I'm pretty bored, so I've decided to go through one of this .. top 50 things. If I post something else, I promise I'll make it interesting.


01. How did you get into 29? (Dirty Pretty Things)
During my liberscenester stage, of course. Huge fan of Carl. This was the first post-libertine band I really got into.

02. What was the first song you ever heard by 22? (Devendra Banhart)
Little Yellow Spider

03. What's your favorite lyric by 33? (The Brian Jonestown Massacre)
"You're my favorite thing by far"

04. How did you get into 49? (Tokyo Police Club)
Because of HTE.

05. How many albums by 13 do you own? (Bob Dylan)
Some "Best of..." compilations, and the bootleg of his 1975 tour. As well as having downloaded several of his albums.

06. What is your favorite song by 50? (Arctic Monkeys)
When the Sun Goes Down

07. Is there a song by 39 that makes you sad? (Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti)
Not really. Hahaha.

08. What is your favorite song by 15? (George Harrison)
Tough question. Hmmm.. he wrote my favourite song of all time While My Guitar Gently Weeps, but that was for The Beatles. If its from his solo stuff, then I'll go with What Is Life.

09. What is your favorite song by 5? (The Libertines)
Smashing

10. Is there a song by 6 that makes you happy? (The Beatles)
A lot of their songs do that to me, specially their early stuff. Its just too damn happy.

11. What is the worst song by 40? (Klaxons)
Tough question. I haven't listened to them in such a long time. I do remember not liking Four Horsemen of 2012, so maybe that's the one.

12. What is your favorite song by 10? (of Montreal)
The Past is a Grotesque Animal

13. What is a good memory you have involving 30? (Fleet Foxes)
None yet... I have the possibility of seeing them up to 3 times this year, despite missing them in San Francisco when they sold out at my favourite venue.

14. What is your favorite song by 38? (The Smiths)
Dancing to them with a friend of mine, in some random house party.. aka the drunkest night of my life. Good times.

15. Is there a song by 19 that makes you happy? (Gustavo Cerati)
Adios

16. Is there a song by 25 that makes you sad? (Soda Stereo)
Ella Usó Mi Cabeza Como Un Revólver

17. What is the first song you ever heard by 23? (Entrance)
Grim Reaper Blues

18. What's your favorite lyric by 11? (Yeti)
"Love is the key. And only love will set you free."

19. Who is a favorite member of 1? (Panda Bear)
The sampler, of course... =/

20. Is there a song by 14 that makes you happy? (Black Dice)
Load Blown. That whole album makes me happy.

21. What is a good memory involving 27? (artist]Times New Viking)
Apart to talking to a special person while I'm listening to them .. none.

22. What is your favorite song by 16? (Fleet Foxes)
Tough. I guess I'll say Blue Ridge Mountains

23. What is the first song you ever heard by 47? (Paul McCartney)
Maybe I'm Amazed

24. What is your favorite album by 18? (Oasis)
Their first, duh.

25. What is your favorite song by 21? (Babyshambles)
I Wish

26. What is the first song you ever heard by 26? (The Beach Boys)
Kokomo

27. What is your favorite album by 3? (Neutral Milk Hotel)
Take a wild guess.. I dare ya.

28. What is you favorite song by 2? (The Strokes)
Right now .. Red Light

29. What was the first song you ever heard by 32? (Vampire Weekend)
Mansard Roof

30. What is you favorite song by 8? (The Music Tapes)
The Minister of Longitude

31. How many times have you seen 17 live? (The Virgins)
None. Just like every other artist on my page. =/

32. Is there a song by 44 that makes you happy? (Yann Tiersen)
L'effondrement

33. How did you get into 12? (The Clash)
Seriously .. I don't know.

34. What is the worst song by 45? (T. Rex)
Marc Bolan never wrote a bad song. Fact.

35. What was the first song you ever heard by 34? (The La's)
There She Goes

36. What is the first song you ever heard by 48? (Coldplay)
Yellow

37. How many times have you seen 42 live? (Justice)
Not even funny ...

38. What is you favorite song by 36? (Syd Barrett)
Octopus

39. What was the first song you ever heard by 28? (Razorlight)
Golden Touch

40. What is you favorite album by 7? (Animal Collective)
Sung Tongs

41. Is there a song by 31 that makes you happy? (Bright Eyes)
HA ! Really ? Hahaha. Well, First Day of My Life makes me kinda happy.

