BONNNAROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

thanks to a trusty last.fm friend, I found the leak on TV On The Radio's Myspace, then it was posted on Consequence of Sound:

Bruce Spiringsteen & The E Street Band * Phish (2 Shows) * Beastie Boys * Nine Inch Nails * David Byrne * Wilco * Al Green * Snoop Dogg * Elvis Costello (Solo) * Erykah Badu * Paul Oakenfold * Ben Harper and Relentless7 * The Mars Volta * TV on the Radio * Yeah Yeah Yeahs * Gov’t Mule * Andrew Bird * Merle Haggard * MGMT * moe. * The Decemberists * Girl Talk * Bon Iver * Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabate * Rodrigo y Gabriela * Galactic * The Del McCoury Band * Of Montreal * Allen Toussaint * Coheed and Cambria * Booker T Jones & Drive-By Truckers * David Grisman Quintet * Lucinda Williams * Animal Collective * Gomez * Neko Case * Down * Jenny Lewis * Santogold * Robert Earl Keen * Citizen Cope * Femi Kuti and the Positive Force * The Ting Tings * Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 * Grace Potter and the Nocturnals * Kaki King * Grizzly Bear * King Sunny Adé * Okkervil River * St. Vincent * Zac Brown Band * Raphael Saadiq * Ted Leo and the Pharmacists * Crystal Castles * Tift Merritt * Brett Dennen * Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue * Toubab Krewe * People Under the Stairs * Alejandro Escovedo * Vieux Farka Touré * Elvis Perkins In Dearland * Cherryholmes * Yeasayer * Todd Snider * Chairlift * Portugal. The Man * The SteelDrivers * Midnite * The Knux * The Low Anthem * Delta Spirit * AA Bondy * The Lovell Sisters * Alberta Cross

Pretty good stuff, as usual.

A few quick thoughts:

• More top-heavy than usual, a lot of good stuff close to the headliners, though I'm not crazy about the 2 main headliners (Phish and Bruce, though I'll probably see both)
• Doesn't have as many knockouts as Coachella
• Stronger base than Coachella (better smaller bands)
• No My Bloody Valentine :(
• No Throbbing Gristle :(
• No The Cure :(
• No Morrissey or Leonard Cohen
• The name of this blog comes from a Talking Heads lyric, so David Byrne is a super :)
• Femi Kuti!
• Animal Collective :) :) :) :) yes yes yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes
• No My Bloody Valentine :((

i hate smiley/frowney faces on the internet but i dont want to type much right now

Soul Coughing-Irresistible Bliss
One of my favorite albums ever. Nice music for being lazy. Sorry about the MU, i was too lazy to upload this, so i just jacked a link from Sordo.

Skeletonbreath-Louise

This is probably one of the most interesting albums I have ever heard. For the 3 of you that I know read this, get this. If you only download one album you ever download per my recommendation, then this should be it. This violin-drums-bass trio plays a style of music that I don't think can come close to being accurately tagged. I hear punk, classical, noise, progressive, post-rock and even possibly some sounds of pre-WWII Amer'ca.

DNA-DNA on DNA
One of the quintessential No Wave bands coming out of New York in the late 70's and early 80's. I had a lot of trouble finding this, so I figured I'd share it with all 3 of you.

Also, I'm too lazy to figure out what to post, so if there is anything you want, let me know and I'll try to post it. Be it on last.fm, a comment here or an email, just let me know. I've found a lot of good stuff lately, so I'm happy to share it with you

It's That Time of Year...

Well, I just have to. I'm too much of a numbers nerd. I have to make another list to clutter the internet. Sorry, but enjoy it.

1. Gang Gang Dance- St. Dymphna

I wasn't a huge fan of their previous releases, but I was still intrigued enough to check out this album. This album is accessible while still retaining it's mystic weirdness. This was hard to top.

2. The Mae Shi- HLLLYH

3. Wale- The Mixtape About Nothing

In a year where the hip-hop releases were either knock-outs or duds, Wale released what is, in my opinion, one of the freshest hip-hop releases of the last 5 years.

4. Crystal Antlers- Crystal Antlers

Good call, Pitchfork. This album packs so much energy into such a short amount of time. I'm upset that I missed their free show in Cleveland, but I was seeing Devo and The Black Keys that night.

5. Kanye West- 808s and Heartbreak

I hate Kanye after his Bonnaroo fiasco. That was a nightmare. But, the guy makes incredible music. Although I didn't love 'Love Lockdown" immediately, the new sound it great. I'm entranced.

