Myles Standish Proud, Congratulate Me

Since my wife got pregnant and started going to bed even earlier than usual, I find myself with a lot of time on my own, which means I've watched a lot more television, played a lot of Scrabble vs. the computer and read more books & magazines than usual. The books have largely focused on fatherhood, pregnancy and taking care of infants and young children. They have been an immense help in getting me to feel prepared. The magazines are largely focused on music and sports. TV is, well, TV.

Over the weekend I ended up watching, just about in its entirety, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. I had never really seen one of these, mostly because I have no interest. This year, though, I saw that REM, Van Halen, The Ronettes and Patti Smith were being inducted, so I thought a) there might be some interesting performances and b) see the previous paragraph about having more time on my hands.

I will not get overly verbose about this - the show was a disappointment. Patti Smith's performance was solid - she's still pretty intense for an aging woman - I mean, trotting out the intense "Rock & Roll Nigger" on stage was a bold move and "Because The Night" is still a terrific song. Her fairly rambling and nervous acceptance speech was moving and heartfelt for someone who's railed for so long against superficial, establishment things like the R&R Hall of Fame. I came away liking her more than I thought I ever did.

The Van Halen thing was a MAJOR disappointment. The only two to show up were Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar and then the horrific Velvet Revolver did a couple of their songs. Hagar seems to be a likable enough guy, but for me Van Halen ended when motor mouth David Lee Roth left the band. Eddie can play, no argument there, but Roth was the heart and soul and some kind of political BS prevented him from showing up. So the best part of that portion was the five minute montage of old video clips of Van Halen being.........Van Halen. Some of their output is clearly dreck, but some of the early stuff is vital rock and roll in my eyes.

R.E.M., certainly one of my top 10 all time bands, is the one I looked forward to the most and they didn't disappoint. I kind of got the feeling they thought the whole thing was a little ridiculous, but they played the part and appeared gracious enough. Eddie Vedder's induction speech was both rambling and enjoyable and while I've never seen R.E.M. live, their performance seemed a little hushed and more reserved than other performances I've seen on video. Their small set list was terrific, highlighted by "Begin the Begin" and "Gardening At Night." I came away further convinced that Mike Mills is the major secret weapon in that band.

All in all, it was a couple hours I'll never get back. But hey, that's life.

IPodding:
Varnaline - Let It All Come Down
Richard & Linda Thompson - Back Street Slide
The Rooftop Singers - Walk Right In
The Beatles - Act Naturally
Healthy White Baby - Ouija Board
Mark Lanegan - Borracho
Grant Lee Buffalo - Fuzzy
Van Morrison - And It Stoned Me
Elf Power - Somewhere Down The River
Sam Champion - TV Fever

As always, you can see what's currently playing by checking out my Last.fm page.

Ambigore

I was so happy to open the Boston Globe this morning that find that the music staff is catching on to The Whigs. The writers saw them down in Austin, TX last week during South By Southwest, the industry's annual get together which has always been about food and beer and not discussion panels. To celebrate, I'll post another song from their superb debut album: Can't Hear You Coming. Hopefully the Whigs train is just getting rolling.

Steph and I finally watched An Inconvenient Truth last night, after the Netflix envelope sat for a couple of months. There's definitely some captivating information in this film, but goodness, Al Gore's voice should bottled up and sold over-the-counter as a sleep aid, because I drifted off a few times, something that normally does not happen to me on the couch.

Two Thumbs Up

Thought it would make sense today to share with you a couple of songs that have been rocking my world lately.

Bobby Bare Jr's The Heart Bionic is quite the addicting little rock song. Bare Jr. has an especially distinctive, quirky voice and an exceptional ability to make his songs crawl into your head and stay there for a good, long while. This is certainly one of them. I especially like those horns, which you don't really notice right away, then after a minute you realize it makes the song. At least I think those are horns - maybe some of you musician readers can confirm. I love the line "the medicine you gave me made me feel like a sap." Anyway, my friend Leo and I saw him open for the Drive-By Truckers last fall and he was terrific. Hit the play button or right click to save.

Merge Records is on a roll. They just released a record by a band called The Broken West that is totally blowing my mind. It's like a combination of all of my favorite music, rolled up into one band. Power pop? Check. Rock and roll? Check. West coast Byrds-ian vibe? Check. Down In The Valley showcases the band's power pop/rock persona and if you don't think this is a tremendous song with hooks galore, then you should be listening to Bing Crosby records full-time. I can almost guarantee you'll be humming this to yourself all day long after just one listen!

I Closed My Eyes And I Slipped Away

You know, I was never really a huge fan of the band Boston. I was way more into them as a teen than I am these days. That said, I still find myself rather sad that Brad Delp, their lead singer who possessed one of those voices, passed away on Friday at just age 55. The cause of death is still undetermined, although the family has asked that donations be sent to the American Heart Association, if that's any indication.

Anyway, it would be pretty hard to not like one Boston song out of the roughly 50-60 the band has in its repetiore. For some, it's "Amanda." For others, it's "Smokin.'" For me, it's probably "More Than A Feeling." I think it's their biggest hit and it's also probably the Boston song that is still played the most on classic rock stations. Normally, this would mean that I never have to hear it again, but "More Than A Feeling" is exempt - and that's because Delp's voice on that song just nails it, running the gamut between soft and soaring, sad and uplifting.

I was a sophomore in high school and a much bigger fan of Boston when the eagerly anticipated Third Stage came out, eight years after their second album. Being in New England, it was almost the story of the year and if you think I'm kidding, chew on this: they sold out nine consecutive nights at the Worcester Centrum in 1986, two of which I attended. As the years progress, it becomes harder and harder for me to remember what happened in what year, but I can tell you with a certain degree of authority that 1986 was a terrific year for me. It was a year in which I began to discover songs beyond what was played on the radio. I saw my first arena rock shows. I had improved my grades after a horrific freshman year. It was just one of those years when so much bloomed. There was an explosion of optimism, lots of new experiences and good friends and great times in school. There will never be another year like that in my life.

So while I don't really listen to Boston that much, Brad Delp's voice and the band's music hold a special place in my heart, because I associate them with some of those moments in a priceless, golden time.

What I love is that people around here have universally praised Delp this weekend, with many calling him one of the nicest people in rock and roll and an unassuming guy without even a smidge of ego and a ton of friendliness and approachability. I had always kept telling myself that I needed to go see his "other" band, the Beatles cover band, Beatlejuice. They played right here in Maynard about once every two months and I never got to see them. Now I never will. It was one of those things where I knew they'd continue to be back and I'd see 'em eventually. Damn.

They say that Delp had an uncanny ability to just nail all four Beatles voices and he always had such a great time doing it. Now I'm wishing I could have heard it for myself.

What The Fork?

This morning I pour myself a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios and settle in with the Boston Globe. With the paper in one hand and the bowl in the other, I'm almost to my destination (the dining room) when I realize there is a fork in my hand and not a spoon. Oops. Ever try to eat cereal with a fork? I've never tried it. I think one time, though, back when I was single and living a more, um, bacheloresque life, I went to the fridge to get some ice cream and noticed that all the spoons were dirty. Oh well. Fork it up. That was the first and last time I used a fork for ice cream, although it should be noted that it didn't work horribly. Here's a question - if you have a bowl of apple pie and vanilla ice cream, do you fork it or spoon it? I usually spoon it and I suspect that's the norm.

My newest musical obsession is The Hold Steady. It took me a while to warm up, but I have totally caught the fever in a nasty way. See for yourself. This video, from the Letterman show, was a total knockout blow. Pay close attention to the whole thing because this is the real deal, but really focus when there's about 2:15 left in the video and watch that 30 second stretch - it literally gives me goose bumps. Just check out the passion, this is what makes music so inspiring:

Turn OFF The Red Light, Please

The Grammy's suck every year. So why do I keep watching? I think it's more of an ambulance-chasing thing than anything else. Or maybe I keep holding on, grasping at the idea that perhaps something will happen that will reaffirm my faith in the big record business. The Police were never a band I liked and I've pretty much always despised Sting musically, so I was completely underwhelmed by their opening the show. Their choice of song ("Roxanne") was logical, I suppose, but all too predictable. I mean really, that song is basically their version of "Don't Worry, Be Happy," i.e. a song that just should never be played again because it's been beaten to a bloody pulp on the radio, in movies, culture, etc. No more.

