Merry Christmas

Recently, my bff Bri and his wife had a baby girl, Anna. She is phenomenally cute and when I went to their house to see her (which was really a cleverly disguised plan to watch baseball and drink beers with Brian), they let me hold her. I was shocked. I half expected the state to march in and file a 51A on Brian and Judi for them allowing my useless ass to hold their newborn.

After some awkward moments, I managed to hold little Anna in what appeared to be a comfortable position (I even supported the head) and she eventually fell asleep in my arms. But then she woke up and started to cry and I handed her off as quickly as Ty Law handed the drugs to his cousin at Niagra Falls.

Then, there was the time when I entertained my friend Scott and his wife Jen's son Parker, by engaging him in a light saber battle and having him bash me on the back until the saber made a cool sound. I remembered from my Introduction To Child Rearing class that, as the adult, I am supposed to DISCOURAGE violence, not condone and support it as I did with Parker.

My point with these two stories is that I don't know much about raising children. In fact, I know nothing. Well, almost nothing. I do know that in this annoying holiday season, we should all try our best to fight through the irritations and make it a special time for someone important to us. Maybe we should make it special to our children, our brothers, our sisters, our parents, our wives, husbands, girlfriends, boyfriends, or best friends. But the point is, we should all try to make it special for someone, somewhere.

Because I know someone did that for me and I'll never forget it.

Some years ago, when I was a cute, charming, innocent little blonde haired boy (okay, the part about being cute, charming, and innocent is a complete dramatization), I remember having a hissy fit (trying to remember all of my hissy fits is like trying to remember all of the numbers after .14 in pi) and stomping upstairs in a fit of rage. I was alone stewing on the couch while my mother and sisters were downstairs wrapping presents. To this day, I cannot remember what the hissy fit was about, where I stewed post hissy fit, or even what year it was. I was probably 8 or 9. Maybe I was 15. Actually, I was probably 27.

But I do remember that in the midst of my brooding, my father came by with his jacket on and said, "Hey, get your coat and shoes. We're going somewhere."

Since I was the same kid with a No Dads Allowed sign on my door, I entered into this journey with a great amount of trepidation. But, like any kid having a fit, the idea of "doing something" was tempting and since I hadn't listened to Nirvana yet, my angst hadn't reached it's full stubborn potential. So I went.

I clearly remember walking outside. I don't remember which boat sized, American made car of the week I got into, but I do remember getting into the car (and NOT buckling my seatbelt. My dad was never much of a stickler for the rules) and hearing my father ask, "Know what we're doing?"

I didn't and the tantrum that I had thrown just 134 seconds ago was long forgotten and so I asked, "Where?"

"Stocking shopping," was his reply.

And so we went Stocking Shopping. And it may have been the most fun experience I have ever had in my entire life.

First, we stopped at The Town Grocery where I got some "fancy" mints for my mother and a whole bunch of pal gum for my little sister (neatly wrapped in a small brown paper bag). I also remember getting a Fun Dip because when I was with my dad, I could get that flavored sugar. My mum would have never allowed THAT. I got a whole mess of other stuff, but can't remember what it was for the life of me.

We then took the long, two mile drive down route 3A to hit the CVS that still sits in the Crossroads Plaza. I can remember so perfectly driving by the common and all it's lights. I always loved the common lights, but I felt that they went by so quickly. Well, they didn't this time because my father decided to take TWO whole loops around the common so I could take them all in. He even offered to walk around, but I turned down the idea because I wanted to get back to our shopping expedition.

Eventually (and by eventually I mean 9 minutes later), we reached the CVS where my father let me pick out whatever gifts I wanted for our family. I grabbed some really nice $.99 nail polish for both my mother and Julie. I got some perfume (I think the scent was sewerage) for the both of them. I also bought some gloves for my mom (Isotoner rings a bell). I wanted to include Mike in the mix, so I got him a matchbox, even though I felt he was too young for them. I picked up some "fancier" (isn't the Whitman Sampler really fancy?) candies for both my sisters and my Auntie Kay (she too had a stocking at the Coughlin house) and then we departed. But I remember being devastated that we didn't get anything for Molly. I guess CVS didn't market toward 5 year old girls.

We then left CVS and I ran across the intersection with a bag in one hand and my fathers in the other. When we got in the car, I remember telling him that I didn't get anything for Molly.

