J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 21st December 2011Top 25 Albums of 2011

[It's the 10th Annual Top 25 Albums show and I'm excited. It's one thing to have been a DJ here at WQFS for 12+ years, but now to have my annual best albums countdown reach its first decade, well, that's even more exciting. Hopefully the list will do what all the best lists on sites do for me as a reader - inspire you to check out stuff you haven't heard or had dismissed earlier in the year without giving them a fair shot. It also might inspire some heated feelings about the placement (or non placement) of records, but that's okay, too. It's all in the spirit of our love of the music.

2011 was an interesting year for music - as many people other than me have said, there weren't a lot of break-out, overwhelmingly epic records. In fact, it's hard to really think of any. Instead, the year was peppered with really good, really strong albums that are going to make themselves into our constant home rotations for years to come. And really, for each of us, that's more of a true mark of excellent art than if the album is some sort of artistic triumph. Those epic albums are amazing, but there's a reason I keep listening to the albums I do and just maybe this year was jammed full of a crop of records that will be added to that list for me.

I'd love to hear about what you were listening to this year, what you liked, what you didn't, thoughts about the list and so on. So leave 'em in the comments below and have a Happy New Year! But while the year still is, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: Top 25 Albums of 2011 Show

25. (tie) A.A. Bondy - Believers ; Veronica Falls - Veronica Falls : Cheating as usual, my (now annual) tie at 25th place has a lot to do with how these albums channel a feel and run with it for their total running time. Believers is a dark, melancholic record about searching for meaning in everyday images and experiences, while Veronica Falls adds another cog to the really excellent return of C83 music from the past few years with their self-titled debut. For Bondy, this was his first step out from the sound of his first two solo records, but for Veronica Falls, the challenge will be not to let this record define them. Played - "The Twist" (Bondy) and "Misery" (Veronica Falls)

24. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Mirror Traffic : My expectations were pretty high for this album given that it was going to be drummer Janet Weiss' last go-round with the band and that the previous record, Real Emotional Trash, has been, in my opinion, Malkmus' best post-Pavement work. I was a little underwhelmed, but when I got my prejudices out of the way, this was another excellent outing for Malkmus. Is he old enough yet to where we pretty much just want to hear him do the same thing over and over though? Or was he always that way courtesy of co-creating one of the most unique and definitive sounds of indie-music back in the 90s? Played - "Stick Figures in Love"

23. Birds of Avalon - Birds of Avalon : The first North Carolina band on the list, Birds of Avalon are a rock and roll band, plain and simple. There are big and knotty hooks all through this record and, I'll be honest, this year that really caught me. So if you want yourself a thoughtful rock and roll record, go grab this now. Played - "Invasion"

22. Thurston Moore - Demolished Thoughts : Sometimes it's really amazing watching the idols of noise and punk get older and turn out amazingly beautiful pieces of more approachable music. Moore did that this year with his Beck produced LP of mostly acoustic music. This is still one of the co-founders of Sonic Youth here, though, and there are plenty of bits that remind you who you're dealing with, but this is still just a gorgeous piece of work. Played - "Benediction"

21. Tom Waits - Bad As Me : I am a long-time fan of Messr. Waits, but Real Gone had left me fairly cold. It was far from my favorite of his albums and though I liked what he was doing, it just didn't connect. Not so Bad As Me. Maybe it was going out on the Glitter and Doom tour and hearing fans go nuts for classics right alongside newer stuff, but this is one of Waits' most expansive and career summarizing albums to date. It still sounds like a late-period Waits record - don't get me wrong. But when the immaculate "Kiss Me" comes on, we're instantly teleported back to 1978's Blue Valentines and that's not a bad thing. Played - "Satisfied"

20. Obits - Moody, Standard and Poor : Easily winning the award for year's best album title, the second record from Obits was even more dynamic and varied than the first. I think anyone with the pedigree of this band, though, better produce great records. I mean, did you hear the last Hot Snakes album? Seriously. Keep it up, fellas. Played - "I Want Results"

19. Future Islands - On the Water : When Ryan Snyder and I reviewed this record for the Indie/Rock Roundtable earlier this year, I was pretty impressed, but this album is a slow grower and it has worked its crooning magic on me throughout the time since. There's a tendency to want to lump this record in with the other bands mining the 80s synthesizer and reverb heavy sound, but this is just simply too good for words. Played - "Balance"

18. Hammer No More the Fingers - Black Shark : The second North Carolina band on the list (or 3rd if you count Future Islands' actual origins). Infectiously and foot-tappingly mining the indie sounds of bands like the Dismemberment Plan and the math-rock liquidity of people like Faraquet, this was just a tremendously fun record. It takes you back a little (if you were alive and paying attention then), but still sounds rooted in today. Great job. Played - "It's About Carin"

17. Dum Dum Girls - Only In Dreams : Bands that evade the sophomore slump are always exciting to me, and Dum Dum Girls way outdid themselves with this record. It probably had a lot to do with this being their first full-length with the entire band rather than just their main songwriter on instruments, but whatever it was, this is a huge step up and a really fantastic record. Played - "Bedroom Eyes"

16. The Raveonettes - Raven in the Grave : I really enjoyed this band's debut, but almost immediately tuned out of their subsequent work. Thank goodness for In and Out of Control and this year's entry, Raven in the Grave, as they have completely turned me around on this band. This might be their finest hour yet as their music takes on new dimensions and depths. Played - "Forget That You're Young"

15. Bon Iver - Bon Iver : Not many records earned more controversy this year in the "is it good or not" discussion. A lot of people hailed it as a masterpiece, others as boring. I found myself significantly won over by their new work - a needed departure after the singularly magnificent debut that just begged not to be echoed. Here's hoping there's more great stuff to come. Played - "Towers"

14. tUnE-yArDs - W H O K I L L : I hate typing out this band and album name - at least if I want to get them correct, but this is one of the funkiest, engaging and head-nodding records of this year. I was a big fan of this band's first record as well, but this record is in another stratosphere. Played - "Gangsta"

13. Megafaun - Megafaun : The third (or fourth) North Carolina artist on the list. Having been wowed by these guys from the start (and originally through a live show I caught back in 2007), it's hard to know what to expect from them and their ever evolving sense of musicianship. After their stellar work on the Sounds of the South performance at Duke University last year, this record makes a lot more sense. It's all over the place and in the best of ways. Well worth visiting and revisiting. Played - "These Words"

12. Girls - Father, Son and Holy Ghost : Girls' debut was simply stellar and this follow-up ups the game even more. There's something tremendously sad and uplifting at the same time going on in these songs. I don't know exactly how to describe it. Hard for me to admit, but just listen to the thing. Played - "Vomit"

11. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy : I'm never quite sure how to compare St. Vincent to anyone, let alone while avoiding the trap of automatically comparing her to other female artists. Strange Mercy does remind me of one of the other truly unique and multi-faceted artists of the last 20 years - P.J. Harvey. And in a year when Harvey put out one of her best (though missing from my list because I just slept on it this year), it's great to see Annie Clark release something just as engaging in many ways. Played - "Cheerleader"

10. Apex Manor - The Year of Magical Drinking : This was the year of me being magically upset. Twice this band was supposed to play in North Carolina this year and both shows were canceled for various reasons. Listen to this record and see why I was dying to hear this stuff live. Power-pop and perfect melodicism at its absolute best and I was jonesing for it all year. Ross, please, come to the East Coast! There's a reason this record placed both in the top 10 albums and had my #1 single of the year. Played - "Teenage Blood"

9. Sloan - The Double Cross : Sloan took me a long time to get, but so did power-pop in general. Took me getting older, if that says anything. Now, with Sloan on a tear since Never Hear the End of It, their 20th anniversary gets celebrated in style with a tremendously poppy and catchy record to match the best of their work. Played - "Follow the Leader" and "The Answer Was You"

8. Big Troubles - Romantic Comedy : Here we have an interesting situation. A record that was shrugged at by several reviewers ends up as one of my favorites of the year. Why? Regardless, this album is just a simply stellar channeling of pop music. I love the song writing here. There's no guarantee I'd love another album by this band in the same vein, but for now, it's awesome. Played - "You'll Be Laughing"

7. Royal Bangs - Flux Outside : The band I most wish I'd caught at the Hopscotch Festival this year. Tremendously hooky, big, overpowering percussive songs. I can't say enough about this album and how it won me over from the get go. Played - "Faint Obelisk Two"

6. Wye Oak - Civilian : I can remember the interested yet indifferent feeling I got about this band when I listened to their debut. What a difference two albums makes. Wye Oak has hit a stride I hope they never come down from and this album is the apex of their work so far. Played - "Civilian"

5. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues : A remarkable step up from a remarkable debut, there is very little I can say about this record that hasn't been poured out upon it already. I still find myself drawn to it as a fan of the English Folk Rock movement, but there's so much more going on here, I hate to even pigeonhole it in that way. Played - "Sim Sala Bim"

4. Sandro Perri - Invisible Spaces : I had never heard of Sandro Perri before picking up this record, and I'm so glad that has changed. This album is infectious and open with spaces of music that just draw the ear in and don't let go. The higher up my list I go, it seems, the harder it is to accurately describe a lot of this music, but here's trying anyway. Played - "Changes"

3. Real Estate - Days : There were many times this year where I thought this would be my number one. It's a gorgeously constructed record and its warm tones are just the epitome of everything that can be right in music like this. It's not going to grab you by the throat. It's going to take you by the hand and walk slowly and enjoy everything going on around it. Played - "It's Real"

2. Fucked Up - David Comes to Life : I rarely get drown in by big, loud punk or hardcore records anymore. And certainly Fucked Up already transcended those lables with The Chemistry of Modern Life. But this album is a whole other beast entirely and it's a steamroll of a listen. I can't say enough good things about this band and if they call it quits soon, I wouldn't blame them. I wouldn't want to try and follow this record up either. Played - "Queen of Hearts"

1. The Decemberists - The King Is Dead : The Decemberists have been a band I've enjoyed a lot for some time, but this record goes beyond that. I've never listened to one of their albums as much as this one, and I've never been so immediately drawn in. There isn't a bum track on the whole damn record and it just gets better and better as it goes. At 10 songs, it hits me right where I love an album - it doesn't overstay its welcome and it doesn't give me any filler. Just track after track of perfect pop songs and then done. Seriously. All jokes about this being "the best REM record in 20 years" aside, the Decemberists managed to channel the Athens bards in a way that no one else has seemed to be able to do - at least not in a long time. This is 2011's best album. Played - "Don't Carry It All"

That'll do it. I'll be back next week with the usual mix of new and classic stuff. Thanks for all you listeners this year, and I hope you'll continue to come back each week to check out all the great music we'll be bound to get to know together. Until then, thank you, and take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 14th December 2011The Top Singles of 2011

[Welcome to one of my favorite episodes of the year, the annual Best Singles of the Year show. It makes sense that this would, in some ways, trump next week's Top 25 Albums show if only because this episode is wall-to-wall great songs. I'll be trying to represent great whole album works next week with single songs, but this week, the single's the thing.

