End of the Year Lists: Part Three!

i saw SO SO MANY terrific shows this year, so it's really hard to cull them down into a concise list, but i've never been known for being concise, so here's my Top 20-ish Shows of 2008:

1. The Pogues & Billy Bragg in NYC
2. Justin Townes Earle in Mobile
3. King Khan & The Shrines in Phoenix
4. Circulatory System @ Athens Popfest
5. Elephant 6 extravaganza in NYC
6. Crystal Stilts & Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ Bard College (my show, i rule)
7. The Feelies & Shrubs in Brooklyn
8. Jay Reatard & Women in Brooklyn (i broke my finger at this show, i kind of rule again)
9. Old 97's in New Orleans
10. My Teenage Stride @ Athens Popfest
11. Okkervil River in NYC
12. Old 97's in Mobile
13. Fat Planet @ Athens Popfest
14. Robert Forster in NYC
15. Jay Reatard @ the Matador offices
16. Dressy Bessy in Brooklyn
17. Meat Puppets in Flagstaff, AZ
18. Elf Power @ Athens Popfest
19. Dean & Britta in NYC
20. (BIG TIE) Deerhunter in Brooklyn/ King Khan & BBQ in Brooklyn/ Marshall Crenshaw @ a middle school fundraiser in a church in Rhinebeck, NY (!!)/ Bunnygrunt @ New England Popfest

End of the Year Lists: Part Two!

Now, time for the all important Top Albums of 2008:

[Best Reissues]

1. PAVEMENT- BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS
2. R.E.M.- Murmur
3. New Order- Movement, Power, Corruption, & Lies, Low Life, Brotherhood, and Technique

[Best Live/ish Releases]

1. Lou Reed- Berlin: Live at St. Ann's Warehouse
2. Belle & Sebastian- BBC Sessions

[Best EP]

1. The Clientele- That Night, A Forest Grew

[BEST BEST!]

1. Old 97's- Blame It On Gravity
2. Robert Forster- The Evangelist
3. Jay Reatard- Matador Singles: '08
4. Okkervil River- The Stand Ins
5. Silver Jews- Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
6. Fleet Foxes- s/t
7. Elf Power- In a Cave
8. The Raveonettes- Lust Lust Lust
9. Magnetic Fields- Distortion
10. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks- Real Emotional Trash
11. Times New Viking- Rip It Off
12. Music Tapes- Music Tapes For Clouds and Tornadoes
13. Pine Hill Haints- Ghost Dance

14. Billy Bragg- Mr. Love & Justice
15. Jonathan Richman- Her Beauty Is Raw and Wild
16. R.E.M.- Accelerate
17. Elvis Costello- Momofuku [E.C. and R.E.M. are kind of only for sentimental/loyalty reasons, sorry boys]
18. Wolf Parade- At Mt. Zoomer
19. Deerhunter- Microcastle
20. Vic Chesnutt, Elf Power, & The Amorphous Strums- Dark Developments
21. Shearwater- Rook
22. Justin Townes Earle- The Good Life
23. The Lucksmiths- First Frost
24. Bonnie Prince Billy- Lie Down un the Light
25. Of Montreal- Skeletal Lamping

and to add a touch of excitement to all the boring text, here is Lou Reed performing the incredible "Caroline Says Part II" from the brand new movie version of Berlin, directed by my arch nemesis Julian Schaebel.
enjoy!

End of the Year Lists: Part One!

i present to you my Top 25 Songs of 2008, in descending order:

1. "Trapped Here" by Jay Reatard (Song of the Year!!!)
2. "Never Stops" by Deerhunter
3. "Suffering Jukebox" by Silver Jews
4. "Welfare Bread" by King Khan & the Shrines
5. "Dance With Me" by Old 97's
6. "Let Your Light In, Babe" by Robert Forster
7. "Too Drunk To Dream" by Magnetic Fields
8. "The Grey Estates" by Wolf Parade
9. "Supernatural Superserious" by R.E.M.
10. "White Winter Hymnal" by Fleet Foxes
11. "Starry Stairs" by Okkervil River
12. "Majesty" by Music Tapes
13. "Paralyzed" by Elf Power

14. "Ride" by Old 97's
15. "Screaming Hand" by Jay Reatard
16. "Lost Coastlines" by Okkervil River
17. "It Ain't Easy" by Robert Forster
18. "Calling and Not Calling My Ex" by Okkervil River
19. "Gardenia" by Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks
20. "Hallucinations" by the Raveonettes
21. "Crystal Stilts" by Crystal Stilts
22. "Softly Through The Void" by Elf Power
23. "When You Fall" by Pine Hill Haints
24. "Time Goes By So Fast" by Jonathan Richman
25. "Farm Boy" by Billy Bragg

be is was i me b c d e f g h i think...

lately i have been listening to lots of Tall Dwarfs & Chris Knox.

i have also been liking songs like these

(king khan & bbq's "love you so")

that sound like real 1950's songs like this

(gene vincent's "my heart")

see also: the vulgar boatmen's "heartbeat," jonathan richman's cover of "i can't stay mad at you," the ramones' "i wanna be your boyfriend," elvis costello's "really mystified," hoodoo gurus' "my girl," etc.

i like these cartoon drawings of the Presidents
http://www.letrainbleublog.com/2008/10/fourty-four-presidents-mzamaria-sputnik.html

and the graphics for the Queen's Hideaway in Brooklyn
http://thequeenshideaway.com/

and "The Catorialist"- HYSTERICAL
http://thecatorialist.blogspot.com/

AND I LIKE

this bag


and mustache necklaces


and masks like this


and this picture of the Go-Betweens.