I'm not saying that the Grammy's should go totally indie, either. I understand what it's about - mainstream music. But wouldn't it be cool if The Police had stepped on stage and banged out "Synchronicity II?" You know? Something......urgent. THAT song would have rattled the rafters at the Grammy's. But I get it - they had to play down to the common denominator. Play it safe.

Some of the performance were quite good this year - The Dixie Chicks, for example, surprised me. I found myself really liking that "kiss off" song they sang - I've already forgotten the title - it was a pretty impassioned and competent performance and I didn't know that Natalie Maines could sing like that. Does one of them have a kinda crazy eye, though? The whole band warrants further investigation.

The performance of the night had to the be Gnarls Barkley version of "Crazy," another one of those songs that will inevitably have to join "Roxanne" in the bin of songs that drive people to drink because of overexposure. Yet I inexplicably sat there and gave them the chance and it paid off! They re-worked the song and turned it into an epic, complete with strings and a change in tempo. I love when band re-work songs - there's a time and a place to do spot-on reproductions of album songs live, but this one was overdue for a change. Beautifully done and superb!! Even better that the two musicians were decked out in pilots uniforms during the performance!

Podding:
Nirvana - Scoff
Uncle Tupelo - I Wanna Be Your Dog
Billy Squier - I Need You
The Beatles - Something
Big Star - Feel
Bob Dylan - To Be Alone With You
The Elected - The Bank & Trust
Queen - Long Away
The Olivia Tremor Control - Jumping Fences
The New Pornographers - The Bleeding Heart Show

All It Takes Is One

The subject line of today's post is a common saying in many businesses and walks of life. One idea, one product or one bout of good luck can turn one person (or one company's) fortunes around. This is also a common saying in the music business. All it takes is one hit on the charts. Yesterday as I was driving to work I wondered about all the fabled "one hit wonders" in the music world, those bands who had a brief sip out of stardom's crystal glass.

It was a quick thought, but the only question that really came out of it was "does it really only take one?" If I'm a musician and I have one large hit, am I set for life? Is there enough coming in where they don't have to worry about money again? Is the guy who wrote "Brandy" from the 1970's still enjoying the good life? Is Taco still awash in cash, sitting in a waterfront villa somewhere because of "Puttin' On The Ritz?" What about Rockwell? Was the mid-'80s smash hit "Somebody's Watching Me" the equivalent of hitting the jackpot?

Of course, in today's music business it's so much different - almost everybody is a one-hit wonder now because none of the big labels have a shred of musical integrity or the willingness to nurture a band for more than 12 minutes. But that's beside the point.

Of course, financial irresponsibility probably derailed a lot of one-hit wonders, but help me out here - in general do you think these people are rich and living the good life today? I wonder.

Also: is it true that you can really unlock your car with a tennis ball?

Like The Corners Of My Mind

Steph and I recently watched one of those "making of" documentaries about Nirvana's groundbreaking "Nevermind" album. The end of the documentary had some live footage of the band doing "Breed" and just making a mess of the stage, their instruments and themselves. It immediately brought me back to Halloween night, 1993. Three college friends and I made the 20 minute drive south from Kent State to the James A. Rhodes Arena on the campus of The University of Akron to see Nirvana on their "In Utero" tour.

It was a pretty terrific show, teetering the line between hard rock and PUNK rock. I have a bootleg of a Nirvana show from around this time, recorded in Italy - it is full on, straight up, balls out punk. I don't remember which particular songs were best on that night in Akron, but I do remember being full of beer. And I clearly remember two particular events of that night.

• On the ride down I mused out loud that the band HAD to be up to something since it was Halloween night. I was correct. Kurt Cobain came out for the first song dressed in a large Barney the Dinosaur costume. I tell you what, it's hard to not to really laugh when you see Barney the Dinosaur ripping off a guitar solo! Second guitar player Pat Smear was dressed as Slash (from Guns 'N' Roses). At the end of the song, the two wrestled and Barney ended up beating Slash about the head with his guitar (pictured right).

• During one song, somebody threw a shoe at Cobain and hit him. After the song, he grabbed the show, pissed in it, and threw it back out in the audience.