Due to temporary scheduling at the station, we were off the air when I came up, so this week's episode has a bonus 20 or so minutes of songs from going on the air early. We also did our last Indie/Rock Roundtable of the year, but unfortunately YES Weekly's Ryan Snyder couldn't join us last minute. Thankfully we already had Mad Dog of the Friday Night Rock Party on WQFS coming up to do it with us, so he did an able job filling Ryan's shoes. Mad Dog's best-of show will air Friday, December 30th from 6 PM - 10 PM on WQFS, so make sure you catch it.

Now, while the die is cast, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 14th December 2011 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Twilight Singers - "On the Corner" [from dynamite steps. i was less thrilled with this record on the whole than its two immediate predecessors, but this song is undeniably dulli. "spread your legs / insert your alibi." yeah, that's dulli alright.]
the Veils - "Don't Let the Same Bee Sting You Twice" [from the troubles of the brain EP. a great bit of t. rex-ian stomp.]
Black Pistol Fire - "Silent Blue" [from their self-titled record. a great little rip-roaring rocker and yes, the record is solid as well. great song.]
EMA - "Milkman" [from past life martyred saints. love the big, throbbing pulse of this song and the record is pretty solid, too.]
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Futurebirds - "Wild Heart" [from via flamina. one of two really excellent covers on this EP, but probably the more interesting of the two. but that cover of "wicked game" is pretty righteous. tough pick.]
Birds of Avalon - "Xarardheere" [from their self-titled album. seriously a great rock record and there was a dearth of those this year.]
My Morning Jacket - "Holdin on to Black Metal" [from circuital. infectious in a way i didn't really expect from this band.]
the Henry Clay People - "California Wildire" [from the this is a desert EP. heard they'll have a new full-length next year, so here's hoping it kills.]

[Here's where Mad Dog and I discussed the new Black Keys album El Camino and talked about some of the trends of 2011 and what our best music of the year (might) be. I guess we're both playing our cards close to our chest before our respective year-end shows. We both gave the thumbs up to the new Black Keys though, so take a listen. Enjoy.]

the Black Keys - "Gold on the Ceiling" [from el camino. pretty great little song.]
the Black Keys - "Sister" [also from el camino. really dig this song.]
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the Decemberists - "Down by the Water" [from the king is dead. we'll hear more from this next week, but this was a great song from a great record.]
tUnE-yArDs - "Bizness" [from WHOKILL. another record we'll probably see more from next week. a really unique and awesome record.]
Class Actress - "Weekend" [from rapproacher. heard about this totally by accident, but really dug this song this year.]
DOM - "Damn" [from the family of love EP. great, great pop song. so close to being in my top ten.]
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Beady Eye - "The Roller" [from different gear, still speeding. i wasn't huge on this record (insert requisite joke about how best parts of this + best parts of noel gallagher's record = awesome oasis record HERE) but it does have some winners and this is certainly one of them. beady eye music, mate!]
Fucked Up - "Ship of Fools" [from david comes to life. this was a tough choice as there are several great songs on this record, but here you go.]
Doomtree - "Bangarang" [from no kings. the chorus of this one gets me singing along every time. love it.]
Dirty Gold - "California Sunrise" [from the roar EP. pretty sunny california teenage pop rock and roll.]

[Now it's time for the top ten singles of 2011! Here we go!]

10. Male Bonding - "Tame the Sun" : I like this band, but had some cold feet heading into this album for some reason. This opening track eliminated that from moment one and it's remained one of my favorite songs of this year. Just too, too good. From Endless Now.

9. The Rosebuds - "Woods" : I'll be honest in that this is not my favorite Rosebuds album by a good bit. But the parts where this album works are among the best moments in the band's career. "Woods" is the exact type of song I would send to someone if they asked what this band sounds like. Bracing, lifting and melancholic at the same time. From Loud Planes Fly Low.

8. The War on Drugs - "Baby Missiles" : Springsteenian isn't a proper adjective, I suppose, but this song seems born to make it so. Propulsive and keyboards that sound like something from the Born in the U.S.A. days make this a stellar track. From Slave Ambient.

7. The Smith Westerns - "Weekend" : Two songs named "Weekend" on a best-of show signals something about the year. The better of the two, by Smith Westerns, is a really tremendous slice of rock and roll, just like most of their debut full length. From Dye It Blonde.

6. Sloan - "Unkind" : Sloan has been on an unabashed roll in the last 5 years (really for their entire career) and to try to pick just one song from each of their records as a great single is a ridiculously difficult task. That said, "Unkind" is a massively killer song and is everything great about a Sloan song - hooks for days, sing-along ready and infectious to no end. From The Double Cross.

5. Yuck - "Get Away" : Pavement, Dinosaur Jr. and everything else great about 90s rock and roll piled into this British outfit and this song may just be the epitome of it all. I know I'm a sucker for great hooks, but this chorus is just about the most amazing thing in my ears all year. Sorry about accidentally cutting it off. Yikes. From Yuck.

4. Hooray for Earth - "No Love" : Another record that snuck up on me thanks to a great review at Aquarium Drunkard, Hooray for Earth sounds at times like some of the guiltiest guilty pleasure music, but it's so expertly crafted that it is far beyond mere aesthetic infection. From True Loves.

3. Kathleen Edwards - "Change the Sheets" : A strange situation - this song was released earlier this fall, but the album it's off of doesn't hit the streets until next year. I toyed with not including it, but it really is one of the best songs I've heard all year and it just makes me incredibly anxious for her latest. Fleetwood Mac influence never sounded so good. From Voyageur.

2. Fountains of Wayne - "Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart" : The opening verse to this song is stupid. I'll admit it. But the chorus is the most redemptive thing and no verse after this stumbles the way the opener does. If it weren't for that opening verse, this would probably be number one, but the rest of the song is undeniable Fountains of Wayne. This is pop craftsmanship. From Sky Full of Holes.

1. Apex Manor - "The Party Line" : It's the bridge that cements this song as the best of the year, but the rest of the song is as winning a thing as either Apex Manor or its predecessor, Broken West, ever put together. The album is just as winning, but this song is this year's best in my mind. From The Year of Magical Drinking.

That'll do it for this week. Next week is the big 10th Annual Top 25 Albums of the Year show. Make sure you don't miss it. Until then, take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 8th December 2010The Top Singles of 2010

[Welcome to the Best Singles of 2010 here on J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. This podcast very nearly didn't make it.

I got home last night and put the flash drive in my computer to upload when a sudden power surge knocked the computer off and back on. Irritated, but not really caring, I proceeded to reboot everything and then go look at the drive to get the show.

It was empty.

I panicked. Had I forgotten to record? I had gone through all the proper steps and everything, including the proper removal procedure from the recording board and all that. Yet, no show seemed to exist. I was crestfallen. Thankfully, I could tell that there was something on the drive, even if it wasn't showing up. After doing some digging, I was able to recover the show from the hidden depths of the drive and get it up. I was not about to let one of my two favorite shows of the year slip away into the ether.

These are my absolute favorite songs of the year and next week, we'll take a look at my favorite albums of this year. I put a lot of thought and work into these shows, I think it shows, and I know you'll enjoy it.

Now, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 8th December 2010 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Decoration Ghost - "Father's Fists" [from the haze of wine and age. one of my favorite songs of this year due to the excellent use of the drum fill behind the phrase "pounding like the drums of the Cold War." just fantastic.]
the Gaslight Anthem - "American Slang" [the title track from this year's album. i was really won over by this song from the very first time i heard it. not quite as much as i was "the '59 sound" the other year, but man, all the same. good stuff.]
Blonde Readhead - "Here Sometimes" [from penny sparkle. the album, on the whole, felt a little weak in spots, but overall it was buoyed by songs like this lead track. really good.]
Portugal the Man - "The Dead Dog" [from american ghetto. i really enjoy this entire album quite a bit, but this song really caught me from the beginning also.]
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the Black Keys - "Everlasting Light" [from brothers. another one of the songs in this year that got me with its chugging beat. love the way this song opens.]
the Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Say No to Love" [i want to celebrate this song because a) it's good and b) it's a band releasing a true single. it was this, a b-side song and that's it. no new LP (not 'til next year at least) and i think that deserves some attention as well.]
Lake Inferior - "Johnny B" [from pegasaur. it's sad that this band called it a day earlier this year after just two fantastic EPs, but that's the nature of bands and working with other people. still, thanks for the music, guys.]
Antoine Dodson and the Gregory Brothers - "Bed Intruder Song" [one of the feel good stories of the year is also one of the great singles..]
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the Posies - "She's Coming Down Again!" [from blood/candy. i was initially underwhelmed by this album (not by this song though), but when i saw the posies live, the whole record came to powerful life. it's made me appreciate it a lot more sense.]
Adam Thorn and the Top Buttons - "Life's a Bummer" [from the self-titled sophomore record. i'm really impressed with this genre exercise of a record and this song especially. adam is a complex and engaging songwriter when his songs are seen put together - they have this engaging, snotty snark that occasionally reveal their maudlin truth, but this song hits all those notes just perfectly.]
the Tallest Man on Earth - "King of Spain" [from the wild hunt. this was the first leaked song off of this record and there's a reason - it's engaging and rowdy and uplifting and it's just one guy and a guitar. fantastic.]
Caribou - "Odessa" [from the excellent swim. this song grew and grew and grew on me. i'd forgotten how much i really liked it when i played it tonight since it'd been awhile since i'd played it.]
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Vampire Weekend - "Horchata" [from contra. this is a band that has slowly grown on me as well, but it was a hype backlash that initially had me not paying attention to them. well, this record fixed that.]
the Soft Pack - "Cmon" [from their self-titled album. just a great rock song. don't you agree? the whole record is like that. we need those.]
Clem Snide - "Denver" [from the meat of life. a person i follow on twitter was talking about this song earlier this year, so i grabbed it just to see, and man. it's one of the most haunting and beautiful songs of 2010.]
Conrad Plymouth - "Here to There" [from their self-titled EP. and then this band and this record i just can't get enough of. seriously. if you haven't heard them, do it.]
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Superchunk - "Digging for Something" [from majesty shredding. superchunk return, guns blazing; this album is utterly killer and this song is it's lead arsenal.]
Delta Spirit - "Golden State" [from history from below. another great album from a truly fantastic band. last new album they had landed a single in my top 5 singles, but that's not to say this song isn't as good. the album, on the whole, is better.]
Josh Ritter - "The Curse" [from so runs the world away. another of the great ballads. ritter flexes some serious storytelling chops in this song and it's mesmerizing in a way few things were this year.]
Gorillaz - "Stylo" [from plastic beach. fantastic song from a pretty good record, though the definitive performance of this, for me, was on the colbert report. i think you'd agree.]
Jens Lekman - "The End of the World is Bigger Than Love" [a single released this year on its own. a great single, only released earlier this year, not attached to any album. pretty awesome. hopefully heralding a new album next year. it's good.]