"Don't worry," he said. "We still have one more place to go."

And did we ever.

After our CVS run, we went to the Crown Jewel of my father's retail world: Paperama.

I'd been in Paperama before, but usually with my mother. I never had the unlimited credit line that I had that night with my father though. And I don't know how much I ran up. I probably thought it was some exorbitant amount and it most likely wasn't. Even if it was, dad wouldn't have cared. He never cared about stuff like that.

Back to that shopping experience. I was OBSESSED with finding something for Molly, for I had gotten her nothing more substantial than a cherry (back when you liked cherry, Molly) Jolly Rancher stick. I went all over the store and everything I saw said 6 and up and Molly was 5, so I COULDN'T get her something that was for a 6 year old (if I had known that 1. Those labels weren't a constitutional amendment and 2. Molly was the most precocious 5 year old ever, then I would have gotten her WAAAAAAAAY more stuff). Eventually, I found a sweet pop up book and the memory of that book is so clear, that I know I could pick it out of a lineup if I had to.

After we concluded at Paperama (that's Ramapaper to dad), we headed back home. On the way back, my father may have mentioned something about my tantrum, but all of that was a distant memory, for a had just gone stocking shopping. With the American Express Black Card no less!!!!!

At home, my father and I ventured downstairs to the "wrapping table" and my father and I wrapped our various knick knacks. I can vividly remember a snow man porcelain figurine (if I got this as a gift now from one of my students, I'd regift it at a grab in a second!), some nails files, a stuffed teddy bear (I managed to find Molly something else), but other than that, I don't remember much. I remember being at that table for what seemed like a life time. And I remember never wanting it to end.

In later years, dad and I went stocking shopping again and it was always fun, but it was never as fun as that night December night in 1984 (or 85? 86? 96?- Wait. I was drunk that night).

I have lots of other great memories of Christmas at the Coughlin house. Crying when I got Atari and claiming that that particular Christmas with the 2600 was "The-sniffle-best-sniffle-Christmas-sniffle-I-sniffle-ever-sniffle-had!" The Millenium Falcon Christmas. The new bike under my own PERSONAL Christmas tree. The Crossbows and Catapults Christmas. The Christmas of my Teac 5 Disc Player. The big Panasonic speaker Christmas. The Christmas my family waited until 4:30 for me to get home from work.

And I remember many things about my father from Christmas. The ghetto gifts stocking stuffers from DeMoulas. The six pack of Bass. The scratch tickets. Him holding the trash bag in his 1960s maroon robe.

A lot has changed in my Christmas life since then. We've tried to make it special. It still is. But something is always missing. And I forget many memories that I assumed I never would forget.

But I'll never forget that Christmas when dad took me stocking shopping. I can't remember one thing I learned in biology in high school, I can't remember May 24th, 1996 (the night before UMass graduation), and I can't remember what I had for dinner Monday. I can't recall my age the night of stocking shopping, the gifts purchased, or the night of the week we went. I don't remember whether my dad let me wander or if he with me the whole time (in actuality, he probably dropped me off and went to Ma Newmans). But what I do remember is the feeling I had. It's a feeling that has stuck with me forever; one I have sitting here typing this.

It was the feeling of being the most special, important, happy person in the world. I had the greatest dad in the world and there wasn't a person alive who was having Christmas better than me.

And it was my dad who made me feel that way.

So when the season gets really hectic, and the traffic sucks, and the lines are long, and the cookies burn, try to remember that for someone, somewhere, you are making this season a very special time. In fact, you are very likely making it a time they will never forget.

Because I know someone- probably without even knowing it- made this time of year a time I will always cherish.

And that someone was my dad.

So do the same for someone special in your life this holiday season.

Merry Christmas to all.

Especially you dad, wherever you are.

Where Have You Gone Napoleon?

Before we get down to business, let me tell you one of the pratfalls of being a teacher: Predicting the snowday.

Like anything else, the cancellation of snow due to inclement weather has evolved. We get automated voice mails and text messages the minute it happens. Back in the day though, I had to watch the bottom of the screen and wait for my town to come up. You'd see the list scroll through..... Medfield, Medford, Melbourne Academy (Now, you'd be thinking, "Yes, YES! It's gonna happen!"), Methuen.....

Wait, no Melrose? What! This has to be a mistake!

I'd check other channels, but in the end..... No Dice. I had school. And now I was late.

It was like betting in college pre-internet, pre-satellite TV. Then, you had to go over to Headline News and watch the ticker to see if your team covered. That was actually fun. Sometimes, you'd get wrapped up in the story about a family who lost a loved one on a river in Denver or something. But eventually, your team would come up (usually my team won 24-20 and didn't cover the 4.5 point spread) and you'd get your information. But watching for the snow day is much less fun. Because the night before, you always made "the call."

What is "The Call." It's simple. Should I drink or not?

And this past Thursday, when it was snowing like it we lived on Hoth, I made the fateful decision of getting really drunk. Went to dinner. Crushed a few beers. Went to another bar. Drank some more. Watched the snow come down. And at midnight, I walked out of the bar and I saw..... No snow and perfectly drivable roads. So then I knew that I had to call in sick.

But before I did that, I had to call my friend Scott who I was driving to work the next morning. Well, I guess I should have remembered that in the year 2007, you can save messages. I haven't heard it yet, but apparently, I was rambling, apologising profusely, and being..... Well, drunk.

My point? I'd love to know if there is technology whereby you can put a voicemail onto a blog page, because that would be awesome to have.....

Catching up on a few issues..... Or as Bob Ryan might say, Emptying Out The Blog Desk Drawer Of The Mind

I was actually going to defend my favorite sport this week with a 5000 word entry (par for the course) in the wake of The Mitchell Report and then something funny happened..... Nothing.....

The one sole interesting nugget was the Clemens bit, but really, is anyone at all surprised that he took steroids? I love that we have bashed Bonds all these years as he crushes offensive record after offensive record, but yet we praised Clemens as maybe the best pitcher ever, or at least the best one we have ever seen. But lest you forget, he WAS consistently called the greatest pitcher ever, given what he did in this ridiculously offensive minded era. But now, we all have to call him a "cheat," just as we have called Barry one. Why did we never before? You know what I think. But hey, race still isn't a problem in this country, is it?

Other than than, what on the list was surprising? I was shocked to hear Todd Hundley took steroids the year before he hit 41 homers. Eric Gagne on roids? Shocking. Before he was the best closer in baseball, he was an out of shape starting pitcher with a career ERA of four and a half. And Lenny Dykstra on roids? I thought he got those forearms from lots of reverse curls.....

I'm excited about Charlie Wilson's War. But can it do what so many of this years war/current events couldn't do and that is make money? It's actually a sad statement on our country that NO ONE went to see In The Valley of Elah or Lions For Lambs as they were quite well reviewed. Many people go with the "It's To Early" excuse for these films, but I think it is something else. Back in '03 when the war machine sprung alive, you may remember that 90% of the population gave the green light to war and so now we see that they are wrong and so would going to these movies prove that they are wrong? Would it be some weird acceptance of their collective miscalculation? Because no one likes to be proven wrong. Speaking of being wrong, Titanic turns Ten this month.....

I know many of you have orally heard this rant, but Superbad was superterrible. It gets an amazing 75 on metacritic and I just do not get it. There was a 35 minute piece of the movie where you literally DID NOT LAUGH. It was almost like the writers had this great idea, but couldn't make it two hours and so they put in the ridiuclous character who backs into to the fat kid. Why was he in it? And then there's the host of the party? He was not good. Screenwriting 101 tells you NOT to introduce random characters if you are not going to use them later (actually, it says if you are going to introduce a gun in act I, then it better show up in act III. But you get the point). Just cut those scenes. That would make the movie shorter and tighter. And then a 75 may have been appropriate.

Further, why are people consistently calling these movies "a wild, raucous, romp?" They are not that! They are chick flicks with a bunch of dick, fuck, and masturbation jokes. Wow. So original. I used to hear those in middle school. I actually think it is harder to make a PG or PG-13 comedy because you can't fall back on saying fuck a bunch of times or having someone use "new" hair gel. That's what makes Napoleon Dynamite so perfect. Same with Ferris Bueller's Day Off and even something like Dumb and Dumber ("Samsonite! I was way off!").