As I sit here 13-and-a-half years later, I'm somewhat stunned, but not at all surprised that I have the internet to keep those memories alive for me - the set list is here, just scroll down to October 31, 1993 - those two events are even mentioned in the summary. I remembered those two particular events because, well, there's just some rock moments you don't forget. But it's really cool to be able to see that set list and even a bunch of pictures from that very fun night, as I was approaching graduation and a much different life.

I still have the ticket stub, too. I have HUNDREDS of stubs from concerts going back to 1987, in fact. More on those some other time.

You're Strange, But Don't Change....

Over the weekend I finished Shakey, the 738 page Neil Young biopic, written by author Jimmy McDonough. Other than the fact that the author is clearly in (man) love with his subject, it was a fascinating read. A few things of interest that I learned:

• The guy is kind of an ass. Genius, but insane and ass-like.
• Insane geniuses make for a GREAT read.
  
• Stephen Stills is just plain crazy.
• Young went through a Devo phase!
  

Evidence of the Devo phase can be found here, a must-see video which was shot for a movie Young worked on called Human Highway which barely saw the light of day. Devo were in their Booji Boy phase here, and the boy takes lead vocals (in a crib, mind you) on a coked-up version of "Hey Hey, My My" while Young jams along with them. It must be seen in its entirety to be believed. It is both insane and genius, just like Young himself. I emailed the video to a friend of mine and his response was that he was going to have nightmares for a long time after having seen it.

Latest Performance

Latest Performance
Originally uploaded by rustedrobot.

It's been a while since I reported anything on the two stocks I bought 16 months ago. As a quick reminder, the two companies whose stock I purchased:

MEMC: a leading global supplier of wafers to the semiconductor industry. These wafers are the fundamental building block on which nearly all microelectronic applications are made. MEMC does a lot of business in the world of computers (hence, semiconductors), but the reason I bought it is because they are in a terrific position to take advantage in the emerging field of renewable energy, specifically solar technologies. It has, evidenced by the graphic at the right, paid off handsomely for me, with a 119% return on investment.

Evergreen Solar: Evergreen Solar is a developer and manufacturer of photovoltaic (PV) modules - the engines of solar electric systems - used in remote power and emerging grid-connected markets. Again, I bought into a company who is in position to be a leader in the solar market. This one hasn't worked out as well thus far, as I've lost 7%, but I'm still long on it. I haven't had a single day when I've thought of selling it, in fact. I think their upside is tremendous and the drop in their stock price might be attributed to the folks who plow money in and out of these technologies in tandem with oil prices. I'm sticking with this.

All told, the gains I've seen in MEMC have greatly subsidized the losses in Evergreen. Total sum: a 54.7% return on my investment, which I'll take any day of the week. It's lower than last time I posted, but who would ever complain about a 54% ROI?

Sad music news this morning, as expert steel player "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow has died. Not many people know the name, but his presence in the hugely influential Flying Burrito Brothers was, to say the least, an important one. His proficiency on his instrument earned him additional work with the likes of The Rolling Stones, John Lennon, Stevie Wonder, Fleetwood Mac, Ringo Starr, Jackson Browne , and Linda Ronstadt. Not bad. I was shocked, however, to learn of another side of Kleinow's life which I never even knew existed: a career in special effects and film animation. Some of his special effects work can be found in movies like "The Empire Strikes Back," "The Terminator," and "Gremlins."

Now THAT is a full life! RIP, Sneaky.

Finally, I've been talking to a LOT of people lately about the business of music. I keep telling people repeatedly that it is only a matter of time before a major artist takes all their business and sucks it entirely into their own website or company, completely cutting out the record label. Mark my words: this is going to happen. An article in today's Wall Street Journal details a similar plan for the New York City based band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. The band released their first album on their own and sold 122,000 copies of it and are on the verge of releasing their second album next week in much the same manner. They are not the major artist I predicted, but they're big enough where it warrants attention. Marketing might be a problem for them, but it wouldn't be for someone like, say, Bruce Springsteen. It's coming. Someday soon, a budding entrepreneur is going to come up with a new model in the music business that works. And just like Smartfood, I'll say to myself "why the HELL didn't I think of that?"

It's All Over Now......

I recently was able to upgrade on the relative cheap to a new IPod. As you might imagine, this isn't a menial task. It means I have to scroll through the 6,797 songs currently in my library to build an entirely new set of songs for my new Ipod - with the goal being to never have to skip a song when it's on shuffle. Yes, I'm insane.