[Now it's time for the top ten singles of 2010! Here we go.]

10. Yeasayer - "Madder Red" : I discovered this song because of its video and its odd and somewhat disconcerting imagery. But something about the song was absorbing - drawing somewhere between the echoey drums of 80s dark synth pop and the modern day. By the end of the song, you're lost in its mist, kind of hoping not to find your way out. From Oddblood.

9. the New Pornographers - "Crash Years" : I had been so disappointed in the last New Pornographers album that when this single first leaked, I was hesitant to embrace it. But though it might not be my favorite song on this album, it is, in my opinion, the best single song and that is a talent all its own. From Together.

8. Frightened Rabbit - "Nothing Like You" : This was a tough choice because this record also contains "Swim Until You Can't See Land," undoubtedly one of this year's best single songs, but the anthemic "Nothing Like You" is just slightly its better. On a record that sometimes seems unfortunately thin in overall sound, the boisterous heart rending of this song is a welcome explosion.

7. the Hold Steady - "Hurricane J" : The opening of this song still throws me off with its odd musical meter, but when it settles into its mid-tempo, chugging and brilliant chorus, this year's second best women-compared-to-storms song becomes something very unique. From Heaven is Whenever.

6. the National - "England" : Things about London and England always hit a soft spot in me because of the time I spent there in college, but not only does this song hit lyrical spots for me, it creates a musical environment that puts me there as well. On an album that is still sneaking up on me, it's an obvious highlight. From High Violet.

5. the Love Language - "Heart to Tell" : The best North Carolina song this year is something the Love Language is perfect for - delicious, dancey sing-a-long songs that also contain some wicked guitar work. The rest of this album is gorgeous and amazing, but this song just overshadows everything around it. From Libraries.

4. Best Coast - "Boyfriend" : Like a stoned girl group, this song is anything if original - cloying lyrics pining over a boy - but the way it's accomplished is infectious beyond all measure. There is a reason I managed to see this band twice this year, mainly on the strength of this song. From Crazy for You.

3. M.I.A. - "Born Free" : My jaw hit the floor when I first heard this song and it hasn't fully reattached itself still. This was one of the most abrasive and blistering M.I.A. songs I've ever heard, and even if the rest of this album didn't live up to the maelstrom on this song, this was more than enough for me to still have utter faith in her fantastic work. From Maya

2. the Drive-by Truckers - "Birthday Boy" : I'm going to let the lyrics speak for themselves here. "The pretty girls from the smallest towns / get remembered like storms and droughts / that old men talk about for years to come / I guess that's why they give us names / So a few old men can say they saw us rain when we were young." Yeah. That's why I love this band. From The Big To-Do.

1. Twin Sister - "Lady Daydream" : The only reason "Birthday Boy" isn't the best single of the year has to do with seeing this band live in Chicago this summer and just having one of the most amazing concert experiences I've ever had. This song is everything that a sultry, smoky, haunting song should be and it never, ever seems to get old. It is, without question for me, the best track of 2010. From Color Your Life.

That'll do it for this week. Join me back here next week for the 9th Annual Top 25 Albums of 2010. Until then, Go Panthers!, and take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 16th December 2009The Top Singles of 2009

[Another year, another year-end wrap-up and another Top Singles of the Year show. This show has come to almost rival the Top 25 Albums show in my heart, if only because this is the show with nothing but wall-to-wall favorite songs from the year. Tonight's show was really something and I love my top 12 picks this year, as well as all the other songs that slid around in there. It makes for quite a show and I hope you enjoy it.

Also, as a small bit of celebration, this particular blog post marks the 500th post here at J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. The blog started back in September of 2003 and so that might seem like a glacial pace of posting, but for the majority of the blog's existence, it's been one post per week. There was a period of time where I did weekly album reviews before I began writing for Aquarium Drunkard, but this is still a great accomplishment. Fittingly, the blog recently also crossed the threshold of its 75,000th visitor. While my blog certainly doesn't generate major traffic, it does great for its purpose and weekly updates, so thank you, those of you who come to read and listen.

The 8th Annual Top 25 Albums of the Year show will be in two weeks - Wednesday, January 30th - and is a 4 hour extravaganza from 4pm - 8pm. The first two hours will feature also-rans from the year's best albums, all leading up to the Top 25 countdown from 6pm until 8pm. Only the Top 25 section will be podcast. I'm terribly excited.

Now, let's celebrate 2009 in style. Onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 16th December 2009 - Top Singles of the Year

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Ladyhawke - "My Delirium" [from her self-titled 2008 album. so why on the 2009 single list? well, i think this was pushed as a single this year and i just heard it for the first time myself this year and...well...listen to it, fer cryin' out loud. holy god, this would've been in my top 5 no question otherwise.]
the Streets - "David Hassles" [not from any record, but released via twitter. probably the first song on my list to be done in such a way. the streets didn't put out a new record this year, but mike skinner did release new songs online and this was the peach of the bunch, i'd say.]
Langhorne Slim - "Say Yes" [from be set free, a fun record in its own right, but this song certainly grabbed me from the first time i heard it. and that's really the theme of most of these songs tonight.]
the Henry Clay People - "Something in the Water" [from for cheap or for free. if there's a band you're bound to hear more from, and not just on my show, it's these guys. they're on the way to something great and this record is a fantastic debut. singles, ahoy.]
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Future of the Left - "Arming Eritrea" [from travels with myself and another. i did a pretty good job of keeping a lot of the top 25 album contenders off of the top singles list. not purposefully, mind you. it just happened that way, but there was some crossover and here's one big one. this album is full of great songs.]
Passion Pit - "Little Secrets" [from manners. while i certainly slept (no pun) on their amazing single "sleepyhead" last year, i definitely didn't make that mistake twice. this band was made to churn out singles and this was my favorite of the bunch.]
Tommy Keene - "Hide Your Eyes" [from in the late bright. speaking of great single makers, tommy keene has been cranking out awesome pop for a long time and his latest was a great late-period effort. it was a tossup between this and "goodbye jane," both amazing songs, but the ballad won out. what can i say? i'm a sucker.]
Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Born on a Day The Sun Didn't Rise" [from eating us. another return to the top singles list. and another band, like passion pit, who cranks out amazingly infectious songs on a regular basis. BMSR has such a unique sound that it really draws you in immediately.]
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New York Dolls - "Cause I Sez So" [the title track from their second post-reunion album and it's another winner. the songs are rockin' and fun and everything the new york dolls always were. there's a celebratory nature about everything they do now.]
Echo and the Bunnymen - "Shroud of Turin" [from the fountain. i certainly wouldn't have expected a single from echo being on my list at the beginning of the year, but here it is. you should come out also to joe g's cover band explosion this saturday, december 19th, at the blind tiger in greensboro. $5 at the door which goes to the NC humane society and it nets you great cover bands of echo and the bunnymen, the breeders, joe jackson, the ventures, the black keys and queens of the stone age. plus, yours truly MCing. what else could you want in a charity donation?]
the Clean - "In the Dreamlife You Need a Rubber Soul" [from mr. pop. the new zealand band cranked out another great pop record this year and the result is also one of this year's most fun beatles-alluding songs.]
Birdmonster - "Yuma" [from blood memories. birdmonster was in the top 5 singles last year, but it's not a case of mighty-have-fallen. they're still making great songs and this band's album is another fantastic one.]
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Superchunk - "Learned to Surf" [from the leaves in the gutter EP. superchunk's first new music since 2001 and it's a doozy to be sure. especially this song. i'm still picking my jaw up. long live NC rawk!]
Her Space Holiday - "Sleepy Tigers" [from the sleepy tigers EP. a pretty fun and sweet song that was released originally in 2008, but here re-released on an EP that is fun and, well, sweet.]
Patterson Hood - "Back of a Bible" [from murdering oscar (and other love songs). a pretty lovely song and one of my very favorite patterson songs, i do believe. i'm super excited to hear the truckers' latest in the spring - they'll also be playing back-to-back nights at the lincoln theatre in raleigh in february - on a friday and saturday, no less! february 12th and 13th. i'll be there. both nights. count on it.]
Girls - "Lust for Life" [from their self-titled record that really grabbed me by surprise. i tend to get turned off to the similarly named bands and, well, there's another band called women. and it just seemed too hokey. so i paid no attention at first. will i ever learn my lessons? naw.]
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Animal Collective - "My Girls" [from merriwether post pavillion. i've been slow to come around to this band in general, but this was the song that finally broke me and made me give them a fair listen. it's not always my cup of tea, but it's the jubilant "woo"'s that explode in the chorus of this song that snagged me.]
the Love Language - "Lalita" [from their self-titled debut. they've been signed to merge records, so we'll doubtless, and hopefully, be hearing a new record from them again in 2010, but we can still revel in the awesomeness of this debut.]
Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers - "Songs in the Night" [the title track from her album out on ramseur records. a really great songwriter that ought to be fun to watch in the near future.]
the Thermals - "How We Fade" [from now we can see. these guys were one of the absolute highlights of my stint at the pitchfork festival this summer and the record is a winning and proud post-punk record with a great sense of pop style. this song especially rarely left my head.]