Also at least with a movie like High Fidelity or Love Actually (two movies that are so, SO well written), they are SOLD as chick flicks. But they also happen to be funny. So it frustrates me that critics "sell" Knocked Up, 40 Year Old Virgin, Wedding Crashers, and Superbad as hilarious romps when all they are is chick flicks. I really wish they'd bring back the true nonsense comedy like Austin Powers.....

A few tunes I either forgot, were tough cuts, or I just heard are Sad, Sad City by Ghostland Observatory, Icky Thump by The White Stripes, Rockers To Swallow by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Big Girls Don't Cry By Fergie (Yeah, you read that right) and In Transit by Albert Hammond Jr......

I've seen a lot of movies this year, but I realised that it may be a very, very long time before we have another year like 2006. In case you have forgotten, 2006 had Pan's Labyrinth, Babel, Little Children, The Queen, the hugely underrated Inside Man, Letters From Iwo Jima, awesome Half Nelson, Borat, wicked fun Casino Royale, Brick, The Lives of Others, The Last King of Scotland, awesome Miami Vice, Hard Candy, Dave Chapelle's Block Party, Notes On A Scandal, The Illusionist (please, please, PLEASE see this..... I'll say no more) the best horror film ever The Descent and one of the all time best films ever made, United 93. See any or some of these and you will NOT be disappointed. Especially see Inside Man. It gives you faith in filmmaking as we know that to make a great actioneer/thriller/twisted plotter, you don't need to remake a film or do a sequel. And I didn't even mention Inland Empire, which I haven't seen yet and The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine, which both sucked.....

I know we're all Jennifer Love Hewitted out, but more disconcerting than her ass was her arms. Girl, don't you know that you can judge whether you'll be a good long term investment by the size of your arms? And did anyone notice the age she got married. 28. Further proving my Magic 28 Theory. And if you don't know that, there will be a blog soon about it, only the women who read this might never talk to me again after I post it. Not that that many women talk to me anyways.....

Dan Shaughnessey wrote a really fun article about things that are perfect. It was great to remember/look up some of them (The last paragraph of Gatsby REALLY IS perfect). It also got me to think about some things that are perfect, like chocolate shakes, my Darth Vader Christmas ornament, Ray Allen's jumper, Dave Matthews singing the chorus to "Crash" live, Mark Ruffalo's performance in You Can Count On Me, the lyrics to The Features "Someway, Somehow," Junior Griffey's catch in Yankee stadium, NHLPA 95, Antonio's Pizza, Cameron Diaz in that pink dress in The Sweetest Thing, the ridiculousness of Red Dawn, Sangria outside in the summer, The opening of Paradise City, Brooke Burke during her Wild On days, and Shaugnessey's article. You can read it here.....

www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/12/09/zeroed_in_on_elite_company/

Video games are awesome. However, I often talk to my brother that sports games have actually gone DOWNHILL because they got too realistic. My boy Chuck Klosterman (he, along with Pitt, Beckham, Clooney, Matt Beringer, Leo, Ruffalo, Manny, and Peter Gammons are all my boys, they just don't know it yet) wrote a great piece about it (I can't find the link or remember where I saw it, but trust me, it was good!) and I agree with him. Bring back the days of the overly fast clocks from Sega Hockey (or even Nintendo Hockey) and just play. NBA Jam for Genesis had the same idea. Games take 5 minutes, you can talk tons of trash, and eight guys can have turns at playing over the span of an hour. But if you still like a fun video game, you gotta get Buzz Trivia for PS2. It is so fun. It comes with it's own buzzers, a seriously diverse amount of questions, and a simple format. Go get it.....

Rolling Stone, you've officially lost my subscription. They released their "Best of" issue and while it has some good stuff on it's song and movie list- including a hilarious Manny reference- it is worthless because it does not put Boxer on it's top 50 albums of the year. But it does have Linkin Park and Brittney Spears. Yes, I'm serious. However, I think they may have plagiarized from me. I have no link to it again (further proof of Rolling Stone's worthlessness), but I had it first. You even saw the date on the blog.....

I've noticed that I've now had 18 entries in my magnificent blog and none have been about politics. Probably because our political system is so aggravatingly stupid. But I will say this: If he Democrats nominate Hillary, they will lose 70-30, no doubt. And it is difficult figuring out who worries me more: Huckaby or Romney. If either wins, this country is awesome. At least I'll still have my blog. And stellastarr* will have a new album by then.....

Heard of the movie Juno? Well, it's getting huge buzz. And it's written by Diablo Cody. And guess where she got her start? Blogspot baby! It's gonna happen. I know it.....

Let's Not Try To Figure Out Everything At Once.....

Well, I may as well start the first of the "End of The Year Lists."

If you read Entertainment Weekly, I can tell you that I was so mad at Stephen King for stealing some of my thoughts (He did this once before when he wrote some book called "Cujo" which I totally thought of before him). But anyways, here are the 39 (In honor of Mike Greenwell) songs of 2007 that you absolutely need to download. That's a mere $32.61 and it is money well spent, because you won't regret any of these selections. They are in order and I tried not to have any repeat bands, (although I had to break that rule on a couple of occassions because some singles were just SOOOOOO good). Plus I cheated twice, but we'll get to that. Also, I've got to thank my boy McLoughlin and my little Bro Mike for introducing me to so much of this music. In fact, I half expect to challenge my brother to a music light saber duel and hear him say, "The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner; now I am the master."

Hey, at least I still introduced you to Pearl Jam back in the day kid.

Let the debates begin. Or at least, I hope I'm important and controversial enough to start a debate (And yeah, it's long. I'm doing my best Bill Simmons. So shut up, grab a beer and read away).....

39. "You'll Never Catch Him"- Buffalo Tom: Torch Singer and Sodajerk it is not, but a good solid tune from a good solid band. Plus, they be old, which I am slowly but surely starting to appreciate.

38. "Last Light"- Matt Pond: These guys lost a few spots for being ass clowns in concert, but you can't deny this song. I wish the lead singer didn't take himself so seriously. He makes Chris Martin look like Will Ferrell.

37. "Apologize"- One Republic: The first of the debatable selections. I'm sorry to say that I heard it at a high school dance (not my own) and liked it. Plus, the lyrics are awfully sincere. ;)

36. "The Moneymaker"- Rilo Kiley: A Black Crowes tune this is not. It's the first of my many female entries on the list. It appears I'm going soft. But try not singing along to the chorus. And Spin magazine had a great piece about them that will make you like them more.

35. "Your English Is Good"- Tokyo Police Club: A great catchy little jingle for your iPod. I'm sure it'll show up on The Hills sometime soon, if it already hasn't.

34. "My Brooklyn"- Jay-Z: As the say in the biz, what a hook. Definitely the best song on a solid, if unspectacular album. I wanted to put a Kanye tune here, but Stronger was the best song on the album and you probably already have that downloaded. Not that that rule will stop me later, but consistency was never a strength.

33. "Bodysnatchers"- Radiohead: Let Down it is not, but that opening distortion filled/synthesized riff is incredible.

32. "Hollywood"- Collective Soul: No, you are not taking a trip back to 1993. And yes, I put the band that had the lyrics, "Whoaaaaa, Heaven Let Your Light Shine Down!" ahead of Radiohead. But a list is all relative. Roger Ebert gives Die Hard four stars and No Country For Old Men four stars. Does that mean they are equally as good? No, but when you factor in expectations...... And with that in mind, what expectations do you have of Collective Soul? Exactly. And so this song will surprise you.

31. "Universal Speech"- The Go! Team: You can't go wrong with so many songs on this CD. Keys To The City, Titanic Vandalism, Grip Like A Vice. They will all help you power through that run. But I'll go with this one, just because it has the patented Go! Team cheering section.

30. "Missed The Boat"- Modest Mouse: Not as good as the last album, but when almost all the music stops and you hear Isaac Brock sing, "Tiny curtains open, and we heard the tiny clap of little hands," you remember why you love Modest Mouse so much.

29. "Electable"- Jimmy Eat World: Yeah they're emo. Yeah they're cheesey. But if you don't know that I love cheesey, then you should immediately stop reading this blog because you have no idea who I am. Another great album from my boys who will one day write an album called, One Tree Hill, The Lost Tracks. You can't go wrong with Carry You either.

28. "Paper Planes"- M.I.A.: More chicks! If this song doesn't show up on every Christmas party playlist you attend this holiday season, then your hosts have no idea how to get a room moving. After enough cups of eggnog, everybody will be singing "All I wanna do is....."

27. "Signal Fire"- Snow Patrol: More cheese from G- Money! I have such a soft spot for these guys. If they didn't show up on KISS 108, there wouldn't be near the backlash there is to them. They can't help writing great music. And this one- while no Hands Open or Chocolate- is great. And youtube the video. So good.

26. "First Time"- Lifehouse: May as well get ALL the cheese out of the way now...... And thanks for showing me this one Gees.

BIG FAT CHEAT #1!!!!! "Who Knew"- Pink: Who knew (I'm so clever) that this song was over a year old? Not me! Stephen King's list (why am I using him as the model for an end of year MUSIC list?) had ANY song he heard THIS YEAR! I thought that was cheating. But I did it anyways. I love this song so much. I wish it came out in 2007.

25. "Better"- Regina Spektor: Not only am I clever, but I'm progressive. Another woman. While it was Fidelity that got most of the airplay, this is the better song.

24. "The One You Wanna C"- Prince: Nice bounce back with this album. This song is so fun. Drop this on your holiday playlist and you (and the guests) won't be disappointed.

23. "Honest James"- Thurston Moore: Who knew an old dude from a band I don't like very much would bust out one of the most heartfelt tunes of the year? Great stuff. And I'm glad you put away the distortion pedal Thurston.

22. "All My Friends"- LCD Soundsystem: The slow build of this song is incredible. It's long, so it won't be for everyone (I'm talking about you McLoughlin), but it's especially nice for the middle part of that long run you're on.

21. "Can't Believe A Single Word"- VHS or Beta: Another really solid disc. This is the first single, but it's the first single for a reason. And the reason is that it is awesome. Definitely download this if you are new to the "alt rock" scene as it's super friendly and super catchy.

20. "Whatever"- Elliot Smith: I wish I could say I got to the Elliot Smith party pre Good Will Hunting, but I didn't. Since then, I have purchased every album and I can't get over how good he is. "Whatever" fits right in with the greats like Angeles, Speed Trials, Coast To Coast, and Pretty.

19. "Chips Ahoy"- The Hold Steady: What a song!

18. "Missed"- Rogue Wave: "Lake Michigan" is getting plenty of play from that Zune commercial, but "Missed" is phenomenal. The lyrics and vocals are simply stunning. If this doesn't show up at the end of a Grey's episode then I'll eat my hat. Download it. You won't be disappointed.

17. "Tears Dry On Their Own"- Amy Winehouse: Yes, you sang "Try to make me go to rehab, I said no, no, NO!" all summer, but this song straight up gives you the chills. It's right out of the 60s and it could have shown up on any Vietnam film's soundtrack. I hope you get it figured out Amy because you're ridic.

16. "Patty Lee"- Les Savy Fav: I owe this one to my bro. Never heard of this band in my life, but as soon as you hear that opening riff, you'll be hooked. And what harmonizing.

15. "Hard Rain"-The Shout Out Louds: A HUGELY underrated band (go get "Very Loud" and "The Comeback" off of Howl Howl Gaff Gaff) came back with an awesome album. It was tough picking one from here, but I went with this. It's long, but the changes and the just right amount of jamming make it a tremendous song. Honorable mention goes to "Tonight I have To Leave It."

14. "Under The Gun"- The Killers: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know it was a B Side from years ago, but this year marked the first OFFICIAL release of the song. And yeah, I know this version isn't as good. But shut up. This is as great a 2:31 of the year as you'll find. I gotta give in to Brandon Flowers. I often want to punch him, but he did nice work here.

13. "Thrash Unreal"- Against Me!: Ba, ba, ba, baba, ba, ba, baba, ba, ba, ba..... If he don't tap your foot along to this song, then you don't like fun. Another solid all around album by the way.

Side Note: Against Me! is the second band on this list with an ! in it's name. Who woulda thunk?

12. "Radio Nowhere"- Bruce: The best Bruce song since "Tunnel Of Love(Go ahead and fight me on THAT one! I know some of you hate Tunnel. I've never heard lyrics weather time better in my entire life so shut it)." And is there anybody alive out there?

11. "Lazy Eye"- Silversun Pickups: Yeah, FNX played it nonstop, but ask yourself. Have you EVER turned it off? No way! I can't wait for more from these cats.

