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The Greatest Chicago Blues – By Guest Blogger Bob Corritore

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

September is Blues Month at Hoodlums.  That means that all Blues CDs, DVDs, and LPs are 10% off the regular price throughout the month. New and used.  Special orders too.

It also means we are going to have some fun with the Blues.  In addition to a free live show with J.J. Grey (of J.J. Grey and Mofro), we will be featuring great blues titles in most of our listening posts.

Last but not least, we are going to talk about the Blues.  As a Blues lover myself, I wrote a little blog called Blues for Rockers, which you are of course encouraged to check out.  I’ve been hanging around for a while, and I’ve learned about some really classic, cheap CDs… so I’m mildly qualified for such a task.

On the other hand, THIS blog is from perhaps the most qualified Bluesman in Phoenix: Mr. Bob Corritore.

That’s right… the guy that does Those Lowdown Blues on KJZZ.  The guy who owns the Rhythm Room.  The guy who’s played the harp with everyone on either side of the muddy water.  Here’s a couple more relevant links:

Bob’s Webpage

Bob’s Allmusic.com Page

See what I mean?  I am but a mere Blues fan. This guy lives the Blues.

We asked him – but we didn’t think he’d have time to do it.  He did it.  He submitted his list of Essential Chicago Blues CDs. Check it out and see what you think.  We used it to fills some little holes in our blues section.  (That means that Bob is going to cost me some money personally too).

Anyway, check ‘em out.  Don’t forget, they are all on sale throughout September.  In addition, we’ve got Bob’s new CD (pictured), as well as a whole bunch of other great Phoenix Blues CDs… provided by, you guessed it, Bob himself.

Thanks again, amigo.

Bob Corritore’s Essential Chicago Blues CDs

1) Little Walter / The Complete Chess Masters / Hip-O Select

2) Muddy Waters – His Best Vols 1 & 2 / Chess

3) Howlin Wolf – His Best Vols 1 & 2 / Chess

4) Robert Nighthawk / Bricks In My Pillow / Delmark

5) Chicago The Blues Today Vols 1 2 & 3 / Vanguard

6) JB Hutto & The Hawks / Hawk Squat / Delmark

7) Junior Wells / Hoodoo Man Blues / Delmark

8) Johnny Young / Chicago Blues / Arhoolie

9) The Essential Sonny Boy Williamson / Chess

10) Blues Masters / The Very Best Of Jimmy Reed / Rhino

11) Big Walter Horton with Carey Bell / Alligator

12) Koko Taylor / I Got What It Takes / Alligator

13) Snooky Pryor / Shake A Hand / Blind Pig

14) Eddie Taylor / Feel So Bad / HighTone

15) Magic Slim / Scufflin’ / Blind Pig

16) Elmore James / The Sky Is Crying / Rhino

17) Jimmy Rogers / The Complete Chess Recordings / Chess

18) Essential Magic Sam / Fuel

19) Essential Otis Rush / Fuel

20) Bo Diddley / His Best / Chess

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Blues for Rockers by Record Store Geek

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

We’ve decided to make September “Blues Month” here at Hoodlums. That’s because we can pretty much make up whatever we want – and we love the Blues.  That means all Blues CDs, DVDs, and LPs are 10% off regular price.

Now, just like all the other genres, all the hoodlums at Hoodlums have different tastes and specialties within the genre. Kristian loves that Delta, acoustic-sounding stuff more than I do (although I have my share of Delta Blues). Joe and the pups (Andy, Becky, Mandel) don’t play the blues very much… so I’m not sure about where they stand (except if there is such thing as avant-garde blues, Joe probably has a big collection).

Which bring us to our blog author, yours geekly.  I tend to play, love, and promote stuff that’s a little quicker, a little more electric. OK… that’s probably an understatement (I hear some of my former colleagues out there saying, “Steve played three kinds of music: Rock, Blues, and Blues/Rock”).  Although over the past fifteen years I have been responsible for plenty of jazz, soul, and world in-store play, for the first ten years of my Record Store Geekdom that description was pretty close to being right on. Either way, for close to 25 years, I have been listening to the blues and peddling blues to customers.

Those are the qualifications I bring to this table: Love and experience.  So using that love and experience, combined with my desire to spread the blues (in a good way), I have decided to make up a little guide entitled,Blues for Rockers. (NOTE: If you want to read another list, from a man who’s way more qualified than I am, check out “Essential Chicago Blues Albums” by Valley Blues legend and guest blogger Bob Corritore.)

Just like I did with the How to Build Your Jazz Collection blog, I’ll clarify a bit of the logic that went into the list of amazing albums you see below you.  That way, I won’t get harassed by blues purists out there because there’s no Robert Johnson or Son House on the list (I can hear Kristian talking about Leadbelly now). You see, those artists are all in my collection, and I do like, understand, and appreciate their foundational contributions, this isn’t a blog on starting a well-rounded blues collection… it’s a blog to help rockers (like all the goofs I hung with in High School) diversify into another genre.  The genre that gave rock and roll it’s start.

Here’s are the factors that contributed to the list:

Smokin’ Price. It’s a lot easier to turn someone on to something new if the price is right… and every one of these classic titles is under $10 on CD.  I would like to make a list of ten great new blues releases too, but the damn things are all priced in the fifteen dollar zone.  Do we stock them? Yes (or we can special order for nothin’). Am I going to use them to promote blues-conversion? No.

Tempo. Most of these CDs kick a little ass.  You don’t get to be a blues/rock/blues junkie like me without craving the sound of a wailin’ guitar, and these are some of the greatest guitar players (I’m listening to Albert King as I write… the man just kicks) of all time.  There’s more than a few tunes to which you can drink a glass of wine (see Simone, Nina), but don’t expect a ton of puppy stuff.

Love. Amazingly, considering the same idiots still run the music industry, there were so many great blues classics under $10 that I had to really narrow it down to stuff that I know and love the most.  As it is, I wanted to at least get to twenty, but I couldn’t do it.  If you click on the allmusic reviews (linked on each title) you’ll see that most of the albums are critical darlings, but a few aren’t.  I pay that no matter… I love each and every one.  Hell, I wrote down the titles before I started writing anything else.

So if you love the Allman Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, or Eric Clapton… if you dig the Black Keys or Kings of Leon… and you’re ready to take a step back on the chain of rock and roll evolution, here we go.

21 Blues Albums for Rockers (in no particular order)

  1. Willie Dixon – I Am the Blues ($6.99) Why not start with Willie?  The dude wrote a truckload of the songs on many of these blues albums, and literally every single song on this CD has been famously covered by rock bands.  Don’t believe me?  How ’bout “Back Door Man” (Doors); “I Can’t Quit You, Baby” (Led Zep), and “Little Red Rooster” (Stones)… just to cite three.  He’s the one they call the seventh son.
  2. Muddy Waters/Howlin’ Wolf – Muddy and the Wolf ($9.99).  Blues meet rock as the rock stars (who helped revive the blues in the first place) team up with my two favorite blues artist of all time (First Wolf, then Muddy).  This CD isn’t Wolf and Muddy together, it is a combo of the Muddy’s Fathers and Sons album, with Butterfield, Bloomfield, Sumlin and more, and Howlin’ Wolf London Sessions, featuring Clapton, Winwood, and the Stones rhythm section of Watts and Wyman.  I would have recommended both albums separately, but the actual Muddy CD is closer to fifteen bucks (the Wolf is $9.99).  I’d still truly recommend both.
  3. Butterfield Blues Band – Butterfield Blues Band ($7.99)
  4. Butterfield Blues Band – East-West ($7.99)  I could listen to these stinkin’ Butterfield CDs once a week.  They just never get old.  Let’s face it, Mike Bloomfield was one hell of a guitar player, and his impact is long considering his short life.  The self-titled album is my favorite thing he’s ever done, but East/West is a close second.
  5. Albert Collins – Truckin’ with Albert Collins ($9.99)  I love Collins’ blistering style and gritty voice, and I had been digging back through his catalog, and I found his first recording at a sweet price, and I was sold.  He’s the master… of the telecaster (Don’t believe me? He’ll tell you himself. Over and over again).
  6. Robert Cray Band – Strong Persuader ($9.99)  Along with Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Couldn’t Stand the Weather, this is the first blues album I ever owned.  It helped me cross the bridge to the blues.  I had to pick one, and Stevie is in the rock and soul section at the store, so Cray was the choice. This album is smooth and sweet and Robert is a talented dude.  ”She was right next door… and I’m such a strong persuader”.
  7. Lightin’ Hopkins – Lightnin’.  Like many of my favorite albums, this album was traded in by a customer.  That’s the great thing about used buying – you get to test all sorts of stuff you wouldn’t have thought to try otherwise.  I tried this and loved it.  Come down to the store and hear it in the listening post and see for yourself.
  8. Howlin’ Wolf – Back Door Wolf ($6.99) Another “used buy find” for me (Michael, was that you?).  Once I discovered the price, I brought it right in.  When I play it; it sells.  You need a lot more Howlin’ Wolf than this (Moanin’ in the Moonlight, etc.), but this is a cheap way to start.  From the allmusic bio on Wolf: “no one could match him for the singular ability to rock the house down to the foundation while simultaneously scaring its patrons out of its wits”.  Wow.  Watching Wolf in his prime in a juke joint would be time-machine journey for me.
  9. Albert King – Born Under a Bad Sign ($9.99)  Unquestionably, this is one of the greatest electric blues albums of all time.  Featuring Booker T. and the MGs as a band, Albert’s Stax debut lays down some blistering guitar licks on some of the most recognizable songs in blues history.  One of the most consistent “play it and sell it” albums in Hoodlums’ history.  Great cover too.
  10. T-Bone Walker – T-Bone Blues ($9.99)  Even though I try to avoid greatest hits compilations when I’m recommending stuff… it’s hard to avoid comps when you are dealing with the Blues.  This comp is amazing.  The best way to get a dose of T-Bone, who is a blues-rockin’ fool, writing some of the most rock-covered blues songs ever (which this CD proudly sports).
  11. Nina Simone – Nina Simone Sings the Blues ($9.99)  This is an album that you might want to play if you are hanging out with a wonderful girl and you want the mood be right (that’s not the way I would have put it in high school). If it doesn’t do the trick, I’d say that wonderful girl may not be that into you. Smart, sassy, sultry, snappy… if there’s an cool adjective that starts with “S”… Nina probably fits the description with this album.  It’s an Allmusic Album Pick – and the review is completely glowing.  ”Do I Move You?” asks Nina on the very first song.  You got that right, sister.
  12. Muddy Waters – Hard Again ($9.99) From the opening growl of “Mannish Boy”, you know you are in the presence of awesome blues power.  That testosterone-laced masterpiece alone is worth twenty bucks, and there’s not a bad song behind it.  Johnny Winter leads a top-notch band as Muddy returns to form in all his cocky glory.
  13. Freddie King – Burglar ($6.99)  As I type, I am listening to Freddie just tear it up in the wicked “Texas Flyer”, off this fine, inexpensive little masterpiece by one of the three Kings of the Blues.  Here’s a game to play: Try naming rock musicians that have made a living playing like Freddie King.  There’s more than a few riffs on this album to give you a hint or two.  By the way, saying Eric Clapton doesn’t count, since he’s playing on this album on “Sugar Sweet”. (Trivia: What song quotes this about Freddie: “I got to tell ya that poker’s his thing”?)
  14. Johnny Winter - Second Winter ($9.99) Long before helping resurrect Muddy’s career, Johnny was tearin’ it up on his own.  Not exactly alone, he has brother Edgar and a great rhythm section behind him.  I still can’t believe all these unbelievable albums are so damn cheap.  That’s why both Johnny and Edgar’s CD still sell so well (that, and they are great).
  15. John Lee Hooker – Endless Boogie ($6.99)  Even though allmusic beat this title up a bit, I don’t really care.  The exact reason they didn’t like it, the contributions from guest guitarists like Jesse Ed Davis, Mel Brown, and Steve Miler, is the exact reason I do like it.  Lotsa tasty guitar, lotsa that Hooker growl.
  16. Taj Mahal – Taj Mahal ($9.99)  This could possibly be my number one fave of this whole list.  It’s like it just keeps getting better with age.  From the first strains of harmonica on “Leaving Trunk”, you just know this album is gonna be good.  Featuring Jesse Ed Davis and Ry Cooder on guitar, you absolutely need this CD.  (I had its successor, the five-star Natch’l Blues, on the list as well… but I had to include Johnny Winters).
  17. Etta James – At Last ($9.99)  Honestly, I listen to Tell Mama a bit more, but it’s still more than ten bucks.  Oh well, including her Chess debut, At Last, wasn’t a tough task.  You gotta have some Etta.  Etta is a bad-ass.  Chicks dig Etta too.  High or low; fast or slow.  Etta can do it all.
  18. Rising Sons - Featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder ($6.99)  ”Want to see me sell this album?”.  I don’t revere High Infidelity or anything, but anyone who works in a record store knows that some CD just have power.  Add an “it’s only 6.99″ to the conversation, and you’ve got a sale. This Rising Sons album just walks that walk. It jumps right on the customer and makes them walk up and ask. This is the only compilation from the Rising Sons brief career, and it is top notch.
  19. Big Mama Thornton – With The Muddy Waters Blues Band ($9.99)  The newest addition to the list.  Like many of the great albums in my collection, Kristian found it and turned me on.  The allmusic bio used phrases like “menacing growl” and “hefty belter”… and her name is Willie Mae… and this is Muddy’s band… so how can you not be curious?
  20. BB King – Indianola Mississippi Seeds ($6.99)  Let me see… Kristian found the LP and listened to it.  Then we checked the CD, and it was only 6.99, so he bought it.  Then I listened to it and bought it.  Then we put it in a listening post and sold a bunch. Now we are telling you.  You just gotta have some B.B. King, and although this album is hardly enough to represent such a master, it’s a good one to have.
  21. Buddy Guy – I Was Walking Through the Woods ($9.99)  Buddy is the new Muddy, the reigning king of the Chicago Blues.  I saw him at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert, and he is still tearing up. This a comp of Buddy’s early Chess recordings… another in a long line of beautiful albums discovered through a customer trade-in.

There it is… a place to start.  Come down to the store during September, and we can discuss it more.  If these albums aren’t already in a listening post, I will pull them from my personal play list and let you listen to whatever you want.  Thanks for reading.  Long live the Blues.

Five CDs I probably would have included, except they cost more than $10:

  1. Sonny Boy Williamson - Real Folk Blues/More Real Folks Blues
  2. Bobby “Blue” Bland – Touch of the Blues
  3. Collins, Cray, Copeland – Showdown!
  4. Bluesbreakers (w/Mayall and Clapton)- S/T
  5. John Lee Hooker – Real Folk Blues/More Real Folk Blues

Five CDs that are damn good rock-blues, but just a bit too on the rock side to include in this:

  1. Derek and the Dominoes – Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
  2. Stevie Ray Vaughan – Couldn’t Stand the Weather
  3. Rory Gallagher – Rory Gallagher
  4. Allman Brothers - The Allman Brothers
  5. North Mississippi Allstars – Shake Hands with Shorty

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A What Laura Says Story by the Record Store Geek

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

A little video with a story about What Laura Says, who will be playing live next week at Hoodlums.

The video refers to our “Prospective Hoodlums Test”, which should be viewable as a PDF if you click the link below. If you decide to take it… no cheating. If you need an answer key, I’m at the store every day except Wednesday and Sunday.

What Laura Says (with guest sitarist Kristopher Rein).  Special Acoustic Show. Live on the Hoodstage. Thursday, September 2nd. 7-9PM. Free and open to the public. Tell a friend.

Prospective Hoodlum Test

Have a great day.  Steve, Kristian, and the hoodlums at Hoodlums

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Why I Own a Record Store: Goosebumps

Sunday, August 22nd, 2010

My friends and relatives from back in my younger, Nodak days can probably attest: If you were riding in a car with me for even the shortest period of time, chances are you were going to hear some loud tunes.  Not always loud music (although more times than not it was something jammin’), but for sure at a loud volume level.  And many, many of them can tell you about the goosebumps.

You see, I get so into the music… the music flows through me so much… that I get goosebumps.  I always have.  Spiritually, more often than not (back in my more dogmatic days as well as in my current state of “I don’t know anything for sure”), the times when I have felt the closest to whatever God may be, it has been because of music.

Let me clarify, every time I get goosebumps because of music, I’m not in some sort of meditative state.  Most of the times I just hear a great song, especially if the music is enveloping me (like in a car or on the headphones), and the feeling flows over me, and I get goosebumps. Sometimes more.  I never know exactly when the feeling will hit, but it is more likely to happen if it’s a song I know very well, or if it is an uplifting song about outstanding human traits, or a song that reminds me of a special person or time.

Anyway, on these occasions when someone else has happened to be with me (mainly in my younger, wilder days when I was with a more varied group of passengers), I usually showed them the effect by holding out my right forearm.  Just to let them know what music does for me.  On almost every instance, the person has been sort of blown away.  Like “Wow, really?”.  No big deal.  I just figured I was sort of a minority at this level of musical passion.  I had a few buddies that were into music, but not quite to my level. by that time I knew that most people enjoyed music in a different way than I did: Not as an integral part of their life, but as a soundtrack that was played by the radio, or MTV, or someone else.   It didn’t make me feel like a weirdo or anything.  I kind of enjoyed it.

But I’ve never really discussed the physical reaction with a whole lot of people.  Not since the puppy days.  Until about a month ago.

I was overwhelmed by a song on the way to work (Paul Pena’s mighty “Gonna Move”, which has gotten me before) and along came the goosebumps.  A little later in the day, I asked the my fellow employees about it.  It was shift change, so there just happened to be three of us hanging out (maybe four…Joe and Becky for sure, maybe Andy).  ”Do you guys ever get goosebumps listening to music?”  To my surprise, and later I realized not to my surprise, everyone immediately responded “Yes”.  Not just “yes”, but “yes” in a “of course, I can’t even believe you are asking me” way.

It was another of those many times when I knew why I do it… why I own a record store in 2010.

I do it for people like us.  People who are so into it that it literally and uncontrollably moves us… physically, emotionally, spiritually.  People that break it down, collect it, analyze it, read about it.  People that recognize that life would be terrible without it.  People that embrace the song, the album, the instruments, and most of all… its amazing creators.  I think I speak for Kristian if I say he feels the same way.

Will we gladly take care of people that are casually into it?  Of course. If we can spread music in any way, it’s all good.  But for me, the driving force is connecting with people that know that the full, goose-bump-inducing power of music cannot be experienced by downloading a single song, or by only listening to it with half-ass sound quality, or by only sitting in front of their computer.

If you are one of those types, come down and see me.