The final tally: 1,075 songs.

As I scrolled through the library and added song after song to the big unit, I started wondering what song occured most frequently in my library. To put it another way - how many different versions of the same song do I have? The winner was "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," which appears five times in my ITunes library. The rundown:

Bob Dylan, from "Bringing It All Back Home"
Bob Dylan, from the live Rolling Thunder Revue album (1975)
The Byrds, from "Turn! Turn! Turn!"
Them (featuring Van Morrison)
Bob Dylan, from the '66 Royal Albert Hall show

My favorite version is the one by Them, featuring a very young Van Morrison before he was Van Morrison. It's a fairly creepy version, but excellent nonetheless.

As usual, Murphy's Law applies - I got this last Thursday, just 4 days before the IPhone announcement. So I'm not entirely sure what I'll do with this new one, but I'll probably keep it.

What Would Anyone Do?

It's almost as guaranteed as death and taxes: religion is controversial; a topic wrought with pitfalls and clearly prone to a wide range of misunderstandings and disagreements. I'm not religious by nature. As a child, I spent 90% of my Sunday mornings in arenas playing youth hockey. There was an occasional trip to the Greek Orthodox Church in Clinton, MA, but that fell off around age 10 and we were never regular attendees. That was as close to religion as I ever got. The fact that I'm not of any religious affiliation doesn't mean much to me. It could mean that I haven't found something worth latching onto yet, right? Could be. It could also be that I'll never start looking.

In thinking about it, sometimes I actually find myself a little envious when I see people who are so convinced in their spiritual beliefs and have given themselves wholeheartedly to something. Some of them seem so truly at peace and so generous and giving that I end up wishing I could believe in something so....grand (I don't mean just religion, either. You could easily make the argument that the Grateful Dead were as much of a religion as Catholicism, etc).

It's when the believers start judging you when things go wrong. Terribly wrong. I have no problem with any religion, but when someone starts judging others because they don't believe in the same elements, that's where I throw up my hands and convince myself that I'll never get involved in religion of any kind.

When I posted my top albums of 2006 last week, I wrote this about the Tim Easton show I attended this summer:

".....he would then turn on a dime and unleash the acoustic and controversial "Jesus, Protect Me From Your Followers." The room got so silent that you could hear everyone breathing. It screamed with silence. That song deserves a separate post anyway - and it will get one soon."

I don't think I'm particularly good with words. For a long time, I've been looking for something or somebody to sum up my feelings about religion and this song, penned by Tim Easton, is as close as anyone's ever gotten to articulating it right for me. It's a very quiet song and for whatever reason, that song performed on that Sunday night in Cambridge is one I'm going to remember for a long, long time, because it really sums it up for me. It also showcases what a terrific songwriter Easton really is.

Listen to the song here and the lyrics are below. If you've never taken the time to read any lyrics I've ever posted, do it this one time and think about these words.

"Jesus, Protect Me From Your Followers" (Tim Easton, 2006)

Jesus, protect me......Jesus, protect me
From your followers
Not all of them
Just the ones
Who turn love into fear and hatred
And the ones who say they are above me
And then point their fingers down at me
And the ones who judge me when I'm troubled
And they tell me on the street that I am lost
And they tell me on my doorstep that I will burn in hell

Jesus, protect me.....Jesus, protect me
From your followers
Like the ones who only speak with anger
They're screaming from my television
While stealing from the hand that feeds them
And demanding that you are the only way
While spitting in the face of love
With the one hand on the bible and the other in the purse

Jesus, protect me......Jesus, protect me
From your followers
Like the ones who turn their back on the dying
And laugh in the face of pain and suffering
They would kill in the name of freedom
Or the ones who would manipulate the Constitution
And try to make laws of their opinions
While walking shoulder-to-shoulder with greed and violence
To the ones who would start wars in your name
To the ones who would attack me for this song
I sing

Jesus, protect me.......Jesus, protect me
From your followers
Not all of them
Just the ones
Who turn love into fear and hatred
Yes, they turn love into fear and hatred

When I Was 35.....It Was A Very Good Year

In a given year, there are always ten new albums that really move me. It's never all that difficult to figure out which ones mean the most to me and each December, I find those ten albums and I list them here, usually in no particular order. It doesn't make too much sense to me to try and rank something from 1 to 10 anyway - at some point during a given year, any of the ten albums listed would have been my favorite of the year.