6. Flying Lotus- Los Angeles

7. M83- Saturdays=Youth

8. El Ten Eleven- These Promises Are Being Videotaped

Tragically underheard this year. It has been described as "Kraftwerk in the Sky" for mixing soaring post-rock with tight electronics. None of the versions I found on blogs worked, so I had to buy it from iTunes and it was well worth the money.

9. Deerhunter- Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.

10. Girl Talk- Feed The Animals

11. Bon Iver- For Emma, Forever Ago

13. Fuck Buttons- Street Horrsing

Another one that I thought would be an overhyped Pitchfork band. I'm glad I didn't sleep on this for too long, because this album is top-notch.

14. Best Fwends- Alphabetically Arranged

Hands-down the most fun album released this year. Sorry, Los Campesinos!, your '!' couldn't compete.

15. His Hideous Heart- It’s A Weird Time To Be Alive

Even if I weren't friends with 2 of the members, these guys would still be just as high on the list. Beautiful, post-rockish music from a quaint Cleveland suburb 5 minutes from my house.

16. To Be A High Powered Executive-We Don't Want It Safe, We Want It Secret

Another Cleveland post-rock group, though these guys have sadly split up. They opened up for a lot of great bands this year and consistently put on the best performances around. Their song "The Secret of Silent Dreams and Shattered Fucks" is definitely my favorite song of 2008.

17. Jamie Lidell- Jim

I will always have a soft spot for old soul, R & B and funk music. Jamie Lidell captured all three with this album, coming across like 2008's reincarnation of Otis Redding.

18. Frightened Rabbit- Midnight Organ Fight

19. Janelle Monáe-Metropolis: The Chase Suite

2008 really was a great year if you enjoyed soul and funk music. This album was one of the most fun of the year, but it could not top Best Fwends.

20. TV On The Radio- Dear Science,

At this point, I hope that TVOTR makes a bad album, just to prove that they are in fact humans. This is probably my second favorite release by them, falling closely behind their debut LP. Don't get me wrong, this is great, it wouldn't be in my top 20 otherwise.

21. Women- Women

I, like most fans of similar music, hopped on the noise-pop train this year. Despite solid albums from Times New Viking, Abe Vigoda, No Age, Crystal Slits, Vivian Girls and many more, this was the best of the genre. "Black Rice" is irresistible.

22. Titus Andronicus- The Airing of Grievances

23. Sigur Ros- Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

My biggest (musical) regret of the year was missing most of Sigur Ros to wait for Kanye West. Had I heard this album beforehand, chances are likely that I would have stayed and caught the beauty.

24. Black Mountain- In The Future

Having never heard these guys before, I was blown away when I saw them open for The Walkmen last October. They were the best live band I saw in 2007 and in 2008, they released one of the best records. This totally rocks.

25. Portishead- Third

Instead of going to prom, I was introduced to Portishead and went to the Indians game. It was a great night. And those 11 years were well worth the wait, seeing as this was one of the few quality comeback albums ever. 

27. Abe Vigoda- Skeleton

28. Death Cab For Cutie- Narrow Stairs

29. The Mars Volta- Bedlam in Goliath

Really, The Mars Volta are excellent. I'm a bit sad that they get shit on so much by just about everyone.

30. El Guincho- Alegranza

Pretty much the Spanish version of what I hoped "Person Pitch" would be.

31. Erykah Badu- New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)

The best Funkadelic album released in 2008.

32. Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend

No matter how much I tried to dislike this, I couldn't help myself. Too damn catchy. Too damn happy. Too damn fun.

34. Maps & Atlases- You, Me and the Mountain 

35. Religious Knives- The Door

When did The Doors start making new music again?

36. Born Ruffians- Red, Yellow & Blue

37. Black Keys- Attack & Release

38. Vivian Girls- Vivian Girls

Very enjoyable noise-pop that draws on 60's girl groups. 

40. Lindstrom- Where You Go I Go Too

Wasn't this the soundtrack to something on Discovery Channel?

41. Blood on the Wall- Liferz

42. Kid Cudi- A Kid Named Cudi

Another Clevelander. Mellow hip-hop that is finally a bright spot in Cleveland's gloomy reputation.

43. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!

I won't write about how this dude can still rock at 50 years old. Nick Cave is just the most badass musician since, well, ever. This is more proof.

