Ganked from Pitchfork, musicians pick their top 5 for this year.

Eleanor Friedberger, Fiery Furnaces
1. Jelly Roll Morton: The Complete Library of Congress Recordings
2. Amerie: "1 Thing"
3. Franz Ferdinand: "Eleanor Put Your Boots On"
4. R. Kelly: "Trapped in the Closet"
5. Dungen: Ta Det Lugnt [Expanded]

John Darnielle, the Mountain Goats
1. Jackson Browne: Solo Acoustic Volume 1
2. Geto Boys: The Foundation
3. Dionne Warwick: Legends
4. Final Fantasy: Has a Good Home
5. Origin: Echoes of Decimation

Colin Meloy, Decemberists
Black Mountain: Black Mountain
Kate Bush: Aerial
My Morning Jacket: Z
Sleater-Kinney: The Woods
Martha Wainwright: Martha Wainwright

Vashti Bunyan
1. Devendra Banhart: Cripple Crow: Showing the breadth and subtlety of his vision more and more. This is first in my list not because he is a friend-- he became a friend because I love his music and light.
2. Antony and the Johsons: I Am a Bird Now: He and his songs are beautiful, beautiful, breakable and raw.
3. Gorillaz: Demon Days: And it's the guitarist's hands in the video...goes straight to my heart. I like things that come out of nothing-- in this case a blank sheet of paper.
4. Animal Collective: Feels: Like no one else on earth-- each listen brings out more wonderful wonders.
5. Arcade Fire: Funeral: It's been a while since I heard something for the first time on TV (Jools Holland) and went straight out next day to buy the album. It brims over with brilliance.

Carl Newman, New Pornographers
1. Sufjan Stevens: Illinois
2. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
3. Wolf Parade: Apologies to the Queen Mary
4. The Mountain Goats: The Sunset Tree
5. Spoon: Gimme Fiction

Nels Cline, Wilco
Deerhoof: The Runners Four (Kill Rock Stars CD)
What can I say? Twenty communally conceived tracks of golden pop, skewed Merceybeat go-go crunch, klangfarben chamber pieces, and joyous noise from one of the best bands in the world today or yesterday.

Alison Goldfrapp
1. Motörhead: Ace of Spades (re-issue)
2. LCD Soundsystem: LCD Soundsystem
3. Feist: Let It Die
4. Antony & the Johnsons: I Am a Bird Now
5. Coldplay: X&Y

More Slate music. Interesting review of latest Paul McCartney record.

I'm not sure if I can ever forgive "Freedom," but if this album is any indication I may be able to move on. Hope lives in my heart.

(And I'm 99% sure that what he said when Lennon died was "It's a drag," without the 'bit of a'.)

Pitchfork's Top 50 Singles List makes me want to buy a bunch of singles.

I'm a little surprised that Pitchfork likes Antony and the Johnsons and Sufjan Stevens as much as I did this last year.

A little late now, but here's a link to Sufjan Stevens' Xmas albums:

[link]

Good stuff!

Pitchfork's Top 50 Singles List makes me want to buy a bunch of singles.

I love that The Killers' "Mr. Brightside" made the top 20 on that list, and I LOVED the little dig at godpleasekillmenowCreed in the blurb for the Franz Ferdinand single that made the list.

My morning commute was cheered up when my iPod played "Godzilla" (by Blue Öyster Cult).

Such an awsome song:

Woah-oh, they say he's got to go - Godzilla!
Woah-oh, there goes Tokyo - Godzilla!

It's also a morality tale:

History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of man

Now I want to hear Enya singing in Luxan, but I fear she doesn't have the vocal range for it.

EXACTLY what I thought when I first read that bit.

Hey, I think I've pimped Heaneyland! here before, but he's (Heaney of Heaneyland) posted a new song that I think is one of the best he's ever done, and is one of my new faves ... download here: [link]

He said he was trying to do something Bird-like (that would be ANDREW Bird). I just think it's lovely (and VERY catchy) with great angry/hurt lyrics.

Un-musically, after hearing about Heaneyland what? a month ago? his "six things" cartoons are some of the funniest things I've ever read.

Santa had kinda light pockets 'round my dwelling so "sisters are doin' it for themselves". I went on the 'net and ordered some stuff which is now rolling in:

Starring Fred Astaire: a double-album I owned on LP. I finally got it on CD, too. It's out-of-print so I had to get it used.

The Very Best of Swingin' Jive Transcriptions (P-Vine) - the P-Vine jive series is smokin' hot for the most part. Unfortunately, they went out of print before I could exhale. I think I own about 6 of them now but will need to track down (and afford) the others.

Born to Dance/Going My Way/Road to Utopia/Bring on the Girls (various soundtracks on an omnibus CD)

I got this for the Born to Dance soundtrack. I own it on LP but I'm nuts about it and want to own it on CD as well. Eleanor Powell, James Stewart, Buddy Ebsen and The Foursome. Cole Porter. It just kicks so much ass.