2006 was a different animal. I'm having a really hard time trying to limit my list to only 10 albums. There was SO MUCH good stuff out there that really hit me in 2006. It is the first time in probably ten years that I have really struggled to put together this list. Maybe it means that I'm really ramping it up again in terms of music pursuit, or maybe it was just a damn good year. I won't know until next year I suppose. But I will miss 2006. In many ways, it is (or was) an extremely transformative 365 days for me.

Not only that, but I do have a #1 choice this year and it's far and away my favorite release. The rest are not in any order whatsoever. Hope you enjoy the list and discover some good stuff.

NOTE: You will see little "play" icons next to all the MP3's - all you need to do is click on the little icon next to the song and it will begin playing and you can continue reading the site. If you want to save the song for your own library, right click on the actual song title and "save as." I did not secure any permissions to post these - if for whatever reason a band, manager, etc wants me to remove the MP3, email me and let me know.

The favorite:
The Whigs "Give 'Em All A Big Fat Lip" may just be my favorite debut album from any band in the past ten years. That is a pretty heavy thing to say, but if this album is any indication, we may be on the cusp of something special. Recorded in a borrowed frat house in Georgia, this release has so many knockout songs that it has completely reduced me to a blabbering fool. I'm telling anyone and everyone I can find - multiple times - that if you're looking to discover a new band this year, you can stop looking because this is it. The trio have a unique sound - some have said it's a touch of Nirvana, but that's misleading. I mean, keyboards wander in and out of these songs and occasionally play a big role. The Whigs sound nothing like Nirvana. The only similarity is that the band has that knack (like Nirvana did) of delivering hard-driving songs with terrific pop music sensibility. It makes you remember these songs. Sample: Half A World Away.

The rest:
I don't know how much longer you people are going to continue listening to me gush about Anders Parker here. I realize it's bordering on obnoxious. I know. Really, I do. But I am determined to convince people that Parker's output is on pace for him to artist-of-the-decade caliber material. He's that good. So If I can just get one person who has never heard this guy to listen to him and appreciate how talented he really is, then I've completed my mission. The problem is that no one song can do it, because he's a five tool player. Loud rock? Check. Acoustic balladry? Check. Mid-tempo pop songs? Check. Ho-hum - another STELLAR effort in 2006 with this self-titled recording. No more words - just listen to the quieter Circle Same. Then ask me for more. Go ahead. I dare you.

The Band of Horses album "Everything All The Time" kinda came out of nowhere. A friend recommended them back in the late spring and I took a cursory listen and thought, "hey, not bad." It languished there until a few months later when "The First Song" popped up on shuffle on my IPod and I was like "who the hell IS THIS?" That's the beauty of shuffle. Get a new album, get it into rotation and eventually you'll get comfortable and familiar with it. I owe my appreciation for this band to "shuffle." Anyway, I have decided that the best way to describe this band is to imagine if Built To Spill did an album of mellow songs instead of their usual 6-8 minute guitar burners. There's also a pinch of jam-band here, too. Of course, if it were any more than a pinch, it wouldn't have made my list. I'm probably not doing it justice - this is a terrific album. Sample the cool video for "The Great Salt Lake."

Tim Easton continues to fly under the radar as one of America's best pure songwriters. His 2006 album "Ammunition" was yet another strong statement from the unheralded Easton, who's been in this game now for well over ten years - and he just keeps getting better and better. Each of his albums are filled with a mix of endlessly hummable acoustic pop and Dylan-esque harmonica-driven rock songs. He came through Boston with a full band during over the summer summer and proceeded to deliver the best show of the year, where he showcased his impressive range - from the extremely loud and fun "Just Like Home," he would then turn on a dime and unleash the acoustic and controversial "Jesus, Protect Me From Your Followers." The room got so silent that you could hear everyone breathing. It screamed with silence. That song deserves a seperate post anyway - and it will get one soon. Sample the imminently catchy Not Today.