42. What is your favorite album by 41? ([arstist]Radiohead)
OK Computer

43. What is your favorite song by 24? (MGMT)
Kids

44. What is a good memory you have involving 46? (The Stone Roses)
Resting in that wonderful cruise I took with my best friend Katya and 7 other of our friends. Wonderful. =D

45. What is your favorite song by 35? (Blur)
Coffee & TV.. the video doesn't hurt, either.

46. Is there a song by 9 that makes you happy? (Beirut)
Postcards from Italy

47. What is your favorite album by 4? (El Guincho)
Alegranza although, Folías is pretty good, too... if you manage to get your hands on it, that is.

48. Who is a favorite member of 37? (Albert Hammond, Jr.)
Oh Em Gee .. who could it be ! I'll give you a clue, its not a backing musician. Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink.

49. What is the first song you ever heard by 43? (Regina Spektor)
Us

50. What is your favorite song by 20? (Kings of Leon)
Milk

Another quizy quiz
Favourite bands
1. Pink Floyd
2. Fleetwood Mac
3. Slowdive
4. Porcupine Tree
5. Incubus
6. Hum
7. Failure
8. dredg
9. Radiohead
10. Beirut

Favourite albums
Tuskby Fleetwood Mac
Bare Trees by Fleetwood Mac
Make Yourself by Incubus
Animals by Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd
Laughing Stock by Talk Talk
Souvlaki by Slowdive
Pygmalion by Slowdive
Downward Is Heavenward by Hum
The Sky Moves Sideways by Porcupine Tree

Greatest single ever made:
Yeesh.... not going to go through with this one. I'll just pick one I dig right now; 'Sara' by Fleetwood Mac. Well, that would be one of my all-times, but there's dozens.

Favourite box sets
Shine On, if I had it. No need to now, really. I own all their albums on CD.

Favourite Greatest Hits:
Best of Blur by Blur, Thank You by Stone Temple Pilots

First CD bought:
Europop by Eiffel 65 and Astro Lounge by Smash Mouth followed by Face Down by Serial Joe. 14:59, The Party Album, Hot Show, Another Spin Around The Sun, You Can't Stop the Bum Rush and some others followed soon after in random order.

First Concert:
Incubus Aug. 20, 2007 at Save on Foods memorial Arena

Favourite Concert:
Incubus, both times I saw Caribou (although openers were bland both times; D'OH!). The best one-two punch I remember seeing in a club was Apostle of Hustle opening for the legendary Do Make Say Think.

Concert You Wish You'd Seen:
Pink Floyd circa 1970-1 or '77. Fleetwood Mac circa 1979-80 or Radiohead in Vancouver just last month.

Best Use of Music In Film:
Princess Mononoke has to be one of my fav soundtracks ever. Umm.. what else... 2001: A Space Odyssey. I have a old journal about this; oh, how about Pink Floyd's Careful With That Axe, Eugene in Zabriskie Point (I think this is going back to when it was called Come in Number 51, Your Time Is Up).

Best Use of Music In TV series:
All I really watch is Seinfeld, Mash and Frasier and old episodes of the Simpsons. I hate when shows o.d. on music (OC anybody?); it seems like they become a commercial for breaking through music; none of those elite three shows overused music. For the record, the Mash theme is the best theme song to a TV show I've heard.

Favourite music books:
Inside Out by Nick Mason.

Favourite Songwriters:
Roger Waters, Thom Yorke, Matthew Good

Favourite album covers:
Pulse by Pink Floyd, Tango in the Night by Fleetwood Mac, see my RYM list for My (extensive) favourite album covers list).

Least fav album covers to albums you like/love/don't mind
Most recent example would be the cheesefest cover that is 'Penguin' by Fleetwood Mac

Favourite Music DVDs:
King Crimson - Eyes Wide Open, Pink Floyd - Live in Pompeii, Fleetwood Mac - The Dance

Artist You Will Always Believe In:
Matthew Good. He's the best, but always kinda underrated despite being known to all Canadians.

Artist You Will Always Defend:
Weezer, but Make Believe made that soooo difficult.

Albums You Will Always Defend:
Second Coming by The Stone Roses... I actually like it more than their debut... Don't taze me, bro!
The 2 Post-Waters Pink Floyd efforts - David Gilpink!
But definitely not MMM by Lou Reed - Poison Pizza.

Singers Who Can Make Your Skin Crawl:
In a good way or bad? Good way... Lindsey Buckingham on live versions of I'm so afraid, Roger Waters on live versions of Careful, With that Axe, Eugene and When the Tigers Broke Free. Most chilling song I know.

Artists I'm Supposed to like, but don't.
Bob Marley (the only B Mar song I like is the Funkstar Deluxe version of Sun Is Shining; makes me feel nostalgic because I used to watch Electric Circus when I was nine)!!! Also: Bob Dylan, Neutral Milk Hotel. [AC - whose 'supposed' to like an artist, though?! I mean, I know what it means and all-but shove off! I like what I like and so should you]

Song You Can't Stand by an Artist You Like:
Do De Do Da De Da or whatever by The Police [AC - there's more, I have an entry showcasing the worst of the best!]

Artist Who Broke Your Heart:
Our Lady Peace... what the hell happened?! These guys were wicked in the 90's. They were kind of cryptic yet spiritual and rockin'. Oh, and Maida's solo stuff is shit, too.

Band That Should Break Up:
The Rolling Stones.
But... if we're talking about bands that actually LIKED in the first place:
I woulda said Weezer 'cause Make Believe was just that bad, but the new one is alright - The Angel And The One hints and former greatness. In fact 'Angel and the One' is one of my favourite tracks of 08. The red album was spotty though at best. Ev'rybody be gettin' dangerous. uggh.

Bands That Should Get Back Together:
Slowdive (they won't), Talk Talk (ha, fat fucking chance), Hum (this one ain't too craz-ay, so just do it guys. Nike that shit up and bring the noise again!)

Guilty Pleasure:
Kylie Minogue's "Love at First Sight", Maroon 5's first record, Nelly Furtado, Rihanna (damn those amazingly brilliant samples from Tainted Love, Wanna Be Startin' Something and Blue Monday) and Avril Lavigne (damn you, Elite Beat Agents) songs. I don't feel that guilty until I'm hanging out with friends and playing music on random and it'll go from Helmet or A Perfect Circle into 'SOS (Rescue Me)'. But, hey, that's me in a nutshell. Can't stop, addicted to the shindig. Whatever the hell that means!

Okay, next time won't be a quiz again; trying to keep things top shelf quality around here! Peace!

it's 6 months since one of the most irritating trolls has been banned. and it seems now that epic lulz are gone with the new lastfm so let's all have a moment of silence in rememberance of the great persona he was!

I miss you MrWInczakos :(

ps old lastfm sucked.

ps2 new last fm sucks.

ps3 will there be another mighty troll just like him and R.I.P. Octember (also known as Strictly Diesel) and Pagan_Winter (also known as - too many names, cant remember them all)? who knows. maybe someday.

The Absolute Radio Group

The group for all fans and listeners of Absolute Radio, previously known as Virgin Radio.


Listen on 105.8FM in London and the South East.
Listen on 1215AM/MW across the UK
Or listen online

Former Virgin Radio Group Page
Virgin Radio User

Please tag all of your favourite songs that are played on the station as 'Absolute Radio', cheers!

MY ABSOLUTE RADIO PLAYLIST STATION!
Absolute Radio Global Tag Radio (When enough people have tagged)