A dozen songs with the ability to “goosebump” this particular Record Store Geek:

  1. Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson – “It’s Your World”
  2. Stevie Wonder – “As” and “Another Star” (See “I’m Not a Conductor, But I Play One on the Treadmill“)
  3. Stevie Wonder – “That Girl”
  4. Triumph – “Fight the Good Fight” (The all-time ‘bump champion for me. Lyrically and musically… I simply cannot stop and feel the overwhelming power of Ric’s voice and not one, but two, of the greatest guitar solos ever).
  5. Incognito – “I Love What You Do For Me” (After I typed this song on the list, I dialed it up on the iTunes and it emotionally messed me up in the best possible way. I hadn’t heard it in so long, I was brought to posi-tears by Maysa’s unbeatable vocals and the lyrical significance of the song as it relates to my wife/best friend).
  6. Michael Franti and Spearhead – “Crazy, Crazy, Crazy” (The first song they played at our ASU in-store… it reminds of my son while presenting a philosophy I wish all of mankind could embrace.)
  7. Michael Franti and Spearhead – “Soulshine” (Both Michael and Stevie could have five songs on this list, as they reach deep into the soul.)
  8. The Cars – “All Mixed Up”
  9. Whiskeytown – “Turn Around” (One of those reminder songs… reminding me what it was like to be scrapped by someone)
  10. Derek and the Dominoes – Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?
  11. Boston – “Peace of Mind” (First album. First concert in 8th grade.  First love. First real friends.  Simple message that has rung true to me for 30 years.)
  12. Alison Krauss and Union Station – “The Lucky One” (Although the lyrics pertain to a happy-go-lucky man, the song reminds me of my youngest daughter – who is simply the most inspirational person in my life).

There’s many, many more – these are just the ones that popped up into my head.

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Rock and Roll Parenting, by the Record Store Geek

Saturday, June 26th, 2010

I guess you were curious enough about the headline to get here.  It’s more a video blog than anything – but don’t worry, we haven’t turned into a child development lab or anything.

Here’s a quick recap of how a “parenting” blog showed up on a record store website:

1. I’m jamming AC/DC; I think about my kid in the next room as I’m listening to Bon’s “rebellious” lyrics on Let There Be Rock; Since the topic is music-related… I decide to make this little video sarcastically rambling about my thoughts on the subject.  It’s from my old computer (just like all other Record Store Geek videos), so it’s purely a one-take deal.  I played AC/DC in the background on my iTunes.  Here’s the result:

2.  A couple of days later, I find a book at our store entitled “Rock: For Those Who Listen to the Words and Don’t Like What They Hear“.  Turns out our friend Buddha, from Changing Hands, brought it over.  I’ve seen this book before…when I was a kid.  My mom gave it to me to warn me about the evils of rock and roll.  Obviously, since I now own a record store… it’s a parental tactic that probably didn’t work.  Since subject matter was similar, I recorded another Record Store Geek video.  This one is on my new computer, so even though it’s still one-take, I can edit some rambling and really have some fun with the bells and whistles (although the picture quality is a lot higher, so looking at myself is even scarier).

Anyway, it’s just my opinion… and really, it’s all just for discussion and fun.  Feel free to join us on Facebook,  and you can leave a comment (or come down and we can talk in person).  We appreciate your business and your time.

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Ozzy Observations of the Record Store Geek.

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Ozzy Osbourne isn’t the first rock star Hoodlums Music has met.

If you shopped at our ASU store, or have looked at our Facebook albums, you know that we’ve done some fairly big events: Autograph signings with Weezer, Jimmy Eat World, and the Donnas; Hayden Lawn concerts with Blackalicious, Ataris, Thrice/Thursday and Pepper that all drew over a thousand fans; and a ton of sweet inside shows including G. Love and Special Sauce, Michael Franti, Tegan and Sara, The Format, and many others.

But Ozzy is by far the biggest star we’ve ever had the pleasure to have met (and co-presented… more on that in a bit).

This Ozzy thing was like all of the other events combined.  Almost 2,000 books sold, the most on the book tour so far (you know we love that Indie-ass-kickin’ stuff);  Lines that stretched around over half of the entire strip center (Tempe Square) and lasted almost five solid hours; Mid-signing venue changes, special requests from fans and handlers… the whole spectrum of rock and roll mayhem.

And of course, there were lots of Ozzy fans.  We estimate that 4,000 Ozzy fans of all ages, shapes, and sanity levels invaded Tempe Square to show their love to the Prince of Darkness himself.  You want to talk about characters?   This place was personality-central on Saturday.

Besides being very involved in the planning and marketing of the event,  I was able to spend a good bit of time on Saturday observing and taking pictures, and it was a great time.  Hell, it’s Monday morning as I write this… and I’m still a little amped up.

Do you want to help with Ozzy?

It all started a couple weeks ago.

We try to meet with our friends at Changing Hands on a regular basis.  We work with them (and with our other neighbors too) to come up with events (like our Community Movie Night) that will help keep the center cool.  Being a former manager,  I keep meeting notes for the upcoming meeting.  I had just written down “more co-promotion” early that day, and in walks Brandon, Changing Hands’ marketing wonder boy.  He says to Kristian and I, “I think we are going to get Ozzy Osbourne to come and sign books in a couple of weeks.  Since it’s right up your alley, and in our center, we were wondering if you’d want to co-sponsor it?”.

Now that’s some cool neighborin’, eh?  They didn’t have to do it.  It was a book thing.  We’ll surely never forget the gesture.

Kristian and I thought about it for exactly zero milliseconds before responding.  “Whatever you want us to do – we are in”.  In less than a day, the event was confirmed and we were on a whirlwind promotional blitz.  Website, emails, Facebook, Twitter… and a whole lot of sign-making.

Brandon did a phenomenal job with the publicity, and seemingly every media outlet got on it.  Arizona Republic, New Times, and every radio station that has ever played a rock and roll song (Beth and Bill and Ozzy… together again) let the people know that the Ozzman Cometh.

We knew it was going to be big.

Let the Mayhem Begin

The day of the show was upon us.  The signs were up.  The books were almost all sold.  Our parking spots were taped off.

The store was, as expected, very busy all day.  All week, in fact.  People coming in and out to sign up for the Ozzy drawings… discovering our little joint for the first time.  Loads of fired-up Ozfans, mainly dressed in black, found their way to Wildflower, or some tasty grub (OK, many didn’t make it past the bar) at Mac’s, or one of three radio station vans in the parking lot.

The lines started forming at around 2:00, and they got longer very quickly.  Due to the crazy amount of people expected, Ozzy had been moved to an open storefront at the end of the center, so the line ran right past Hoodlums.  It was beautiful.

Being a co-presenter, I was allowed to more or less hang around “backstage”, so I rambled around and checked things out all afternoon.  I went in with the press corps and snapped a few pictures in the initial “posing” session, took a few pictures of the lines, and headed back to the store.

Around a half hour later, the line in front of the store started to break.  I went to check it out and discovered that Ozzy was being moved back to Changing Hands due to the drywall dust in the empty unit.  I joined the mad scramble of black-shirted CH employees and began to truck cart after cart of Ozzy books back to the original venue.

Cindy and her gang of book hoods did a great job on the fly, and the next thing you know the line was moving smoothly.  Unbelievably smoothly.  Ozzy ain’t no spring chicken, but that didn’t stop him from signing roughly 400 books per hour. My hand gets sore just thinking about it.

The Oz handlers (both his staff and the CH gang) did a great job moving the line along.  Which, at a rock star meet-and-greet, is basically deflecting one “special request” from fans after the other… without making the star look like an asshole.   It’s hard to blame people entirely, because they truly are fans (which, remember, is short for fanatic) and this is their one shot to get a minute with one of their idols.  Still, I’d say that in spite of about forty-two signs that said not to do so, one in four people had something for Ozzy to sign other than the book (I love you Ozzy… could you sign my baby?).  Almost every fan wanted to exchange conversation.  It’s just the way it is.  People want to say, “And then I told Ozzy…”   Look at me doing the exact same thing via this blog.  Anyway, the people who were on “Move along, Ozzy’s not gonna sign that” duty performed it admirably.

When Do We Get to Meet Ozzy?

Just because we’ve been in this insane industry forever doesn’t mean we still don’t like meeting rock stars.  We started bugging Changing Hands about the Hoodlums-meet-Ozzy angle right away.

But of course, it really isn’t up to our indie comrades… it’s up to Ozzy’s managers (and Ozzy, I suppose), so they couldn’t tell us when until the day of the show.

Finally it was confirmed that we were to go ahead and meet Ozzy, as well as get a picture with our staff, at 2:30 PM, before the signing.  Sweet.

But this is rock and roll.  And if you’ve read this far, you know that things sorta change on the fly.  And change they did.  2:30 came… and Ozzy wasn’t here yet.  We were told that we were going to do it after the show.

That’s where being rock and roll veterans pays off.  Kristian said, “You think they are going to be hanging around, so they can take pictures with us, after signing 2,000 books?”  I shook my head.  That’s not anyone’s fault or anything, that’s just the way it is.  We both knew it.

So we put Joe in charge (Joe, being the true rebel he is, doesn’t ever meet the rock stars) drank beer on Mac’s porch, and watched the line.  When the last customer came, the hoodlums pounced.  We grabbed our event poster, and our interested hoodlums, and jumped in the line.

Sure enough, it worked.  Ozzy’s manager said “I thought this was the last guy?”  We said, “We’re with Hoodlums, and we were hoping for a shot with Ozzy”.  How could they resist?  Actually, I just told you how well they had resisted all day… but they didn’t resist.

Ozzy came over to pose for a pic with Hoodlums and Changing Hands.   He was right in front of Kristian and I, so we stuck out our hands and shook his multi-ringed hand, and said thanks.  Ozzy joined the group, and we quickly got ready.  The photographers said “Say ‘Ozzy’”.  We all said “Ozzy”, and Ozzy said “Me”.

We were almost entirely satisfied, but we still needed to get that event poster signed.  I grabbed Tenesha (who ran the event like a champ) and begged.  She grabbed my poster and said that Ozzy would sign it on the bus.  A few minutes later, it was in my hands… complete with ‘Ozzy Osbourne’ on it.

Hoodlum content.

We all went back to Mac’s and celebrated.  It was a great day.

We couldn’t have done it without all of you.  Your support for these kinds of cool events are what makes even more cool events possible.  THANKS!!!

Posted in Random Babbling of a Record Store Geek, Store Observations, The Music | 3 Comments »

Hoodstage Happiness, Jazz Style

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Doing a Hoodlums’ Event is sort of like throwing a party.  You do the best you can to put together cool music, film, or art – something to give people a reason to visit – and then you hope people will show up.

