The New Pornographers - Joseph, Who Understood

OK I'm a little late for this year's holiday but this is truly one of the loveliest Christmas songs ever! (thanks for the heads-up, Tiny Mix Tapes) It's a duet between Carl Newman and Neko Case (the redheads front L & R in this photo) telling the story of the immaculate conception from Joseph's point of view. Baby, you're asking me to believe in too many things...

The New Pornographers - Joseph, Who Understood (from 2007's The Spirit of Giving EP)

RIP Dan Fogelberg, 1951-2007

I definitely had me a Dan Fogelberg period in the mid-70s. Here's his breakthrough single, Part of the Plan, from his second album, produced by Joe Walsh.

MP3 Dan Fogelberg - Part of the Plan (from 1974's Souvenirs)

Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven and Kashmir (live in London, 12-10-2007)

Well you can't find the clips on youtube anymore but I guess Warner Brothers hasn't heard of DailyMotion yet. A 63-year-old Jimmy Page with snow white hair cranking out that most famous guitar solo after all these years, wow.

And here's a song that used to SCARE me when I was a teenager, Kashmir, with bassist John Paul Jones (of one rock's greatest arrangers, never forget he did the strings on Automatic for the People) again on the keyboards.

MP3 Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven (from 1971's Led Zeppelin IV)
MP3 Led Zeppelin - Kashmir (from 1975's Physical Graffiti)

2007 Best Of Lists

I have finished my end-of-year lists! Enjoy. For quick reference, here's the Top 10 albums:

1. The National - Boxer

We played it to death but that's only because it was so damn good. I'm very happy for these guys, I'm not the only one who's got them at #1 this year.

MP3 The National - Slow Show

2. Radiohead - In Rainbows

Listen to Jonny Greenwood tell the New York Times how they created the awesome white noise that just completely covers the last minute of this song. It's a thrill to hear it every time.

MP3 Radiohead - All I Need

3. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup

21-year-old Zach Condon channels Jacques Brel.

MP3 Beirut - Guyamas Sonora (Anneliese's favorite!)

4. Burial - Untrue

Like nothing you've ever heard. Nobody knows who this guy is, either.

MP3 Burial - Archangel

5. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

No, it was not and never will be Funeral. Still, I predict these folks will be around for awhile.

MP3 Arcade Fire - Keep the Car Running

6. Okkervil River - The Stage Names

MP3 Okkervil River - Plus Ones

Will Sheff is one of the best lyricists ever and here's a great example. Check out the incredibly clever lyrics to this song, which Sheff always writes out in prose style--how many references do you get?

7. Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals

A thoroughy unique sound, the best debut of the year.

MP3 Yeasayer - 2080

8. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

The entire lyric to this song: I could sleep when I lived alone/Is there a ghost in my house?

MP3 Band of Horses - Is there a Ghost

9. New Pornographers - Challengers

MP3 New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour

it's a love song to NYC from these crazy Canadians


10. Iron and Wine - The Shepherd's Boy

MP3 Iron and Wine - Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car

album opener introduces new kick-ass band, far cry from just Sam and his guitar

These will print out nicely:

Deb's Top 20 Albums of 2007
Honorable Mention
Favorite Songs
Sorry, Did Not Like
Probably good but I didn't get to listen enough

Iron & Wine - Boy with a Coin

NOT the video you would expect to accompany this gorgeous song, this features flamenco dancers and somehow it works.




MP3 Iron & Wine - Boy with a Coin (from 2007's The Shepherd's Dog)

Bruce Springsteen - Radio Nowhere

Well this is the first youtube video I've seen that they won't let me embed, but still you need to click and watch it. Bruce's new single, Radio Nowhere, a return to his form of 30 years ago, is just tremendous. I love you Bruce. Also check out the absolutely lovely Girls in Their Summer Clothes, both off the new album, Magic. This is Bruce's 15th studio album in his 34-year career and his best rock album since Born in the USA. He's now 58 but you'd never know it...also don't miss this month's Spin with Bruce and Win Butler of Arcade Fire on the cover and giving a joint interview inside.

Bruce Springsteen - Radio Nowhere video (unembeddable)

MP3 Bruce Springsteen - Radio Nowhere
MP3 Bruce Springsteen - Girls in Their Summer Clothes (both from 2007's Magic)

Radiohead - All I Need fan video

This is a fantastic fan-made video for my second-favorite song on the new album, All I Need.



Made by one J. Tyler Helms, with footage from the 1996 French film Microcosmos. Audio clip below is of Jonny Greenwood describing how the band created the white noise that dominates the last minute of this incredible song.

MP3 Jonny Greenwood discusses the end of All I Need

PJ Harvey - Silence, White Chalk, Down by the Water, Desperate Kingdom of Love

On her new album White Chalk, Polly Jean throws everyone for a loop by abandoning her trademark noisy guitar and deep vocals for piano and her upper register.

MP3 PJ Harvey - The Mountain (the amazing closer from White Chalk, 2007)

Radiohead - Unravel (Björk cover)

Yesterday and today Radiohead have been giving us little glimpses of themselves fooling around in their studio in Oxfordshire, spinning very cool records like DJs and giving up this beautiful cover of Björk's Unravel from 1997's Homogenic. Thom has called this his favorite song of all time. The ending is especially lovely.



MP3 Radiohead - Unravel (Björk cover, live in studio, 11-08-07)
MP3 Björk - Unravel (from 1997's Homogenic)

And here's the mighty Reckoner all stripped down:



Pitchfork has the whole thing on video here, including the guys' DJ sets (Thom played Heart of Hearts!) and covers of The Smiths' The Headmaster Ritual ("a song about when we were younger, but we didn't write it," explains Thom) and Joy Division/New Order's Ceremony. Here's everything as MP3s. Thanks much, guys.

MP3 Radiohead - Faust Arp (just Thom & Jonny live in a field 11-09-07)
MP3 Radiohead - Bodysnatchers (live in studio 11-09-07)
MP3 Radiohead - Reckoner (live in studio 11-09-07)
MP3 Radiohead - I Might be Wrong (live in studio 11-09-07)

MP3 Radiohead - The Headmaster Ritual (Smiths cover, live in studio 11-09-07)
MP3 The Smiths - The Headmaster Ritual (from 1985's Meat is Murder)

MP3 Radiohead - Ceremony (Joy Division/New Order cover, live in studio 11-09-07)
MP3 New Order - Ceremony (1981 debut single, written by Ian Curtis of Joy Division)

And some lovely pictures of Jonny working on the string arrangements for In Rainbows:

St. Vincent - These Days (Jackson Browne cover)

The lovely Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, formerly of the Polyphonic Spree, covers Jackson Browne last month in Forth Worth, Texas. She's 25 and originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Also listen to Now, Now from her solo debut released this year, Marry Me.

MP3 St. Vincent - These Days (Jackson Browne cover)
MP3 St. Vincent - Now, Now (from 2007's Marry Me)