You Don't Care If It's Wrong or If It's Right

Rumor is Sting and the other two in The Police (Andy and Stewart) are reuniting and it feels so good. This year is the 30th (!!!) anniversary of Roxanne. Cripes. They would do some live shows in the US and England, but no mention of any new music. Sting, after all, is too busy playing the lute and scoring Imax movies (The Living Sea is actually quite stunning and Sting's new agey nautically themed music suit it perfectly - and it's actually over 10 years old itself). Seeing The Police live would definitely be a lifelong concert highlight.

It's the Next Best Thing To Be

When The Beatles released the exhaustive Anthology project in the mid-90s, they reworked two John Lennon demos into official Beatles tunes. I remember watching the first installment of the Anthology series on TV with boyish excitement at the promise of a new Beatles song at the end. While Free As a Bird didn't rival the classic Beatles tunes, it was thrilling nonetheless. With the second installment of the Anthology came Real Love. Both "new" songs are truly excellent, but they could never ever come close to expectations. Impossible. With Anthology 3, I was disappointed that there wasn't a new one on there. It didn't make much sense after releasing one for each previous installment. I was hoping for Lennon's excellent Grow Old With Me, which was rumored at the time. Instead, nothing.

Paul McCartney has recently revealed that a third tune was in the works, but they could never quite get it right. Now and Then, aka I Don't Want to Lose You, evidently had too much tape hiss despite having a "beautiful verse" sung by Lennon. Macca told Q Magazine that he regrets they never finished it. Allegedly, there was also work on a McCartney-Harrison song called All For Love. It is highly unlikely either one will ever get a legitimate release, particularly with Harrison out of the picture. But a Beatles nut can dream, yes?

Everything I'll Ever Be I've Been

Any new Matthew Sweet album is reason enough to elicit squeals of excitement from yours truly, which is why Rock Bottom is easily my most anticipated release of 2007. Nonetheless, no news yet on it, but it is scheduled to be released "Fall 2006, Spring 2007" (thanks for narrowing that down). You can still preview the album at hisspace. And still no update to the official site despite the promise that it would be updated "Spring 2006," which makes me think maybe we'll get a new album from Sweet "Spring 2008." Whatever.

I do write about Sweet for a reason, though. The Onion's AV Club has honored his fourth studio album and first post-Girlfriend album Altered Beast in it's Hall of Fame feature. It could never live up to expectations being released after such a masterpiece, but it is incredible and deserves its own recognition. I've always found it to be darker and louder than anything else he's released, which always makes for a nice cathartic listen. I mean, Someone to Pull the Trigger is ridiculously depressing yet effective nonetheless. I remember hearing it in concert before the album came out and just smiling because it is quintessential Sweet pathos. Also on Altered Beast is one of my top five Sweet favorites of all time, Devil With the Green Eyes.

Also, Blogcritics Magazine designated Girlfriend as last year's third best reissue. Still haven't picked up the remastered album, but I definitely should as it's easily one of my go-to-at-anytime records.

I've also seen a few lists that included the Sweet and Susanna Hoffs covers project as one of the best of the year. You'll notice it didn't make my list. I found it extremely pleasant but a bit boring and too reverent. I suppose that's the danger in doing covers of your heroes.

Who Taught You To Live Like That?

Canadian power-poppers Sloan are releasing yet another album next week. These guys seem awfully prolific, or maybe that's my excuse for not keeping up. The last album I have is Pretty Together, which was and still is in fact fantastic. Sloan has always had a great too poppy-esque sound, but their availability in the states has been limited. Never Hear the End of It will be available on Amazon.com, though, and it sounds very interesting:

Never before has a Sloan record generated such extreme reviews by critics and fans. The band's eighth studio recording, Never Hear the End of It, contains a whopping 30 songs on one disc, ranging from 50 seconds to just over five minutes in length. The bulk of those tracks average roughly two-and-a-half minutes and bleed into each other--at times rather abruptly.

Lots of Sloan on iTunes so I wouldn't be surprised to find the new one there next week. Time to bulk up my collection.

MP3: Sloan - Who Taught You To Live Like That? (via)

Don't Recognize the Times That It Says Are Mine

I'm a bit depressed looking over country feedback's best of 2006 list along with all the others because I realize how much I've really missed this year. I resolve to stay much more current in 2007. With that said, I did actually pick up a few new albums this year and here are my favorites of 2006:

1. Jon Auer - Songs From The Year of Our Demise
My reaction to this album transcends any year actually. It is easily one of my favorite albums in the last 5 years, if not 10. The material is dark and introspective with a definite recurring theme of mortality, whether pertaining to life or relationships. Nonetheless, you can definitely hear that one of the Posies was responsible for this because it is well grounded in hooks and melody. I think it came to me at the right time in my life because I had quite a personal response to it. Now it will forever remind me of the huge life changes my family and I have seen this year. A true masterpiece.
MP3: Six Feet Under
MP3: Four Letter Word

2. Pernice Brothers - Live a Little
I didn't even own this one a month ago and now it's easily no. 2 on my year-ender. What an incredible pop album. I've heard about him for many years, but now I know first-hand that Joe Pernice is a popcraft genius. The tunes and the lyrics make for a nearly perfect album. What makes me so happy is that now I can travel back in time and discover each release that I've missed. That will make my new year!
MP3: Somerville

3. L.E.O. - Alpacas Orgling
This one is extremely fun and quite well done. A power pop supergroup led by Bleu set out to create an album that essentially was an homage to ELO. I never thought this would actually ever be released, but thankfully it was and they succeeded in their goal and then some. Jeff Lynne has to be beaming with pride wherever he is. And it was so good to hear Andy Sturmer singing lead vocals for part of a song. Very awesome all around.
Stream at theirspace

4. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. - The Land of Pure Imagination / Solid State Warrior
As great as it was to hear one of the two principal Jellyfishers back with a solo album, it just wasn't instant for me. At first, I thought it lacked a certain edge that only Sturmer's sarcasm and wit could bring. But then the more I listened, the more submerged I became in the syrupy and goopy pop goodness I expect from Manning.
Stream here

5. Wisely - Parador
I never even heard of this guy until Not Lame sent me a special email telling me it's the best album of the decade. Well, I'm used to this type of hyperbole from Not Lame so I didn't think much of it, but then I listened to the album and they were nearly right. It's a grown-up album as odd as that sounds. It's just so well crafted and musically diverse that it's the type of album (I keep saying album because it is a nice complete work) that you can stop listening to it for a few months until a tune pops up on shuffle and you wonder why you stopped listening in the first place. The best part? The cover is an artistic rendering of a poppy. Very nice.
Video: Parador

With the top five out of the way, here are a few more:

Nice to hear from you again:
The Beatles - Love
The Charlatans UK - Simpatico
Gin Blossoms - Major Lodge Victory
Guster - Ganging Up On The Sun
Keane - Under the Iron Sea
Mates of State - Bring It Back
Snow Patrol - Eyes Open
World Party - Dumbing Up
Pete Yorn - Nightcrawler

Not so much:
Glen Phillips - Mr. Lemons
A cover of I Want a New Drug?! Man, talk about jumping the shark!

Still waiting for my copy from Japan:
TV Eyes

Local guys done good:
The Envy Corps

Top Ten Most Played Tunes between December 1, 2005 and December 31, 2006:
1. Jon Auer - Sundown
2. Nada Surf - Always Love
3. Guster - One Man Wrecking Machine
4. Jon Auer - Six Feet Under
5. Jon Auer - Bottom of the Bottle
6. The Charlatans UK - When the Lights Go Out in London
7. Dixie Chicks - Not Ready to Make Nice (my Since U Been Gone of 2006)
8. Jon Auer - Song Noir
9. Wisely - Parador
10. Snow Patrol - Open Your Eyes

I told you I liked Jon Auer!

Happy New Year!

We drank a toast to innocence we drank a toast to time

Comeback Album:
Gin Blossoms: Major Lodge Victory

Most Disappointing Release:
Live: Songs From Black Mountain

Best New Discovery:
Blue October: Foiled

Best Beatles-Related Album:
The Beatles: Love

Most Annoying Song:
James Blunt: You're Beautiful

Most Amazing Rediscovery:
Josh Clayton-Felt: Spirt Touches Ground (lead singer of School of Fish)

Most Amazing Tribute Album
L.E.O.: Alpacas Orgling

Can't Stopping Listening Release:
Modern Skirts: Catalogue of Generous Men

Stupidest Song:
Neil Diamond: Oh Mary

Best Jellyfish-Related Release:
Roger Joseph Manning: Solid State Warrior/The Land of Pure Imagination

Best Power-Pop Release:
Wisely: Parador

Best Podcast:
The Onion

Best & Most Surprising Duet:
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoff: Under The Covers Volume 1

Most Boring Album:
Keane: Under the Iron Sea

Album with the most potential not listened to yet:
The Charlatans U.K.: Simpatico

Prettiest Voice:
Hayley Westenra: Odyssey

Top 10 Most Played Songs:
Modern Skirts: Seventeen Dirty Magazines
L.E.O.: Goodbye Innocence
Gin Blossoms: Jet Black Sunrise
Gin Blossoms: The End of the World
Modern Skirts: City Lights
Guster: Satellite
The Muppets: Rainbow Connections
Roger Joseph Manning Jr.: Too Late For Us Now
Guster: Lightning Rod
Wisely: This Is Everything

Best Recommendation by TooPoppy:
Jon Auer: Songs from the Year of Our Demise

Most Emotional Moment:
Andy Sturmer's Voice: L.E.O.: Goodbye Innocence

Most Promising of 2007 sor far:
Pernice Brothers: Live A Little

There Was Something So Pleasant About That Phase

Happy New Year! Before we move on to 2007, let's look back on the past year. Here are country feedback's top picks of 2006 (he forgot how to post on here because it's been so long - we gotta change that!):

These are in no particular order. An asterisk means I really, really liked it. So, my top 10 albums for 2006 are...

- *Cat Power, "The Greatest"
- *Band of Horses, "Everything All The Time"
- Peter Bjorn and John, "Writer's Block"
- *Cold War Kids, "Robbers and Cowards"
- Tokyo Police Club, "A Lesson in Crime"
- *Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins, "Rabbit Fur Coat"
- Neko Case, "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood"
- Tapes 'n Tapes, "The Loon"
- Jennifer O'Connor, "Over the Mountain, Across the Valley, and Back to the Stars"

Honorable Mention:
- Belle and Sebastian, "The Life Pursuit"
- Alexi Murdoch, "Time Without Consequence" (a close #11)
- Yo La Tengo, "I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass" (a few good songs, yes, but really this makes it on album title alone)
- The Decemberists, "The Crane Wife"
- TV on the Radio, "Return to Cookie Mountain"
- Arctic Monkeys, "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not"

Best reissue of 2006 - or EVER, for that matter:
- R.E.M., "And I Feel Fine...:The Best of the IRS Years 1982-1987" (I'm a completist with them so this is tough to say, but really, if a person only buys one R.E.M. album it has to be this one)

Album that will show up on EVERY other top 10 list but
really only had 2 good songs in my opinion:
- Gnarls Barkley, "St. Elsewhere"

Best single of 2006:
- "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley