1993 and 1994 are probably two of my favorite years of the 90s. These were the best years of Britpop. Some amazing years for British music. Suede, Blur, Pulp, & The Verve all had amazing albums out these years. I had always been into British music since I remember ever being into music. New Wave & Goth in the 80s. And now Shoegaze & Britpop in the early and mid 90s. I gave myself a couple of rules when making these lists for the top ten of each year. I made sure to only pick one album for each artist. I didn't want the list to be a Blur and Suede album every year. So I picked my favorite album from each of those artists. And for the most part my favorite album was the album that introduced me to the band. Not necessarily the bands first album. But my first album by that band. The album that I think of when I think of that band. There are three American bands on my list this year. Still outnumbered by the British bands of course. I had for the most part stopped listening to the radio in 1993. Most of the bands I found out about were from 120 Minutes or Alternative Nation. I was also heavily influenced by my friends and roommates in 1993. This was the first year that I heard Suede, Slowdive & The Verve. I think I probably saw a Suede video when I heard them for the first time. I was hooked within the first couple seconds of the video. This was the band for me. I couldn't get enough of them throughout the rest of the 90s. I was already familiar with Blur but 1993 was really the first year that I really got obsessed with them.  Saint Etienne and Catherine Wheel were probably the albums that I listened to most this year. Where You Been by Dinosaur Jr. & Star by Belly just barely didn't make my top ten this year. They were also both listened to a lot by me in 93 and 94. Here it is...my top 10 albums of 1993...

"What you should be scared of is Romney's plan for those of us in the working class!"

It’s been just long enough since last year’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup hangover to allow me to look forward to another Halloween. Assuming I will have learned nothing from previous celebrations, I’ll undoubtedly be purchasing an extra big bag of candy under the pretence of preparing for trick-or-treaters, knowing full well that, in the five years I’ve lived here, I’ve gotten exactly one caller.

Let me tell you though – that one trick-or-treater made me so excited I gave him three huge handfuls of candy; enough that both he and his mother looked a little concerned; there was almost certainly an after-hours comb-through to search for pins and poison in the hoard I’d bestowed.

I’m digressing here, but why hasn’t anyone invented candy pins? Am I alone in thinking that would be neat?

Still better than Necco Wafers!

Every year I assemble folks to watch horror films and eat candy. I don’t yet know what we’ll be watching (last year it was Susperia) but I am ready with a playlist of atmospheric Halloween music, some of which I’ll share with you…

First, nothing fills out a Halloween playlist better than a hearty dose of organ music by the baddest mutterficker of baroque: Johann Sebastian Bach.

Spring is around the corner which means it's time for our hotly anticipated, wildly popular Coachella contest! Amoeba.com is giving away a pair of tickets to the April 20-22 weekend where you can see over 150 bands in the sunny California desert including The Black Keys, Radiohead, Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg, Bon Iver, Florence + the Machine, Pulp, Mazzy Star, and M83. Both weekends are way sold out so this may be your last chance to score tickets. 

Enter our Coachella contest here.

These next couple of months are crazy full of new albums. My top 50 for this year is seriously getting full already. Out last week we got fantastic new albums from Chairlift, Cloud Nothings and First Aid Kit. And we also had debut albums from Porcelain Raft, Big Deal and The Holiday Crowd. Did you know First Aid Kit is from Sweden!  I had no idea. I didn't even know they were sisters. Their first album from 2010 just passed me by. But I am now an official fan. Even if you think you hate folk and country music. You will become a fan of First Aid Kit. I really hope this album gets as big as the Civil Wars album from last year. It really is that good. And they are from Sweden! This album from Big Deal is also one of my recent obsessions. I just can't get enough of it even though it is a heartbreaking album. Big Deal reminds me of Carissa's Weird. They write some amazing little songs. All of them heartbreaking ballads. And I love that Mute put out this album. It really is not like anything you have ever heard on Mute. But I feel like Mute does best when they put out stuff you would not expect from them. They did release the amazing folky albums by Jose Gonzalez. And those albums were great. You have to do me a favor and check out Big Deal. A perfect album for falling in love or breaking up to.

Listen to "Homework" from the album Lights Out by Big Deal...




The Holiday Crowd just put out their debut album out last week called Over the Bluffs. This band will obviously get compared to The Smiths. But I really have no problem with that. I actually love it. I wish more bands sounded like The Smiths! They are doing the same sort of thing that The Drums did with their first album. But more jangly and without the electronics. I think people will either hate this album or fall in love with it. I have already fallen in love. But it will probably not get heard by most people unfortunately. So give it a listen. I can't stop.