It’s a mildly nerve-racking thing to do… trying to get people out of the house.  More so because I can empathize with our customers.  I work hard all day, and sometimes at the end of the day all I want to do is burrow in with my wife and kids and hang out.  Our humble abode is full of things I like, and I am snug as a bug there.  When it comes to going out, either shopping or partying or whatever, it’s easy to scrap it.

But I also know that getting off the couch and coming out of my cave usually results in a good time, and  Kristian and I both feel that a record store needs to be more than just a record store in order to move through the next decade… so we persevere and host parties, er, events.

Steve - the Record Store Geek in cartoonLast Friday night wasn’t any different.  I worked all day, and was feeling content as hell at 5:30 PM when I got home.  I didn’t have to go back to the store, we have competent hoodlums running the Friday night shift, and they could handle it for sure.  But I knew we had two jazz bands playing, and I love jazz.  Plus, the Hoodstage has been a pleasant surprise for me, exposing me to a number of bands I wouldn’t have seen otherwise (like I said, I have a lovely wife and I can get drunk at home if I so desire, so the lure of late-night bar-hanging isn’t as strong), so I am beginning to look forward to our monthly event.

I wasn’t disappointed on Friday night.

Holy jazz guys in Tempe, Batman.  These two bands, The Latest and the Bad Cactus Brass Band, were really great to see.  Totally entertaining.  I’m not sure there are bars in Tempe where bands like this play… but if so I might have to start drinking out again.

And… like almost all of our other events, you rascals showed up and supported the show.  We had a great crowd in and out throughout the evening, and everyone seemed to enjoy the sounds.  In closing their set, the BCBB played “The Saints Go Marching In” all the way outside the store, so the diners at Mac’s (who finally put up a website and Facebook page… woo hoo) , and the rest of our Tempe Square customers all got a dose of jazz.

Want a dose yourself?  Luckily, Becky brought her super cam and posted some video on our Facebook page (You might have noticed two embedded right here… these are HD.  If you want to view the vids in regular quality, go to the FB page).

Like it?  We’ve got more on the Facebook page.  Stay tuned to hoodlumsmusic.com for updates on our upcoming events.

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Top 10 Lists of 2009/Decade, by Steve the Record Store Geek

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

I post my Top Ten lists last.  After Joe’s List, after Andy’s, after Becky’s, after the Hall of Famers’.

Why?  a) Because making my lists takes forever, and as you can see, once I get going… I get going;  2) because I am the webmaster (I love saying that) and “poster” of the store lists, so I can push it; and 3) because it gives me a chance to peruse others lists and see if I missed anything.

Steve - the Record Store Geek in cartoonIf you are reading this, it’s possible you keep an eye on things at Hoodlums, so you may have noticed that I have been doing video recommendations about once a week. I love giving my opinion on great albums.  The process of making out “best of” lists is another great way to spread the word about good albums, so I take it seriously.  If it’s on the lists, I really do dig it.

I teased Joe in his list intro.  If Joe were to give me shit (and he does) about my list, he would probably say that I am predictable and safe, which is true.   I tend to gravitate towards groove and melody, regardless of genre… and I shy away from things that get to electronic (only actual drummers, please) or “scronky” (love “Kind of Blue”; don’t get “Bitches Brew”… although I’ve tried).  There would also be some sort of comment about my excessive love of vintage music.

My ultimate goal is to introduce people to good music.  Sure, I am a shopkeeper, and my favorite scenario would be for you to buy one of our recommendations at Hoodlums (or the indie record store nearest you) or on our digital store, but I assure you that I would still take a good bit of pleasure in thinking that your interested was piqued as a result of my list (or those of my comrades)… regardless of your method of acquisition.

Anyway, my Top Ten lists deal with 2009 and the Decade… with both new and vintage discoveries.  They are in no particular order.  I tried to avoid stuff I had used for my High Fidelity lists from Fall 2008.

Top Picks of 2009

Ten 2009 records that I really think will last for me

Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears
Monsters of Folk
David Bazan
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (Live)
God Help the Girl
Pete Yorn/Scarlett Johannson
Black Crowes
Devendra Banhart
Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetics

Ten 2009 records I liked in the store, but haven’t listened to at home

Built to Spill
Silversun Pickups
Phoenix
Neko Case
Bruce Springsteen
Decemberists
M. Ward
Pearl Jam
Bon Iver
Dark Was the Night

Ten 2009 records I’m going to keep working on in 2010

Todd Snider
XX
Tegan and Sara
Dave Alvin and Guilty Women
Lucero
Wilco
Avett Brothers
Andrew Bird
Phish
Dinosaur Jr.

Five 2009 critically-acclaimed records I’ll probably never listen to again

Animal Collective
Grizzly Bear
Dead Weather
U2 (Boner and the boys lost me ages ago)
Bob Dylan (ditto with new Bob… it doesn’t do much for me)

Ten Movies/TV Shows I Enjoyed in 2009

Star Trek
Inglorious Basterds
Up
The Hangover
Real Time with Bill Maher
Arrested Development – Season 3
Frank Zappa – Making of Apostrophe
Curb Your Enthusiasm – Seinfeld Season
30 Rock – Season 3
NFL Football

Ten Things I’d like To see from the Entertainment Industry in 2010

The end of label/studio financed loss-leading for corporate retail (devaluing music since 1995).
The end of all things “exclusive” (the most confusing word in music retail).
The end of all CD list prices over $13 (even $13 is too high, but we’d take it).
The end of all DVD list prices over $20 (Blu Ray is ridiculous as well).
Reasonable list prices on new jazz & blues (so we can play and sell them).
A fantastic 800 – 1000 capacity venue for music in Tempe (w/no shoe removal necessary).
More Music Performance DVDs from the 60s and 70s (w/the essential lineups).
The end of Reality TV forever (although I literally watch none).
An instant stop to the escalation of New LP/Vinyl pricing (only labels can kill off a great trend).
A dynamic, diverse, cool radio FM station in the Valley (most people listen to many genres).

Top Picks of The Decade

Twenty of My Favorite Albums Released During the Decade

Michael Franti and Sprearhead – Everyone Deserves Music
Pete Yorn – Music for the Morning After
Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
My Morning Jacket – Z
Shins – Chutes Too Narrow
John Legend – Get Lifted
India.Arie – Acoustic Soul
Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Village Green – Feeling the Fall
Ryan Adams – Gold
Budos Band – II
Belle and Sebastian – Life Pursuit
Breakestra – Hit the Floor
Drive By Truckers – Blessing and a Curse
James Hunter – People Gonna Talk
Alison Krauss and Union Station – New Favorite
Roy Hargrove – Earfood
Minus the Bear – Menos El Oso
Peter Bjorn and John – Writer’s Block
Josh Rouse – 1972
Bob Schneider – The Californian

Twenty of My Favorites Movies Released During the Decade

Up
Incredibles
Finding Nemo
Lord of the Rings trilogy
Star Trek
Lucky Number Slevin
Batman Begins
Star Wars 3: Revenge of Sith (that’s right, I like both trilogies)
40 Year Old Virgin
Sin City
Boondock Saints
The Hangover
Old School
The Departed
Almost Famous
Wall-E
Garden State
Open Range
Juno
Thank You For Smoking

In case my occupation wasn’t enough evidence that I’m an overgrown teenager… my movie list should leave no doubt.

Seven favorite “non” movie films from the Decade

What the Bleep Do We Know?
Led Zeppelin (2 DVD set)
30 Rock
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Religulous
Ladies and Gentleman…The Rolling Stones.
Midnight Special videos on YouTube

The Vintage Stuff of 2009

10 vintage rock records I’ve discovered and played heavily this year

Savoy Brown – Raw Sienna
James Gang – Yer Album
Dave Mason – Alone Together
Wishbone Ash – Argus
Guess Who – Canned Wheat
Kinks – Lola vs. Powerman
Bonnie Raitt – Give It Up
Tim Buckley – Greetings from L.A.
Rory Gallagher – Calling Card
Steven Stills – Manassas

10 Vintage Jazz and Blues albums I’ve discovered and played heavily this year

Howlin’ Wolf – Backdoor Man
Paul Desmond – Take Ten
Astrud Gilberto – Astrud Gilberto album
Paul Butterfield Blues Band – Adventures of Pigboy Crabshaw
Rising Sons (w/Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder)
John Mayall – Crusade (w/Mick Taylor)
Lamberts, Hendricks, and Ross – Everybody’s Boppin’
Cal Tjader – Primo
Baby Face Willette – Stop and Listen
Captain Beefheart – Safe as Milk

10 Vintage Records my fellow record store geeks harass me for… that I still play frequently at home

Head East – Flat as a Pancake
Bob Seger – Night Moves
Eagles – Desperado
REO Speedwagon – Live: You Get What You Play For
April Wine – First Glance
Atlanta Rhythm Section – Champagne Jam
ZZ Top – Deguello
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Second Helping
Journey – Infinity
ELO – Greatest Hits

Note: This list is endless, as I still love many of the “critical dogs” I loved growing up.

10 Vintage Records I could sell you by playing them

Bebel Gilberto – Tanto Tempo
Rory Gallagher – Rory Gallagher
Taj Mahal – Taj Mahal
Shuggie Otis – Shuggie’s Blues
Stanley Turrentine – Rough and Tumble
Nina Simone – Sings the Blues
Steely Dan – Countdown to Ecstacy
Kashmere Stage Band
Traffic – John Barleycorn Must Die
Dusty Springfield – Dusty in Memphis

10 Vintage Albums I would never part with…

Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
Cars – Cars
Dave Brubeck – Time Out
Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson – It’s Your World
Paul Butterfield Blues Band – S/T
Beatles – Revolver
Widespread Panic – Everyday
Various Artists – The Roots of Acid Jazz
Frank Zappa – Apostrophe/Overnight Sensation
Elvis Costello – Armed Forces

Ten CDs I’m going to buy from the new batch of 6.99 classics we just ordered*

Journey – Journey (pre Steve Perry)
Dr. Seuss – Fox in Socks (to see if they read it faster than me)
Idrid Muhammad – Power of Soul
Staple Singers – Freedom Highway
Delaney and Bonnie – D&B Together
Spirit – The Family That Plays Together
Dave Brubeck – Jazz Goes to College
Harry Nilsson – Nilsson Sings Newman
Paul Desmond – Desmond Blue
Allman Brothers – An Evening With, 1st Set

* That means you can come in and listen to them whenever you want!

Hoodlums Music Junkies (Customers) Top Picks of 2009

Hoodlums Staff Picks of 2008

Hoodlums “High Fidelity” Top Fives (Fall 2008)

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Top Ten Lists of the Hoodlums’ Music Junkies

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

You didn’t think we weren’t going to get our customers in on the fun, did ya?

Granted, we could have done a much better job of getting the word out… and we could have given our customer base a longer time to respond, but considering those facts, we are pretty happy about the amount of responses we received for our first ever “Customer Top Tens” call.

Whether they came via our Facebook page or the Internet – we cut and pasted ‘em in below.  If there were descriptions or explanations, we left ‘em.  Check out their lists and compare them to your own, or to the Hoodlums’ lists.  There some really excellent albums on the lists… and some nifty explanations/reviews to go with them.  You guys (some of our all-time customers, I might add) did a great job!  Thanks.

We are going to throw all of these names into a hat, and one of them is going to pick up $50 in Hoodlums’ credit just for playing.

And now, the top tens of our beloved customers…

Tim Ruback

I couldn’t resist taking the bait that you laid on Facebook, so I came up with a bunch of year-end & decade-end lists.   My only rule was that I couldn’t put the same artist in more than 1 list, so as to cast as wide a net as possible.  It ended up pretty scattershot, which means that there’s probably something for everyone in here, I guess.  You’re right — it’s easy to get carried away.

Top 10 Albums from 2009
1.       Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel – Willie and the Wheel
2.       DJ Sprinkles – Midtown 120 Blues
3.       Vijay Iyer Trio – Historicity
4.       The Bronx – Mariachi El Bronx
5.       Tom Waits – Glitter & Doom Live
6.       Shackleton – 3 EPs
7.       Brock Van Wey – White Clouds Drift On & On
8.       Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears – Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is
9.       Lee Fields & The Expressions – My World
10.        Raekwon – Only Built for Cuban Lynx II

Top 10 Albums I Discovered in 2009

1.       Sonny Clark – Leapin’ & Lopin’
2.       Freddie McGregor – Bobby Bobylon
3.       Arbee Stidham – Tired of Wandering
4.       Siah & Yeshua DapoED  — The Visualz
5.       The Monks – Black Monk Time
6.       Rudresh Mahanthappa – Kinsmen
7.       IAM – L’Ecole du Micro D’Argent
8.       Rhythm & Sound – See Mi Yah
9.       Killah Priest – Heavy Mental
10.      Al Smith – Midnight Special

Top 5 Albums I Bought Because a Hoodlum Recommended It to Me (Responsible Hoodlum in Parentheses)

1.       Fela Kuti – The Best Best of Fela Kuti (Kristian)
2.       Magma – Uber Kommandoh (Joe)
3.       Grant Green – Iron City (Steve)
4.       Donald Byrd – Live at the Half-Note vol. 1&2 (Steve [and/or Vinnie(?)])
5.       Lyle Lovett – And His Large Band (Steve [and/or Lloyd(?)])

5 Albums with Exclamation Marks in the Title that I’d Probably Be Trying to Play & Sell All the Time If I Were a Hoodlum

1.       Mose Allison – I Don’t Worry About A Thing/Mose Alive!
2.       Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Get Happy!
3.       Duke Pearson – Wahoo!
4.       Gang of Four – Entertainment!
5.       Booker Ervin – Heavy!!!

Top 5 Compilations of the Decade from Genres That You May Not Have Ever Thought Existed

1.       The Third Unheard: Connecticut Hip Hop 1979-1983
2.       BIPPP: French Synth Wave 1979-85
3.       Nigeria Disco Funk Special: The Sound of the Underground Lagos Dance Floor 1974-1979
4.       The In-Kraut: Hip Shaking Grooves Made in Germany 1966-74
5.       Pachuco-Soul! A Collection of Vintage East-L.A. Grooves from the Vaults of Rampart Records

Top 5 Single Artist Compilations of the Decade

1.       Ike & Tina Turner – Funkier Than A Mosquito’s Tweeter (thanks Tim… I already bought this)
2.       Alton Ellis – Be True to Yourself: Anthology 1965-1973
3.       Hank Penny – Crazy Rhythm: The Standard Transcriptions
4.       Junior Kimbrough – You Better Run: The Essential Junior Kimbrough
5.       James Brown – In The Jungle Groove

Top 5 Reissues of the Decade

1.       Marvin Gaye – Here, My Dear
2.       Talking Heads – The Name of This Band is Talking Heads
3.       ESG – Come Away With ESG
4.       Television – Marquee Moon
5.       Neu! – Neu!

5 Albums that Need a US CD Release in the 2010s (Steve, You Can Talk To Some People For Me, Right?), or:  Special Order the Imports, People – Just Trust Me on This.

1.       Marva Whitney – It’s My Thing
2.       Don Wilkerson – Preach, Brother!
3.       Keith Hudson – Flesh of My Skin, Blood of My Blood
4.       Curtis Fuller – Bone & Bari
5.       Serge Gainsbourg – L’Homme à Tête de Chou

Top 10 Albums of the Decade

1.       Calexico – Feast of Wire
2.       Marcin Wasilewski – Trio
3.       Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
4.       Burial – Untrue
5.       Erykah Badu – Mama’s Gun
6.       Luomo – Vocal City
7.       The Clientele – Suburban Light
8.       Dave Holland Quintet – Extended Play: Live at Birdland
9.       King Khan & The Shrines – What Is?!
10.      Six Organs of Admittance – School of the Flower

Michael Clawson

My Top 10 Albums of 2009 (as they originally appeared here)

1. The Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca
2. The Mars Volta, Octahedron
3. Mastodon, Crack the Skye… See More
4. DOOM, Born Like This
5. Karen O. and the Kids, Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack
6. The Sounds, Crossing the Rubicon
7. Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, s/t
8. Baroness, Blue Record
9. Speech Debelle, Speech Therapy
10.The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, s/t

5 Songs:

1. “Empire State of Mind,” Jay-Z (w/ Alicia Keys)
2. “Two Weeks,” Grizzly Bear
3. “1901,” Phoenix
4. “Daylight,” Matt & Kim
5. “Make Her Say,” Kid Cudi

Ashley Harris

Eek! I saw your side note on Becky’s Top 10 about me not sending one in . . . I didn’t know I could! FUN! I already posted the top 10 on my blog, but I didn’t do concerts or anything so this is fun! Thanks for calling me out, Steve!

I also spent three months on a blog series called “The Loop: 10 Years of Unapologetic Albums”, writing nerd essays on my favorite records from 2000 – 2008 on Seven Watt Media. I also posted videos for the top albums and top songs below so feel free to browse:

Top 10 Albums:

1)       Bowerbirds – Upper Air
2)       Freelance Whales – Weathervanes
3)       Mumford and Sons – Sigh No More (UK release, US release in early 2010)
4)       Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons – Death Won’t Send a Letter
5)       Fanfarlo – Reservoir
6)       Brandi Carlile – Give Up the Ghost
7)       Desert Noises – Desert Noises EP
8)       The Fray – The Fray
9)       Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything to Nothing
10)        Sam Means – The Sinking of Santa Isabel

Top 5 most listened to that didn’t come out in 2009:

1)       Ra Ra Riot – The Rhumb Line
2)       DeYarmond Edison – Silent Signs
3)       Right Away Great Captain! – The Eventually Home
4)       The Helio Sequence – Keep Your Eyes Ahead
5)       French Quarter – French Quarter

Top 10 Shows of 2009:

1)       Kings of Convenience  @ Bowery Ballroom
2)       Jimmy Eat World (Clarity x10 Tour) @ Terminal 5
3)       Deer Tick @ Rocks off Boat Cruise (it literally was on a boat)
4)       Sufjan Stevens @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5)       Bowerbirds @ Mercury Lounge
6)       Hoodstock at Hoodlums!
7)       Kinch Christmas Show @ Rhythm Room
8)       Dear and the Headlights, Kinch and Rajiv Patel @ The Studio at Webster Hall (love seeing my locals in NYC)
9)       Fun. and Miniature Tigers @ Mercury Lounge
10)        Green Day @ Webster Hall (in a 1,500 person room, unreal)

Top 25 Songs of 2009 (cause us label folk love our singles!):

1)         The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition
2)         Brendan Benson – A Whole Lot Better
3)         Miike Snow – Animal
4)         Audrye Sessions – Where You’ll Find Me
5)         Fun. – Walking the Dog
6)         Imogen Heap – First Train Home
7)         Bon Iver – Brackett, WI
8)         Nneka – Heartbeat
9)         Phoenix – Listomania
10)        Vedera – A World Apart
11)        Howie Day – Be There
12)        Ben Gibbard and Jay Farrar – California Zephyr
13)        Passion Pit – Little Secrets
14)        The Low Anthem – Charlie Darwin
15)        Modest Mouse – Autumn Beds
16)        A Lull – Skinny Fingers
17)        Volcano Choir – Island, IS
18)        Grand Archives – Olso Novelist
19)        John Mayer – Heartbreak Warfare
20)        Skybox – In a Dream
21)        Julian Casablancas – 11th Dimension
22)        Austin Gibbs – Complete
23)        Kings of Convenience – 24-25
24)        The Avett Brothers – Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise
25)        Mew – Introducing Palace Players

Top 10 Reasons why Hoodlums is still my favorite record store even after moving 2000 miles away:

1)       Because
2)       They
3)       Are
4)       The
5)       Best
6)       In
7)       The
8)       Music
9)       Biz.
10)    SERIOUSLY.

