In the tradition of hip hop charts comes this amazing flowchart where you can figure out if you’re gonna have a good day (according to Ice Cube’s criteria).

So my music for last year. I had an off year musically and really did not get into much until late in the year, but still. For your perusal.

Billy Bragg: Mr. Love and Justice – we were lucky enough to have him release an album during an election year, since that seems to be when he tours. i think i have listened to this more than anything else released this year. seeing him live @ the Keswick was awesome and he was such a good storyteller.

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!! – yet another lucky touring year, as he hardly ever comes stateside. not my absolute favourite by the group, but still strong enough to keep me listening. another charming performer.

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Inspired by this first video posted on another blog that I hadn’t seen in years. Feel free to add any I may have missed.

As I’ve made many of you painfully aware, I have a thing for 8-bit video games. Especially the music. So when I found out about 8-bit Jesus, a project by some dude who guys by the name Doc Octoroc, I flipped out. It’s a comp of classic Christmas carols and hymns done in the style of classic Nintendo tunes. That isn’t to say it’s just done with an 8-bit chip or that the themes are mixed. That would be lame! No, this is way cooler.

Now, it’s been a rather long debate between Hutch and I, the perks of bad music. I absolutely adore things that he finds reprehensible and/or embarrassingly terrible… musically.

I submit, for a vote, The Shitty Beach Boys.

I’m going to make a mix CD soon, for no particular reason really, but for myself. I just want it to be high energy. There are a few bands from 2008 that fall under that category and it’s what got me thinking.

So far: Marnie Stern, Ponytail, Soil & “Pimp” Sessions, Lightning Bolt.

Thought this would be a nice thing to discuss. I’m just looking for something fast and steady and wild. Try your best to avoid any hardcore because I really don’t like that genre too much. I’m sure I’ll think of more myself when I get home and scan my library.

‘Tis the season, and looking through my music collection I’ve concluded that I need to stock up on these. I only have the Saddle Creek Christmas (basically a Conor Oberst Christmas album), a Tony Bennett jazz christmas album, and the Charlie Brown Christmas.

I’m looking to expand.

What are some of your favorites, and why?

fffFFFFUUUUUUUCCCKKKKKKING hell this is good. Owen – Never Meant. Tim Kinsella (or is it Mike?) of American Football covers the American Football classic and makes it somehow even more beautiful than the original.

Username and password, in case you forgot, is the same as the FTP (which, in case you forgot, is down the sidebar a bit).

As stated in the Bon Iver thread, followups to brilliant first albums tend to be disappointing. So, what are some exceptions to the rule?

I’ll start it off with the obvious: London Calling.

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I know we’ve talked about this, but I’m listening to another one… a Conner Oberst concert (with The Mystic Valley Band).

The first song was so good I posted this. I haven’t listened to Oberst/Bright Eyes in a long time, because frankly I had gotten a little tired of hearing the same old thing.

That first song made me feel/think, “Wow. He’s really grown up. His voice is the same, but matured at the same time.” I think it was a noticeable lack of that trademark warble of his… and I loved it.

The second song seems to backtrack a little to more typical-type stuff for him, but we’ll see. That first song was a keeper, though.

with album art! Because I don’t want to write so much about them! I downloaded about 40 albums for 2008, and not much had a lasting hold for me. It’s getting harder to be impressed with new music; I almost didn’t care enough to try.

I have been compiling this gradually and was waiting to post it until the end of the year, but in the last week I’ve burned myself out on checking out new records in an attempt to catch up on things from other people’s lists. So I’m giving up and just listing this all now.

after the jump…

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In my typically overwrought, wordy fashion…...