Addicted to those year end lists that are everywhere this time of year ? Stop on by my friends Light In The Attic Records blog for their Year End Extravaganza. A different twist on the year end list and one of the few places where my list gets to comingle with people like Robert Christgau, Greg Dulli and more.

Okay here it is the grand finale, my top ten of the year. The albums I listened to and enjoyed most this year. There was so much great music this year that a short list of twenty five doesn't nearly it do it all justice. There's obviously way more omitted than included.

And, as I promised I have giveaways. A copy of The Swimmers - Fighting Trees that most of you will need to wait until it's March release to get your hands on, but I have it for you now, and a copy of The Broken West's I Can't Go On, I'll Go On autographed by the whole band(Thanks Ross!)

Once again I'll make it easy to win just leave a comment or send me an email to
bagofsongs@gmail.com with "Top 25 Contest" in the subject line.
You don't have to, but feel free to get creative in the comments - your top albums, what I missed, etc. If you leave a comment make sure you leave an email or some way to get in touch if you win. I'll pick 2 winners at random on New Year's Day from all the entries. Good Luck !










1:The Swimmers - Fighting Trees
Back in January of this year when I received a rather unassuming email from Steve Yutzy-Burkey, not so unlike a lot of other emails I receive everyday from bands, letting me know they had shows upcoming and that their new album Fighting Trees was
streaming from their website if I wanted to give it a listen. What I found at the end of the link was a record I would unabashedly call one of the first truly important releases of 2007. Now nearly a year later, I've seen the band live more than a dozen times and there is no single album I listened to or enjoyed more this year. It's the perfect balance of catchy hooks,vocal harmonies and intelligent lyrics that I just can't seem to get enough of. The record saw a limited Philadelphia area CD release this fall on Mad Dragon Records, who signed the band and will officially release their record to the rest of the world in March 2008. Watch out for it.

MP3: The Swimmers - Pocketful Of Gold
[MYSPACE] [WEBSITE]











2:The Broken West - I Can't Go On I'll Go On
Guitar driven, smart, power pop. Reference points of Big Star,The Beatles,Cheap Trick and more come to mind but the sound ends up undeniably all The Broken West. A dozen songs here and each one could be a single in it's own right, no filler here just great music.

MP3: The Broken West - Down In The Valley
Buy I Can't Go On I'll Go On











3:Julie Doiron - Woke Myself Up
The best overlooked album of the year. Emotional, ragged and real with a sound that falls somewhere between fellow Canadians Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Forget Feist you need this.

MP3: Julie Doiron - I Woke Myself Up
Buy Woke Myself Up











4:The Clientele - God Save The Clientele
Alasdair Maclean describes the band's sound on this record: "The band are setting free their inner Monkees; a lovely blend of Big Star twisted power-pop and country achin', with flashes of the Beatles at their most joyful and upbeat." He's dead on, it's a perfect Sunday morning record, filled with smooth sixties overtones but never sounding retro or dated.

MP3: The Clientele - Here Comes The Phantom
Buy God Save The Clientele











5:Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain Nation
What Wilco could sound like if they didn't sand all the edges off. The perfect mix of alt country and indie rock, they delivered one of the best live shows I saw all year.

MP3: Blitzen Trapper - Sci-Fi Kid
Buy Wild Mountain Nation











6:Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter
One of the best new songwriters of a generation, Josh amped it up a bit more than his earlier records for this one and created a new classic. And as good as this is, I somehow feel it's still only hinting at the future greatness Josh has in him.

MP3: Josh Ritter - Right Moves
Buy The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter











7:Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
I'll commit blogger heresy here and say other than a song or two,their debut Funeral did nothing for me. But with only one real clunker(Black Wave),this one is just shy of perfect. Anthmemic and engaging it grabs you right from the first listen. Openly embracing their Springsteen influences in their sound this time around didn't hurt at all either.

MP3: Arcade Fire - Black Mirror
Buy Neon Bible











8:LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
James Murphy obviously honed his ear for what works during his time as a bouncer at Trenton's alternative rock club City Gardens all through the mid to late eighties and delivered an album that put all that knowledge together for something relevant right now. Their live show is phenomenal, hearing All My Friends live was one of most transcendent concert moments I've ever experienced.

