm confident that my list is complete. So, without further adieu...
40. New Buffalo - Somewhere, Anywhere
2005 was the first year that I expanded the list beyond a top ten due to the sheer number of albums I listened to (approximately 300). Near the end of that year, there were a handful of records that I had just picked up that I labored over the decision of whether or not they would crack the list. One of those albums that eventually didn't make it, was New Buffalo's debut Last Beautiful Day. That album may actually have been a little better than this one, but the second offering from this indie folk/pop outfit does not disappoint.
I remember reading somewhere that Sally Seltmann, the singer/songwriter of New Buffalo, had written one of Feist's more popular songs. In fact, she co-wrote "1234", the song from the iPod Nano commercial. Most of this album is not as upbeat as that one, but with mellow folk/pop gems such as "Emotional Champs" and "It's Got to Be Jean", it makes for a really pleasant listen.
39. Art Brut - It's a Bit Complicated
Another case of a band whose debut may very well be the real highlight of their catalog so far, Art Brut's Bang Bang Rock & Roll made them one of Pitchfork's darlings in 2005. I listened to it once and dismissed it as solid but "not my thing". I may have been wrong.
A couple months ago, I saw this band open for The Hold Steady, and immediately sought out their sophomore effort, It's a Bit Complicated. Witty, sarcastic and simple but clever lyrics sung to hook laden guitar rock, art punk is the most common description associated with this music. Highlights include a couple of hilarious breakup songs, "People in Love" and "Post Soothing Out", and the difficult to take seriously sexuality of "Blame it on the Trains" and "Jealous Guy". It seems to me this album had the potential to be great, and I suppose I'll have to find out if the debut lives up to that potential, but in the end, it's just good clean fun...not that clean is that important to me.
A potential downside to finishing this early, of course, is that I could overlook something. But, there's always something that I'm going to overlook, and there are always going to be friends raving about albums like Sky Blue Sky and wondering why it was left off the list. So, since I've decided that nothing I've begun listening to in the past couple of weeks is a contender, I'm confident that my list is complete. So, without further adieu...
40. New Buffalo - Somewhere, Anywhere
2005 was the first year that I expanded the list beyond a top ten due to the sheer number of albums I listened to (approximately 300). Near the end of that year, there were a handful of records that I had just picked up that I labored over the decision of whether or not they would crack the list. One of those albums that eventually didn't make it, was New Buffalo's debut Last Beautiful Day. That album may actually have been a little better than this one, but the second offering from this indie folk/pop outfit does not disappoint.
I remember reading somewhere that Sally Seltmann, the singer/songwriter of New Buffalo, had written one of Feist's more popular songs. In fact, she co-wrote "1234", the song from the iPod Nano commercial. Most of this album is not as upbeat as that one, but with mellow folk/pop gems such as "Emotional Champs" and "It's Got to Be Jean", it makes for a really pleasant listen.
39. Art Brut - It's a Bit Complicated
Another case of a band whose debut may very well be the real highlight of their catalog so far, Art Brut's Bang Bang Rock & Roll made them one of Pitchfork's darlings in 2005. I listened to it once and dismissed it as solid but "not my thing". I may have been wrong.
A couple months ago, I saw this band open for The Hold Steady, and immediately sought out their sophomore effort, It's a Bit Complicated. Witty, sarcastic and simple but clever lyrics sung to hook laden guitar rock, art punk is the most common description associated with this music. Highlights include a couple of hilarious breakup songs, "People in Love" and "Post Soothing Out", and the difficult to take seriously sexuality of "Blame it on the Trains" and "Jealous Guy". It seems to me this album had the potential to be great, and I suppose I'll have to find out if the debut lives up to that potential, but in the end, it's just good clean fun...not that clean is that important to me.
Friday, December 14, 2007
The Mitchell Report
It took me three hours to drive the 4+ miles home from work last night. So, between switching back and forth between the MIT and Emerson College radio stations, I listened to a lot of sports talk. That means I heard more opinions than anyone would want to on the Mitchell Report.
It's amazing how quickly Roger Clemens has been tried, convicted and sentenced in "the court of public opinion", a grossly overused phrase that, nevertheless, is almost perfectly fitting. I say this because, as far as I can tell, the Mitchell Report, released yesterday, is essentially analogous to the gathering of evidence to determine if there's enough to bring the accused to trial. Yet, it appears already that Clemens' legacy, and his status as a future Hall of Famer, is irreparably tarnished.
