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yes, it would be rude of me to refuse a gift from a friend, even if that gift happens to be the pitchfork top 50 on dvd... lol

Ok, so here's my Top Ten of 2007. Every year I struggle with this because there are so many good releases out there, and I always discover alot of stuff near the end of the year when the Top Ten lists start coming out. It's hard to not forget about stuff I listened to a year ago, because I'm usually pretty excited about the new stuff I'm listening to. Anyway, this year I tried to put down the 10 albums I listened to and enjoyed the most throughout the year. I also put down a huge list of Honorable Mentions because they're all worth checking out and a bunch of them probably fall in and out of my top ten depending on my mood. Anyway, here it is... Top Ten Albums: 1. Radiohead - In Rainbows Favorite band of all time. No question. I've been with them since Pablo Honey and as long as they keep making music like this, I'm happy to stay. 2. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga If Radiohead hadn't put out an album this year, this would be No. 1. Every song is unbelievably catchy. I think Spoon have pretty much perfected their sound with this record. 3. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even sank Isaac Brock is an amazing songwriter. I wish I could get inside his head. How many bands still put out albums with 14 songs on them... and not one of them is filler. Brilliant! 4. Joel Plaskett - Ashtray Rock Best summer/driving/rock record ever. Period. Catchy as hell! 5. Julie Doiron - Woke Myself Up I'm a sucker for Julie Doiron. She just hits all the right notes with me. And the fact that she's backed by Eric's Trip on this record is just icing on the cake. Girl Pop at it's best. Be sure to catch her live if you get the chance. She's as sincere as they come. 6. New Pornographers - Challengers AC Newman. Dan Bejar. Neko Case. What more needs to be said? If you're not already a fan, this is as good a time as any to start. 7. Dinosaur Jr - Beyond Best reunion album ever! Dinosaur Jr picked up right where they left and didn't miss a beat. This album brings me back to the 90s like no other. J Mascis has got one of the best guitar sounds ever. This album gets weekly rotation while I'm sitting at my desk wishing I was somewhere else. Just the right amount of angst to take me away. 8. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible These guys deserve all the praise they've gotten. See them live and you'll know what I mean. It was one of the most memorable live experiences of my life. They've got a youthful energy about their music that I find very refreshing. 9. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam I'm not really sure how to describe this album. I've been listening to and enjoying the Animal Collective for a few years now but haven't really understood their other albums like I do with this one. Maybe it's because the songs are more melodic here, but they seem to be taking their music in new directions, and that new path is very clear to me. Panda Bear's (a.k.a. Noah Lennox) solo album is worthy of a mention here too because he's one of the band members and has made a very, very solid record this year as well. It's called Person Pitch and is generally ranked higher on critics' Top Ten lists than the AC. There are a few tracks on there that I think are brilliant but I think "Strawberry Jam" is stronger as a whole. Avey Tare (the other primary writer in AC) also put out an album with his wife that was very intersting, however, I think that this is one case where the sum is greater than the parts. 10. Frog Eyes - Tears of the Valedictorian This album's probably not for everyone, and it takes some effort to uncover the beauty in some of these songs, but I definitely feel it's worth the investment. Listen to "Bushels" and tell me this isn't one of the most exciting canadian bands making music today. Wow! I just realised as I was writing this that 5 of my 10 favorite releases of the year were from canadian artists. That's pretty wicked... Whoever said canadian artists were second-tier was full of shit. This list (and many others out there) are proof that canada has got some great talent. Top EP that I wish was a full length: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Is Is EP Honorable Mentions: M.I.A. - Kala Okkervil River - The Stage Names Fiery Furnaces - Widow City Bright Eyes - Cassadaga Bill Calahan - Woke on a Whale Heart Feist - The Reminder Amy Winehouse - Back in Black John Vanderslice - Emerald City The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour akron/family - love is simple Iron and Wine - The Shepard's Dog Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends Beirut - The Flying Club Cup Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha Panda Bear - Person Pitch Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder Good Life - Help Wanted Nights Wilco - Sky Blue Sky Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs Peter Elkas - Wall of Fire The Besnard Lakes - Are the Dark Horse Buck 65 - Situation Rocky votolato - The Bragg and Cuss Castanets - In the Vines Ben Davis & the Jetts / Des Ark - Battle of the Beards The Frames - The Cost Against Me! - New Wave Willy Mason - If the Ocean Gets Rough Minus the Bear - Planet of Ice Ted Leo - Living with the Living Travis Morrison - All Y'All Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklights Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover Two Gallants - Two Gallants Rufus Wainwright - Release the Stars Handsome Furs - Plague Park Tori Amos - American Doll Posse Cake - B-Sides and Rarities The Acorn - Glory Hope Mountain Bands I like but haven't listened to their new albums yet (what can I say, I can't buy everything and I refuse to download so, I have to draw the line somewhere...): Cuff the Duke - Sidelines of the City Great Lake Swimmers - Ongiara Chuck Ragan – Feast or Famine and many, many others... Artist I missed the most in 2007: Jim Guthrie Please come back... please!