=============================================================

Artists
The Script
Kings of Leon
Duffy
Richard Ashcroft
Scouting for Girls
The Enemy
The White Stripes
Hard-Fi
Athlete
Editors
Amy Macdonald
Embrace
Foo Fighters
Arctic Monkeys
Ash
Feeder
Ocean Colour Scene
The Coral
Adam and the Ants
Muse
The Stone Roses
Depeche Mode
Elvis Costello
Sting
Madness
The Clash
Led Zeppelin
The Zutons
The Smiths
The Kooks
Supergrass
Pulp
Queen & David Bowie
KT Tunstall
Franz Ferdinand
Blur
Van Morrison
Thin Lizzy
The Stranglers
The Specials
The Monkees
The Fratellis
The Boomtown Rats
The Rolling Stones
The Beach Boys
Supertramp
Squeeze
Seal
Radiohead
Prince
Primal Scream
Nirvana
New Order
Meat Loaf
Maroon 5
Manic Street Preachers
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lou Reed
Kaiser Chiefs
Genesis
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Elton John
Dexy's Midnight Runners
Deacon Blue
David Gray
Bob Dylan
Billy Idol
Alanis Morissette
Aerosmith
Travis
The Verve
The Feeling
Tears for Fears
Scissor Sisters
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Paul Weller
Kate Bush
John Lennon
Jimi Hendrix
James Blunt
Jack Johnson
Guns N' Roses
Green Day
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Eric Clapton
Crowded House
Bryan Adams
Virgin Radio Classic Rock
Virgin Radio Xtreme Nonstop
Complete Control
John Osborne
The Who
The Pretenders
T. Rex
Simon & Garfunkel
Rod Stewart
Robbie Williams
Razorlight
Pink Floyd
Peter Gabriel
Fleetwood Mac
Electric Light Orchestra
Duran Duran
Dire Straits
Bruce Springsteen
Bon Jovi
The Kinks
The Killers
The Cure
Snow Patrol
Keane
Eurythmics
Bob Marley
The Jam
Eagles
Stereophonics
R.E.M.
The Police
Coldplay
Blondie
Oasis
U2
Queen
David Bowie
The Beatles
Sunday Night with Iain Lee
Sunday Night Show
The Iain Lee Show
The Al Murray Show
The Best of Geoff
Weekend Breakfast with Nick
Weekend Breakfast with John
Sunday Night Show with Iain Lee
Holly Samos
Tim Lichfield
Sarah Champion
Graeme Smith
Robin Burke
Nick Jackson
Leona Graham
Most Wanted with Ben
Al Murray
Christian O'Connell Uncut
Suggs
Tony Hadley
Tony Hadley's Party Classics
Geoff Lloyd
Neil Francis
Afternoon Tea with Neil
Ben Jones
Russ Williams
The '80s Hour
JK and Joel
Nick's Drivetime
The Pete and Geoff Breakfast Show
The Breakfast Show with Geoff
Iain Lee
Christian O'Connell
Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show
The Geoff Show
Virgin Radio

The LP that’s made the biggest impression…
It Takes A Nation of Millions To old Us Back – Public Enemy
I got this album when I was about 16 and listening to the relentless sirens on the album gives a real sense of panic in the music, which is further boosted by the hardcore hip-hop poetry, which is splurged out of the mouth of Chuck D. Once you add the eccentricity of Flavour Flav (who used to run around with a clock hanging from his necklace, bling bling, eh?), you have the perfect recipe for a fantastic rap cake.
Check out: Bring The Noise – Public Enemy

The song that makes me emotional…
Hurricane - Bob Dylan
Well, i wouldn't go as far as saying emotional, but this is a song based on a true story about an African-American boxer who gets convicted of a double-murder that he didn’t commit. Dylan really gets across the feeling of helplessness of this promising boxer who can’t do anything about the charge, which faces him. Dylan’s lyrical arrangement is fantastic, the way he slowly builds up the story of Ruben Carter over the 7+ minutes of the song.
Check out: Nashville Skyline – Bob Dylan

My guilty pleasure…
UB40
I don’t know what it is about them, but I can’t help but sing along to all of their singles, who would have thought a white reggae band from Birmingham would actually be that good?
Check out: Kingston Town – UB40

All new bands should hear…
Pills, Thrills N’ Bellyaches - Happy Mondays
An album that in it’s essence is a hippy album, that Happy Mondays really weren’t a great band, they didn’t even make great music, but they connected to a niche that was crying out to be reached-out to, dance music, but made in a sort of indie sort of way, full of acceptable bouncy tunes, it would give any new band an idea of how to make their music a bit more dance friendly.
Check out: Kinky Afro – Happy Mondays

Just before I die, I want to hear…
Halleljuah - Jeff Buckley
What a great song, full of emotion and always makes you think when you listen to it, plus after listening to this you’ll be ready to die anyway. Buckley’s harrowing lyrical delivery far exceeds the original Leonard Cohen version.
Check out: Jeff Buckley – Jeff Buckley

I’ve played to the death…
Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
I got into this album when I was in college and it was immense! I’d play it over all the time, I’d say between 5-10 times a week. Every song on it makes an impact, whether it’s the anthems like She Bangs the Drums, I Wanna Be Adored and I Am the Resurrection. Or if it’s the anti-monarchy song Elizabeth My Dear, this was the soundtrack to my college years.
Check out: Waterfall – Stone Roses