10. "Atlas"- Battles: Just getting in on the top ten (I'm sure Battles was really sweating this out) and not higher because of it's length, this has to be one of the most polarizing songs on the list. Some of you will hate it. But you will run VERY FAST when the last 2:45 kicks in. And there's no way you can hate this video.



9. "Is There A Ghost?"- Band of Horses: How could a band, who I dislike very much, possibly create this song? Many of you know I love the crescendo(and believe me, this isn't the last time you'll see "crescendo" referenced) and this song absolutely crushes it. Makes me actually want to see them at the Dice next month.

8. "Back In Your Head"- Tegan and Sara: There is nothing better than hearing a song for the first time and going "Who is this?" Although I knew them from their previous disc, I was annoyed by them. Like the band above, who knew they'd crank out one of my favorite songs of the year? And no, Marissa, I don't like it because of the lyrics.

7. "No Cars Go"- Arcade Fire: Speaking of Bruce, how could a Canadien band with a church organ, accordian, and flute literally BE Bruce Sprinsteen? This song is incredible. You'll shout out that "HEY!" in your car, I guarantee it. And it isn't the last you heard from these guys.....

6. "Fans"- Kings Of Leon: It pains me to put these guys here because the lead singer is such a wanker, but man, what a song! What decade did it come out of? What genre is it? It' so good. And it may have been even better in concert. Definitely a must for that $10 iTunes Gift Card you get.

5. "On"- Bloc Party: These guys have been my boys since "Banquet" absolutely destroyed me three years ago. Lots of people were down on their sophomore album, but I love it. It's chalk full of unbelievable songs (The Prayer, Uniform, Sunday) and I should probably actually put "I Still Remember" in this spot (it is my ringtone), but the four people who actually read this blog probably already know "I Still Remember." So I'll go with this absolute gem. A chills song, no doubt.

4. "Apartment Story"- The National: Not since my days of listening to Appetite in Mike Archer's car in 91-92 have I loved a band as much as I love these guys. This disc (Boxer) is full of gems. At number four on my year end list, you'd think this is their best song. But it is not. But get it anyways because it's better than 95% of what's currently on your iPod. And if you're a high schooler whose actually reading this, then it's better than 100% of your iPod. You could put Mistaken for Strangers and Start a War on here too, but I didn't want to saturate the list with The National.

3. "I Feel It All"- Feist: Absolutely one of the best things to come out of 2007. While 1234 might be catchier and was certainly more popular, it is this gem that is the pick of the CD. And it has the best line of the year ("I'll be the one who'll break my heart"). If this performance doesn't give you the chills, then you aren't alive.



2. "Keep The Car Running"- Arcade Fire: Remember when I said earlier that there is nothing better than hearing a song for the first time and saying who is this? Well, the only thing better is hearing a song and saying who THE HELL is this? I remember hearing this at The Blue Shirt Cafe. Some dude making my sandwich had an advanced copy of Neon Bible and I almost DIED when I heard it. Talk about Springsteen. And this song is 3:30 in length. And if you listen to this song while running, you might complete two miles in that 3:30. That's how fired up this song will get you. Enjoy.



BIG FAT CHEAT #2!!!!! "Hang Me Up To Dry"- Cold War Kids: I swear this song came out this year. It had to. Or maybe I just heard it late and I'm not the music maven I once thought I was. Either way, if you've never heard this song, click below and look out. And if you have heard this song and don't like it, then we can't be friends. I'd prefer you to tell me you campaign for Mitt Romney or something. If you don't like this song, please don't tell me. Just keep it to yourself. I'm serious.



And the moment you've all been waiting for.....

1. "Fake Empire"- The National: Seriously, I can't say enough about this band. Not only have the released the two best albums of the past five years (Alligator in 04 and Boxer now), but they are lights out in concert. There is no "playing what they want" or opining onstage about the war in Iraq. They rip through all their best tunes (while sipping wine mind you) and close with either Mr. November or Abel (two old songs that immediately need to be downloaded by you). They are just phenomenal. The lyrics. Matt Beringer's voice. The harmonizing. The perfect amount of jamming. The fact that they are old. The musical arrangement. The picture perfect crescendo. The Piano. The horns. I get so giddy I can't even write. Whatever. I can't even say anymore. Just see it for yourself now.

Oh. My. God.