Maybe I'm overdoing it with this legal system analogy, but I personally think the doctrine of innocent until proven guilty shouldn't be completely disregarded when it comes to matters outside of the courts. Clemens, of course, is not the only person this applies to. He's just the one who stands to lose the most.
Consider Brian Roberts. The only mention of his name in the report is in reference to him having lunch with teammates David Segui and Larry Bigbie, and convicted steroids dealer Kirk Radomski. The following year, according to Bigbie, Roberts admitted to him that he had injected himself once or twice. That's it. In his report, Mitchell states, "I have not included every allegation that we received or the results of every interview we conducted or every document we reviewed. Inevitably, much of that information was cumulative, not relevant, or of only marginal relevance. None of it would have materially altered the account that is provided." So, based on a very weak piece of evidence, Mitchell apparently decided that it was materially relevant to include Roberts in his report.
This brings to mind two questions. First, how unsubstantial and irrelevant was the information he left out? Second, why did Mitchell consider the evidence regarding Roberts relevant? No one claims to have injected him, or to have seen him get injected, and he didn't influence anyone to begin taking steroids. Bigbie was already using on his own, according to his own admission. Was it because Mitchell considered the information relevant to the "case" (and I use that term loosely) against Bigbie? Unlikely, as Bigbie was offering him all the information he needed on himself. Or, was it that Mitchell decided to show no sympathy towards the players who declined to speak with him? I guess we'll never know. Honestly, I think it was a mistake on the part of the Players' Association to advise their members not to comply, but Mitchell's inclusion of Roberts' name is an irresponsible error in judgment, and damaging to his credibility.
Yes, I said it. I'm questioning George Mitchell's credibility. To that point, I find it interesting that there are two separate instances in the report that refer to the fact that the Red Sox front office inquired about the possible use of steroids regarding two players they were looking to acquire, Eric Gagne and Brendan Donnelly. How about that? The Sox front office should be praised for their due diligence in assuring that they fill out their roster with only players who are outstanding citizens of the game. I wonder what Mitchell's motives could have been for casting such a favorable light on Red Sox management? That's a tough one.
Who knows? I could be out of line on that previous accusation. I'd have to read the entire report to determine if there is even one mention of another team's front office making such inquiries. Or maybe it's because Mitchell has better access to the transcripts of Theo Epstein's email. But, I still find it curious.
Next, there is the matter of the type of evidence that the majority of the report is based on...statements by Kirk Radomski and Brian McNamee. Statements that, in court, would be a matter of one person's word against another's, at which point the credibility of the witness comes into question. Would Radomski and McNamee be considered highly credible witnesses? I think not. Yet, I'm already reading and hearing Roger Clemens' name being instantly lumped in with Barry Bonds'. There is a mountain of evidence that has been piling up over the past few years against Bonds. Yesterday was the first piece of concrete evidence, other than the usual speculation about body type and improved performance, against Clemens.
Let's not rush to judgment here, folks. I'm not saying Clemens is innocent. In fact, my gut tells me that time will not bring forth the kind of evidence that will exonerate the Rocket and clear his name. I just think it's irresponsible to not take a step back, review the evidence that's been put forth and wait to hear what other information is out there that we have yet to hear, maybe even what Clemens has to say in his own defense.
The most rational analysis I've read or heard since this all came down is Jayson Stark's column on ESPN.com. I urge every serious baseball fan who wishes to develop an informed opinion on the subject to start by reading what Stark has to say. In fact, I'm going to call this required reading of anyone who wishes to discuss this issue with me. This may sound arrogant, but if you haven't read Stark's column, then don't even bring up the subject with me.
Next, read some of the report. I realize it's a monstrous 400+ page document, and I certainly don't claim to have read the entire thing myself. But, it's not difficult to think about what points of reference you're most interested in learning more about, search within the PDF for a particular term, and start reading. I guarantee this will lead you to your next curiosity, which will result in you searching on another term, and on and on from there.
When Mark McGwire received such a lack of support in his Hall of Fame bid this past year, I thought that maybe he was getting a raw deal based on what little we knew about what he was guilty of. It's not enough to say, "Look at him! He must be taking steroids!" I don't care if it's painfully obvious to you, there has to be more than that to base a credible opinion on. At the same time, I didn't disagree with voters who said that they simply wanted to wait until there was more information regarding McGwire's alleged steroid use. In that sense, they were saying they weren't certain of his Hall of Fame worthiness yet, and I don't have a problem with that.
