The longest sentence ever.

It's hard to say what has been the nicest surprise of 2006 so far. It seems every year I get so caught up in looking forward to new albums by my favorite bands that I totally forget that new bands put out fantastic material every year, and bands that have been around awhile sometimes step up their game. This year I thought I had a new Radiohead album coming. Turns out I was wrong, but then we got a Thom Yorke solo album and I saw Radiohead live twice. So the universe works itself out I guess. Wilco was supposedly recording too, but it doesn't look like that one is coming soon either. But that Tweedy/O'Rourke album turned out to be a pretty nice little hold me over anyways.

So on the surface it seems that these circumstances may have me set up for let down. Not the case. All the sudden TV on the Radio has put out maybe the best album of the last couple years, significantly improving on the already stunning Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes with the periodically sprawling, but mostly just jaw dropping Return to Cookie Mountain. Neko Case may have topped her best record with the glorious and beautiful Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, out of nowhere this Comets On Fire side project Howlin' Rain put out a fucking awesome mixed bag of rock and roll and overdriven guitar solo stoner rock, The Dears changed it up but managed not to loose their flavor, the Junior Boys may have topped the minimalistic electro pop of their last album on the fantastically catchy and endearing So This Is Goodbye, The Black Keys take a turn away from straight headbanging and toward thick ass guitar riffs that induce such a strong head bob that you may still suffer from whiplash the next morning, Califone comes through yet again with expansive and experimental alt-country rambling on Roots & Crowns, Built to Spill made a triumphant return, Destroyer put out a hell of an album, and I'm still trying to get up to speed on this new Lambchop, which sounds beautiful as well. Was that a run on sentence? Just trying to catch you up to speed on what the veterans are up to.

Fuck, I forgot, you should really check out this band called Asobi Seksu. They put out a totally awesome shoegaze/guitar-pop album called Citrus. It's so good.

I'm sure I'll go back and post more in depth about some of those albums soon, but I was just going through and looking at where we're at so far this year and realized how impressed I am with what's going on out there. I hear all the time, even from young people, that music is going down the tubes and blah blah blah. And every time I hear it I want to grab them by the shoulders and scream "GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASS AND FIND IT!!!!!!!!!" It's really not that hard. Just read this blog! Just kidding. The year is what, half over? It's gonna be a barn burner.

Sorry my first two updates have sucked. I swear soon I'll start thinking these out before I write them, just trying to get into the habit of updating. If there is any music mentioned in here that you want to get your hands (ears) on, let me know. I'll make it happen. That's what this is all about, getting those of you who care music that you'll enjoy. I may make it seem intimidating or something, but it's not. It's just music, it's just sound and time and sometimes space that comes together in a way that your brain may or may not tell the rest of you that it enjoys. Pretty simple really. There's just a lot of it out there. Try not to miss it.

Until next time.

Please watch this video, and watch it loud. It's the best song of the year off the best album of the year. Just listen to the guitars at the end. The song is about a guy who turns into a warewolf. And he likes it.

Feeding on fever
down all fours
I'll show you what all that
howl is for