Emma Ringness

I could keep going and going with this if I didn’t have to get ready for the semester now:

My top 5 albums of 2009:

1.    Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, Franz Ferdinand
2.    It’s Blitz!, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3.    Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Phoenix
4.    Where The Wild Things Are OST, Karen O & The Kids
5.    God Help the Girl, God Help the Girl

My top 9 quotable albums of the decade, 2000-2009:

The ones whose lyrics you can scrawl everywhere, quote to give yourself musical cred, incorporate in your Internet alter-ego, and most importantly, express emotions you can’t yourself.

1.    The Life Pursuit, Belle and Sebastian

Okay, this should actually include every album in the B&S catalog simply because they are lyrical geniuses, but for the sake of lists, we’ll limit it to one.

2.    First Impressions of Earth, The Strokes

Genius or insanity? The fact that you can’t tell is proof it’s amazing. I included First Impressions because on this album the lyrics got to ride shotgun instead of in the backseat.

3.    Hold On Now, Youngster…, Los Campesinos!

“I’ll be ctrl, alt, deleting your face with no reservations”

4.    Transatlanticism, Death Cab For Cutie

I have always maintained that listening to Death Cab is the equivalent of someone taking your hand and telling you it’s OK.

5.    Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, Arctic Monkeys

If you don’t think that title holds a lot of promise, you probably won’t like the lyrics.  If you don’t like the lyrics, you don’t have a snarky bone in your body.  Go listen to John Mayer.

6.    Franz Ferdinand, Franz Ferdinand

This album has shaped me both personally and as a music junkie, so I’m definitely skewed when I say that it’s lyrical gold. If you don’t agree, just humor me.

7.    Elephant Shell, Tokyo Police Club

I included this after I realized that I quote TPC just about everywhere.

8.    Funeral, Arcade Fire

Very understated lyrics but very, very beautiful.

9.    In Rainbows, Radiohead

The musical gods would strike me down if I didn’t include Radiohead in this list…and, you know, they deserve it.

Top 6 albums of the decade I can’t bring myself to skip a single song off of:

1.    Is This It, The Strokes
2.    Little Joy, Little Joy
3.    Funeral, Arcade Fire
4.    Franz Ferdinand, Franz Ferdinand
5.    Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Phoenix
6.    Young For Eternity, The Subways

Honorable Mention to make a nice clean 10:

7.    Broken Boy Soldiers, The Raconteurs (sans “Call It a Day”)
8.    The Life Pursuit, Belle and Sebastian (sans “Song for Sunshine)
9.    Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever, The Cribs (sans “Major’s Titling Victory”)
10.    Narrow Stairs, Death Cab for Cutie (sans “Pity and Fear”)

Mimi Ringness

Top Ten Albums of the Decade

1.  Hopes and Fears, Keane
2.  Transatlanticism, Death Cab For Cutie
3.  It’s Blitz!, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4.  In Rainbows, Radiohead
5.  Funeral, Arcade Fire
6.  Songs We Sing, Matt Costa
7.  Give Up, The Postal Service
8.  Wilderness Is Paradise Now, Morning Runner
9.  Robbers & Cowards, Cold War Kids
10.  A Rush Of Blood To The Head, Coldplay

Top Ten Fifteen Songs of the Decade

1. “Bedshaped”, Keane
2. “Somewhere Only We Know”, Keane
3. “Burning Benches”, Morning Runner
4. “Videotape”, Radiohead
5. “Transatlanticism”, Death Cab For Cutie
6. “On A Day Like Today”, Keane
7. “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)”, Arcade Fire
8. “Zero”, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
9. “The Scientist”, Coldplay
10. “These Arms”, Matt Costa
11. “Trick of the Light”, Guillemots
12. “Juicebox”, The Strokes
13. “A Lack of Color”, Death Cab For Cutie
14. “My Drive Thru”, Santogold, Casablancas, NERD
15.  “Idioteque”, Radiohead

Mimi’s Top Ten Concerts of the Decade

1. Little Joy (Martini Ranch, Scottsdale)
2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs (The Marquee, Tempe)
3. Bloc Party (The Marquee, Tempe)
4. Death Cab For Cutie (Mesa Amphitheater, Mesa)
5. Keane (Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix)
6. Franz Ferdinand (The Marquee, Tempe)
7. The Raconteurs (The Marquee, Tempe)
8. Adele (The Marquee, Tempe)
9. Matt Costa (Martini Ranch, Scottsdale)
10. Silversun Pickups (The Clubhouse, Tempe)

Top Ten Hoodlums Deals of the Decade

1. Two Way Monologue, Sondre Lerche, $3.99
2. Gimme Fiction, Spoon, $7.99
3. It’s Blitz!, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, $7.99
4. 3 Rounds and a Sound, Blind Pilot, $3.99
5. The Open Door EP, Death Cab For Cutie, $4.99
6. We Might As Well Be Strangers (DJ Shadow Vs. Keane) vinyl, $5.99
7. Loyalty To Loyalty, Cold War Kids, $7.99
8. “If I Knew You”, Eulogies/“You’re a Wolf”, Sea Wolf 7” vinyl, $2.00
9.  Paolo Nutini Live Sessions, Paolo Nutini, free with purchase of These Streets
10.  Some Racing, Some Stopping, Headlights, $12.99

Mitch Goyette

Top Ten of 2009

1. The Dear Hunter – Act III:Life and Death
2. Dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
3. Amorphis – Skyforger
4. Blind Ego – Numb
5. Arjen Lucassen’s Guilt Machine – On this Perfect Day
6. The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love
7. Brand New – Daisy
8. Jolly – Forty Six Minutes Twelve Seconds of Music
9. fun. – Aim & Ignite
10. Riverside – Anno Domini High Definition

Ten isn’t enough, so I also feel the need to add the following as Honorable Mentions:

Trouble – Unplugged
Arctic Monkeys – Humbug
Alice in Chains – Black Gives Way to Blue
Redemption – Snowfall on Judgement Day
Depeche Mode – Sounds of the Universe
Portugal, the Man – The Satanic Satanists
RX Bandits – Mandala
Diablo Swing Orchestra – No. 2 – Singalong Songs for the Damned and Delirious

Russet Burbank

top 10 records of 2009 in no particular order

xx by The xx
Inspiration Information Vol. 3 by Mulatu Astatqe and the Heliocentrics
Dub Plate Style by Delroy Wilson
Embryonic by The Flaming Lips
Tyondai Braxton- Central Market
Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective
The Ecstatic by Mos Def
Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors
Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear
The Spirit of Apollo by N.A.S.A.

Tim Merrick

5 best from the Decade:

1. The Libertines – The Libertines
2. The Good, the Bad and The Queen – The Good, the Bad and The Queen
3. Arcade Fire – Funeral
4. Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid…

Christine Hippeli

Top 5 of 2009 (in no particular order):

1. Natureboy-self titled
2. Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavillion
3. The Big Pink- A Brief History of Love… See More
4. Dan Deacon- Bromst
5.The Twilight Sad- Forget the Night Ahead

Tom Martin

Top 10 of the year:

Arctic Monkeys – Humbug
Animal Collective – MPP
Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
Girls – Album… See More
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
St Vincent – Actor
Atlas Sound – Logos
The XX – The XX
Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
Dinosaur Jr – Farm

Erika Pederson Schaefer

M. Ward-Transfiguration of Vincent
Andrew Bird Noble Beast
Kings of Leon
Arctic Monkeys Humbug
Grizzly Bear Veckatimest

Bret Helm

U2 – No Line On The Horizon
Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You
The Big Pink – A Brief History Of Love
Brett Anderson – Slow Attack
The Church – Untitled #23… See More
Placebo – Battle For The Sun
AFI – Crash Love
Antony & The Johnsons – The Crying Light
Morrissey – Years Of Refusal
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions – Through The Devil Softly

John Bishop

My top 10 of the year, including one reissue of a criminally unreleased seventies album that impressed me greatly:

1. Animal Collective “Merriweather Post Pavillion”
2. The xx “The xx”
3. Betty Davis “Is It Love Or Desire?” [this is that reissue]… See More
4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs “It’s Blitz”
5. Dirty Projectors “Bitte Orca”
6. Neko Case “Middle Cyclone”
7. Antony & The Johnsons “The Crying Light”
8. Peaches “I Feel Cream”
9. The Flaming Lips “Embryonic”
10. Girls “Album”

David Maalsch

Note: This is our friend and HoodDocs critic.  You can find his blog here.

