Funny you should mention that Folds would be more comfortable writing operas. From what I’ve read, Folds’ new project is a musical.

I bought quite a few cds this year, but very few of them were actually released this year. And even fewer of those would I actually recommend to many people.

A few standouts were System of a Down’s “Steal This Album”, the Dropkick Murphy’s “Live on St. Patrick’s Day”, and Audioslave for those who miss Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine. Weezer’s 2002 effort was better than the Green Album, but not great. “Busted Stuff” was much better than “Everyday”, but it still wasn’t the best Dave Matthews that you can buy.

I ended up rediscovering how great music used to be. I bought Bob Dylan, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, the Violent Femmes, The Pixies and old They Might Be Giants this year, and overall am much happier listing to that than another effort from Coldplay.

But tastes are subjective, so to each his/her own.

As for this list, there is precious little punk rock and no hip-hop that I could see.

Everyone should do themselves a favor (if you like beautifully realized art punk with strong melodies and the appropriate touches of noise and pretentious interludes) and buy

..And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead – Source Tags and Codes.

That is the best album of the year. Besides YHF of course which is the best post 9/11 album recorded despite the fact that it was recorded before 9/11.

Also, people reading this would probably enjoy Josh Rouse – Under Cold Blue Stars.

Anyway, I chastised Ryan Adams earlier on this blog and after some consideration and the fact that I’m currently listening to all the albums in my collection twice I gave Gold another spin. I stand corrected. There are 9 good songs on it. Pseudo soulful rockers like ‘Tina Toledo’s Streetwalking Blues’ make me physically ill, however. There are moments of real emotion and authenticity and there are moments of self-impressed this-song-sounds-like-me-trying-to-sound-like-a-good-band-from-the-70s-but-failing-miserably-because-its-a-lie vomit inducing crap.

Cheers to all.

Zero7 “simple things” – I am not sure where this came from, or why I decided to pick it up and give it a listen, but oh am I glad I did. I can’t tell if it is a band that utilizes some electronica staples, or if its electronica that uses a band, but either way, it blends the two about as seamlessly as I have heard. It reminds me of a more relaxed, more soulful, less folky version of Beth Orton “Trailor Park.” Put it in and chill out, or put it in and work. The time will fly by.

Orchestra Baobab “Pirates Choice” (and to a lesser extent “Specialist in All Styles”) – Pirates Choice is a reissue so it counts for this year. As the liner notes says “Orchestra Baobab was consistently one of the top three bands in Senagal in the late 70s.” (Reminds me of a poster I once saw for Uncle Tupelo that said they were the 6th best country band in St. Louis.) Afro-pop mixed with a strong cuban influence makes for easily one of the best albums I have ever bought. Its jazzy, its funky, its the exact album you always wanted but never knew it. Plus, because of the foreign language and Senagalise dialect, my guess is you will have no idea what he is saying – leading to great fun in making up your own words.

The Donnas “Spend the Night” – This album doesn’t rock for a girl group, it just rocks. Hard. I now know what it is like for a girl listening to the Rolling Stones. I have never felt so objectified and loved at the same time.

Sigur Rós “()” – Like Low, but lusher. The songs have no titles, the singer sings a language he made up, but it may very well be the soundtrack of your life. One of the songs was used in Vanilla Sky. It is relaxing “mood” music, but it is not always clear what mood and you definitely don’t have to be relaxing to enjoy it.

The Breeders “Title Tk” – Picks up where the Breeders left off and is still contemporary. Maybe a little bit of a let down, but still outstanding and often overlooked.

Strongly agree:
Clinic – Great album, makes me feel a little scared inside.

Wilco – There is a reason that Reprise dropped them, it is not a easily accessable album. There are a few tracks that are catchy from the get go, but for the most part, the beauty of the songs is hearing what you can imagine was there before they broke them down and rebuilt them. I can definitely see where someone would question taking gorgous songs and destroying them, requiring the listener to imagine how they used to sound before all open space (silence) and noise was added. Personally, I love it because you are forced to listen, use your imagination, and depending on how you feel and what you want to hear at the time, you can fill in and flush out the songs to fit your mood.

Ben Kweller – I’ve heard some of the melodies compared to Paul Simon and I would tend to agree. I have not met anyone who has not liked this album. Of course that is probably asking for someone to step forward now, but from my experience it has been appriciated by friends with exteremly ranging tastes.

Ryan Adams – I think Demolition is even better than Gold. It is at least more consistent (with Gold rising and falling with rockers that rock and ballads which sometimes drag.) This is a great album. Very easy to listen to and very catchy.

Disappointments (good but I had higher hopes):

The Roots “Phrenology” – I have read a lot of reviews that think this is better than “Things Fall Apart.” I disagree. More rock oriented. Still good, and “The Seed 2.0″ may just be the single of the year, but I was expecting more.

Bob Dylan “Rolling Thunder Reveiw – Live 1975″ – This may be the most difficult addition to any list I have ever had to make. I love Dylan more than any musician alive or dead, but the selections on this album do not stand out. It’s not a bad album, and maybe I am spoiled by the Royal Albert Hall bootleg, but they should have just released a concert in its entirity, rather than a collection of various songs performed thoughout the tour. Especially when I don’t see anything that special about some of the selections that where made. Still, its Dylan so they are more special than 90% of what is out there anyway.

Queens of the Stone Age was another fun one. And Songs:Ohia, American Analog Set, The Fucking Champs … hmmm. It was a good year.