Listen To The Whole Album Here
Buy Sound Of Silver










9:Creeping Weeds - We Are All Part Of A Dream You're Having
One of Philadelphia's most original sounding bands this manages to run the gamut from desolate spacey piano, to jagged edgy guitar rockers and all points in between, and it all works. And having seen them live like 8 or 9 times this past year I can tell you they're an awesome live band as well.

MP3: The Creeping Weeds - Eternity Is A Long Time
Buy We Are All Part Of A Dream You're Having











10:Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
Twelve solid midtempo pop songs filled with hooks,violin, whistling and more, from th eopening notes of Fiery Crash it creates an alternate world and holds you there right through to the final notes of Yawny at the Apocalypse. One of the best sequenced albums of the year, each song perfectly setting up the next, just like a great mix tape.

MP3: Andrew Bird - Fiery Crash
Buy Armchair Apocrypha

Previous 11-15 16-20 21-25

Part 3 of the Top 25 Albums Of 2007. These were some of the ones shuffled around the most as I worked and reworked the final list. Stayed tuned for some giveaways in conjunction with the top ten getting posted.

11: New Pornographers - Challengers
While I liked a few of their older songs their albums felt like a lot of filler, this one delivers from beginning to end. New Pornographers sound more like a band than a "supergroup" on this one making it their best album yet. I have to add though, the live show I saw, even with Neko and Dan Bejar in tow, was a bit disappointing, good but not great.

MP3: New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour
Buy Challengers

12: Bruce Springsteen - Magic
Bruce pulls the E Streeters in for one more go around and makes what is his best rock album since Born In The USA. Although not as direct as John Fogerty on Revival he manages to deliver his own political agenda as well. The Phil Spector-ish Girls In Their Summer Clothes may be the best single of the year.

MP3: Bruce Springsteen - Radio Nowhere
Buy Magic

13: Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Spoon sounds like no one else. To me it's not as immediate sounding as their last, Gimme Fiction, but still filled with great pop songs. You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb and The Underdog are instant classics.

MP3: Spoon - You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
Buy Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

14: The A-Sides Silver Storms
If Chris Martin of Coldplay had the same Springsteen obsession that Win Butler of Arcade Fire has, it would probably sound something like Philadelphia's A-Sides. Expansive and dramatic without the overkill, they've created a shimmering, beautiful record that solidifes their place as a band on the rise.

MP3: The A-Sides - A Florida Grove
Buy Silver Storms

15: Iron and Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
The warm intimate folky feel of the disc is something that immediately grabs you and transports you to another place. Delicate hypnotic percussion, soft strummy guitars, a sprinkling of other ambient sounds all woven together by Sam Beam's softspoken vocal style, create an almost spiritual vibe to the whole thing that is just mesmerizing.

MP3: Wolves (Song of The Shepherd's Dog)
Buy The Shepherd's Dog

Previous 16 to 20 21 to 25

Part 2 of my top 25 albums of 2007, coming to you five at a time because my lame typing skills can't bang it out any faster than that. How's it look so far? Did I hit your favorite yet?

16: MIA Kala
In a really weak year for hip hop who'd have thought one of the best songs(Bamboo Banga) would open with a line lifted from Jonathan Richman. There's sheer beauty in just how aggressive, rhythmic, and relentless this whole disc is. It's music made to be played loud. Turn it up, and then turn it up some more.

MP3: M.I.A - Bamboo Banga
Buy Kala

17: The Cribs - Mens Needs, Womens Needs, Whatever
The Cribs third album, produced by Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand is an energetic blend of pop punk goodness and their accompanying live show was one of the best I've seen this year, a powerhouse tour de force. Bonus points for taking chances on one of my favorite tracks, Be Safe, featuring a spoken voice over vocal by special guest Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth.

MP3: The Cribs - Men's Needs
Buy Mens Needs, Womens Needs, Whatever

18: Bless 1 - Starving Artist
While Kanye,Fifty Cent and Jay-z made mediocre records and spent the year trying to out promote each others ego, Bless 1 holed up in Chicago and self produced this gem of a hip hop record and then gave it away for free via his myspace page. All about the music, the way it should be.

MP3: Bless 1 - The Hunger
Bless 1 Myspace

19: The Silver Seas - High Society
Playing like a long lost seventies classic, when albums were on vinyl records and FM radio still mattered, this blends the sound of that era's finest, Van Morrison,Jackson Browne,Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, etc. into one great kick back and just listen experience.

MP3: The Silver Seas - The Country Life
Buy High Society

20: The Fratellis - Costello Music
When I first wrote about these guts way back last January I called them the UK version of The Hold Steady, in retrospect that may have been a little over exuberent a comparison on my part but they're still damn good. The Fratellis can, and do, crank out tunes that come off like a cross between the Buzzcocks and T.Rex. Mostly about girls, girls and girls. Playing good old rock and roll, and they got to make a ipod commercial to boot.

MP3 : The Fratellis -Chelsea Dagger
Buy Costello Music

Previous 21 to 25

What do you really call a list like this, best of ?, top ? favorites ? it's all so subjective in the end anyway and based on what you personally listened to. I listened to more music this past year than I have in a long time, so after much deliberation, roughly akin to organizing a pile of sand in the wind, I committed to a final 25 that for the sake of posting I'm going to call the Top 25 Albums Of 2007. The albums I enjoyed and listened to the most. If I looked at it again tomorrow I'd probably shuffle it around again but I had to stop somewhere or I'd never get it posted. So without further ado here's number 21 to 25 of my top 25 albums of 2007. Expect some surprises.

21: Lily Allen - Alright Still The perfect summer album, big beats, plenty of sing a long lines, this blasted from my car stereo nearly all summer. At its best when it moves away from the more reggae influenced sound that dominates about half the album, the New Orleans piano riff of Knock Me Out and the swinging sixties sound of Everything's Just Wonderful make them standout tracks.

MP3: Lily Allen - Everything's Just Wonderful
Buy Alright Still

22: John Fogerty - Revival Due to some interesting industry restructuring John Fogerty ended up back on the label that had made most of his post Creedence years a legal hell. Who can ever forget about him being sued for sounding like himself. In doing so he ended up releasing what is possibly the best solo album since the band broke up. Lyrically one of the most directly political and biting albums of the year and filled with the signature guitar sound that made him the legend he is today.

MP3: John Fogerty - I Can't Take It No More
Buy Revival

23: Wilco - Sky Blue Sky The seventies rock sound is something that had been creeping into indie rock for a while but no one really wanted it to lay claim it as a major influence. Wilco turned the page for everyone on that ideology with this one. Warm soft production laced with Nels Clines snaking guitar solos, Wilco took the sound of an era that inspired punk rock and made it relevant again.

MP3: Wilco - Impossible Germany
Buy Sky Blue Sky

24: Band Of Horses - Cease To Begin Opening their album with Is There A Ghost, one of the best single tracks of the year, set the bar pretty high for what followed. After the first couple listens I almost wrote this one off as a couple hits and a lot of filler, but it's really a grower where repeated listenings pay off.

MP3 : Ode To LRC
Buy Cease To Begin

25: Holy F*ck - 2007 EP The first time I heard these guys was opening for !!! and was blown away. Their all instrumental dance music is created all manually, no sequencers or drum machines holding the mix together. To see these guys on stage manipulating a myriad of random equipment into something this beautiful and engaging is amazing. Six of their best songs and no filler on this one which I listened to quite a bit.

MP3 : Holy F*ck - Lovely Allen
Buy 2007 Limited Edition EP

Just so no one is left out as I can't honestly saw I saw too many sub par shows this past year, the list above is all of the bands I've seen at the roughly 75 or so shows I've seen since January. A couple I didn't get to see were Arcade Fire and The National, two I would really have liked to.

The Philadelphia music scene is just amazing right now and my favorite venue of the past year hands down goes to Johnny Brendas, where I saw over twenty shows. Rolling Stone magazine named it in their recent Hot issue as Hot Music Club and it is well deserved, it is outstanding on all counts.

The list below represents my standout shows of the year in roughly chrononlogical order.

The Hold Steady @ The Stone Pony and The TLA - The Hold Steady is out playing good old sweat drenched rock and roll, and the communal experience at one of ther shows is amazing. One of the best American bands playing live today.

Snow Patrol @ The Tweeter Center - Snow Patrol's album was one of my favorites of 2006, this was my second time seeing them and although the first was in a smaller club this one delivered.

The Clientele @ Johnny Brendas [More]- Went to see this on a whim on a Monday night, mostly songs from their excellent new God Save The Clientele cranked up a notch for a live setting.

