New Site

I have a new site:  www.thecompstons.com

The Best of 2008

Here's my year-end list of all things music.  I've tried to make these picks on what I actually thought about the music rather than what would make me look smart or hip or whatever.  Thus, I made my picks before checking out the year-end lists on pitchfork, James's blog, or anything else.  Make sure you check out James's list too - our categories correspond.

Worst Album Art

5. Cardinology - Ryan Adams and the Cardinals

4. Chinese Democracy - Guns n Roses (mostly because the art was picked like a decade before the album came out)

3. Evil Urges - My Morning Jacket

2. Plunder, Beg, and Curse - Colour Revolt

1. At Mount Zoomer - Wolf Parade

Most Overrated Album

5. Street Horrrsing - F*** Buttons

4. Chinese Democracy - Guns n Roses

3. Evil Urges - My Morning Jacket

2. Only By the Night - Kings of Leon

1. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

Best Live Show

5. Explosions in the Sky (Ogden Theater, Denver)

4. Fleet Foxes (Hi-dive, Denver)

3. Andrew Bird (Mile High Music Fest)

2. The Dodos (Hi-dive Denver)

1. Spoon (Mile High Music Fest)

Biggest Disappointment (and some regrets)

5. Wolf Parade album being merely "really good" rather than blowing my mind

4. The super-lame Boulder crowd for the Deer Tick/Felice Brothers Show

3. Waiting too long to buy Fleet Foxes tickets for their second Hi-dive show (that's what you get for assuming that the 50-person crowd won't increase after their album drops)

2. Ryan Adams releasing Cardinology, instead of a really good album

1. Passing up the $8 Frightened Rabbit show because I was "too tired"

Best Track

10. "Murder in the City" - The Avett Brothers (Second Gleam EP)

9. "Shout Me Out" - TV on the Radio (Dear Science,)

8. "Furr - Blitzen Trapper" (Furr)

7. "Easy Does It" - Bonnie Prince Billy (Lie Down in the Light)

6. "Cries of the Dead" - Chad Vangaalen (Soft Airplane)

5. "Keep Yourself Warm" - Frightened Rabbit (The Midnight Organ Flight)

4. "White Winter Hymnal" - Fleet Foxes (Fleet Foxes)

3. "Nothing Ever Happened" - Deerhunter (Microcastle)

2. "Joe's Waltz" - The Dodos

1. "Inni mer syngur vitleysingur" - Sigur Rós (Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust)

Best Album

25. Shining Violence - The Low Lows

24. Volume One - She and Him

23. Shallow Graves - The Tallest Man on Earth

22. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles

21. At Mount Zoomer - Wolf Parade

20. You and Me - The Walkmen

19. Lust Lust Lust - The Raveonettes

18. Exposion - White Denim

17. Hold On Now, Youngster... - Los Campesinos!

16. In Ear Park - Department of Eagles

15. Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down - Noah and the Whale

14. Dear Science, - TV on the Radio

13. Modern Guilt - Beck

12. Alopecia - Why?

11. Viva la Vida - Coldplay

10. Soft Airplane - Chad Vangaalen

9. For Emma Forever Ago - Bon Iver

8. Parc Avenue - Plants and Animals

7. The Stand Ins - Okkervil River

6. Microcastle - Deerhunter

5. Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust - Sigur Rós

4. The Midnight Organ Flight - Frightened Rabbit

3. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

2. Lie Down in the Light - Bonnie Prince Billy

1. Visiter - The Dodos

UPDATE:  I just checked out Pitchfork's top 50 albums.  I'm pumped that TVOTR and Deerhunter were in the Top 10, and that Fleet Foxes are Number 1.  I'm also not surprised that Vampire Weekend hit #7, although it's total BS self-made internet media hype.  I'm most astounded, however, that Visiter, my #1, was not in the top 50.  Apparently I don't have very good taste.

ANOTHER UPDATE:  Apparently James doesn't have good taste either (read: sarcasm), since he also has the Dodos at #1.  

Free Pop Music

James has a new post about a conversation we had about how the definition of pop music has been distorted, and makes the case for redeeming it as good art.

9+2=13

Apparently, the quarterback for the Redskins, Jason Campbell can't do math.  His quote following today's game:

"We were 6-2 and now we're 7-6 and you find that hard to believe," quarterback Jason Campbell said.  "You'd thought you'd be at least be sitting here 9-2 or maybe 10-3."

Last I checked, 7+6=13, and so does 10+3.  9+2 however, does not.

Best Man Fail

Via Fail Blog.

Fact o' the Day

Apparently, Woody Harrelson's father Charles was a hitman in Texas and at one time was held in the Supermax prison in Florence, CO for assassinating a federal judge.  He died in 2007 though.  I wonder if he hung out with the Unabomber?  I actually discovered this fact because of multiple comments that my current facebook/twitter pic looks like the unabomber.  Wikipedia took it from there.

Come on demcoracy

A CNN poll shows that 6 in 10 Americans are now against bailing out the Big 3 automakers.  Now, if only their democratically elected representatives will listen to them, we might stave off the stupidity I recently spoke about here.

UPDATE:  Partial victory!  The Senate killed the auto bailout this week.  However, there's been talk that the White House might try to use some of the $700B from the financial bailout for the auto industry.  Why can't they take a hint?