[Now the countdown of the top twelve singles begins. Here we go - the best singles of 2009.]

12. the Damnwells - "55 Pictures" : The Damnwells have always been great at singles, but putting out their latest album as a free download, and then hoping the dividends would pay in touring and exposure, was a bold mood for a band that as recently as a couple of years ago had been on a major label. It'll be interesting to see the results, but it's obvious Alex Dezen and company haven't lost their knack for great roots-flavored power pop. This is the best of a record full of great songs. From One Last Century.

11. the Foreign Exchange - "Daykeeper" : The Foreign Exchange returned with a record that really defied expectations as Phonte Coleman all but completely eschewed rapping in favor of r&b crooning over top of Nicolay's unique creations. This song, the album's opener, is a great primer for the album to come and a melancholic song that hints at things deeper than its surface. From Leave It All Behind.

10. Brendan Benson - "Garbage Day" : The call back to sweet, 60s/70s r&b and soul on this song is a winning feel for Benson, a truly standout song that mines some areas he hasn't gone to extensively. While the overall album was a bit underwhelming, this song is a big addition to his catalogue of great power-pop. From My Old Familiar Friend.

9. Son Volt - "Jukebox of Steel" : This is a closing song to rival Trace's cover of "Mystifies Me." Jay Farrar's writing skills hit a good run this year, but this song is so winning and immediately infectious in its chorus ("throw the calendar away / go and find a jukebox of steel") that it is a welcome competitor. From American Central Dust.

8. A.C. Newman - "The Heartbreak Rides" : It's the "yo-ho"'s. Seriously. It makes the whole thing sound like a jaunty, pirate adventure. Like two people setting off on a grand adventure, cutlass thrust into the wind. It's the type of slow-building pop that Newman thrives within and he does it just as well as ever. From Get Guilty.

7. the Veils - "The Letter" : Not really of a comparison to the Box Tops' classic song, but something much darker. Finn Andrews has a voice like a melancholic fallen angel, lamenting and admiring his fate simultaneously. This song, as well as its album of origin, is a much darker trip than its predecessor. Dark music for dark times. From Sun Gangs.

6. Phoenix - "1901" : A lot of people piled on the praise for this album, but it didn't stand the test for me. Not that I don't like Phoenix, but they are more of a singles band and this song is without question one of the year's finest. A great sense of style that feels both classic and new at the same time, "1901" is the sound of the future and the past dancing. From Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

5. Mos Def - "Auditorium" : I love Mos Def's rhymes here, but what puts this song over the top is the subdued, but brilliant turn by Slick Rick. His gleefully obtuse narrator, itself a great commentary on broader public perceptions of the Iraq War, is a winning weave with his self-reference. It's the type of song that insidiously mounts itself in your brain and takes up residence. From The Ecstatic.

4. the Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Young Adult Friction" : Aside from the winningly goofy pun in the title, this is a blast of pop perfection on an album that is nothing but. The greatest C-86 album recorded since the early 90s, the wintery briskness of the guitars is a godsend for jangle pop lovers. I'd list the whole album if I could, but this song stands mightily above them all. From The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

3. Lake Inferior - "Spiders" : The best single from a North Carolina band this year is this hybrid of Animal Collective's spartan, electronic adornments and the funky thump of Talking Heads. It's the type of song that comes along and changes your thoughts about what pop music can be and how it has to work, where it's come from and where it's going. From Lake Inferior EP.

2. the Raveonettes - "Heart of Stone" : I really had the Raveonettes pegged as a one-trick pony after their first, excellent album. But while the core of their sound hasn't shifted a lot, they've refined it to a honed edge. This song is the epitome of everything that can possibly be right with a song by this band - the lo-fi haze, the ethereal vocals, the aural callbacks to girl groups and original rock and roll. If you don't feel all of that buzzing beneath the surface, then the title may be more about you than you know. From In and Out of Control.

1. P.O.S. - "Low Light Low Life" : I don't know if I can rightly explain what it is about "Low Light Low Life" that kept it constantly in my mind. Cultural and historical allusions, both high and low. Boston Tea Party and "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It" and Law and Order? Check. But it's the way that P.O.S.'s rhymes seem feverish, determined and lucid. There's a forceful righteousness, a seething love, a smothering anger. All of it combines with the production of punchy synth hits, bells and guitar to create perfection. Indeed.

That'll do it for the Top Singles show. Thanks for listening this year. I'll be back in two weeks, on December 30th, with the 8th Annual Top 25 Albums of the Year show. Please tune in - you won't want to miss a second. Until then, Go Panthers! Go Heels!, and take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 17th December 2008Top 25 Albums of 2008

[Ah, the year review. What has 2008 meant to me? Well, it's meant a lot of great music, per usual. But I don't know that that's enough really. 2008 has meant dueling notions of cynicism and hope. 2008 has meant bombastic victory and disheartening defeat. 2008 has meant the black and the white and the grey all over. 2008 has been a great year for music.

The later we get into this decade, the more consistently uplifting the years' musical output has been. The last three years, '06-'08, have each been really triumphant years for the music industry, art wise at least, and I hope that the decade will close out with a year just as powerful in 2009.

What you have below are the records I feel, right now, were the 25 best albums released in 2008. These are my opinions, just like every word I put up about every song I play weekly is also my opinion. There are some obvious things missing. TV on the Radio's Dear Science for one - frankly, I just didn't get to listen to it this year, even if every single I heard off of it sounded amazing. But I wasn't going to stick something on for the sake of having it there. Just because everyone and there mother had it on the list doesn't mean I have to. These are the 25 records I found myself listening to and playing the most both on this radio show and off of it. Leave your thoughts in the comments below and have a fantastic holiday season.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: Top 25 Albums of 2008 Show

25. Slim Cessna's Auto Club - Cipher : If you are still lamenting the loss of 16 Horsepower (and who isn't) and haven't heard Slim Cessna's Auto Club, who has been around just as long as David Eugene Edwards' aforementioned outfit, then lament no longer. Fiery gospel pulled through punk and americana strands, this is music that seems like it's emanating from a bully pulpit of gigantic proportions with the hottest backing band this side of the Rockies backing it up. Tight, focused, haunting, irreverent and playful, this is American music at its finest. Played - "This Land is Our Land Redux"

24. Calexico - Carried to Dust : It's Calexico, so I don't know that it's any surprise that they're on this list. Creating aching, soulful music that skitters amongst genres and time periods, Carried to Dust is just another in a line of amazing records by a continuously amazing band. You either know what these guys sound like at this point - the haunted desert sounds of tex-mex, alt-country, folk, norteña, etc. - or you need to find out. Click here for Aquarium Drunkard's interview with Calexico's Joey Burns from back in September when the album was released. Played - "Writer's Minor Holiday"

23. Big Ditch Road – The Jackson Whites : Big Ditch Road is the band that your alt-country loving cousin digs out of his cassette/CD/mp3 collection to foist on you. He puts a copy of The Jackson Whites in your hand and says, "Seriously, Steve, these guys are awesome. Raw roots rock with touches of all sorts of things floating about. You have to give this a listen." You'll take it home and pop it in, sit back and let it wash over you. Then you go out and find everything the band has ever put out and realize it's just as good. Thanks, Cousin Paul. Click here and here for my January interview with Big Ditch Road's Darin Wald. Also: My original review of The Jackson Whites Played - "All the Way to Idaho"

22. Birdmonster - From the Mountain to the Sea : Rooted in an easy, folksy rock, Birdmonster plow muscular rock conventions through that filter and come out with heart-felt music that seems made for mixtapes. There's a reason that "Born to Be Your Man" was one of my top ten singles of the year - this is an album full of winning songs that create a longing, hopeful feel. I can only imagine how this works up live, but on record at least, it's as fascinating as it is repeatable. Played - "Lost at Sea"

21. Julie Ocean - Long Gone and Nearly There : In a way, it's almost appropriate that Julie Ocean is gone now. The brilliant, saccharine pop of this album is rooted in the sounds echoed in so many flash-in-the-pan groups of time past that it would almost be weird to see them put out more of it. That said, I was heartbroken when it happened. Long Gone and Nearly There was hands down one of the best power pop records of the 2000s - a blast of high-octane pop, harmonies and hooks for days. This record did not leave my head all year and I doubt it will for a long time still. Click here for my interview with Julie Ocean's Terry Banks from back in June over at Aquarium Drunkard. Played - "Ten Lonely Words"

20. the Strugglers - Latest Rights : The first North Carolina band on the list emerged from the murk earlier this year. A friend had tried to get me to listen to previous output by the Strugglers, but I just hadn't followed along. Then on the recommendation of another friend, I got it. This is gorgeous, melancholic music that gives guitars, drums, horns and Richard Buckner-esque vocals a place to play around a sepia-toned landscape of sound. "Limerance" is one of the most perfect songs I heard this year - I literally said, while listening to it, "If this song is perfect, it'll end right here." And it did. It's all in the timing, David Ives, and the Strugglers are hitting their marks in style. Played - "Morningside Heights"

19. the Roots - Rising Down : Patrick will disagree with me, as I've found we often do over the Roots' post-Things Fall Apart oeuvre, but Rising Down is a continuing evolution in the Roots that shows some serious muscle. This is not as good as the preceeding Game Theory, a record that I think literally saved the artistic career of this band following the (IMHO) floundering morass of The Tipping Point. But the political points here are sharper, the guest vocalists feel seemlessly part of the vision of the record and it was a perfect record for an election year - angry, cynical and in spots hopeful and breathtaking. Played - "Criminal"