A record by a hero is…
The World Is Yours - Ian Brown
How did a gob-shite from Manchester get a “Godlike Genius” award from the NME? Well simple, he gave up booze, took up smoking marijuana everyday and decided to become philosophical, in this album he does everything from complain about the war in Iraq to using a slogan from the movie ‘Scarface’ to express his desire to get his voice heard. An album that I came out the week that I started university, its no coincidence it became on of my favourite albums during my first year there.
Check out: Illegal Attacks – Ian Brown feat. Sinéad O'Connor

Everyone should hear…
(What’s The Story?) Morning Glory - Oasis
An album, which nobody has a bad word to say about (well that’s not entirely true, people nit-pick for the sake of it). Every track is a classic, an album that catapulted Oasis to the fore-front of Brit-Pop. This album epitomises the phrase ‘lad band’, with Liam Gallagher’s brash vocal delivery and Noel Gallagher’s entrancing guitar rhythms it’s not hard to see why the album changed a generation.
Check out: Champagne Supernova – Oasis

“And I also Think You Should…”

Watch…
Ali
A great biopic film, it really celebrates the legend that is Muhammad Ali, there is a thin line between legend and myth, there is no doubt in my mind, Muhammad Ali’s actions where the stuff of legend and not myth.

Read…
A Bit of A Blur – Alex James
The biography of Blur’s bass player, Alex James. It’s a tail of rock & roll excess, bad hangovers, great parties and better groupies.

Buy…
An acoustic guitar
If you’re into music you’ve got to have your own acoustic guitar, even if you don’t use it that often, give it a go, it won’t be a waste of money.

A new demo of mine, Flags of Some Nations (demo), is now available for free download from my artist page (David Sims) and I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes for a listen and a scrobble.
It's just me and a piano and it's lyrics are about the shipping forecast, I'm proud of this piece as it is advanced both musically and lyrically and any comments would be warmly received either in here or on my shoutbox.
It's Britpop based, mostly on Blur, with lyrical inspiration from This Is a Low (Parklife) and also influenced by Suede, Oasis and The Beatles.

Thanks ever so much, I hope you enjoy it. When listening, imagine a weak radio signal coming over the sea.. beautiful.

Ok, kids, just like 365 days ago I’m going to celebrate my second year of being on last.fm by counting down the artists I’ve scrobbled the most. Unlike last year, we’re counting down from 30 (not 20) and we’ll also keep track of total scrobbles per artist and how they’re moving relative to the rest of the list. (Now, since I only kept track of the scrobble numbers in the top 20, the change in rank compared to last year past the top 20 is only a guesstimate, hence the "about" in the descriptions.)

One year after my first list, I am starting to notice that there’s much more separation between the artists towards the top. There’s still room for artists to move, but quite a few artists seem to have a comfortable placement in the top ten. (The further you go down the list, especially past the top 50, the numbers are closer and tighter.) Anyhow, we'll note take of some stats and then count the list down.

(all figures as of 8pm CST 8/29/08)
total tracks scrobbled = 43,526
total artists in my library = 1,191
total friends = 16

30) Idaho (234 plays, up about 10)

Although lumped in the "slowcore" genre along with Red House Painters, Low, Rex and Codeine, Idaho have always been an island to themselves. From their four-string guitar philosophy to the deep, brooding vocals of founder and sole mainstay Jeff Martin, Idaho had a distinctive sound from the get-go. Nowadays, the rock leanings of the past has altered to more atmospheric, instrumental mood pieces. For my money, their 1996 album Three Sheets to the Wind is one of the best of the 90s and I still listen to it regularly.

29) Johan (236 plays, waaay up)

Speaking of bands who never got their due in the States, this Dutch quartet has only seen their debut issued over here, and that was 10 years ago! They have released two albums since then (2001's Pergola and 2006's THX JHN) and thanks to my emusic subscription, I've discovered them both in the past 12 months. Anyone looking for smart, adult guitar pop shoudl definitely check them out if the name doesn't ring a bell...they may end up in your top 30, too!

28) Foo Fighters (250 plays, down about 6)

One of the few current top 40 acts I have time for. Dave Grohl always seems to *gasp* ENJOY being a rock star and also geniunely loves making music for a living. That said, I wasn't exactly bowled over by last year's Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace but the Foos still have a pretty stellar track-for track batting average by my ears, so I would think they'll stick in the top 30.

27) Steely Dan (256 plays, down about 5)

Music fans tend to find the Dan a pretty polarizing band, some not able to get past the easy listening background to hear the great jazzy chord changes and eyebrow raising lyrics. Of course, this is my page and I say their 70s output remains as captivating today as they were when I first heard them in high school/college. Can't say much for their two "comeback" albums released this decade, except that sounds like it was formulated by people in white lab coats....