!!! w/ Holy F*ck @ The TLA - I expected a non stop funk filled dance fest from !!!, but Holy F*ck was one of my great surprises of the year and were as good as or maybe even better than !!!

LCD Soundsystem @ The TLA [More]- a free Myspace sponsored show in a club. They took one of the best albums of the year to an even higher level live.

Ryan Adams @ World Cafe Live Free At Noon - Ryan Adams return to form with a breathtaking all acoustic set.

David Vandervelde w/ Blitzen Trapper @ Johnny Brendas [More]- This was on a Monday night coming after three days in a row at the WXPN music fest having just seen some 25 or so great bands and it still blew my mind.

The Cribs @ Johnny Brendas [More]- Do not miss this band if you have the chance, one of the true "holy shit !" performances I saw this year. A three piece band that comes at you with the in your face live fury of The Ramones.

Illuminea CD release party w/ The Swimmers @ Johnny Brendas [More]- Two of Philadelphia's finest playing stellar sets on the same night.

The Format @ The Trocadero - The Format have one of the best high energy fun shows going.

Josh Ritter @ World Cafe Free At Noon [More]- Josh Ritter kicks it up a notch with a band for this tour and just absolutely delivetrs apon all counts. Phenomenal. An acoustic cover of Springsteen's The River was one of the single best performances of any song I witnessed all year by any band.

The A-Sides CD Release Party w/ The Capitol Years,Bitter Bitter Weeks @ Johnny Brendas [More]- Philadlelphia bands sharing a bill know how to bring out the best in each other and this was no exception. Top notch performances by all three of the bands.

Bruce Springsteen @ Wachovia Center (10/6/07) - The second night of two for Bruce in Philadelphia, while the first night was marred by horrible sound and an average performance, this night was classic Springsteen and just tore the roof off.

Black Mountain @ Johnny Brendas [More]- I've been waiting nearly two years for Black Mountain to head back out on tour, and this was worth the wait. A rhythmic, psychedelic tour de force. A friend I took with me who had never heard of them walked out saying it was one of the best club shows he'd ever seen.

The Creeping Weeds @ The Khyber and Johnny Brendas [More & More]- Another of Philadelphia's finest, the opening and closing nights of their summer tour were both brilliant.

Jealous Girlfriends @ The Khyber,Tritone & Johnny Brendas [More]- The first time I saw the NYC's Jealous Girlfriends I was blown away. Every show after that lived up to the high standard set by the first one. An excellent live band.

The Shots @ The Khyber [More]- Another Philadelphia band, I just happened to catch these guys on an opening slot in which they blew the two bands that followed of the stage.
My newest Philly band to watch out for.

Here it is, the top ten of our countdown. Sure to inspire comments like "What, top 25 and no Dylan ?" or "Hey, where's Beck and TV On The Radio" to which I'd have to respond "Those are all great, maybe even classic, but they weren't the one's I spent time listening to and enjoying the most."
At the bottom, after the number one choice, I've listed a bunch of runners up, which, who knows, on a different day may have made the cut. It's all good, rock on.

Clicking a link on an artists's name will take you to more music by them at The Hype Machine

10 The Slip Eisenhower
A masterful blend of beatlesque pop songs and indie rock psychedelia, think Death Cab for Cutie meets Pink Floyd and you'll start to get the idea.




MP3: The Slip - Children of December
MP3: The Slip - If One of Us Should Fall

9 The Decemberists The Crane Wife
Never expected to like this at all, especially after the intense prerelease buzz that had me pretty skeptical of whether it would even be any good at all. Other than the one low point that is Shankill Butcher this one's near perfect. Plus it's fun to play spot the influences - O Valencia is pure REM, while When The War Comes sounds like the sequel to Led Zeppelin's No Quarter


MP3: The Decemberists - Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)
MP3: The Decemberists - When The War Came

8 Tom Waits Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards
54 songs, 30 of which are brand new,all great, this one release has more songs than most of the artists on this top 25 have in their entire catalog. The man has affirmed himself as one of the truly great songwriters of our time. An instant classic. One disc of the noisy blues romps, one disc of ballads, and one disc of the experimental songs, it's all there.


MP3: Tom Waits - Lowdown ( Brawler )
MP3: Tom Waits - Never Let Go ( Bawler )
MP3: Tom Waits - First Kiss ( Bastard)

7 Dixie Chicks Taking The Long Way
The Dixie Chicks confronted controversy head on, shook off just a bit of their country edge and made an incredible and lasting pop disc.




MP3: Dixie Chicks - The Long Way Around
MP3: Dixie Chicks - Lullaby

6 Johnny Cash American v: A Hundred Highways
The soundtrack of a man confronting death and reconciling the impending end of his life in song. As pure and emotional sounding of an album as I've ever heard.




MP3: Johnny Cash - Gods Gonna Cut You Down
MP3: Johnny Cash - Like the 309

5 The Roots Game Theory
The best hip hop / rap disc of the year, and the most consistent disc The Roots have ever done. Musical, political and engaging it is music that confronts you to listen in the best possible way.



MP3: The Roots False Media
MP3: The Roots - Don't Feel Right

4 Yo La Tengo I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
I've been waiting 20 years to say this but Yo La Tengo has finally made their masterpiece. Their live show has always been stellar, but for me at least, they've never delivered on album. Well now they have, the best of everything they do, from swirling guitar workouts to short 60's style pop songs woven together perfectly on one disc.


MP3: Yo La Tengo - Pass The Hatchet I'm Goodkind
MP3: Yo La Tengo - Song For Mahila

3 The Hold Steady Boys and Girls in America
The Hold Steady are making big guitar rock music with storytelling lyrics matter again. If this disc doesn't convince you, go seem them live. They reminded me why I like live music so much in the first place pure exhilaration.



MP3: The Hold Steady - Same Kooks
MP3: The Hold Steady - First Night

2 Snow Patrol Eyes Open
Don't disregard this disc just because you don't like the overplayed single Chasing Cars, it's easily the worst song on the album. This album spent more time in my cd player than just about any other cd that came out this year. Lyrically it may be a bit simplistic but its one damn good album to just to kick back and listen to. Almost made my number one spot.

MP3: Snow Patrol - You're All I Have
MP3: Snow Patrol - Set The Fire To The Third Bar

1 The Format Dog Problems
Dog Problems is an amazing album full of smart,incredibly catchy pop songs. I've turned more people on to this disc with just one quick listen than any other disc this year. It's instantly memorable hooks stick in your head for weeks leaving you hopelessly addicted. Chiming guitars,snappy drumming,soaring harmony vocal parts, with just the right keyboard and horn flourishes to top it all off, pop perfection.

MP3: The Format - Time Bomb
MP3: The Format - Dog Problems



The Runners Up (in alphabetical order)
Albert Hammond Jr Yours To Keep
Beck The Information
Bob Dylan Modern Times
Cat Power The Greatest
Cheap Trick Rockford
DeJesus From The Subconscious
Drive By Truckers A Blessing And A Curse
Gnarls Barkley St. Elsewhere
Grizzly Bear Yellow House
Guster Ganging Up on the Sun
James Hunter People Gonna Talk
Jay Z Kingdom Come
Joan Osborne Pretty Little Stranger
Joanna Newsom Ys
M Ward Post War
Mastodon Blood Mountain
Prince 3121
Ray Davies Other Peoples Lives
Roseanne Cash Black Cadillac
Sonic Youth Rather Ripped
Matthew Sweet & Susannah Hoffs Under The Covers Volume 1
The Killers Sam's Town
The Lemonheads The Lemonheads
The Who Endless Wire
Tom Petty Highway Companion
Tv On The Radio Return To Cookie Mountain

Well it's finally here, after much debating and changing and rearranging my top 25 albums of 2006. Most likely it should be called favorite 25 as it's all subjective anyway, and if I did it again next week it would most likely change. I'm sure everyone will find something to agree or disgree with here, but these are the ones that spent the most time in my cd player.iPod,etc. They are the ones I enjoyed listening to the most. All in all it was a pretty good year for music. So, kick back and enjoy, add a comment if you feel moved and stay tuned for the top 10 tomorrow.

Clicking a link on an artists's name will take you to more music by them at The Hype Machine

25 Jerry Lee Lewis Last Man standing
The original "Killer" both confirms and reaffirms his legacy here. Twenty one duets with everyone ranging from from Little Richard to Keith Richards to Kid Rock, his contempararies as well as those he influenced, all lend a hand. Strongly showcasing both Jerry Lee's rock and country side, with lots of star power thrown in, it's a classic Jerry Lee Lewis disc.
MP3: Jerry Lee Lewis - Lost Highway (w/Delaney_Bramlett)

24 Lloyd Cole Antidepressant
Lloyd Cole releases his first new album in 3 years and one of his strongest. He's outgrown the youthful longing of his Rattlesnakes era work for a disc full of mature and insightful songs without losing his poetic sting. Bonus points for name checking Scarlett Johanssen.


MP3: Lloyd Cole - New York City Sunshine

23 Lindsey Buckingham Under the Skin
A quiet subtle disc that puts his Fleetwood Mac days behind him, fans of people like M.Ward,Ray Lamontagne,Elliot Smith,etc should be all over this Alas, it will most likely pass into music history largely unnoticed as just one more footnote in Lindsey's long career.

MP3: Lindsey Buckingham - Show You How

22 Nellie McKay Pretty Little Head
Nellie McKay has a Tin Pan Alley flair for songwriting and her new one Pretty Little Head is no exception. Literate, funny and sharp her 2nd release and her 2nd double disc collection she's also highly prolific. Guest turns by none other than K.D Lang and Cyndi Lauper. Initially bounced by her record label for being too long at 23 songs, she held to her principles and got it released on her terms.
MP3: Nellie McKay - Mama and Me

21 The Pernice Brothers Live A Little
Joe Pernice is a master of pop songcraft and this new one is no exception. The production is a little more stripped down this time allowing the songs to really shine.



MP3: The Pernice Brothers - Lightheaded

20 Cold War Kids Robbers & Cowards
A dark quirky sound that finds the middle ground between the surrealism of TV On the Radio and raw rootsy sound of The White Stripes.



MP3: Cold War Kids - We Used To Vacation

19 Golden Smog Another Fine Day
Golden Smog takes a more rock based approach this time around and comes up with record that sounds less like the side project supergroup that it is and more like a full time band with something to prove.


MP3: Golden Smog - 5-22-02

18 Soul Asylum The Silver Lining
Bassist Karl Mueller's swan song disc due to his untimely death from cancer sets out to prove that Soul Asylum is still a vital musical force. Their most focused effort since Grave Dancer's Union is filled with huge sounding guitars and classic Soul Asylum hooks.


MP3: Soul Asylum - Crazy Mixed Up World

17 The Shrinking Islands In The Black Carpet
The Shrinking Isalnds prove tht you don't need noises and gimmicks to make a great record much like the bands that launched college radio back in the eighties. Great songs and pristine prodcution values make up a brilliant pop record that takes their influences and molds them into their own distinct sound.
MP3: The Shrinking Islands - State Fair

16 The Blow Paper Televison
A New Wave snyth pop meets 60's Girls groups vision of boys and girls in America. A completely different approach to this group of insanely catchy, danceable relationship songs.


MP3: The Blow - Parentheses

15 Clipse Hell Hath No Fury
Street level rap at it's finest, full of the stacatto beats and raw grit that get back to the roots of the music.



MP3: Clipse - Mr Me Too

14 Pearl Jam Pearl Jam
Easily their best and most accessible disc since VS. They also reaffirmed their place this year as one of the best live bands going.



MP3: Pearl Jam - Army Reserve

13 Wolfmother Wolfmother
The best of 70's style guitar rock excess dragged screaming right into the 00's. This disc never claims to be anything more than it is and succeeds grandly. Three guys making a glorius racket.


MP3: Wolfmother - Woman

12 Red Hot Chili Peppers Stadium Arcadium
Almost too much of a good thing and sure maybe some of it sounded a bit familiar, but its the Chili Peppers at their funk rock best and there really is a genuinely bad song in the bunch.


MP3: Red Hot Chili Peppers - C'mon Girl

11 Primal Scream Riot City Blues
Stonesy sounding country blues rock guitar crunch.




MP3: Primal Scream - Dolls

Today is the big finale to or weeklong celebration of the great singles or should've been singles from 2006. We counted down 50 great song starting rom the shortest, Nellie McKay's 59 second pop gem, "Pounce", to the longest, "Road to Peace" clocking in at just over 7 minutes from Tom Waits. A little over three hours of music in all to rock your week, so kick back and enjoy. And remember, if you heard something you liked please support the artists by buying cds and going to their shows. It's what keep sthe great music coming.