18. the Black Angels - Directions to See a Ghost : There were two records this year that really seemed to grab the spectre of hypnotic psychedelic music by the horns and rode it into the future. Directions to See a Ghost is one of them (see Black Mountain below for the other). If there are words to describe the hazy, disheveling music of the Black Angels, they are difficult to grasp. This is not party music. It's not driving music. It's something that soundtracks simmering confusion, long dark nights of the soul, intensity of purpose. It's no wonder a bit of their earlier music ended up on the No Country for Old Men soundtrack. Played - "You On the Run"

17. Citified - The Meeting After the Meeting : You have to wonder how bands this good float by without some serious attention. But Citified's second EP (or mini-LP or whatever continuingly less relevant name you want to apply to a collection of individual tracks) is such a huge improvement over their already stellar debut that it makes the mind reel. Whether it's the note perfect "Read Like a Number," the hauntingly familiar "Weddings," or the floating, gauzy "KL Gala," The Meeting After the Meeting is the sound of a newly purposed band. The mix of indie-styles long pushed aside to create something winningly new and unique in a sometimes stagnant music scene is hopefully only the beginning. Played - "Weddings"

16. Paul Westerberg - 49:00 : Man makes a comeback with some inspiring, simplified music. Man makes a couple of records after with similar but diminishing returns. Man puts screwdriver through hand and nearly ends his guitar playing career. Man secretly (and suddenly) releases the most originally marketed and one of the most thoroughly enjoyable albums of his career. Man gets in legal tangle over unlicensed cover medly. Man releases short five minute song mocking the whole situation. Blogger hails the whole situation as inspired and one of his favorite albums of the year. Westerberg fans who haven't heard it get off their duffs and go find one of the best albums of the year. Click here for my original review of 49:00 over at Aquarium Drunkard. Played - "Tell Me Who You Gonna Marry"

15. Megafaun - Bury the Square : It was sometime in 2007 when I first saw Megafaun live and it was their chaotic mix of rustic americana and powerful rock tropes that immediately grabbed my attention. How could a band sound so much like a group of old time musicians, a Salvation Army band, a choir of hobos and a taut, focused rock band from one moment to the next? Though only an EP, Bury the Square is a transformative record and begs for more. Played - "Find Your Mark"

14. Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal : Truly accomplished artists will make great records well into their careers - fewer still will do so without resorting to some ploy to make it interesting. Real Animal is just another notch in the belt of an artist who has released thoughtful, hypnotic albums since 1992 under his own name and even further back with other bands. That this album also, seriously, rocks is another testament to the new fire that seems lit under Escovedo in the years following his health scares. The simply gorgeous "Swallows of San Juan" is in a lot of ways the album's most endearing moment - something so broad grinned and sad voiced that it begs for repeated listens. Click here for my interview with Alejandro Escovedo from back in July over at Aquarium Drunkard.Played - "Always a Friend"

13. The Rosebuds – Life Like : The Rosebuds are something completely above the fray of everyday music. They've been in a constant state of reinventive flux since Birds Make Good Neighbors and the New Order-driven Night of the Furies flummoxed as many listeners as it won over. Life Like is a record full of moments that echo the past of the band and show their continued evolution as well. The price of entry is worth it for "Nice Fox" alone, but the title track, "Bow to the Middle" and "Another Way In" are all effortless, graceful pop music that aches with reality. Played - "Another Way In"

12. The Broken West – Now Or Heaven : I initially did not like this record. Why? Because it wasn't their previous album. More specifically, it wasn't "Down in the Valley." I was aghast at how different this band sounded. Then I dug into the album. Not only is Now or Heaven the sound of a band firing on all creative cynlinders, it's the sound of a band that will obviously continue to do the same. "Perfect Games" and "Auctioneer" are as catchy as it comes and the gorgeous "Ambuscade" is addictive in its own right. Click here for Aquarium Drunkard's interview with the Broken West from back in September. Played - "Ambuscade"

11. Black Mountain – In the Future : Prog rock takes its knocks, and deservedly so sometimes, for being pompous and overwrought and overlong and, heaven forbid, somewhat hokey. It's a rough genre to take your cues from, but when you do it as well as Black Mountain does on In the Future, you kind of want to give all those albums a second chance. Not that that's the only card being played here - there's a Sabbath-esque crawl, folky psychedelia and even the electric thump of Hendrix. All of this on an album that even manages a hook or two weaving across the frontier. Played - "Wucan"

10. Kathleen Edwards – Asking for Flowers : Sharper. That's the only way to describe the evolution of Kathleen Edwards. Her lyrical precision is much more deft than her debut, Failer, much more clear in its greyscale depictions of the world than Back to Me. Asking for Flowers is not as immediately accessable as her previous attempts - it's more subtle, more ingratiating, and with limitless payoff. Her playful sense of humor shows its tongue as it always does, but the dark moments are darker ("Oh Canada," "Alicia Ross,") and the melancholy deeper ("Run," "Goodnight California"). Skill wise, this is her finest hour to date. Click here for my interview with Kathleen Edwards from back in April for Aquarium Drunkard Played - "I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory"

9. The Hold Steady – Stay Positive : This is ranked lower than Boys and Girls in America, their previous album, was ranked in my list that year. Not that it's a worse record - in fact, Stay Positive is probably every bit its equal in many ways. "Constructive Summer," "Sequestered in Memphis," "Lord, I'm Discouraged," "Slapped Actress." All are testaments to the redeeming, story-telling power of rock and roll, god bless its hoary soul. This is a record for summer, for daunting tasks, for wasted nights and nights wasted. Played - "Constructive Summer"

8. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes : Fleet Foxes were the most unique sounding band to emerge this year - a cross somewhere between the sunny 60s pop of California and the wintery folk of England's trad-folk movement in the 60s and 70s. This fusion works wonders and results in an EP and this LP that created a timeless record. Albums like this are accused of simply mining the past, but there is a reason these albums stand out and last - they have tapped into something universal, something lasting. Played - "Quiet Houses"

7. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago : The spectre of American music turning in on itself has been all over indie music in the past several years. Bon Iver continues this tradition of introspective looks at the American hymnal. Soft, plaintive and haunting, For Emma, Forever Ago represents something far more than its minimalist parts. It will be interesting to see what he does with his future, but for a debut, this album is just about as flawless as they come. Played - "Re: Stacks"

6. Jim White – Transnormal Skiperoo : Jim White commented that this album represents sort of a new feeling for him – happiness. As much as the album treads in similar notions of insecurity and the beautiful, fractured world, there is truly something magical going on underneath the surface. For me, it was the transcendent "Diamonds to Coal" that summed up this album - simmering with the emotions of White's oeuvre and turning away from the dark past, embracing a brighter future. Ain't no dark 'til somethin' shines - and indeed, this shines. Click here and here for my two-part interview with Jim White from back in May for Aquarium Drunkard.Played - "Diamonds to Coal"

5. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Real Emotional Trash : The burden of longevity – especially if that includes a sting fronting one of the most genre-defining and influential bands of the past 15 years. It was obvious that Stephen Malkmus was trying both to escape the mantle of Pavement and the yolk of being a ‘solo artist’ – thus his insistence (and apparent failure) of titling some of his records under just the ‘Jicks’ moniker. Real Emotional Trash is the first post-Pavement record that truly puts Malkmus’ past to rest. It harnesses the jammier elements of Malkmus without the needlessly messy parts. These songs wander on paths, not fields, and their focused sound gives his lyrics new room to breathe and truly engage. As odd as it sounds to say this, Mr. Malkmus has finally arrived. Played - "Cold Son"

4. The Whigs – Mission Control : It could be that it just doesn’t pay to rock anymore. That truly creative, up-tempo rock and roll ust isn’t in vogue. Return the Whigs, possibly the best power trio circulating in the indie scene at the moment. Their debut was a blast of the liberating rock that indie hadn’t exactly had in spades. Their sophomore efford, Mission Control, is a toughening and diversifying move – creating some of this year’s most raucous music. Laser precision is the key. These are musicians who know their aim is true. Played - "I Never Want to Go Home"

3. Drive-by Truckers – Brighter Than Creation’s Dark : As fascinating as it was to see Drive-by Truckers Mach 3 step up to the plate, it was worrisome. Sure, the band had existed in fine fettle before Jason Isbell’s entry, but the band had put out its finest albums with him as a member. A 19 song, borderline flawless album is hardly what anyone expected. But from "Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife" to "A Ghost to Most" and the introduction of Shonna Tucker as a writing contributor, this is one of the Truckers’ most thorough albums to date. Every time this band ups the ante, they continue to impress. Click here for my interview with Patterson Hood from back in May for Aquarium Drunkard. Played - "A Ghost to Most"

2. Blitzen Trapper – Furr : So many bands have pulled from the nebulous ‘world music’ stash over the years that it’s refreshing to see people beginning to treat American music the same – as one big palate from which to pull colors. Furr is a hybrid above hybrids – channeling Dylan, the Dead and Pavement, it’s a fusion like little other. That it comes off as honest evolution and not studied homage is its true masterstroke. Click here for my interview with Blitzen Trapper's Eric Earley from back in September for Aquarium Drunkard. Played - "Black River Killer"

1. Portishead – Third : Bands don’t disappear for a decade and return so thrillingly every day. Third sounds as if Portishead was making records the entire time – this isn’t a record that picks up where they left off in 1997. It acts like a fifth or sixth album, not their third. This is the sound of a band who never stopped growing, even if the entire evolution happened off camera. The cinematic scope of Portishead’s music, the oppressive and redemptive paranoia and catharsis, the hazy hope and happiness buried within it all, is as astounding today as it was when they first emerged, seeming fully formed, fourteen years ago. Instead, they trump all aces, all the cards played up until now and change the game into something much larger than the table we all thought it was being played upon. Played - "Silence"

Here are some of the near-misses from the list - albums that were really awesome and deserve honorable mention and that also didn't get any mention on the singles list from last week:

TV on the Radio - Dear Science; Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint that Shit Gold; Crooked Fingers - Forfeit / Fortune; Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours; Dead Confederate - Wrecking Ball; Destroyer - Trouble in Dreams; Horse Feathers - House with No Home; Okkervil River - The Stand-Ins; Oneida - Preteen Weaponry; Robert Forster - The Evangelist; Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea; The Breeders - Mountain Battles; All the Saints - Fire in Corridor X; Bombadil - A buzz, a buzz; Dawn Chorus - Florida St. Serenade; Jolie Holland - The Living and the Dead; Langhorne Slim - Langhorne Slim; Le Switch - And now..Le Switch; Liam Finn - I'll Be Lightning; Sera Cahoone - Only as the Day is Long; She & Him - Vol. 1; Sun Kil Moon - April; Susu - Win; the Henry Clay People - For Cheap or For Free; the World Record - The World Record; Travel by Sea - Days of My Escape; White Hinterland - Phylactery Factory; Wye Oak - If Children.

