A Motown Christmas

  Who isn't sick to sh*t of crappy ass Christmas music, and every year, when it's too late, I order a Christmas album in hopes it'll get here fast, too save myself of the bad holiday tunes.  This year's Christmas record is a double album set, A Motown Christmas, pretty much a best of from Soul-city's holiday sounds.  Now I haven't received it yet so it's hard to describe how good or bad it is, but my guess is that it's mostly good with a couple of cheeseball stinkers.  I'm sure I'll get it in the new year and annoy everyone with one last bolt of Christmas songs.

Slowdive -- Souvlaki

  Dreamgaze masterpiece Souvlaki by Slowdive.  These guys are so good that they even caught the attention of luminary Ambient noisemaker Brian Eno, which for a young band must have been a huge honor.  This album predates music that is still being copy-catted today.  Thank God for the scene that celebrated itself!

Modern English -- After The Snow

  Don't let the Melt With You pop cascade fool you, this sophomore release has dark Joy Division-esque undertones.  I half expected typical 80's garbage when I picked this record up, but Melt With You is definitely the weakest number!

Fleet Foxes -- Helplessness Blues

  What do you get when you modernize dark 60's folk music?  Answer ... the Fleet Foxes!

The Feelies -- The Good Earth

  Recorded six years after their influential debut LP.  The Good Earth is a perfect mixture of jammy Velvet Underground and early REM, which coincidentally Peter Buck helped produce this album.  Personally I find that The Feelies, on this record, achieved the sound REM sought after in their early days!  

Crosby, Stills & Nash -- S/T

  The first release from the Folk Rockin' trio.  I am surprised to say that this record is one of the only releases where I actually respect Stephen Stills song writing skills, usually I find his style corny and somewhat pathetic, but on this self-titled album his numbers are knocked right outta the park ... Crosby stays true to his usual form ... unfortunately Nash drops the ball, big time, with the worst most out of place tracks you could find.  All in all, as a whole I'd say it's ok ... pretty good. 

Fleetwood Mac -- Rumours

  Filled with an internal tumultuous divorce, high emotion ... while at the same time making their greatest album of all-time ... depression and anxiety can go a long way when it comes to good art!  Point is this record is so epic that for a Fleetwood Mac Best Of compilation, disc one should be Rumours and disc two should be whatever else they had made, but in reality you'd use the second disc as your drink coaster while enjoying disc one's Rumours.

Jon Irvine -- The Cornwall Song

  Greeting from sh*tnik dirty old town!  This song, written by my roommate, buddy and bro, Jon Irvine, is the perfect descriptor of what it's like to live in this dirty place.  I have to say during my babeless 7 month tenure in my own private lost weekend (John Lennon style), I discovered how damn right good ol' Jon-o is, he didn't miss a beat ... but who cares what I have to say, he said it all, so if you, "hate this town, because you're from this town", this song is for you!  Thanks Jon!

Click here or almost anywhere for the Cornwall Song!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs -- Fever To Tell

  You know what these guys are cute and everything.  I almost like their music ... they definitely have some killer moments, but I can't help but think that they are just pretentious, juvenile art school drop outs who have a lot to learn!

The Mothers Of Invention -- Cruising With Ruben and The Jets

  Totally bizarre Doo Wop concept album by Frank Zappa and his troop of Mothers.  Word is they did this album half as a joke and half exploring their love for Doo Wop music.  Story goes that the first press of the record didn't even credit The Mothers Of Invention, it was meant to look like a long lost Doo Wop album by a group called Ruben And The Jets.  Their theory was to release it under the Ruben guise to get some AM radio play, which the group would have never gotten with their reputation as The Mothers Of Invention, point is it worked, they got the radio play until rumor came out that it was a total hoax/ prank.  Musically it is almost believable Doo Wop, maybe a little off kilter, but those groups did exist, due to shotty recording techniques and just plain old bad equipment.  Personally I love this record, I am such a huge Doo Wop fan that I found it fun that someone out there wanted to recreate a style that was so creative and lost!  Oh and what's with the phallic anthropomorphs on the cover???