When I heard that the dude from The White Stripes was assembling a second rock band called The Raconteurs, my gut reaction was "ugh - the world really doesn't need any more Jack White songs." I guess you all know how I feel about The White Stripes now, huh? However, on a total whim I saw it available on EMusic and I just picked a song called "Level" and I was hooked. This is nothing like The White Stripes, thank god. Instead, it's an album that just so happens to be filled with solid, workmanlike 1975-ish rock. The presence of Brendan Benson has done wonders for Jack White, I guess. The band falls flat with a couple of clunkers, but 75% of this record is surprisingly awesome. Have a listen to the bass-heavy, derivative, but excellent Level and you may agree.

1990s college radio heroes Built to Spill took a few years off from the studio in this decade, but came back like a triumphant elephant in 2006 with "You In Reverse," an album full of jabs and uppercuts that sent me sprawling to the canvas in a heap of delight. Simply put, this is a thunderous album featuring the standard Built To Spill fare: fuzzing and buzzing guitars, Doug Martsch's distinct and nasal vocals and the 'ol soft/hard dynamic, which BTS have truly mastered. This time around, they shortened the songs a little bit, which was music to my ears, literally and figuratively. Their show here in Boston back in early October can only be classified as an absolute nuclear assault on the ears. Tremendous! Now listen to Gone and turn it UP UP UP!

I was never a fan of Belle & Sebastian's wimpy, whiney, melancholy Brit-pop until their last two albums. I can't explain why. Since then, they've muscled up a little. For fans of the band, that statement might make you laugh a little bit, though. They still sound like the 85 pound weaklings from grade school, but the last two albums have just been.....so much better. 2006's "The Life Pursuit" was a step in a terrific direction, with a fuller sound, well-crafted pop songs and the obligatory and lovely British melodies. A surprise entry on my list this year. Check out the insanely memorable The Blues Are Still Blue.

A note to whomever decided to call their band Margot & The Nuclear So & So's: please change the name of the band. As soon as possible. You are too good for that. Your 2006 album, "The Dust Of Retreat," has a strike against it before it even gets played - nobody wants to tell people about a band they like called Margot & The Nuclear So & So's. OK, now that that's out of the way, this is another one of those bands recommended to me that I downloaded from EMusic and just threw it into shuffle and every time it came on, I'd take my eyes off the road and look quizically down to the IPod, only to see......that name. Really good stuff, evidenced by the song Dress Me Like A Clown.

The Bottle Rockets bounced back in 2006 after a few tough years with "Zoysia." The casual BRox listener probably hears this album and thinks it typical of Festus, Mississouri's most famous residents. But probe a little deeper and what you'd find is a bit of a deviation from the normal dirty-handed rock the band usually offers. They've actually matured. Before 2006 the subject matter was largely intelligent-cum-trashy tunes about radar guns, beer, trailer fires and drinking. Zoysia introduced version 2.0, the grown up phase, where our main character is still intelligent, only taking things a little more seriously with the exploration of relationships, the government, celebrity worship or the plight of feeling lost in your professional life. A really impressive and surprising piece of work, seeing as though I thought the band was heading south. Not so. Sample the very fun Mountain To Climb.

I know absolutely nothing about Elf Power. In fact, I have never been to their website. I just found the link right now so I could put it here. In fact, I'm not even sure if the singer is a man or a woman. I think it's a dude. But thanks to EMusic for recommending the album "Back To The Web" as something I might like, because I do. A lot. It's just solid pop music that has a nice tempo, the occasional violin which adds a nice richness and music/melody that can either stand at the forefront of your attention or serve nicely as some background music for a good dinner. Have a listen to King of Earth.

So there's your ten. For once, I need to list other just missed the cut, because there were too many excellent releases this year and these deserve some attention as well:

Catfish Haven - "Tell Me"
Gob Iron - "Death Songs for the Living"
Sloan - "Never Hear The End Of It"
Ben Kweller - self-titled
Black Keys - "Chulahoma" EP
Bruce Springsteen - "The Seeger Sessions"
Drive-By Truckers - "A Blessing & A Curse"
Kelley Stoltz - "Below The Branches"
The Pernice Brothers - "Live A Little"
Beirut - "Gulag Orkestrar"
Hem - "Funnel Cloud" (this just missed top 10)
Bobby Bare Jr - "The Longest Meow"

All in all, one of the best years for music in recent memory. I'd love to hear what you liked and even moreso, I'd love love love to hear what you thought of any samples you might have listened to from these ten great artists.