10: Lucero - I Can Get Us Out Of Here Tonight 4:14
Why, why why are these guys still rolling along in relative obscurity. Someone needs
to send this to Brandon Flowers of The Killers so he can learn about the proper usage of a Springsteen influence.

9: TV on the Radio - I Was a Lover 4:21
Captivating in its own surreal way.

8: The Black Keys - Strange Desire 4:21
The best White Stripes song this year. Maybe they should be called the Jack Keys.

7: Elton John - Tinderbox 4:26
Elton rediscovers whatever it was he was tapping into during his classic seventies era and comes up with a song that easily holds up against his back catalog.

6: Wolfmother - Joker & The Thief 4:40
Just raw, sometimes overblown guitar rock. Three guys making an awesome racket, so simple you gotta love it.

5: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California 4:43
You forgot these guys put out a great double album earlier this year, didn't you ?

4: Grizzly Bear - On a Neck, On a Spit 5:46
Ethereal and majestic, like a soundtrack to a movie you haven't seen. Grizzly Bear picked up a little bit of excessive hype this year, but they're damn good in their own low key way.

3: Dixie Chicks - Voice Inside My Head 5:52
My favorite song from the sometimes controversial Taking The Long Way home disc.

2: Bob Dylan - Thunder On The Mountain 5:55
Bob Dylan. Like the energizer bunny on a tear, he just keeps them coming.

1: Tom Waits - Road To Peace 7:17
How do you narrow an album of 56 great songs down to just one pick ? Easily one of the most politically charged songs he's ever done.

Welcome to part 4 of our series counting down 50 great songs/singles of 2006. It's been a fun ride for me and I hope for you as well. Leave a comment let me know what you liked or what you think I missed, but most all of enjoy the music.

20: The Decemberists - O Valencia 3:47
I have to admit, I was not a Decemberists fan before this record. This is a great song, part REM, part Brit Pop, and the rest of The Crane Wife disc is just as good if not better and I'm more than happy to jump on the bandwagon.

19: Golden Smog - Corvette 3:51
A total rocker from the "supergroup" that is really starting to sound like more than the sum of its parts.

18: Clipse - Chinese New Year 3:56
It was a long time coming, but this record makes the return of Jay-Z and Snoop Dog this year seem irrelevant.

17: Prince - Fury 4:02
The incendiary performance of this song on Saturday Night Live kicked off a year which saw Prince opt to open his own Las Vegas club "3121" instead of touring. Make the pilgrimage.

16: Primal Scream - Country Girl 4:02
Primal Scream out Stones-ed the Rolling Stones on this country blues romp.

15: Justin Timberlake - SexyBack 4:03
Better than you think it would be, give it a shot, I did, I like it, enough said.

14: The Hold Steady - Stuck Between Stations 4:05
Forget about the fifth horse in the sixth race named chips ahoy for a bit, the lead off track on what may be the best rock disc of the year kicks it just as hard.

13: Yo La Tengo - Mr. Tough 4:05
It took 20 years but Yo La Tengo finally made their masterpiece, check out this nice little faux-motown style number.

12: Ray Davies - All She Wrote 4:10
My favorite song on a disc full of the classic Ray Davies songs we all know from his glory days fronting The Kinks.

11: The Roots - Here I Come 4:11
Powerful,intelligent, and engaging, a fierce song from the best rap/hiphop disc of the year.

If you like what you've been hearing, please support the artists.
Go to the shows and buy the cds.

We're up to part three, numbers 21 to 30, and over the halfway mark in our countdown of singles from 2006. Counting them down from shortest to longest giving you even more music to enjoy with each day. I hope you're all enjoying it and stayed tuned because there's 20 more great tracks still to come.

30: The Slip - Mothwing Bite 3:29
Organ flourishes,strummy acoustic guitar,catchy vocal hooks, what more do you need.

29: The Format - The Compromise 3:29
The first single from THE power pop disc of the year and the ultimate FU to the record company that dropped them. Twice.

28: Robert Randolph & the Family Band - Ain't Nothing Wrong With That 3:32
This song is flat out smoking hot guitar playing, you may recognize it as the background music from the barrage of fall show promo spots on NBC

27: The Raconteurs - Steady, As She Goes 3:35
Jack White somehow managed to avoid the backlash that usually comes from overexposure and cranked out a bunch of catchy garage rock songs with this side project

26: Fergie - London Bridge 3:35
So what if it sounds just like all the hits from the Black Eyed Peas, like they used to say on American Bandstand "It's got a good beat and you can dance to it"

25: Pernice Brothers - Somerville 3:35
The Pernice Brothers strip it back down for this album and make another classic, Somerville is just one of the highlights, got to love that guitar hook.

