and the last two before some newer additions

The Killers - Day & Age

This came out around Thanksgiving last year and hit its chart peak immediately. This record took repeated spins through the car stereo and the ipod, probably netting it the most plays of anything I've listed so far. It's every bit as good as Hot Fuss; over-the-top pop songs, some quite danceable, all ultimately catchy. "Are we Human or are we Dancer"(...wha wha what?!?) is a great dance track that should be in clubs everywhere. "The World We Live In" has smash hit all over it. Hell, I think I've talked myself into another listen.


U2 - No Line on the Horizon

One of the great bands of the 80's that continued to improve and impress through the 90's, but hiccuped a bit with "All That You Can't Leave Behind" in 2000, and then dropped the ultimate turd of "...Dismantle an Atom Bomb" in '04. God, what an awful record. Corporate, by-the-numbers, safe as a spork...awful turd. And then I hear the opening single of the new album, "Get On Your Boots". Eeewww, something stinks. But based on the band's history, I give "Horizon" a shot, and it's brilliant outside the "Boots" track and one other about going crazy. Come to find out, the album is produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who helmed Joshua Tree and Unforgettable Fire. Run a credits check on either of those two guys and tell me you don't have at least double digits in albums that feature either one of them in any way. "Horizon" is packed with aural sculptures that are gripping in their depth. "Moment of Surrender" just may be the finest U2 song in twenty years, featuring each band member's strengths in a loopy, dirty groove. I'm playing it now and, yep, there they are, goosebumps. That should say it all.

Almost there...

Prince - LotusFlow3r

The "guitar" record of the 3-disc release. Not too shabby...good enough for me to add to the vault as a whole. Is it great guitar? Nah, just some nice flashes here and there wrapped into some decent song structures. But live I'll bet he heats this material up like we all know he can. The man can shoot fire from that axe when he wants.

Steven Wilson - Insurgentes

The brains of one of my favorite discoveries of this century, Porcupine Tree. Those who know me well know that I rarely go backwards in an artists work if I find them, say, on their fifth release. I found PT ten years into their history in 2002 and been a fan since. Even though I researched their previous music, I still liked this decade's sounds much better. Mr. Wilson has worked eponymously as other bands as well (anyone who works with Robert Fripp must be good), also collaborating on a couple of others (I did find myself retaining a Blackfield record). Insurgentes took a few spins for me to grasp its subtlety, sort of a PT-lite, which isn't a bad thing at all.

And On...

Evermore - Truth of the World: Welcome to the Show

I get asked how I find these bands nobody seems to know about. I'm a sick pup, really. This one I found looking at the Australian ARIA charts. I always had a thing for Aussie music ever since Spaceman brought back some from there on his exchange term. I've even got a old Mad Rocker show on cassette that has me playing some new "Australian punk-rock by a band called AC/DC"! Anyway, these guys are actually New Zealanders that sound like Muse, or the Music to me. How ironic, huh? I don't know much about them, but apparently this is a 4th album and it is different from what made them popular Down Under. Fine, then I don't want to hear the others because this one is fantastic! A concept album with a story on the control the media has on the general public...outstanding! Catchy hooks, cool lyrics, and you can dance to it.... Plus, they opened for the legendary Split Enz on their reunion tour in '06! How awesome to be that close to the greatest living pop songwriting team of the Finn brothers.

Ian Gillan - One Eye to Morocco

I've always said he's one of the greatest rock voices of our time, and at 63 he's still sounds as if he's 33. Amazing. Deep Purple is one of the all-time greats, right there with Floyd, Zeppelin, etc.

Outside of Purple he has probably 30 records of his own, and I own several of the heavier ones from way back in the day. Over the years his releases have been spotty at best, sometimes his vocals are sketchy, or the music is contrived, or some combination of the two just sounds forced or wrong. But when he's on.... This album caught me totally by surprise. It's nowhere near a rock or metal release. This a worldly, seasoned, eclectic pop rock album. The voice is spot on, gracing various styles of musical origins, almost the sort of thing Robert Plant was doing in his solo career before Ms. Krauss.

Next...

Chickenfoot

Best Van Halen release this decade, hell, since OU812 in 1988. What, you say, there hasn't been a Van Halen album this century? Well, there is now, it just doesn't have the VH brothers in it.


Cracker - Sunrise in the Land of Milk & Honey

The seventh album in my vault with this version of the David Lowery hour. If you don't find yourself smiling at least a half dozen times while listening to this album, then you just don't get it, do ya?


Decemberists - The Hazards of Love

If you are just now discovering this band with this release, do yourself a favor and backtrack to Picaresque or The Crane Wife. After listening to these two for the last three and four years, Hazards pales in comparison. Don't get me wrong, Hazards is an excellent release, but the other two will receive consideration for my "Best Of The 21st Century..So Far" list.

A BLURB ON EACH OF THE 2009'S SO FAR

Bell X1 - Blue Lights on the Runway

I liked what I'd heard from the 2006 release and sought this out upon release. Hard to pigeonhole this sound, but it's certainly intelligent alternative creations with a vocalist who at times recalls David Byrne. Heck, I'd even go as far as saying the music is a more subtle Talking Heads in style just for the sake of a reference on the fly. Irish band that deserves a listen or three if you like intellipop music.

Blue October - Approaching Normal

I think they are one of the best rock bands to arrive this decade. Angst my ass, this guy is truly pissed off and unafraid to commit it to record, which is probably why I like it so much and many reviewers don't. Pansies. "Hate Me" from the previous album got them the attention they deserved, but make no mistake, you won't get an album full of "Hate Me" clones just because it was a hit. I don't listen to much terrestrial radio but I did hear one of the new tracks on a drive through Atlanta recently and damn near drove off the road in shock!

For Consideration in 2009...so far

• Bell X1
• Blue October
• Chickenfoot
• Cracker
• Decemberists
• Dredg
• Evermore
• Ian Gillan
• Prince
• Steven Wilson
• The Killers
• U2

As if I need more music...

I stopped my yearly "Best Of" series after 2003 since I wasn't exposed to the full schedule of releases anymore, exiting the biz completely in September '04. You never get to listen to it all anyway, no matter how entrenched in the biz you are, but you do get to listen to more releases than the average consumer. But I still find myself acquiring 20 or more new releases each year, mostly from artists already included in my ridiculous collection, but occasionally it's new music heard on satellite radio (don't get me started on how bad terrestrial is). The list below contains my top picks for 2008 in no particular order. I've left out some of the big names like REM, Plant/Krauss, Eagles, etc., opting more for the new artists and/or deserving releases from established musicians. I will strive to feature new additions to my collection in future posts.

• Airbourne "Runnin' Wild"
• Panic @ the Disco "Pretty, Odd"
• Fleet Foxes "Fleet Foxes"
• My Morning Jacket "Evil Urges"
• Portugal. The Man "Censored Colors"
• The Verve "Forth"
• Elbow "The Seldom Seen Kid"
• Ray LaMontagne "Gossip in the Grain"
• Steve Winwood "Nine Lives"
• The Zutons "You Can Do Anything"
• Black Kids "Partie Traumatic"
• Gary Moore "Bad For Your Baby"
• Ours "Mercy (Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Friend)"