44. Hercules & Love Affair- Hercules & Love Affair

45.School of Seven Bells- Alpinisms

46. Dark Meat- Universal Indians

One of the few things bought on a whim that turned out to be worth the risk. Plus, who doesn't love horn sections?

47. Times New Viking- Rip It Off

The best Guided By Voices album of 2008, topping GBV's own Robert Pollard with his Boston Spaceships album that I didn't hear. I enjoyed this a lot more once I saw it live.

48. Los Campesinos!- Hold On Now, Youngster...

I feel compelled to draw with crayons and dance whenever I hear this. It's like chicken noodle soup for when you're sad.

49. The Cool Kids- The Bake Sale

50. Earth- And The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull

This definitely wins the awards for coolest artwork and best soundtrack to a Clint Eastwood film.

Honorable Mentions:
White Denim- Workout Holiday
This should be on my list, but I don't want to change things around and make a spot for it.
Ponytail- Ice Cream Spiritual
Mugison- Mugiboogie
No Age- Nouns
Crystal Castles- Crystal Castles
Air France- No Way Down

Awards Night!

The Lou Bega Award: Sam Sparro's "Black & Gold" It was the only quality song on a terrible album.
The "Whack-A-Mole" Award: Bradford Cox
This guy was just popping up everywhere this year.
The Best Christmas Ever Award: Stephen Colbert and Animal Collective
Stephen Colbert made a near-perfect Christmas album. Animal Collective's new album leaked on Christmas.

The “Why Did I Spend $15 Buying This When I Knew It Would Not Be As Good As It’s 2006 Blog-Praised Debut?” Award: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Buying this was certainly a mistake. At least the live show was worth it.

The “Okay, You Really Are Taking This Whole “Look How Weird We Are!” Thing To A Whole New Level and It Is Starting To Annoy Me” Award: Of Montreal

Okay, Mr. Barnes, you don't need to prove it to us anymore. We get it, thanks.

Best Live Band Not Featuring Thom York: My Morning Jacket

MMJ put on a show for the ages at Bonnaroo, where I stood in the pouring rain for almost 3 hours in awe of the epicness of their performance.

The "Ugh, I'm Just Not In The Mood" Award: The Walkmen/The Magnetic Fields/Tokyo Police Club

I really just had no motivation or interest in hearing their albums, despite all the positive things I heard about them. I know, I'm disappointed too.

Party Album of the Year: Lee "Scratch" Perry's "Repentance"

4 Words: "Produced by Andrew W.K."

A Few Stupid Numbers

Really, you can stop reading right here, this is all just numbers that I found interesting but are completely irrelevant.

Number of 2008 Tracks Downloaded: 2871

Number of 2008 Albums Downloaded: 238

Time To Listen To All That Music: 7 days, 7 hours, 7 minutes and 28 seconds
Space Occupied On My Computer by 2008's Albums: 15.96 GB

Thats all! Enjoy the remaining 360 days of your 2009!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FOLKS! AND HOORAY FOR THE MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION LEAK! THAT WAS THE OFFICIALLY THE GREATEST CHRISTMAS TO EVER HAPPEN.

But now, a handful of music:

Stiffed-Burned Again

Here we have Burned Again, an album from Stiffed, a punk band featuring Santi White (Santogold) on vocals. My friend Jocelyn got her hands on this and shared it with me, so thanks a lot! If you enjoy Santogold, definitely check this out. Even though its more punk, her excellent voice is still easy to pinpoint.

Guided By Voices-Under The Bushes Under The Stars

Really, if you haven't heard Guided By Voices, you are really missing out. Fans of early 90's indie rock along the lines of Pavement, Beat Happening, Silver Jews and Sebadoh, you will love Guided By Voices. Plus, fans of today's "noise pop" will enjoy this, seeing as they were a bit noisy and lo-fi. Although their breakthrough album, Bee Thousand, is often seen as their best, I'm pretty confident that UTBUTS is their best work.

I have to go to work now, but I have at least 4 new albums to post later, but there could be as many as 8 or 9. We shall see!

So, I've been super busy lately, but I'll be posting some good stuff sometime before Christmas. I'll try to switch it up, instead of just posting post-punk stuff all the time. I promise!

James Chance & The Contortionists-Buy
One of the original no-wave bands. Imagine a punk band with a lead singer who also played the saxophone. Cool stuff, huh? Check this out then. Punk+Jazz=pure win.