26) They Might Be Giants (257 plays, down about 3)

TMBG were a huge fave of mine back in high shcool and early college, and it took the Gigantic documentary to put some of their stuff in my iTunes library. I still don't listen to an album's worth of their matieral, but their short, quirky ditties work well in a shuffle context.

25) De La Soul (258 plays, down 10)

De La take quite a tumble, yet still are still the only hip-hop act in my top 30. Which is ironic because I've been listening to my fair share of hip-hop, but from a rather wide gamut (Wale, The Roots, Starpower, the new Ice Cube, etc) I keep meaning to get De La's latest, and once I do, I'm sure they'll rocket back up the charts.

24) Eric Mattthews (259 plays, up about 3)

After making 2 of my fave LPs of the 90s, Mr. Matthews took a eight year sabbatical. Considering he's released two EPs and two LPs in the last 3 years, it's safe to say he's making up for lost time. This year's The Imagination Stage returns to the formula that made him an act to watch ten years ago, with Eric's smoky croon wrapping around elegant chamber pop.

23) Gomez (261 plays, down 7)

I'll be honest; I forget about these guys sometimes. I like 'em just fine and none of their albums are out and out bad, but they fall out of my rotation and have a hard time getting back in. Maybe a new album will correct my oversight...

22) Eels (270 plays, down 5)

Like Gomez above, I haven't had much occasion to blast their stuff en masse. Unlike Gomez, I haven't been keeping up with their discography as there's their b-side comp Useless Trinkets-B Sides, Soundtracks, Rarieties and Unreleased 1996-2006 as well as their live album Live At Town Hall. (There's also a greatest hits album, but since I have all the LPs I think I'll pass on that.)

21) PJ Harvey (271 plays, waaaaay up)

Well, I finally got around to hearing White Chalk and I quite liked it, as PJ's sudden burst up my charts can attest to. Add in that I found the Dry / Demonstration bonus disc and am shocked at how much I prefer it to the actual album. So, miss Polly may climb higher yet... stay tuned.

T19) Suede (272 plays, down 5)

As I said last year, I have so much Suede material in my ITunes library, they're bound to stay towards the top of my charts, even 5 years after they broke up. Maybe I'll remove their stuff from the library one day, but I still get a kick out of them when they show up on my shuffle.

T19) The Who (272 plays, down 2)

Most of the time an artists moves up the charts, it's because I'm listening to full albums quite a few times (yes, some people still do listen to albums straight through!) This poses a problem for the Who because all their albums in my library are at least an hour, and I'm been gravitating towards shorter LPs. But when a Who kick arrives, it's gonna hit harder than Keith Moon used to.

18) Randy Newman (278 plays, up about 17)

Rather than credit his new one Harps And Angels which I have yet to hear, the main reason for Randy's big leap on my charts is getting the Guilty: 30 Years Of Randy Newman box set in my grubby mitts. Weird but true fact: Randy was quoted in the latest Rolling Stone is being really impressed by the lyrics of one Steven Patrick Morrissey....

17) Neil Young (288 plays, up about 8)

He puts out about an album a year, that humungazoid box set is finally set to come out, and even at his worst (the Human Highway soundtrack, anyone?) he's extremely interesting. That's how you stay at the top of my charts. And the above talley doesn't even factor in his Crazy Horse collaborations...

16) Idlewild (295 plays, down 5)

I finally did manage to get Promises/warnings (side note: that whole copyright control crap embedded in the disc which makes it very hard to put on an iTunes library makes you hate the album before you even hear it!) but their 2 classics remain 100 Broken Windows and The Remote Part so it remains to be seen if they can keep Idlewild towards my chart's upper reaches.

T14) Broadcast (302 plays, up about 7)

One of my favorite currently active bands... I love how they come out with a new sonic approach each album yet still remain a core sound and identity all their own. When they FINALLY release a new LP, expect them to soar up the charts.

T13) The Smiths (302 plays, down 1)

See my post last year....their songs still ring true, two decades after they pulled the plug. It says something their stature continues to rise every year. Reminds me of some Liverpool band of the 60s...

13) The Magnetic Fields (342 plays, down 6)

Unless my library searches become more fruitful, I figure Distorstion will be on my 2008 halo list, and considering I took off about 4 albums of theirs, they may slip further.

