So here it is. I'm a bit reluctant to post this because there was a bunch of stuff I just didn't get a chance to hear.

1. Return to Cookie Mountain - TV on the Radio
2. Drums Not Dead - Liars
3. Nine Times that Same Song - Love is All
4. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood - Neko Case
5. Game Theory - the Roots
6. Fishscale - Ghostface Killah
7. Ys - Joanna Newsom
8. Broken Boy Soldiers - the Raconteurs
9. Death by Sexy - Eagles of Death Metal
10. Yellow House - Grizzly Bear

11. Magic Potion - the Black Keys
12. The Eraser - Thom Yorke
13. Food & Liquor - Lupe Fiasco
14. Chulahoma - the Black Keys
15. We Shall Overcome: the Seeger Sessions - Bruce Springsteen
16. Modern Times - Bob Dylan
17. American V: A Hundred Highways - Johnny Cash
18. Everything All the Time - Band of Horses
19. Best Party Ever - the Boy Least Likely To
20. Get Evens - the Evens
21. The Shining - J.Dilla
22. Idlewild - OutKast
23. Songbird - Willie Nelson
24. First Impressions of Earth - the Strokes
25. St. Elsewhere - Gnarls Barkley

SONG OF THE YEAR
1. "Wolf Like Me" by TV on the Radio
2. "Morris Brown" by OutKast
3. "Funeral" by Band of Horses
4. "On a Neck, On a Spit" by Grizzly Bear
5. "Don't Feel Right" by the Roots

Yes, I know "Crazy" isn't on the list, it's no oversight. I just never really thought it was that great a song. (Well that and I'm being contrarian.)

BEST NEW ARTIST
1. Finally Punk
2. Swan Island
3. Love is All
4. Lupe Fiasco
5. The Boy Least Likely To

Yeah so I know neither Finally Punk nor Swan Island aren't even on the top 25. A) I've only heard snippets of Swan Island's album B)Finally Punk's DIY album is so lo-fi it really doesn't do justice to how great they really are C) the reason both are atop this particular list, though, is because I saw them live and was absolutely floored by both. If there is a gap to be filled by the loss of Sleater-Kinney then my nomination goes to their Portland neighbors Swan Island. Meanwhile Finally Punk are a completely demographic explosion of organized sonic chaos. If that even makes sense. Oh, by the way...

BEST LIVE PERFORMANCE
1. Finally Punk at the Black Cat, DC
2. The Strokes at DAR Constitution Hall, DC
3. Swan Island at the Current Gallery, Baltimore
4. TV on the Radio at the 9:30 Club, DC
5. Neko Case at the Trocadero, Philly

Here's what happened when I saw these little ladies at the backstage of the Cat. After their first song, everyone in the audience turned to each other with the exact same "WTF" expression. I'm not sure if FP knows how good they really could be and if ignorance truly is bliss then I hope Finally Punk never ever figures it out. Also, the Strokes live shows pushed their album (which I like but don't really love) into my top 25. They were fantastic this year.

ARTIST(s) OF THE YEAR
1. TV on the Radio
2. Liars
3. Gnarls Barkley
4. the Raconteurs
5. Joanna Newsom
6. Bob Dylan

I couldn't limit it to just five. TV on the Radio and Liars made career-defining works of art (and for that matter so did Newsom.) While I may not be that impressed by the music of Gnarls Barkley I will give them dude credit for hustlin' that album like, well, like crazy. Multiple TV appearances, multiple magazine covers and touring like madmen they've worked true magic on the pop music world. A relentless touring schedule also showed that the Raconteurs are no mere side project for buddies Jack White and Brendan Benson, even opening for number six Bob Dylan. Dylan's been touring up a storm over the last few years and showed, with Modern Times that he is essentiall a genre all by himself. There may be a new genre that needs to be created for Joanna Newsom as well. I dare you to try explaining Ys to somebody and still make it sound interesting.

I wish I could've heard this year's albums by: Cat Power, Rhymefest, the Hold Steady, Tom Waits' Orphans box set and the Knife. There's more that I wanted to hear but can't think of right now because it's taken me forever to write this crap.

Here's to 2007!

I walked into my sister's place in Baltimore, and couldn't open the door.

I'm housesitting until thursday, and supposed to keep the place, uh... safe?

Earlier my sister told me about her new roomie, and that I should keep her company. She was really excited cause we're the same age, and that we'd get along well.

Little did I know, that to get into my sisters, I'd have to shove my sister's new roommate out of the way.

She was passed out in front of the door, like she chose to. I dragged her onto the couch while facing resistance and being cursed out like I was kicking someone out of a bar.

I threw her down after getting slapped across the face.
"Can you hear me?"
"I can. I HATE YOU."
"What?"
"I hate youuuu.......," and she trailed off into slumberland.

Bubbleguts hit me.
I ran to the bathroom and pissed out of my ass for a while.
I could periodicaly hear her moan, "HELP ME!" but after I ran out to help her, she just greeted me with a talk-to-the-hand motion.
I continued to release my brown demons, ignoring her babbling.

I called two people for advice. I got this:

A) Wear a rubber so they can't trace the semen. The black demon generally leave the small prostitutes exclaiming loudly.

and

B) She'll probably blow you if she wakes up next to a trash can and a glass of water. Just sayin'.

Not exactly looking for a beej, I'm gonna go with "B."

I'll post pics later.

I have been uploading a lot of pictures at my folks house in scenic North Dakota... here are some of my faves.

pig destroyer:




carla:


clint & brian:


ericanm:






me & cullen:






dave nada, america's #1 dj:












joe:


abby & carla:






diplo:


more at my flickr page

how's your xmas?