As far as I'm concerned, this was the best year of music in a long time.  Just tons and tons of great stuff, spanning pretty much every genre of the universe.  Without further ado, the lists.

TOP 20 ALBUMS

1. The National - "Boxer"
2. Bon Iver - "For Emma, Forever Ago"
3. Wilco - "Sky Blue Sky"
4. Elliott Smith - "New Moon"
5. Jens Lekman - "Night Falls Over Kortedala"
6. Radiohead - "In Rainbows"
7. of Montreal - "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer"
8. Josh Ritter - "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter"
9. Ryan Adams - "Easy Tiger"
10. Magnolia Electric Co. - "Sojourner" (Boxset)
11. Richard Swift - "Dressed Up For the Letdown"
12. The Besnard Lakes - "The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse"
13. A.A. Bondy - "American Hearts"
14. Iron & Wine - "The Shepherd's Dog"
15. The Avett Brothers - "Emotionalism"
16. Caribou - "Andorra"
17. Okkervil River - "The Stage Names"
18. Jason Isbell - "Sirens of the Ditch"
19. Blitzen Trapper - "Wild Mountain Nation"
20. Bruce Springsteen - "Magic"

Honorable Mention:
!!! - "Myth Takes"
Spoon - "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"
Thurston Moore - "Trees Outside the Academy"
1990's - "Cookies"
Feist - "The Reminder"
Bjork - "Volta"
Chromeo - "Fancy Footwork"
The New Pornographers - "Challengers"
David Vandervelde - "The Moonstation House Band"
Chris Knight - "The Trailer Tapes"

EP's of note:
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - "Ask Forgiveness"
Beirut - "Lon Gisland"
The Hold Steady - "Live at Fingerprints"
Black Kids - "Wizard of Ahhs"
Michael Cashmore and Antony Hegarty (of Antony & the Johnsons) - "The Snow Abides"

TOP 25 SONGS

1. of Montreal - "The Past is a Grotesque Animal"
2. Bon Iver - "Skinny Love"
3. Richard Swift - "Buildings in America"
4. Jens Lekman - "A Postcard to Nina"
5. Radiohead - "Bodysnatchers"
6. Ryan Adams - "The Sun Also Sets"
7. Bjork (feat. Antony) - "The Dull Flame of Desire"
8. The Arcade Fire - "Keep the Car Running"
9. A.A. Bondy - "Lovers' Waltz"
10. Spoon - "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb"
11. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - "The World's Greatest"
12. The National - "Fake Empire"
13. The White Stripes - "300 MPH Torrential Outpour Blues"
14. Wilco - "You Are My Face"
15. Okkervil River - "A Girl In Port"
16. 1990's - "Weed"
17. Kevin Drew - "TBTF"
18. Josh Ritter - "Still Beating"
19. Patti Smith - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
20. Bill Callahan - "Sycamore"
21. The Besnard Lakes - "And You Lied To Me"
22. Chromeo - "Call Me Up"
23. Iron & Wine - "Lovesong of the Buzzard"
24. The Avett Brothers - "The Weight of Lies"
25. Neil Young - "Ordinary People"

BEST CONCERTS

1. Wilco/Low - Bayfront Festival Park, Duluth, MN, 9.4.2007
2. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI, 9.28.2007
3. Bon Iver/DeYarmond Edison (reunion)/Megafaun - The Nucleus, Eau Claire, WI, 10.25.2007
4. Rage Against the Machine/Queens of the Stone Age - Alpine Valley, East Troy, WI, 8.24.2007
5. The Decemberists/My Brightest Diamond - Orpheum Theatre, Madison, WI, 4.20.2007

As I said, a great year.  Bon Iver most certainly being the most pleasant surprise.  Maybe it just came along at the right time to hit me like it did, but it's a great album.

...or Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, whichever name you may prefer.

I am drinking again,
I'm on my 7th cold glass of gin.
Life is a tribute to you, and so is dying.
And drinking in this way
to die is what I'm trying.

I also try to keep my love,
in case an angel loves me.
And lifts me up with angel hoofs
to someplace high above me.

I am drinking again,
I'm on my 9th warm glass of gin.
People argue with me,
but i have never been stronger.
Nor held so strong a feeling,
inside of me longer,
with no one at all knowing.
Oh, but I know
just what I need to live this life.

And all of us here
raise our eyes and our spirits,
our hands and our voices.
That your ears may hear it.

I am drinking again,
and I toast you.
You never will know
what it is that I do.

Download this song, you will not regret it.

As promised, my favorite songs of the first half of 2007 (click on the song title for a Sendspace download link):

1.  of Montreal - "The Past is a Grotesque Animal":  This is just an incredible song, and quickly became one of my favorite songs ever, not just of this year.  You don't normally think of Kevin Barnes' lyrics as relatable, but these are.