24: The Killers - When You Were Young 3:38
The song that spawned a million Springsteen comparisons. It may not be their Born To Run but it holds its own as one of the truly great singles of the year

23: Soul Asylum - Fearless Leader 3:40
The silver lining inside The Silver Lining is this hidden track from new Soul Asylum disc. A fantastic Dave Pirner acoustic number.

22: The Rapture - Whoo! Alright Yeah...Uh Huh 3:40
The best of 80's alternative dance rock recycled for the indie hipsters of today

21: Rosanne Cash - World Without Sound 3:42
Cash was defnitely a name to be reckoned with 2006, and Johnny wasn't the only one, like father, like daughter.

Ten more for your listening enjoyment including the year's HUGE smash "Crazy" and the surprisingly good return of The Who.

40: Damien Rice - The Rat Within the Grain 2:54
The best song on a disc that is essentially "O" part 2.

39: Gnarls Barkley - Crazy 2:58
Mashup goes mainstream for hands down the biggest single song of the year, really, who didn't cover this one this year ?

38: The Who - We Got A Hit (Extended Version) 3:03
With only 2 original members a potential disaster in the making turned out to not be a half bad record after all.

37: James Hunter - No Smoke Without Fire 3:05
Smoking soul, this song can start its own fire.

36: Pearl Jam - Unemployable 3:06
The least typical song and my favorite from Pearl Jam's best disc since VS.

35: Tom Petty - Flirting With Time 3:15
Petty goes back to the roots aand regains himself after the flop of a disc that was the Last DJ

34: Drive By Truckers - Aftermath USA 3:16
A classic trailer park white trash anthem.

33: Willie Nile - Best Friends Money Can Buy 3:17
One of many great songs from a disc that is so below the radar most people don't know it was even released, Willie Nile is one of the great underrated songwriters around today.

32: New York Dolls - Gimme Luv And Turn On The Lights 3:19
Despite losing multiple members over the past year or so, the Dolls proved they can
still bring the rock.

31: Outkast - Idlewild Blue (Don'tchu Worry About Me) 3:24
One of the couple gems on this year's stinker of a film and album from Oukast

Well it's that time of year again, make a list, check it twice, find out who... oh you know the rest. While I continue pondering over my choices for the best albums of 2006 I'd thought I'd give you some of my picks for the best singles, or should've been singles of the year.
To avoid the typical ranked from worst to first I've sorted them by length from shortest to longest, because isn't a single really about the making the biggest impact in the least amount of time.
So without further ado here's the first 10 songs for your listening enjoyment.

50: Nellie McKay - Pounce :59
Sure it's simple and it's short, but it's catchy as hell. 59 seconds of pure bouncy pop.

49: The Blow - Pile of Gold 2:12
Like a new wave version of Hey Ya, this one really sticks with you, try not to sing along "all the girls are sitting on a pile of gold and the boys they want it, want it"

48: Jerry Lee Lewis with Jimmy Page - Rock And Roll 2:14
Rock and Roll kind of says it all. Everything you'd imagine this pairing can deliver.

47: Chelsea Taube - Save My Soul From The Devil 2:15
A gem from a star in the making.

46: Nada Surf - I Like What You Say 2:33
The only thing new from Nada Surf this year is brilliant, but you could only hear it on myspace

45: The Shrinking Islands - Swallowed In Grace 2:38
A great song from a great record that needs to be heard. The latest release from Sort Of Records out of Pittsburgh, a new label with good things happening.

44: Lloyd Cole - Antidepressant 2:39
Lloyd Cole pours the experience of his years into song and makes a fine new disc, this is the title track.

43: Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs - The Kids Are Alright 2:48
A Sweet and a sweetheart making sweet harmonies on this, one of the best tracks from their covers disc.

42: Pete Yorn - The Good Advice 2:50
This is from the Westerns EP which was only available at Pete's shows. Better than just about anything on the full length Nightcrawlers disc.

41: KT Tunstall - Black Horse & The Cherry Tree 2:52
Potentially a one hit wonder in the making, nothing else on her record is near this good. Time will tell.