You Know It Makes Sense, Don't Even Think about It, Life and Death are Things We Only Do When We're Bored

Year-end music report:
I'm not gonna list albums that anyone can read reviews of and top ten lists of at Pitchfork or wherever. They all just copy each other anyway.

I will say that The Tain might be my favorite for the year. I can't get enough of that opening riff, or the climax, the "hush now, baby, don't you cry" part.

Robyn Hitchcock's Spooked was a real return to form, a jump back like 10 years or more.

I really got into The Long Winters' albums. A brutaful smile, indeed.

All things Carl Newman and Neko Case related are wonderful, I discovered.

Franz Ferdinand ended up being the bastard child of Joy Division and Blondie. Once Take Me Out was coopted by the NFL I was done.

The Arcade Fire...blah blah blah. I'm just not nuts about them. I have an mp3 from the in-store that Robyn did for me and Brian Nupp and Michael B and few others where it came up on the store stereo: "Wot's this, then?" said the long grey-haired troubadour. "The Arcade Fire," replied the helpful clerk. No response from Robyn. "The Arcade Fire," he repeated. Robyn's mouth twitched but he didn't say a word and looked away. Arbiter of taste as well as creator of rare beauty, that Mr H.
Best concert:
The Decemberists, Schuba's, Chicago, April 2. My first chance to see them live. Matt came with me and it was lovely.
Next best concert:
The Decemberists, The Metro, Chicago, June 4. Or maybe them at the Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, September 24. Or maybe at Little Brothers, Columbus, October 17.
Other notable gigs:
Magnetic Fields at a big fancy auditorium at Ohio State. Still cool. Artsy venue fit them quite well, actually. The Long Winters opening for The Decemberists. Tom Heinl doing the same thing.
In a class by itself:
Robyn at the Beachland on November 8 (and his intimate in-store right before it). He played all requests and was very friendly and open with us all before and after.