12) Pernice Brothers (344 plays, down 2)

Joe and company still get lots of plays here, and a new album would greatly assist in that regard, Er, hint, hint?

11) Blur (345 plays, down 2)

They only dipped a little (like Suede, there's a lot of their stuff in my library) but my enthuiasm for them continues to wane. I'm not even sure they'll still a band yet, with all of Damon Alburn's side projects and Graham Coxon out of the picture seemingly forever.

10) Morrissey (371 plays, down 2)

The Randy Newman-approved Pope of Mope won't have an album out now til the beginning of next year, and his Greatest Hits album released earlier this year comically overstates the staying power of his last two efforts, but Morrissey will always be a sentimental fave of mine, so don't expect him to dip much.

9) American Music Club (420 plays, up 10)

Another big gainer, much of it thanks to this year's The Golden Age. Mark Eitzel and co. have quite a few albums in their past that won't gather dust in the recesses on my iTunes.

8) Supergrass (431 plays, up 4)

See? Release a new album like the 'Garse (this year's Diamond Hoo Ha) and you move up the chart. Of course, it helps that it was a really good album, but then again, I've come to expect nothing less from them.

7) The Beach Boys (445 plays, down 1)

Another act who benefits by having a giant catalogue trapped in my ITunes, but I still discover new things from them. Plus, you have to figure Pet Sounds should get a few plays between now and next year...

6) Wilco (488 plays, down 3)

Wilco take a bit of a dip, but it's more other artists racking up much more plays than Wilco actually losing any. It may be a while before a new Wilco LP gets onto the shelves; hopefully it won't affect Wilco's position too much.

5) Radiohead (489 plays, up 14)

Yeah, how a year chages things, eh? You may not have heard about it, but Radiohead released a new album this year. in rainbows, I think it was called. They released it on the net, and it bombed. Nobody heard it except for me, I think. I heard Thom Yorke had to sell his spleen on eBay to make back some of the money. I hope a 14 slot advance is a bit of a consolation, and hopefully the boys in Radiohead will learn that deserting the major labels will only hurt you in the end.

4) XTC (597 plays, down 2)

I'm noticing an ongoing phenomenon, that current bands are moving up the chart, whereas bands that no longer exist are going down the chart. It is so bizarre, there's no way to explain it. But all that aside, don't expect XTC to fall too far -- I enjoy their approach and craft too much for them to do an utter nosedive.

3) R.E.M. (626 plays, up 2)

Hard to say a lot more about a band I've loved since, what, 7th-8th grade? Well, the new one's (Accelerate) pretty great, and their older stuff still hits me in the right place. So there.

2) The Beatles (647 plays, down 1)

The Fab Four finally abdicate their number one slot, and while I wouldn't go so far as saying the Beatles should pass a torch to the new number one act, it is fitting that both acts emphasize a band as a united front and each member sings different songs. The Beatles have sold a few more records, though.

1) Sloan (754 plays, up 3)

With enjoying both a new album and an album I haven't gotten around to yet, Sloan leapfrog into the number one position with a nice 100 track buffer between them and the former champ. Sloan stand for all the things I love about pop music: caring about the end product, yet not taking yourself too seriously. Each member getting a chance to create, but enough democracy to not become torn apart by ego. They're on their ninth album....am I selfish enough to humbly request at least one more?

Well, *whew* that's it....seeya next year!

01. How did you get into #31?

I was a big fan of Queer as Folk (the US version) once upon a time around four yeras ago, and I stayed up until ass o'clock in the morning watching this one storyline, and then Brian and Justin got back together to the tune of Lover's Spit and it was beautiful. And the next day I downloaded You Forgot It in People and I fell in love with Broken Social Scene.

02. What was the first song you ever heard by #22?

Needle in the Hay is the first Elliott Smith song I ever heard, I think. In The Royal Tenenbaums.

03. What's your favorite lyric by #41 ?
Well, Bear McCreary is the guy who writes the score for BSG. But one time he wrote an operatic-style song for the first season, and translated into English one of the lyrics means: "There's a toaster in your head and it wears high heels." AWESOME.


04. What is your favorite album by #49 ?

My favourite Nick Drake album? It should be simple but it's kinda hard. I love Pink Moon because it's freaking Pink Moon, but I have special connections with Five Leaves Left.