The same applies to Clemens. If he were up for vote this year, and if I had a ballot, he would probably not be on it, simply because there's nothing wrong with making him wait a year to see how things shake out. Fortunately, we'll have five years to consider what the truth is. It's looking increasingly likely that both Clemens and Bonds will be on the ballot in January of 2013. By then, we'll probably have a pretty good idea how they will fare, but one thing's for sure...if they are both denied entrance, it will be a sad reminder of how this era has left us with no idea of who is great and who isn't. Because if those two can't be considered legends, then who can?
It's amazing how quickly Roger Clemens has been tried, convicted and sentenced in "the court of public opinion", a grossly overused phrase that, nevertheless, is almost perfectly fitting. I say this because, as far as I can tell, the Mitchell Report, released yesterday, is essentially analogous to the gathering of evidence to determine if there's enough to bring the accused to trial. Yet, it appears already that Clemens' legacy, and his status as a future Hall of Famer, is irreparably tarnished.
Maybe I'm overdoing it with this legal system analogy, but I personally think the doctrine of innocent until proven guilty shouldn't be completely disregarded when it comes to matters outside of the courts. Clemens, of course, is not the only person this applies to. He's just the one who stands to lose the most.
Consider Brian Roberts. The only mention of his name in the report is in reference to him having lunch with teammates David Segui and Larry Bigbie, and convicted steroids dealer Kirk Radomski. The following year, according to Bigbie, Roberts admitted to him that he had injected himself once or twice. That's it. In his report, Mitchell states, "I have not included every allegation that we received or the results of every interview we conducted or every document we reviewed. Inevitably, much of that information was cumulative, not relevant, or of only marginal relevance. None of it would have materially altered the account that is provided." So, based on a very weak piece of evidence, Mitchell apparently decided that it was materially relevant to include Roberts in his report.
This brings to mind two questions. First, how unsubstantial and irrelevant was the information he left out? Second, why did Mitchell consider the evidence regarding Roberts relevant? No one claims to have injected him, or to have seen him get injected, and he didn't influence anyone to begin taking steroids. Bigbie was already using on his own, according to his own admission. Was it because Mitchell considered the information relevant to the "case" (and I use that term loosely) against Bigbie? Unlikely, as Bigbie was offering him all the information he needed on himself. Or, was it that Mitchell decided to show no sympathy towards the players who declined to speak with him? I guess we'll never know. Honestly, I think it was a mistake on the part of the Players' Association to advise their members not to comply, but Mitchell's inclusion of Roberts' name is an irresponsible error in judgment, and damaging to his credibility.
Yes, I said it. I'm questioning George Mitchell's credibility. To that point, I find it interesting that there are two separate instances in the report that refer to the fact that the Red Sox front office inquired about the possible use of steroids regarding two players they were looking to acquire, Eric Gagne and Brendan Donnelly. How about that? The Sox front office should be praised for their due diligence in assuring that they fill out their roster with only players who are outstanding citizens of the game. I wonder what Mitchell's motives could have been for casting such a favorable light on Red Sox management? That's a tough one.
Who knows? I could be out of line on that previous accusation. I'd have to read the entire report to determine if there is even one mention of another team's front office making such inquiries. Or maybe it's because Mitchell has better access to the transcripts of Theo Epstein's email. But, I still find it curious.
Next, there is the matter of the type of evidence that the majority of the report is based on...statements by Kirk Radomski and Brian McNamee. Statements that, in court, would be a matter of one person's word against another's, at which point the credibility of the witness comes into question. Would Radomski and McNamee be considered highly credible witnesses? I think not. Yet, I'm already reading and hearing Roger Clemens' name being instantly lumped in with Barry Bonds'. There is a mountain of evidence that has been piling up over the past few years against Bonds. Yesterday was the first piece of concrete evidence, other than the usual speculation about body type and improved performance, against Clemens.
Let's not rush to judgment here, folks. I'm not saying Clemens is innocent. In fact, my gut tells me that time will not bring forth the kind of evidence that will exonerate the Rocket and clear his name. I just think it's irresponsible to not take a step back, review the evidence that's been put forth and wait to hear what other information is out there that we have yet to hear, maybe even what Clemens has to say in his own defense.