Sorry about the week delay on getting this up. I will be back for a three hour show next Wednesday, December 31st from 6pm - 9pm. I will most likely not podcast next week's show just to make my New Year's eve just a bit easier, so look for the next podcast upload for the Wednesday, January 7th, 2009 show. I'll also post something about my interview with Monkeywhale.com here in the next few days.

Thanks readers and listeners for another fantastic year. After nine and a half years of DJing for WQFS, I'm still as psyched as I was at the beginning to come up and play music every week. Thank you for your comments, emails, requests, good wishes, critical call-outs and everything in between. You are the reason I love doing this so much. Have a Happy Holiday season and a great New Year!

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 10th December 2008The Top Singles of 2008

[Tonight's show celebrates the best singles of 2008. 'Single' is a term that doesn't mean as much as it once did - now virtually any album track has the ability to be a 'single.' Which is kind of liberating in a way. So really these are my favorite songs of 2008. The beginning of the show just mixes songs together, but the last three sets represent my Top 12 Singles of 2008.

Next week on the show will be the 7th Annual J's Indie/Rock Top 25 Albums of the Year. I'm super excited about getting all that together and laying it out for you. Tonight's show was fun with the addition of Mad Dog in the studio to talk a bit about his favorite singles of the year and mocking me for including the Streets. So let's get to it. Onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 10th December 2008 Show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Benji Hughes - "You Stood Me Up" [from a love extreme. the first of several north carolina artists on the list. i'm fairly sure it's the fact that this song contains the phrase "butterfinger blizzard and some fries" that made me love it so much.]
Dr. Dog - "The Ark" [from fate. despite my constant harping about how i hate their name, dr. dog is truly a force and their latest album is a treat. this song is too.]
the Whigs - "Right Hand on My Heart" [from mission control. the first artist on the list who will definitely be on the top albums list next week. i really, honestly, can't say enough good things about the whigs. they are a rock and roll force.]
Calexico - "Two Silver Trees" [from carried to dust. a gorgeous song that is pretty much right in line with the gorgeous music calexico tends to create. would that i could finally see them live.]
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David Byrne and Brian Eno - "Strange Overtones" [from everything that happens will happen today. i cannot get enough of this song. i mean, that's the case with most of the songs on this list, but literally, i could listen to this song on repeat for some time. it's funky and coy and loving and warm and just everything it should be.]
Bon Iver - "Skinny Love" [from for emma, forever ago. the second artist that will definitely be on the albums list next week. also, i heard from somewhere that this guy has moved to north carolina? confirmation, anyone?]
the Raconteurs - "Many Shades of Black" [from consolers of the lonely. there are lots of reason to like this album - i say it's better than broken boy soldiers by quite a bit. but brendan benson is one of the main reasons, as far as i'm concerned. i love that guy's music.]
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - "Gardenia" [from real emotional trash. artist number three to double up singles/records on my lists. i'm going to keep track of how much overlap there is just so i can yell at myself later for it. or not. good albums = good songs, right?]
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Robert Pollard - "The Blondes" [from robert pollard is off to business. mad dog and i both feel that this album is bob's strongest since the end of guided by voices. it's really, really quite solid.]
Lambchop - "Slipped Dissolved and Loosed" [from OH(ohio). i was first introduced to this song on kurt wagner's solo record from last year and i was thrilled when it showed back up on the new lambchop album. it's a decided favorite, obviously.]
Drive-by Truckers - "3 Dimes Down" [from brighter than creation's dark. my analogy of this record is that patterson has written all the deep thinkers and cooly wrote every damn catchy song on the thing. "a ghost to most" is probably a better song, but "3 dimes down" is the catchiest thing on it and i couldn't stop playing it. by the way, artist number four who's doubling up on the lists.]
the Rosebuds - "Nice Fox" [from life like. i threw this on there even though i'm still analyzing the record. there are numerous great singles. this is also the second north carolina artist on the list. and probably the fifth doubler. woo!]
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the Streets - "The Escapist" [from everything is borrowed. mad dog really doesn't like the streets, but that's okay. however, "the escapist" is probably the strongest single mike skinner has released in ages. it's a flawless song. that said, everything is borrowed is a flawed record - better than the last one, god, is it ever - but not close to his first two triumphs. this song gave me a lot of hope though for what is supposed to be the final streets album coming up next.]
Horse Feathers - "Working Poor" [from house with no home. this is one of those songs where almost the vocals alone won me over. the harmonies in the verses and chorus - man. great things to come from this band.]
the Foreign Exchange - "Daykeeper" [from leave it all behind. artist number three from the NC! even if it is only half of the band that is. this album is still working its way around my brain. i don't want to say it's as good as connected - in fact i'm sure it's not - but it's also different enough that i hate to compare it. thoughts?]
Megafaun - "Lazy Suicide" [from bury the square. artist number four from the NC! so they put out an EP. it'll match your EP. i like this band a. bunch.]

[Now the countdown of the top twelve begins. I give you..the Top 12 Singles of 2008.]

12. The Walkmen - "In the New Year" : I was late to the Walkmen's bandwagon this year, but this song is so soaring and gorgeous that it's impossible to ignore. It moves in a waltz time which makes the ballroom dance feel of it all the more apparent. In some weird universe, this is the song that the future-McFlys danced to at the "Enchantment Under the Sea" dance. From You & Me.

11. J-Live - "Be No Slave" : I was very disappointed I couldn't make this fit in my top ten singles bit over at Aquarium Drunkard, but it's an amazing song. J-Live's lyrics have always been enticing, but this song howls with an energy and cynicism that is overwhelming at times. From some of the most disillusioned corners of race and art came a truly great statement. From Then What Happened?

10. The Helio Sequence - "Halleluja" : I had forgotten about this album until I started pulling things together for the end of year work. In a year that saw a dramatic shift in American politics, “Halleluja” feels like a song that perfectly nailed that feel of pins-and-needles leading into November. The lyrics - tense, uncertain and pleading - and the music - driven, hopeful and surging - were juxtapositions so natural that listening felt like living the day to day. In hindsight, it is even more uplifting. From Keep Your Eyes Ahead.

9. Birdmonster - "Born to Be Your Man" : There’s something about yearning. If there were a patron emotion of indie-rock, it would probably be ‘yearning.’ "Born To Be Your Man" is one of those songs that yearns like there’s no tomorrow. All in hoping that there is a tomorrow - with you. Yes, you. From From the Mountains to the Sea.

8. Citified - "Read Like a Number" : The fifth North Carolina artist on the list. And certainly another double up on the albums list as well. I have adored this song completely since I first heard it on a demo version nearly a year before this EP was released. It is clearly a song by a band starting to really fire on all cylinders. Majestic is really the word for it. From The Meeting After the Meeting.

7. The Hold Steady - "Sequestered in Memphis" : If you don't like this song, you're weird and I don't know if I like you. There. I said it. Sometimes you just have to draw a line. From Stay Positive.

6. King Khan and the Shrines - "Welfare Bread" : It was their performance of this from this past summer's Pitchfork Music Festival that won me over, but this is a classic song in so many ways. Student of rock? I would say so. Studied student. But man he makes it swing. From The Supreme Genius of King Khan and the Shrines.

5. Julie Ocean - "My Revenge" : A band puts out a debut record that floors you and then breaks up later that year. Regardless, the album is brim full of singles - this was the one I just decided to go with. It's pedal-to-the-floor sugary power pop at its absolute finest. From Long Gone and Nearly There.

4. The Felice Brothers - "Frankie's Gun!" : This was the only song to appear on all three writers' lists for singles over at Aquarium Drunkard. Methinks that says something. This song is like the looser, funkier, more funny version of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” “Frankie’s Gun” is sharp story telling that doesn’t sound forced or anything less than a man, gamely laying on his death bed (death ground?) relating his will one shaggy story at a time. From The Felice Brothers.

3. The Gaslight Anthem - "The '59 Sound" : I was completely taken by surprise by this band and by this song. I wanted to not like it. The band doesn't have the label or cohort pedigree that would usually make me pay attention to a band. I'm a prejudiced listener and a pretentious snob sometime. This song is my comeuppance. From The '59 Sound.

2. The Broken West - "Perfect Games" : This is the second year in a row that a song by the Broken West is my #2 song of the year. I kind of hate that, as both "Down in the Valley" and "Perfect Games" are worth a #1 spot, even if they didn't quite get there. The real importance here is that the Broken West is the real deal. Songcrafters of a high degree. From Now or Heaven.

1. Delta Spirit - "Trashcan" : I was never anything but incredibly shocked by this song. I'd never heard of this band - merely picked them out of WQFS's rotation to give a spin. The result was one of the most funky, engaging and enjoyable listens I've had. Here's what I see when I listen to it - a train chugging along the line, an open railroad car, an upright piano being tickled by a vaudeville looking performer, the funkiest drummer on that side of the 1920s, flashes of electric guitar and bass. The train goes sailing off the end of the track, soars into the sky as the song’s sheer pluck fuels it. It’s so pleasant to still be this bowled over by music. From Ode to Sunshine.

That'll do it for this week. Tune back in next week for the 7th Annual J's Indie/Rock Top 25 Albums of the Year. You know you're anxious. Until then, GO PANTHERS!, and take care.

Notes From Underground - #46Mid-ish Year Mayhem 2008

Well, for the second year in a row I have slipped the hour and missed what is the obvious time for my mid-year Mayhem recap: the end of June. Now here it is nearly August and I'm looking back at the year so far. I think 2007 was a bit strong year for music, but 2008 is no slacker and certainly these two years have put most of the earlier 2000s to shame. Three categories to look at here, so let's get started:

Most Disappointing Releases:

Marah - Angels of Destruction: I don't know exactly why this disappoints me. I guess it's that, despite their pretty solid set of albums, everything since Kids in Philly just feels disappointing. There are some pretty snazzy songs on this album, but then again it hasn't kept me coming back that often. "Wild West Love Song" aside, it's weak by Marah's standards.