THE TOP 5 ALBUMS OF 2009

1. PHOENIX/WOLFGANG AMADEUS PHOENIX
2. THE XX/XX
3. BLAKROC/BLAKROC
4. WILCO (THE ALBUM)
5. SILVERSUN PICKUPS/SWOON

honorable mentions

DAN AUERBACH/KEEP IT HID
AVETT BROTHERS/I AND LOVE AND YOU
BAND OF SKULLS/BABY DARLING DOLL FACE HONEY
JULIAN CASABLANCAS/PHRAZES FOR THE YOUNG
NEKO CASE/MIDDLE CYCLONE
BOB DYLAN/TOGETHER THROUGH LIFE
THE FELICE BROTHERS/YONDER IS THE CLOCK
FRANZ FERDINAND/TONIGHT
GRIZZLY BEAR/VICKATIMEST
BEN KWELLER/CHANGING HORSES
LUCERO/1372 OVERTON PARK
BEN NICHOLS/THE LAST PALE LIGHT IN THE WEST
THE VON BONDIES/LOVE, HATE AND THEN THERE’S YOU
HAYWARD WILLIAMS/COTTON BELL

Tim Neilson

1.Riverboat Gamblers-Underneath The Owl 12″
2.Dear Landlord-Dream Home 12″
3.Dead To Me-African Elephants 12″
4.Rumspringer-10″
5.Boats-Summer Vacation 7″

Tammy Hulfachor

My top albums for 2009

1. Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer
2. Portugal. The Man – the Satanic Satanist
3. Sonic Youth – The Eternal… See More
4. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
5. Akron/Family – Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free
6. Heartless Bastards – The Mountain
7. Thao With the Get Down, Stay Down – Know Better, Learn Faster
8. Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs
9. Clues – Clues
10. Islands – Vapours

Audrey Hunsdon Call

freelance whales – weathervanes
metric – fantasies
yeah yeah yeah’s – it’s blitz!
laura gibson – beasts of season
temper trap – conditions… See More
passion pit – manners
decomposure – humidity patient guide
one eskim0 – one eskimo0
santigold – santigold
lisa hannigan – sea sew

Kyle Hague

My Top for ‘09

Atlas Sound – Logos
Jim O’Rourke – The Visitor
Akron/Family – Set ‘em Wild, Set ‘em Free
Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish I Were and Eagle… See More
Woods – Songs of Shame
Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
Vic Chesnutt – At the Cut
Magnolia Electric Co. – Josephine
Japandroids – Post-nothing
Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms

Leah Miller

Here’s my Top Ten songs of 2009:

1. Last Parade – Matthew Good
2. Happiness Burns – Two Hours Traffic… See More
3. I could love you more – In-Flight Safety
4. All you did was save my life – Our Lady Peace
5. Put the phone down – Pilot Speed
6. Through & Through & Through – Joel Plaskett
7. Camilo (The Magician) – Said the Whale
8. City at Sunrise – Vince Vaccaro
9. Chop Chop – Ryan Dahle
10. What we’re doing – The Dank

Kyle Hostetler

Hoodlum since 2002 (Kyle noted the year he filled his Music Junkie card, which I love)

Top Albums of the 2000’s – By Year/Alphabetical by Artist

2000

At The Drive-In – Relationship of Command
Dashboard Confessional – Swiss Army Romance
Dogwood – Building a Better Me
Project 86 – Drawing Black Lines
Radiohead – Kid A
Squad Five-0 – Bombs Over Broadway

2001

Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American
Relient K – Anatomy of Tongue and Cheeck
Stretch Arm Strong – A Revolution Transmission
System of a Down – Toxicity
Thursday – Full Collapse

2002

All-American Rejects – All-American Rejects
Blindside – Silence
The Early November – For  All of This
Fivespeed – Trade in Your Halo
July For Kings – Swim
The Mountain Goats – Tallahassee
Norma Jean – Bless the Martyr, Kiss the Child
P.O.D. – Satellite
Sigur Rós -  ( )
Simple Plan – No Helmets, No Pads…Just Balls
Something Corporate – Leaving Through the Window
Squad Five-0 – Squad Five-0
The Starting Line – Say it Like You Mean It
Taking Back Sunday – Tell All Your Friends
Ugly Cassanova – Sharpen Your Teeth

2003

As I Lay Dying – Frail Words Collapse
Copeland – Beneath the Medicine Tree
Fall Out Boy – Take This To Your Grave
Further Seems Forever – How to Start a Fire
Matchbook Romance – Stories and Alibis
Muse – Absolution
MxPx – Before Everything and After
The Postal Service – Give Up
The Rocket Summer – Calendar Days
Story of the Year – Page Avenue
Switchfoot – The Beautiful Letdown

2004

Emery – The Weak’s End
The Good Life – Album of The Year
Haste The Day – Burning Bridges
He Is Legend – I Am Hollywood
Joe Strummer & The Mescalaros – Streetcore
Killswitch Engage – The End of Heartache
Midtown – Forget What You Know
Number One Fan – Compromises
Rise Against – Siren Song of the Counter-Culture
Say Anything – …Is a Real Boy
Senses Fail – Let It Enfold You
The Showdown – A Chorus of Obliteration
Unearth – The Oncoming Storm

2005

Acceptance – Phantoms
Cartel – Chroma
Coheed & Cambria – Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV
Mae – The Everglow
Maylene & The Sons of Disaster – Maylene & The Sons of Disaster
Panic! at The Disco – A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out
Paramore – All We Know is Falling
Plain White Ts – All That We Needed
Reggie and the Full Effect – Songs Not to Get Married To
Still Remains – Of Love and Lunacy
30 Seconds to Mars – The Beautiful Lie

2006

Switchfoot – Oh! Gravity.

2007

Paramore – Riot!
Sarah Bareilles – Little Voice

2008

Plain White Ts – Big Bad World
Sigur Rós – Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust

2009

Switchfoot – Hello, Hurricane

Kevin Pawlak

Kevin’s favorite albums of the last decade:

2000 – The Be Good Tanyas – “Blue Horse”
2001 – The Frames – “For The Birds”
2002 – Patty Griffin – “1000 Kisses”
2003 – Rufus Wainwright – “Want One”
2004 – Iron & Wine – “Our Endless Numbered Days”
2005 – Sufjan Stevens – “Come On Feel The Illinoise”
2006 – Josh Ritter – “The Animal Years”
2007 – Patty Griffin, “Children Running Through”
2008 – Bon Iver -“For Emma, Forever Ago”
2009 – Gregory Alan Isakov – “This Empty Northern Hemisphere”

Close calls:

2000 – Sarah Harmer – “Wish You Where Here”
2002 – Josh Ritter – “The Golden Age Of Radio”
2003 – Damien Rice – “O”
2003 – Ray LaMontagne – “Trouble”
2004 – Sam Phillips “A Boot And A Shoe”
2005 – Andrew Bird – “Andrew Bird & The Mysterious Production Of Eggs”

Michael Pang

Top 5 Cover Songs of 2009

1. Mayer Hawthorne – “Maybe So, Maybe No” (originally by New Holidays, 1969)
2. Karen O and the Kids – “Worried Shoes” (originally by Daniel Johnston, 1983)
3. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings – “Inspiration Information” (originally by Shuggie Otis, 1974)
4. El Michels Affair – “C.R.E.A.M.” (originally by Wu-Tang Clan, 1993)
5. The Dead Weather – “New Pony” (originally by Bob Dylan, 1978)

Ben Horowitz

top ten rock n’ roll records of the decade for formerly suburbanite ragers desiring more intellectuality out of their punk rawk

one – fugazi – the argument (dischord, 2001) – fugazi is the ultimate band, and they knew to go out on a high note.  from the opening cello strings to the bitter end that comes too soon, this album changed my life and still gives me chills.  having the only non-clunky song (and the best song) about gentrification of the decade solidifes the number one spot. (“on the morning of the first eviction / they carried out the wishes of the landlord and his son / furniture’s out on the sidewalk next to the family / that little piggie went to market, / so they’re kicking out everyone”)

two – godspeed you! black emperor – lift your skinny fists like antennaes to heaven (krank, 2002) – will any band ever dare to make twenty-minute sprawling, dynamic, epic songs that are accompanied by maps connecting record labels to the military-industrial death machine? maybe, but they’ll never be this incredible again.  Best conceptual use of spoken word / oral history / a recording of a gas station announcement of the century.  (“waaaaah, waaaaah, WAAAAAAAH WEEEEEE WAAAH WAAAH WAAAH, oooooh, waaah ,wooooh”)

three – against me! – …is reinventing axl rose (no idea, 2002) – for better or for worse, the sheer number of blatant knock-off bands spawned by this record should clue you into how amazing it is – an absolute ten on the sing-along-ability scale without resorting to cheap sloganeering.  something lost on some of their “betrayed” anarcho-crustie, tire-slashing followers later on down the line, unfortunately. best songs of the decade about the joy of seeing scummy punk bands in basements with your friends, getting blood outta rocks to pay rent, and believing in something bigger than yourself in the face of the bush.  (“Last night, a room full drunks / Sang along to the songs I never had the courage to write / Given the chance, I’d stay in this chorus forever / Where everything ugly in this world / Is sadly beautiful…”)

four – black eyes – black eyes and cough (dischord, 2003 & 2004) – free-form jazz punk with saxophones, inhuman wailing, and e.e. cummings-inspired lyrics?  yes, please!  best reference to the inherent machismo and implicit violence of nu-metal of the decade. (“What happens when ‘fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me to’ / Means that I will still fuck you even when you tell me not to?”)

five – ted leo & the pharmacists – hearts of oak (lookout!/touch&go, 2003) – if there were any justice in the world, the megalithic riffage on this album would be heralded in the same rock annals as those journey songs everyone can guitar with their mouth.  maybe it’s teddy’s pesky english degree and all them big fancy words, and wimpy feminism. best song of the decade when it come to grappling with america’s -year abusive relationship with the rest of planet earth.  (“you didn’t think they could hate you now, didja? / oh, but they hate ya, they hate ya coz you’re guilty …/ why would you think they would hate ya, wouldja? / oh but they hate ya, make no mistake, they hate ya”)

six – andrew jackson jihad – people that can eat people are the luckiest people in the world (asian man, 2007) -  i’ll admit – i’m biased on this one.  but – objectively – i don’t think i’ve heard another record quite like it.  the amount of “guest” musicians – spanning the entire phoenix music scene – makes this an album and a sort of aural history of an underground.  i also think mr. sean bonnette does the best of any lyricist of the naughties in capturing the need to celebrate in the face of hardships. best songs about… that… of the decade. (“Rejoice despite the fact this world will hurt you / Rejoice despite the fact this world will kill you / Rejoice despite the fact this world will tear you to shreds / Rejoice because you’re trying your best”)

seven – bruce springsteen & the e street band – the seeger sessions (columbia, 2006) – one of several records of the decade to prove that you don’t need electricity to rock, this album breathes new life into standards. listening to it, you actually feel like you’re rocking out with friends.  it is true.  best covers of the decade.  (“tu-ra-hay-la-rudala-hay, ta-lu-la-lu-la-ray”)

eight – dillinger four – situationalist comedy (fat wreck, 2002) – this record takes less prisoners than any other chronologically qualifying absolutely-takes-no-prisoners power pop punk record.  holy shit!  seriously!  crushing riffage, clever lyrics, mad dynamic and tempo changes.  as always with the d4, hilarious use of samples.  best “work sucks!” song of the decade!  (“this isn’t what we want / this isn’t what we need / this is what we can afford! [massive guitar-destroying]“)

nine – constantines – tournament of hearts (sub-pop, 2005) – on this record, this band seemed to take everything our parents did, throw it in a tornado, and build a really kick ass house out of it.  driving rhythms with plenty of room to move around in these songs.  best stomping songs of the decade.  (“Let the hand move its people, and draw us lines from our fiery designs / Unknown unknowns, let all our gardens grow, and overtake our history / Seeking strength in mystery / Let us feel the air inside the clothes that we wear / Try to find ghosts behind the buildings in our lives / Draw us lines.”)