The most rational analysis I've read or heard since this all came down is Jayson Stark's column on ESPN.com. I urge every serious baseball fan who wishes to develop an informed opinion on the subject to start by reading what Stark has to say. In fact, I'm going to call this required reading of anyone who wishes to discuss this issue with me. This may sound arrogant, but if you haven't read Stark's column, then don't even bring up the subject with me.
Next, read some of the report. I realize it's a monstrous 400+ page document, and I certainly don't claim to have read the entire thing myself. But, it's not difficult to think about what points of reference you're most interested in learning more about, search within the PDF for a particular term, and start reading. I guarantee this will lead you to your next curiosity, which will result in you searching on another term, and on and on from there.
When Mark McGwire received such a lack of support in his Hall of Fame bid this past year, I thought that maybe he was getting a raw deal based on what little we knew about what he was guilty of. It's not enough to say, "Look at him! He must be taking steroids!" I don't care if it's painfully obvious to you, there has to be more than that to base a credible opinion on. At the same time, I didn't disagree with voters who said that they simply wanted to wait until there was more information regarding McGwire's alleged steroid use. In that sense, they were saying they weren't certain of his Hall of Fame worthiness yet, and I don't have a problem with that.
The same applies to Clemens. If he were up for vote this year, and if I had a ballot, he would probably not be on it, simply because there's nothing wrong with making him wait a year to see how things shake out. Fortunately, we'll have five years to consider what the truth is. It's looking increasingly likely that both Clemens and Bonds will be on the ballot in January of 2013. By then, we'll probably have a pretty good idea how they will fare, but one thing's for sure...if they are both denied entrance, it will be a sad reminder of how this era has left us with no idea of who is great and who isn't. Because if those two can't be considered legends, then who can?
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Best of 2007
Well, it's almost time for the annual ritual of celebrating my favorite albums of the year. Let me rephrase...in reality, I spend the entire year obsessing over this process. Now is the time that I share my list with friends and whomever else might be vaguely interested.
This year I've only listened to 240 new releases. That's not necessarily the final number, but it pales in comparison to last year's 400 and doesn't really come close to the prior year's 300 either. For that reason, this year's list will be a top 40 rather than a top 50. Frankly, I feel that most of the records that would be filling out numbers 41-50 are really nothing to rave about, so I'm going to opt for a little more quality over quantity. Besides, there's something that just feels right about a top 40. I'm sure Kasey Kasem would agree.
I'm actually pretty close to completing this year's list...definitely a little earlier than usual. The most recent albums that I got a little excited about have already faded, and after sorting through...wouldn't you know it...50 contenders, I have it narrowed down to 42. In fact, I'm still deciding the final order of #s 1-7, but I also need to complete a final evaluation of #s 35-42 and my list will be complete.
But nobody really cares about this. If you care at all, it's about the actual list, not the process. So, as soon as I'm finished with the aforementioned final evaluation, I'll be counting them down...right here. I'm feeling ambitious right now (although there is still much Christmas shopping to finish), so I'm planning to do a brief writeup for each album. This could be a short review, a comparison of how the album stacks up versus the artist's prior work, or a description of my own experience with and/or enjoyment of the record.
I'm looking forward to getting started. Please check back shortly.
This year I've only listened to 240 new releases. That's not necessarily the final number, but it pales in comparison to last year's 400 and doesn't really come close to the prior year's 300 either. For that reason, this year's list will be a top 40 rather than a top 50. Frankly, I feel that most of the records that would be filling out numbers 41-50 are really nothing to rave about, so I'm going to opt for a little more quality over quantity. Besides, there's something that just feels right about a top 40. I'm sure Kasey Kasem would agree.
I'm actually pretty close to completing this year's list...definitely a little earlier than usual. The most recent albums that I got a little excited about have already faded, and after sorting through...wouldn't you know it...50 contenders, I have it narrowed down to 42. In fact, I'm still deciding the final order of #s 1-7, but I also need to complete a final evaluation of #s 35-42 and my list will be complete.
But nobody really cares about this. If you care at all, it's about the actual list, not the process. So, as soon as I'm finished with the aforementioned final evaluation, I'll be counting them down...right here. I'm feeling ambitious right now (although there is still much Christmas shopping to finish), so I'm planning to do a brief writeup for each album. This could be a short review, a comparison of how the album stacks up versus the artist's prior work, or a description of my own experience with and/or enjoyment of the record.
I'm looking forward to getting started. Please check back shortly.
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