The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia: I had super high hopes for the project meshing Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan but again, despite a handful of pretty sharp songs, this album is ringing pretty flat in the long run. The Twilight Singers' recent albums and Lanegan's work with Isobel Campbell are both far more interesting. Not quite on the trainwreck level that Audioslave was in matching a couple of heavyweights, but still really disappointing.

Supergrass - Diamond Hoo Ha: You haven't heard me play anything off this on the show yet, mostly because I've been gone for three weeks during which I nabbed it, but again, it's just a law of diminishing returns. It's not a bad album, per se. Supergrass hasn't made a bad album yet. While some people argue that I Should Coco was their peak, those people are flat out wrong. Road to Rouen was a masterful 'aging gracefully' album that, while not producing any smashing singles like you could usually expect, was a gorgeous, grower album. But here it's back to the rock and..well, it just doesn't work that well. Disappointing, lads. Get back on the road to Rouen. That was a good place to be.

Most Surprising Releases:

Drive-by Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark: Why was a really awesome album by one of my favorite bands a surprise? Two reasons. Jason Isbell and A Blessing and a Curse. The former left the band and with him went, honestly, my favorite songwriter of the bunch. The latter was their really unsatisfying prior album. So after that, and then Jason taking off, I wasn't sure what to expect. But Brighter Than Creation's Dark is every bit as sharp and powerful as the Truckers have ever been. Its sole problem is that it's too long. I could probably pick a few songs off that I would've dropped - not necessarily because they're bad - they're not - but because of the album length. 19 songs is a whale of an album to swallow. But when the songs are as amazing as "3 Dimes Down," "The Righteous Path," "The Purgatory Line," "A Ghost to Most" and others, you don't mind quite as much.

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash: This may be another one that you wonder why it's surprising. Here the answer is Face the Truth. The first Malkmus solo album was full of poppy, catchy goodness, but that album has reflected nothing of the rest of his work since. I enjoyed Pig Lib, but haven't returned to it or Face the Truth that much at all. This is Malkmus' best post-Pavement work without a doubt and his band is at the peak of its powers. God bless him for picking up Janet Weiss. She needed something important to do after Sleater-Kinney passed and she's got it. No offense to Quasi, Janet.

Paul Westerberg - 49:00: This is a surprise just all around. Out of the blue, Paul Westerberg releases his first album since 2004's Folker and it's one track, 43 minutes long, the songs fading in and out like a radio station, ragged, lo-fi and fantastic. Not to mention you can get the track for 49 cents from the online retailers that are carrying it. Following his accident with a screwdriver that cost him the use of a hand for a year, there was some question as to when, if ever, he would return. The answer is in this one track. 49:00 is just as enjoyable as his Stereo/Mono return in 2002 and just as unexpected. Sure, I'm going to have to break out the mp3 editing software just to get tracks to play on the show, but for an album this good, I don't mind.

Best Releases:

This is a short list - no real explanations - of the albums I've seen as the best so far this year. No particular order, so no fair using this to peek at my end of year list. Make your comments or leave your own best in the comments. Let me know if you think I'm missing something obvious.

The Whigs - Mission Control; Jim White - Transnormal Skiperoo; Citified - The Meeting After the Meeting; Drive-by Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark; Black Mountain - In the Future; Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago; Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash; The Black Angels - Directions to See a Ghost; The Roots - Rising Down; Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal; Julie Ocean - Long Gone and Nearly There; Fleet Foxes - self-titled; Portishead - Third; Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem returns this week as does normal blogging activity. I've got Sean Coon from the dotmatrix project coming by to talk about everything that great local group is doing for local music as well as playing some of the live music that the monthly concerts have been recording and talking about this Thursday's show. Until then, take care!

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 19th December 2007The Top 25 Albums of 2007

[2007 has been an unbelievable year for music. it's been harder than ever to craft this list - i actually had emotional anguish over so many albums left off my list. if you think i really goofed in leaving something out, leave a comment at the bottom and let me know what you think were the best albums of this year. from what i know due out in early 2008, it should be another great year in indie/rock, so in the meantime, let's celebrate the year that was. now, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: Top 25 Albums of 2007 Show

25. (tie) Future of the Left - Curses: Is it a slide backward? Mclusky's swan-song album appeared at number 20 on my list in 2004, but their sophomore album, Do Dallas, was in this exact spot in 2002. Future of the Left, 2/3rds of the remnants of that sainted band, has picked up where Mclusky left off: barreling, psychotic, goofy and sinister post-punk that is in turns brooding, dynamic, caustic and sickly-sweet. As a first salvo, it's hard to beat Curses' manic freak-out - so few front men are as endlessly entertaining as Andy Falkous. - Played : "The Lord Hates a Coward"

25. (tie) Health - Where You From?: It's regional bias, I know, that lands some Greensboro, NC bands on this list year in-year out, but it's bias with good taste behind it, and besides, this list is the best music I heard this year, right? Right. Health, not to be confused with the Los Angeles band of the same name, is the best parts of the post-Cale Velvet Underground fused through a hazy shade of winter. Murmuring sounds, hitched to the pacing of Jonathan Moore's vocals, ramble and play across the album's perfect length. If I heard correctly, the band is, essentially, no more, but their one, lone missive is the legacy a lot of bands would love to have. - Played : "Hey Hey"

24. Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter - Like, Love, Lust & the Open Halls of the Soul: 2007 was a great year for music, which is why this album, Sykes' best yet, doesn't merit as high as her Oh My Girl did in 2004 (# 5). A great companion to the Health album, this is the mystic side of alt-country, high-mesa lonesomeness and forsaken love. In a live setting, the songs sizzle with a wounded passion - the lost America of the late 00s filtered through a glass darkly. Every album has been better and better - I can only imagine the future ones continuing to shine brighter. - Played : "LLL"

23. El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead: One of the crown-princes of underground hip-hop, El-P's proper follow-up to his 2002 classic, Fantastic Damage, is a bleak affair. "Habeas Corpses (Draconian Love)" is a hideously tragic love story, filtered through a Guantanamo Bay-style concentration camp. "Flyentology" has religious followers who test their devotion through attempts at flight - just another example of "faith versus physics." There's hope here, but it's buried amongst the detritus of bodies, waste and endless corruption. One of the truest 'albums' I've heard in hip-hop in a few years, I'll Sleep When You're Dead is an alarm clock underwater, struggling to come through the surface in time to wake people up. - Played : "Up All Night"

22. Georgie James - Places: All three former members of the brilliant Q and Not U released albums within the last few years - Ris Paul Ric, President and now, Georgie James, the outfit of multi-instrumentalist John Davis and new writing partner Laura Burhenn. Their love of 70s rock and pop is obvious from the get-go - filtered through power-pop glasses. The sugar-rush of the record can wear thin, but they keep the album tight, without excess, and deliver the sharpest straight-up pop record of the year. Now, where to go sophomore year? - Played : "Cheap Champagne"

21. The Broken West - I Can't Go On, I'll Go On: Every year there are records that I let get by me; I'm only one set of ears, after all. I let this one get by until earlier this month when the rude awakening came calling. "Wasn't anybody playing guitars this year?" questioned long-time listener Cruel Cromer. But he got into this, and so did I. The wicked, harmony-rich chorus of "Down in the Valley" is enough, but "You Can Build an Island," "So It Goes," and pretty much the entire record serve to prove that you can rock, whip out some tasty guitar solos and still give Georgie James a run in the pop department. Fingers crossed that this is no freshman flash. - Played : "You Can Build an Island"

20. Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond: I've said it many times this year and I'll say it again: reunion records are tricky business. In the onslaught of tremendous band-reunions of the past 5 or 6 years, we've seen triumphs (Mission of Burma, Wire) and tragedies (no Pixies album, Gang of Four), but where Mission of Burma and Wire both succeeded by sounding as if they were picking up where they left off, Dinosaur Jr. succeeds by sounding like they found the great, lost Dinosaur album from 1987. J. Mascis plays and writes better than he has in ages, so does Lou Barlowe and, well, Murph is..Murph. This is the band that everyone fell in love with - so what if it's 20 years later? If this was all that came of their reunion, it'd be picture perfect. Do you like guitar heroics? Do you like indie-rock? Then why don't you own this record? Don't tell anyone. It's going to be okay. - Played : "Been There All the Time"

19. PJ Harvey - White Chalk: PJ Harvey has been off on her own journey since the beginning, but White Chalk must have come as a surprise even to her. To call this album 'spartan' is close to the truth, but in reality it's one of the most darkly decorated albums I've heard in a long time. Harvey keeps her voice in its higher ranges for most of the record, giving a haunted, ethereal feel to the whole work. Despite the sparse feel, some serious musicians abound on this thing and Harvey is the glue amongst all of them, crafting, not her most immediate album, but perhaps her most affecting. - Played : "The Devil"

18. Jarvis Cocker - Jarvis: Three decades in music can change a man and certainly the Pulp of the 80s, the Pulp of the 90s, the Pulp of the late 90s/early 00s and Jarvis have shown a steady adaptation to change. Jarvis is every bit the witty, elder statesman of pop that the later Pulp records had shown Cocker as, but here he wanders down musical roads that even the lithe Pulp might not have followed. "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time" is on par with the best songs Cocker has ever written and even complete downers like "Running the World" are so crafty that it makes it all better. Fans of good and witty writing, look no further. - Played : "Black Magic"

17. Caribou - Andorra: Fully immersing oneself in the psychedelic pop spectrum is gutsy enough as it is - but the very natural (but not often used) approach of doing it from the electronics aisle is is pretty mind-blowing as well. Enter Caribou. As if purposefully positioning itself for some future Nuggets box set, the Wall of Sound, Brian Wilson and everything good about pop music comes boiling over into droning, repetitive electronic compositions, falsetto male vocals and the prettiest record of the year. Andorra is nothing short of brilliant and shimmering, summer-pop for winter days. - Played : "She's the One"

16. Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain Nation: Early reviews hailed this album as another run at the genre-skittering madness of Wowee Zowee, and while it certainly is all over the place, the organic, fuzz-tone sound that envelops the whole album prevents it from attaining the messy grandeur of that classic - not that that's a bad thing. This album wouldn't be as good without its focused revelry - by the time the curtain drops at the end, your ears are wasted. There are methods to the madness and Wild Mountain Nation is living, screaming, laughing proof. - Played : "Miss Spiritual Tramp"

15. Iron and Wine - The Shepherd's Dog: Be careful what you toss away. After the gorgeous, lo-fi The Creek Drank the Cradle, I ignored the subsequent Our Endless Numbered Days only to find out later that I was wrong again. The Woman King EP and collaboration with Calexico hinted at the results, but The Shepherd's Dog is the arrival announcement of the full-fledged Sam Beam express. There's no turning back to the spare, lesser days of yore. The gorgeous lyrical landscapes and trembling blue days are fully fleshed out amongst the multiple instruments dotting the album. This should've been the Grammy nominee for best contemporary folk album - this is the sound of modernity. - Played : "Lovesong of the Buzzard"

14. Adam Thorn and the Top Buttons - Where's the Freedom?: Snappy and nervy, non-sensical and melancholic, aping and honoring. Where's the Freedom? is the sound of a songwriter who isn't afraid to fall flat, rise up and claim it was all on purpose. From the album's two brilliant covers to its near-plagiarizing moments ("Savior Nation") to the brilliant post-mod observations ("Anynow, Anythere, Anyday"), this is the perfect, brash, debut album. Guns blazing, even the misfires are majestic. Let's hear it for the boy. - Played : "Where's the Freedom?"

13. Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare: Where Thorn's album is a picture perfect debut, Favourite Worst Nightmare is the ideal sophomore follow up. More focused, nervier, darker and more clever than its predecessor, it shows the Arctic Monkeys as serious contenders for the title of 'the best new thing the Brits have sent us in the 00s.' The snide, down-the-nose rants of the first album are still here ("Brainstorm") but so are the heart-breaking narratives ("Do Me a Favour," "The Bad Thing"). There's a whole lot more to come out of this band and I'm hoping they're just warming up. - Played : "Do Me a Favour"

12. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible: Another ideal sophomore follow-up, this time to an album that people hailed as a masterpiece. I, personally, never swallowed the hype on Funeral. I included it in my top 25 list of that year out of honest admiration for its stylish vision - but I couldn't imagine what a follow-up would sound like. Now I know - even more bombastic, with vague concept-album tendencies, grabbing bits of orchestrated pop and Springsteen arena-rock along the way. This album is in every way Funeral's better and you can now, officially, call me a fan. - Played : "Intervention"

11. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga: The indie-ideal that is Spoon keeps on rolling. The rock-minimalism that takes a bit of getting used to here hits one of its finest points ("The Ghost of You Lingers"). There's a cool detachment that Britt Daniels evokes, despite the warmth of Spoon's sound - but they are slowly becoming a band that has honed its craft so finely that it's disturbing - in a good way. No one sounds like Spoon and it's what allows their records, a slowly evolving oeuvre, to continually make year-end lists. - Played : "Rhthm & Soul"

10. Jason Isbell - Sirens of the Ditch: Jason Isbell's departure from the Drive-by Truckers was as shocking as it wasn't. The band's ability to balance three amazing songwriters hit its absolute apex with The Dirty South but seemed to falter on A Blessing and a Curse. So when Isbell's departure paved the way for his oft-rumored, never-delivered solo debut, all eyes were on him. He came through brilliantly, though as my review discussed, it seems more like a jumping off point, not the true statement of being that it could be. Doesn't matter - "Dress Blues," "Chicago Promenade," "The Magician," "In a Razor Town," "Hurricanes and Hand Grenades" - all are brilliant proof of Isbell's writing ability. Lyrical craftsmanship is over looked so much in music, but there is a true art to being a great lyricist (versus being a great poet) and Isbell has it down cold. - Played : "Chicago Promenade"

9. Radiohead - In Rainbows: The hubub over this record's unorthodox release is still dying down, but the fact remains that it wasn't a stunt with all surface and no depth. This is Radiohead reclaiming the momentum they seemed to have misplaced for the excellent, but muddled Hail to the Thief. Echoing elements of Thom Yorke's solo debut, The Eraser, as well as channeling the best moments of Kid A, In Rainbows is the best album they've released in some time. It works as a cohesive unit so well that it's easy to put it on, sit back and listen all the way through. There's no reason to skip, no reason to get anxious, no reason to do anything other than enjoy one of the world's absolute best musical groups. I understand people who don't like Radiohead, but you have to at least respect where they've gone and where they're going. - Played : "Nude"

8. A. A. Bondy - American Hearts: From the ashes of Verbena, A. A. (Scott) Bondy emerges as the withered, distraught blues/folk musician that always hovered under the surface of Verbena's blistering guitars. The spirit of (Tom) Waits is strong in this one with the type of blustering, dusty imagery that haunts that version of the world we live in. Every so often, the moments become so beautiful that it's hard to take. "Black Rain, Black Rain," "Lover's Waltz," "Rapture (Sweet Rapture)" - all are gorgeous songs. Bondy isn't necessarily doing anything really new, but he does it so well that you can't discount it. - Played : "Black Rain, Black Rain"

7. The National - Boxer: I might get some slack for placing this as low as I have, but it's not because I don't think this is one of the best albums of the year. I missed Alligator back in 2005 and I've been paying penance for it since. Brooding, hopeful sketches dominate the album's sound and lyrics. "Fake Empire" is one of this year's most amazing lead album tracks - its piano driven story of complacence is as delicate as it is troubling. "We're half awake / in our fake empire." Don't sleep on this record. Or this band. Ever again. - Played : "Start a War"

6. Okkervil River - The Stage Names: It's the lyrics. "Plus Ones" is this year's most clever song - playing spot the allusion is half the fun of the song's wistful story. There's not a bad song on the record - it's warm and desperate and pleading and funny and engaging. I don't have a lot to say about this album other than it's a necessity for fans of just really, good songwriting. Loose limbed, but not messy, it's truly the mark of a band fully in control of its intentions. - Played : "Plus Ones"

5. Vic Chesnutt - North Star Deserter: Vic Chesnutt - he of the tricky word play and fractured melodies. North Star Deserter is the darkest Chesnutt album I've ever listened to - the closest thing to the harrowing ride of Tom Waits' Bone Machine I've ever heard. It even has the song at the end that tries to redeem the mood, but only makes the rest of the album sound even more desperate by comparison. With the Silver Mt. Zion band in tow, this is Chesnutt's finest hour. This record got very little press this year that I saw, and its mood may be the reason why people wouldn't immediately flock to it. But on days with an album like this is the only thing that will do, there could be nothing finer. - Played : "Everything I Say"

4. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala: Quirk can make the classic new again - and that's what Lekman has done with his amazing talent for odd storytelling. The album's high water mark, "Your Arms Around Me," details the loving feeling of being held - all surrounding a lover sneaking up on you in new, quiet shoes and you accidentally slicing off the tip of your index finger while slicing avocado. The universal in the specific. The orchestrated pop majesty of this entire record, tinged with programmed drums and electronic flourishes, has created a certifiable pop masterpiece. - Played : "Your Arms Around Me"

3. M.I.A. - Kala: The biggest surprise of this year, if only because I had tried to resist the hype surrounding her debut, but Kala is irresistible. Culture hopping, genre-crossing, infectious, delirious and hidden amongst the fun are some disturbing images and conscious-raising stories. "20 Dollar" mixes Eastern musical influences with New Order and the Pixies to craft a poverty-stricken narrative. You'll find yourself humming the songs for days, carving past the rhymes and references to get at the hulk beneath. If only I could believe that this was the future of commercial pop - I might be in a better mood in general. - Played : "20 Dollar"

2. Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter: Usually my top two albums are determined by a simple equation: (T^2 x O) - M, where T = Time spent listening to the record, O = number of 'Oh, yeah!' moments on the record and M = Number of 'Meh' moments. Between my repeated, frequent listenings to this album, the huge number of sincerely fantastic moments ("Rumors," "Right Moves," "Real Long Distance," among others) and the total lack of boring ones, this record was bound for glory. The Animal Years, despite its deserved critical laurels, never lifted itself out of its softer moments. I always knew that Ritter had a truly raucous and rowdy Americana record tucked away, but The Historical Conquests.. completely surpassed my expectations. I would call it the finest album he has ever made and he continues to prove himself as one of Americas greatest songwriters - not to mention one of the best live performers. The best American record of 2007? Yes, sir. - Played : "Rumors"

1. The Veils - Nux Vomica: I was as surprised as anyone else might have been when I suddenly realized this was at the top of my list. But in the end, it's not surprising at all. Packed full of amazing singles ("Calliope!," "Advice for Young Mothers to Be," "One Night on Earth," et al.), rock and roll ("Jesus for the Jugular") and gorgeous pop ("Under the Folding Branches," "Birthday Present"), it's a flawless record full of vim and vinegar in equal parts. The snark isn't obnoxious, it's revelatory. The emoting isn't over-the-top, it's uplifting. Positioning himself as one of the true heirs to Morrissey and Jarvis Cocker as Kings of British Lyricism (even if he is from New Zealand), Finn Andrews hits a stride that lasts the entire album. It rewards return listens with its glistening pop facade and entertaining story songs - endless hits should have spawned off of this record, and maybe it's my Anglophile self talking, but not in this country, obviously. I came back to this record again and again this year - even the bonus track on the American version is a firecracker. There's just nothing wrong with this album in any way, shape or form and in fact, it is, the best album of 2007. Congrats, guys. - Played : "Calliope!" and "One Night on Earth"

That's it for 2007, listeners and readers. Thanks so much for making 2007 a fantastic year of blogging and DJing. 2008 will be another stellar year, I'm sure, so make sure you check back here for all the indie/rock goodness. I'll be off the air next week, so J's Indie/Rock Mayhem will return on Wednesday, January 2nd. I'll also be breaking from music reviews, but this weekend I'll be posting the tracklist and podcast from my 45 minute Christmas special from last night as well. Until next year, have a wonderful and safe holiday, and take care.