Feaverish

Some of you have been begging—begging, I say—to know what the best new music was last year. Between those of you who told me you couldn’t buy any music until I’d given it my seal of approval and those of you who promised to sleep with me if I revealed my Top 10 List™, I felt bad holding out so long. So here it is. It was actually pretty hard to come up with a real Top 10, since there were so many great albums last year. I really just have a top two (CYHSY and Wolf Parade) and then like 20 runners up. The links go to iTunes, so click on them, buy some medium-fidelity music, and make me rich. Rich!

1. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah — Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
2. Wolf Parade — Apologies to the Queen Mary
3. Decemberists — Picaresque
4. M. Ward — Transistor Radio
5. The New Pornographers — Twin Cinema
6. Animal Collective — Feels
7. Broadcast — Tender Buttons
8. Architecture in Helsinki — In Case We Die
9. Of Montreal — The Sunlandic Twins
10. My Morning Jacket — Z

Devendra Banhart — Cripple Crow
Sufjan Stevens — Illinois
Spoon — Gimme Fiction
Beck — Guero
The Clientele — Strange Geometry
The Fiery Furnaces — EP (their full-length album, Rehearsing My Choir, was pretty wild and weird, but definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan.
Franz Ferdinand — You Could Have It So Much Better
The National — Alligator
Okkerville River — Black Sheep Boy
Rogue Wave — Descended Like Vultures
The Russian Futurists — Our Thickness (not at iTunes! Here’s his homepage)
The Long Winters — Ultimatum EP
Seu Jorge — The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions
The Oranges Band — The World And Everything In It
Fruit Bats — Spelled In Bones
The Joggers — With A Cape And A Cane

2006 looks to be a pretty good year, too, as I’m already really enjoying new albums by Clearlake, Cat Power (only the single’s available at iTunes), and Belle & Sebastian (not yet at iTunes; link goes to their homepage).

What do you kids think? Did I miss anything?

The other day at the deli I got into it with this businessman who tried to hork my sandwich, and, after a bout of name calling (he called me “Pal,” I called him “Peter PowerPoint”) we ended up settling the matter like gentlemen—that is, we dueled using shellacked baguettes conveniently hung from the ceiling. Long story short, if you’re keeping a list of places from which I am banned, you can add Paradise Bakery.

It doesn’t really matter, though, thanks to this awesome gift I got gave as a Christmas present. Multi-function kitchen gadgets are the bee’s knees, if you ask me, and who needs a deli when you can make your very own Egg McMuffins at home?

This Christmas I decided to only buy for others gifts that I’d want to receive myself. I mean, let’s face it: your so-called “loved ones?” They’re all going to die. Lots of ‘em are going to die while you’re still alive—what between common household accidents and the diseases they’re probably rife with (I’m just guessing here)—and you’ve gotta be thinking about what you’re going to inherit. Nothing will remind you so cruelly of the absurdity of your close friend’s ladder accident as when his distraught widow gives you—because “he’d want you to have it”—that crappy DVD you bought him last Christmas. A crappy DVD you’ve already seen.

So why not get him a quality gift? A DVD is fine, but why not get him one that you want? Something that would really fill that gaping hole in your collection between Red Beard and Red Dawn. After all, it’s probably going to be yours someday (even sooner if you can get him to keep up that nasty smoking habit!), so put a little thought into it.

From Craigslist:

“If you’re looking for a punk or alternative or musician or vegan or artist or environmentalist roommate, I am not your guy. I grew up in the suburban hills of Portland, and for the first 15 years of my life, thought everything east of the river was ghetto. I live with my parents, drive a light blue Camry and wear Old Navy button down shirts. I am pretty sure I am not cool enough to reply to anyone looking for a roommate. I want to be cool though! I want to live in a hipster house on the ‘ghetto’ side of the river. I want to band tee shirts two sizes too small from Buffalo Exchange. I want to go to really bad concerts and pretend I have discovered the next big band. I want have a faux hawk. I want to get something pierced. I want to take the bus to work, or walk. I want to eat food from countries I’ve never even heard of.

But most of all, I want to move out of my parents’ house.

Help a guy out.”

My friends in Boy Eats Drum Machine are playing tomorrow night here in Portland. You should be there. I made them a poster:

...and a website. (Though it’s only, say, 96% finished — don’t judge me!)

Anyway, like I said, the show’s tomorrow night, so those of you within the continental United States should have no problem making it. If you’re presently in lands yonder, you might wanna think about booking a flight, like, right now.