Added a ton of new and some previously listed mp3s in the section at the right. I've also updated my top songs of the year to include a couple of unintentional omissions (Cut Copy, DFA79) and I've dug up mp3 links for nearly all of them (how's about that?).

As usual, I didn't have to upload any of them...respect to Bliss Pop, Insound, Get Yourself Together!, among others.

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Here are my top ten songs of the year, which will of course mirror closely my top 10 albums of the year...to offer more variety I've limited bands to one entry each (mp3 links to be added...):

1) Bloc Party / "Banquet"
I admit this is kind of a random choice. I've had it listed at the right for a while, so you're not likely to be listening to it for the first time. That said, it kind of represents the epitome of what the legion of indie-dance-punk rock bands should sound like (in my opinion). It's clean and uncluttered from the start, with the see-sawing guitars that give way to strange lyrics ("I wanted to bite not destroy / to feel her underneath")

"Wake Up" (see #2) is more riveting, emotional, and perhaps better, but the only thing keeping it from #1 is that I eventually stopped listening to it all the time. I listen to "Banquet" a couple times every day probably, in the car, office, wherever.

2) Arcade Fire / "Wake Up"
I initially listed this at #2, then was going to make it #1, then decided to move it back to #2. It's epic, uplifting, and the perfect microcosm of the album Funeral: you can see there's something serious behind it, but it never dwells needlessly on the negativity that gives it such emotional gravity.

3) Franz Ferdinand / "Auf Achse" [Black Session]
In truth, Franz Ferdinand has about five songs I could list among my favorites of the year: "Auf Achse," "Come on Home," "Matinee," "This Fire," and of course "Take Me Out." I'm tempted to put the latter in this spot, because I can remember listening to this in February and being blown away, as evidenced by this email to Mulldoggey on Feb 19:

"oh my god do i love this song...most danceable rock song in a LONG
time...wait till it hits one minute...cant wait to see these guys next
wednesday."

The show was incredible, and the rest is history. I picked "Auf Achse" though because a) the title is German, meaning literally "on axle" = on the road, though it's been frequently misspelled as "Auf Asche" and b) it's darker and a little less formulaic than the rest of the album, with a darker take on the '80s new wave revivalist thing.

4) Ambulance Ltd / "Stay Where You Are"
This is a terrific song that isn't soft so much as it's very measured; nothing happens too suddenly, nothing's out of place. It rises and falls, but just think of the water in a lake, shimmering in the light. That's what it sounds like. I can't link directly but it's available as a free mp3 on the Ambulance webpage.

5) Frausdots / "Dead Wrong"
The beginning to the song is kind of weird and "Horse With No Name"-referential, but then it becomes this really pretty guitar pop song. The chorus is probably my favorite of any song this year.

6) Interpol / "Narc"
Similar to the FF album, this one has a slew of excellent songs which have stood the test of time. I'll pick this one though ahead of "Take You on a Cruise," "Slow Hands," "Evil," and "C'mere." Also similar to my reasoning with FF, this one stands out for being a little darker, and I couldn't get that guitar riff out of my head this summer.

7) Death From Above 1979 / "Sexy Results"
DFA79 are the most ass-kicking band of the year, though this one is the chillest, grooviest track on their brilliantly titled album, "You're a Woman, I'm a Machine." This song has BOTH bongos and cowbell! What the fuck else do you want?

This song barely edges out "Black History Month" to make the list. It's about time a band confronted the sociohistorical aspects of Black History Month. However, the DFA79 song has nothing to do with its title, so I guess we'll have to wait for that.

The three songs in the download column at right were also viable candidates.

8) The Killers / "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" [SBN session]
This one's less poppy, and more bass-y, which gives it the edge over the Pulp-ishly great "All These Things That I've Done" and Duran Duran goodness of "Somebody Told Me" and "Midnight Show."

9) Cut Copy / "Going Nowhere"
I forgot this one because I had gotten it into my head that it was actually released in 2003, but I just doublechecked and Bright Like Neon Love actually was an '04 release apparently. This is certainly my favorite bubble-gum pop rock song of the year.

10) Wilco / "At Least That's What You Said"
I don't know why I don't listen to this song more. It's mixed kind of strange, such that you want to turn the volume up at the beginning because Tweedy's voice is barely a whisper. But then it builds into this monster guitar solo, and you don't even realize that the vocals stop about halfway through the song and just let the guitars and drums do the talking.

11) Snow Patrol / "Run"
It's like a poor man's "Fake Plastic Trees" or "The Scientist." Which make sense, because Snow Patrol couldn't carry Radiohead or Coldplay's jockstrap.

12) The Flaming Lips / "Spongebob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy"
A song with that title a) has no business not sucking b) unless it's done by the Flaming Lips. The Lips have made a career of taking cartoonish sounds, dinky vocals, and rambling song titles and somehow making it all work. This song off the soundtrack to a stupid movie provides the perfect example.

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If you correctly believe Tucker Carlson is a tool, then take heart from the fact that CNN is cancelling "Crossfire" and ending its relationship with Carlson.


Professional douchebag Tucker Carlson.

The interesting part is that the CNN guy quoted cites the Jon Stewart confrontation which happened on the show before the election--interesting to see CNN so obviously agree with someone who came on one of their shows and ripped their journalistic integrity. Be sure to check out the clip if you haven't already, and also check out Jon Stewart's bit about it on the Daily Show afterwards.

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T.J. Ford's career-threatening spinal cord injury has been the biggest downer in the NBA for me. If you're unaware, he was the 2002-2003 college player of the year while at Texas and the Bucks' first round pick two years ago. He was having a great rookie season when he fell awkwardly in a game and bruised his spinal cord last season, and his return has been continually pushed back to the point that most fans just assume he won't ever play again.

So here's finally some information as to what his deal is.

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William Hung is at it again. Ugh.