ten – the weakerthans – left & leaving (2000) – can an album simultaneously feature a a song on “the wedding crashers” and poetically discuss romance, skewer gentrification & “pro-business” politics, and critique capitalism?  hellz yeah, bro.  best punk love songs of the decade. (“I’m unconsoled / I’m lonely / I am so much better than I used to be / Terrified of telephones / and shopping malls and knives”)

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Top Tens of the Hoodlums’ Hall of Famers

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Ah yes, the hall of famers.

Hoodlums.  Each and every one of them.  Don’t let their new gigs as teachers, or bankers, or major label big shots, or whatever  “real job” they have now, fool ya.  They are still hoodlums.

(OK, there might be a suit or two.  We still haven’t heard from Martin, Justin, Marla, or Vinny, and we can’t find Ash or Alisa.  For all we know, they could be turning their backs on music.)

Anyway, when we put the call out (read: direct video harassment) to our old friends and fellow hoods, many of them reaffirmed our faith in society by actually showing us that they were still listening to new music way into their twenties (and thirties for a couple of the former little shits, eh?).

As you can see, they cover a lot of ground… and like I said in the call out… they all do their lists differently.  Sincere thanks to all of our Hall of Famers who took the time to participate.

Wanna know more about these goofballs?  There’s still some info on all the hoodlums, current and past, on the hoodlums at Hoodlums page.  And now, here’s their lists (except Maria, whose lists is with Joe’s, detailed in the Top Tens of a Diverse Household blog).

By the way… Vinny, you sorry dog, where are you?  C’mon now, you OWN a record store.

The Hoodlums Hall of Famers Top Tens

Amanda - Hall of Famer

Amanda the Hoodlum

No suprises from me! (except that I didn’t love the new Shakira)

Neko Case- Middle Cyclone
Sarah Jarosz- Song Up in Her Head
Mos Def- Ecstatic
Pete Yorn/Scarlette Johanson- Break Up
Regina Spektor- Far
Flo Rida- R.O.O.T.S
Paramore- Brand New Eyes
Norah Jones- The Fall
Mum- Sing Along to Songs You Don’t Know
John Mayer- Battle Studies

Domenic the Hall of Famer

Dominec the Hoodlum

Music:

1.) Serengeti & Polyphonic – Terradactyl
2.) Converge – Axe To Fall
3.) Dan Deacon – Bromst
4.) Propagandhi – Supporting Caste
5.) The Xx – XX
6.) Burnt By The Sun – Heart of Darkness
7.) The Antlers – Hopsice
8.) Ulcerate – Everything Is Fire
9.) Gaza – He Is Never Coming Back
10.) Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue
Favorite Reissue: Company Flow – Funcrusher Plus

Movies (not exclusive to 2009):

1.) 3-Iron
2.) Walkabout
3.) The Elephant Man
4.) The Piano Teacher
5.) In The Mood For Love
6.) Persona
7.) Do The Right Thing
8.) Ikiru
9.) Ponyo
10.) Let The Right One In

Heath may or may not look like this today

Heath the Hoodlum

Top Eleven (no order):

Atlas Sound “Logos”
The Antlers “Hospice”
A Sunny Day in Glasgow “Ashes Grammar”
The XX “XX”
Drake “So Far Gone” Mixtape
Lightning Bolt “Earthly Delights”
Freddie Gibbs “Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs” Mixtape Baroness “Blue Record”
Japandroids “Post Nothing”
Animal Collective “Merriweather Post Pavilion”
Fuck Buttons “Tarot Sport”

Honorable Mention:

Miike Snow “S/T”
Real Estate “S/T”
Raekwon “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. 2″
Volcano Choir “Unmap”
Phoenix “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”
Neon Indian “Psychic Chasms”
Mayer Hawthorne “Strange Arrangement”

Re-discoverd:

Sonny Clark “Sonny Clark Trio”

Shameless Promotion:

Ribbons “Daytrotter Session 10/31/09″

Not with a Top Ten foot pole:

Girls “Album”
Fever Ray “S/T”
Dirty Projectors “Bitte Orca”

Lloyd (original co-owner and hoodlum)

Here’s what I enjoyed this past year:

U2 – No Line On The Horizon
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Up From Below
Miike Snow – Miike Snow
Ladyhawke – Ladyhawke
Harper Simon – Harper Simon
The Sounds – Crossing The Rubicon
Fun. – Aim & Ignite
Diamond District – In The Ruff
Kitty Daisy & Lewis – Kitty Daisy & Lewis
Imogen Heap – Ellipse

My 2009 Playlist…

1. Passion Pit – Little Things
2. Donkeyboy – Sometimes
3. Camera Obscura – The Sweetest Thing
4. La Roux – Bulletproof
5. Ryan Leslie – Never Gonna Break Up
6. Jack Penate – Pull My Heart Away
7. The XX – VCR
8. Phoenix – 1901
9. Taking Back Sunday – Sink Into Me
10. Fun. – All The Pretty Girls
11. Pearl Jam – The Fixer
12. Kitty Daisy & Lewis – I Got My Mojo Working
13. Throw Me The Statue – Hi-Fi Goon
14. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Janglin, Home
15. Harper Simon – Shooting Star
16. Tragically Hip – Morning Moon
17. Tinted Windows – Nothing To Me
18. Franz Ferdinand – No You Girls
19. Sam Roberts – Them Kids
20. Miike Snow – Animal, Burial
21. The Sounds – Underground
22. Iglu & Hartly – Jump Out Of Your Car
23. U2 – Unknown Caller
24. Luke Tierney – My New Best Friend
25. Katy Perry – Waking Up In Vegas
26. Neko Case – People Got A Lot Of Nerve
27. Wilco – Wilco (the song)
28. Green Day – 21 Guns
29. Ladyhawke – My Delirium
30. Diamond District – Streets Won’t Let Me Chill

Other Things…

Tom Petty Live Superhighway website
Hall & Oates Box Set
Big Star Box Set and Replacements reissues
My daughters’ interest in random Paul McCartney songs (No More Lonely Nights, Take It Away)
Weeds
30 Rock
Eastbound & Down
U2 at the Rose Bowl

30+ Favorite Albums of the 2000’s (in no particular order):

1. The Format – Interventions & Lullabyes
2. Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American
3. U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
4. Kanye West – College Dropout, Late Registration
5. Supergrass – Supergrass
6. Rival Schools – United By Fate
7. Chromeo – Fancy Footwork
8. Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
9. Ryan Adams – Gold, Easy Tiger
10. Pete Yorn – musicforthemorningafter
11. The Kooks – Inside In/Inside Out
12. Bruce Springsteen – Magic
13. No Doubt – Rock Steady
14. Matt Costa – Unfamiliar Faces
15. Shelby Lynne – I Am Shelby Lynne
16. Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s – The Dust Of Retreat
17. Kathleen Edwards – Failer, Back To Me
18. David Mead – Mine & Yours
19. Rooney – Rooney
20. Brendan Benson – Lapalco, Alternative To Love
21. Amy Winehouse – Back To Black
22. Tom Petty – Highway Companion
23. Damone – Out Here All Night
24. The Roots – Game Theory
25. Tift Merritt – Tambourine
26. Van Hunt – Van Hunt
27. Radiohead – Kid A
28. Rhett Miller – The Instigator
29. Robin Thicke – The Evolution Of Robin Thicke
30. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Live Anthology, Runnin’ Down A Dream movie

30 Favorite Songs Of the 2000’s

1. All These Things I’ve Done – The Killers
2. Elevator Love Letter – Stars
3. The First Single – The Format
4. Square One – Tom Petty
5. I’m Dead – Instruction
6. No Tomorrow – Orson
7. Let’s Talk Turkey – Ima Robot
8. Down Here In Hell With You or Dust – Van Hunt
9. Closet – Pete Yorn
10. Good Things – Rival Schools
11. In The Music – The Roots
12. Fury – Little Big Town
13. California Waiting and Sex On Fire – Kings Of Leon
14. Out Here All Night – Damone
15. The People – Common
16. 99 Problems – Jay-Z
17. Idioteque – Radiohead
18. Walk On, City Of Blinding Lights, Unknown Caller- U2
19. St. Petersburg – Supergrass
20. Longest Days -John Mellencamp
21. Big Brat or Do The Panic – Phantom Planet
22. Too Young – Phoenix
23. Wait It Out – Tift Merritt
24. Daft Punk Is Playing At My House – LCD Soundsystem
25. Somewhere Only We Know – Keane
26. Golden Age – TV On The Radio
27. The Way We Get By – Spoon
28. New Slang or Phantom Limb – The Shins
29. If I Ain’t Got You – Alicia Keys
30. Pop Goes My Heart – Hugh Grant

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