alright, we'll probably be there by 6:30, so maybe we'll see some of you later.

people still meeting up at pub saint-ciboire for pre-show drinks? krissi and i will be in montreal fairly early as well. randy

For those of you still recovering from this year's Bluesfest, PopMatters has just posted the first article of a multi-part series about the fest. Read on...

this might have been posted here before, but here's an interesting article about some guys that invented a "green box" which captures emmisssions from cars, which are then sent to an algea storage site which then converts the emmissions into re-usable biodiesel and other forms of gas. pretty cool stuff... Link

usually the biggest gain comes from slowing down. i try to never go over 120 on the highway, which is where i spend all my time, but i bet if i slowed that down to 110, i'd probably get 1000kms/tank. Also, for city driving, coasting to a stop rather than braking will also improve your mileage. Racing from light to light in the city will quickly use up all of your gas. You should always try to keep your RPMs as low as possible for maximum fuel efficiency. Also, shifting at the right time and being in the right gear for the right situation will help. I'm no pro and I don't always adhere to these rules, but I did tons of research when looking into converting my car to run on used vegetable oil and these all seemed to be common ways to achieve better gas mileage. And keeping up on your maintenance (oil changes, air filters, fuel filters, etc...) will also help.

Here's what I drive: My daily commuter is a 92 vw jetta turbo diesel with roughly 355,000KMs on it. I average about 950kms/tank and log close to 200KMs/day. I paid $1000 for it over a year ago. Our (family) car is a 2001 toyota carolla with about 85,000KMs on it. Krissi averages about 700kms/tank. We paid $10,000 for it a few months ago. Cars I've owned in the past: 1986 mazda rx-7 1987 honda accord 1998 ford contour (totalled in an accident but probably saved our lives) 1988 vw jetta 1972 vw beatle I'm also of the opinion that there is no need to buy new vehicles. Not that I'm against it, but there are always loads and loads of very decent used vehicles out there that can be had at a bargain. And if I can do my part in reducing the amount of landfill and energy needed to recycle old cars/produce new cars by driving an old "beater", then I'm all for it. Besides, I like the feel of old cars so much better. None of that ABS garbage or over-assisted power steering. Har har!

indeed. the projectionist was very cool. i love the audio visual combo. it's also what i love about the books. they recently released a dvd called play all which collects all of their videos. they always have a large screen behind them while playing. here's a great one: The Books - Take Time

what a great show last night. i've seen him a couple times now but i am always blown away by his ability to create such a complete soundscape for just one person. i know he's got the looper to help out, but he uses it very effectively. his bloc party cover was amazing as well. definitely one of the highlight songs of bluesfest thus far. glad i made the trip into ottawa for it. hopefully some of you were there as well. good times.

yep, although chris and rosie weren't with us, they just stopped in to say hello

I, and the other 7 people I was at the show with, really enjoyed their set. I've seen them a few times now, and have always been impressed. There's no denying it's not quite up to par with the sound of the albums, but that's to be expected. I just think they play the tunes a little differently live than they do on record. I felt the replacement bassist did a pretty good job and they were fairly tight despite missing a very important part of their rhythm section. Johnny Marr was also wicked. I'm glad he joined the band. Man Man were brilliant. Perfect pre-cursor. I love those guys. I missed their last show in Ottawa so I was glad to hear they were opening for the mouse. AD, I'm pretty sure I saw you at the show. Were you with 3 other people near the washroom stairs in the upper balcony? Randy

If you're a fan of Wolf Parade, or even if you're not, you should do yourself the favour of downloading the four tracks by Sunset Rubdown found at the following link: http://www.daytrotter.com/article/99/free-songs-sunset-rubdown Sunset Rubdown features Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade on vocals and keys, so fans of that band will appreciate the familiar vocal stylings they've hopefully come to love as much as I have. Comparisons to David Bowie are often thrown about, and although I think that's probably fair, there's a definite sense of something new and special going on with their music. The first track is a new one and it's a real treat. The other three songs are from their recent album "Shut Up I Am Dreaming". That these songs were recorded live is a real testament to the talent of the players and to the authenticity of their sound. I was supposed to see them with Frog Eyes and Swan Lake in Montreal a few weeks back, but unfortunetaly that show got cancelled at the last minute. I've seen Wolf Parade a number of times, but it would've been nice to take part in what was sure to have been a great night of music, as Swan Lake members include Carey Mercer of Frog Eyes, Dan Bejar of the New Pornographers and Destroyer, as well as Spencer Krug - a Canadian indie all-star line-up, if you will. So, now that I've surely convinced you that these songs will be well worth the five minutes it'll take you to surf on over to the above-posted link and download those tracks, I'm not sure how long they'll be avaiable, so don't miss out on this chance. Yet another highly recommended band to come out of Montreal. Randy