05. How many albums by #13 do you own?

I own two Thom Yorke albums, The Eraser, and Spitting Feathers, which is a Japanese import collection of all the b-sides from The Eraser.

06. What is your favorite song by #50 ?

I haven't listened to Led Zeppelin for a while, which is why they're on the bottom, but sometimes I think White Summer/Black Mountain Side from Coda is my favourite. Because it's such a nostalgic return to their roots, at a time when they had (d)evolved into a Journey-esque synth band.


07. Is there a song by #4 that makes you sad?

The easiest answer to this question is Battery in Your Leg, because it's the last song Graham Coxon played with Blur and it's the only song Damon Albarn wrote about the band, and it's probably the last Blur song ever, but Caramel might just be more sad, if you take away the context. Or 1992.


08. What is your least favorite song by #15 ?

Ooh, that's a difficult one. Sometimes some of the songs on Andrew Bird's Armchair Apocrypha piss me off, because they're so obviously derivative of his earlier work. I know Imitosis is a redux of I, and I love it for that, but in Heretics he completely rips off the line from A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left, Fake Palindromes-style. I don't know. Something about it bugs me, even though I like the lyrics.


09. What is your favorite song by #5

I always end up having to choose my favourite Animal Collective song with these memes. They always change! Plus, their albums are so diverse that one song sounds like it's written by a completely different band from another. I think We Tigers is probably one of the coolest moments in music, so I'll go with that.


10. Is there a song by #6 that makes you happy?

A lot of Devendra Banhart songs make me happy, like, Seahorse and Will Is My Friend.


11. What is your favorite album by #40 ?

Wow, I haven't listened to Tom McRae in ages. I guess Just Like Blood, that was the best produced and it has Mermaid Blues on it.


12. What is your favorite song by #10 ?

I'd have to say On a Neck, On a Spit because holy shit, Grizzly Bear! Also: you can't go home again/each time it's different, yeah, ouch.


13. What is a good memory you have involving #33 ?

I honestly can't think of a memory involving The Mountain Goats. Um, I probably sat around depressed listening to Get Lonely a lot, fall of 2006?


14. What is your favourite song by #37 ?

Ooh! I'd say Coney Island Shuffle is probably my favourite Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire song, because I could dance to that forever. However, I have to give second place if not a tie to Why?, because yeeeow!


15. Is there a song by #19 that makes you happy?

Many songs by The Arcade Fire make me happy. Like Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) and...yeah, most of them. They're so anthemic and built to jump around your room singing along to, and yet there's such sadness behind the lyrics.


16. How many times have you seen #24 live?

Oh my god, I WISH I'd seen Pulp. But I HAVE seen Jarvis Cocker, which was almost as awesome.


17. What is the first song you heard by #23 ?

Again, I always get asked the first song I heard by Nickel Creek and I can never remember. But it's probably...OH! It's totally The Lighthouse's Tale! I've gotten this wrong on all other surveys, oops. I had totally forgotten.


18. What is your favorite album by #11 ?

Always and forever, my favourite The White Stripes album is The White Stripes. There's something about it that's so raw and perfect. Which is not to say that I haven't loved their evolution as a band, I just...keep coming back to the first one.


19. Who is your favorite member of #1 ?

They always ask me this one too, and I still can't decide my favourite Radiohead member. Oh well.


20. How many times have you seen #14 live?

I've seen Beirut once, though I've tried unsuccessfully many other times. I'm just gonna say, it helps when your friend's sister is the band's violinist.


21. What is a good memory you have involving #45 ?

Nothing specific, but I associate Elbow with the end of my third year of university.


22. What is your favorite song by #16 ?

Always end up with the same questions. Right now, my favourite Portishead song is The Rip. Mostly because Radiohead have been soundchecking it a lot and Thom and Jonny recorded a cover. Also, it's one of their prettiest songs ever.


23. What is the first song you heard by #47 ?

Probably When the Lights Go Out as it is the first on Rubber Factory, but then again Set Me Free is in School Of Rock which I saw before that The Black Keys album came out. I didn't really notice the song, though.


24. What is your favorite album by #3 ?

Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lake State, because it is the most coherent, diverse, and flowing-start-to-finish of Sufjan Stevens' albums.


25. What is your favourite song by #18 ?

Oooh, I'd say my favourite Supergrass song is Mary. Just, overall fun.


26. What is the first song you heard by #38 ?

Skakka, cos it's the first on Animamina, which I bought after feeling guilty that I got to my first