2.  Feist - "I Feel it All":  The best track off of a very strong album, in a perfect world, this song would probably be a #1 hit.  It's a perfect pop song.  Leslie Feist is the indie hotness, especially when she sings songs like this (which I take to be about feeling jaded and naive).

3.  Richard Swift - "Buildings in America":  Swift's the man.  Outside of Jens Lekman, I think he's the best at pulling off the melancholy pop masterpiece.  His songs are always to the point, and usually are very catchy.  And a verse like this:

I cut your name from your mother's heart,
I won't be late and I won't be caught.
I try not to be someone to love,
didn't mean to bleed, but it's so damn tough.
I played your heart, but I broke two strings.
Jesus Christ you're a lovely thing.

Is too good to not make this list.

4.  The National - "Ada":  I have a really tough time picking a "favorite" song on this album, because it is throughly great.  But this is it, equal parts fast and slow, and including the almighty Sufjan Stevens on piano.  It contains one of my very favorite lyrics of the whole record: 

Stand inside an empty tuxedo with grapes in my mouth,
waiting for Ada.
Ada hold onto yourself by the sleeves,
I think everything counts a little more than we think.
Leave it all up in the air...

5.  Bright Eyes - "Classic Cars":  Though this was a pretty disappointing record, there's some high points.  Mainly this song.  It's kind of one of those "live and learn" songs that Oberst does, learning from a failed relationship.

6.  The White Stripes - "Icky Thump":  One thing the Stripes always know how to do is pick a lead single off an album.  The main riff in this song and that little breakdown is just the genius of Jack White in full effect.

7.  Wilco - "You Are My Face":  "Sky Blue Sky" is a whole that is greater than the sum of it's parts.  This is my favorite song on the album, though, because the "I have no idea how this happens..." moment is one of my favorite Wilco moments of all-time (second maybe to "There's a dreamer in my dreams, swinging from the beams, all wrapped up in my garage." end of "Dreamer in My Dreams").

8.  The Arcade Fire - "Keep the Car Running":  Another case of a great song coming from a generally disappointing album.  I had high hopes for the album and it fell short.  It still has it's moments, this being the best of them.

9.  Ryan Adams - "The Sun Also Sets":  This is one of the songs I was referring to when I said some of the tracks on "Easy Tiger" were instant classics.  I got chills the first time I heard that cathartic "There it is...".  Great, great song from what is the #8 album in the country from what I hear. 

10.  Patti Smith - "Smells Like Teen Spirit":  This is just a badass cover from the woman who is basically the female Lou Reed.  She is coolness and New York personified.  That she chose to do a covers album and release it right after her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction was a little disappointing, but she deserves to cash in after being an underappreciated punk goddess for 30 years.

There's several others that I considered, I'll probably have to put them in the top 25 or something at year-end.

Today is July 1.  Time to run down the best albums (that I have heard, so this includes leaks to be relased after July 1) of the first half of 2007.  This has been the best year of music in recent memory, at least for me.  Several of my favorite artists have released new stuff this year, and a bunch of artists that I wasn't familiar with previously have caught my ear.  On with the list...

Best Albums of 2007:

1.  Wilco - "Sky Blue Sky":  Not really much of a shocker if you know me, I suppose.  They are my favorite band, and in my opinion are the best thing going today.  This is a remarkable album, and in typical Wilco fashion it veers far away from their most recent work stylistically.  I probably have listened to this thing 150 times, and will probably listen that many more times before the year is out.  It was a thrill to see them a few weeks ago in Davenport, IA (pics are in my profile pics), and I'm expecting it to be one when I see them again in Duluth on August 14th.  Best songs - "Impossible Germany", "You Are My Face", "Shake it Off".

2.  The National - "Boxer":  This is a rare band that blew me away the first time I heard them about 6 months ago (first thing I heard was the "Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers" album).  They are really amazing, and if any band deserves the hype of the music blogosphere, it's these guys (unlike a lot of the hyped bands of recent memory).  This album is the follow-up to their breakthrough album "Alligator" from 2005.  It's also a departure from it to a degree, as the longs are more drawn out, and probably a little murkier.  It's a slower album, but my no means inferior. This album is working, my middle-brow fucker. Best songs - "Fake Empire", "Start a War", "Ada".

3.  of Montreal - "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?":  This was, I believe, the first 2007 album I picked up, and it blew me away.  It held the top spot until the Wilco and National releases, and for good reason.  I hope it is remembered by list-makers at year end, because it is an incredible album.  It has the typical great pop hooks of an OM album, with an autobiographical bent that wasn't there previously.  Best songs - "The Past is a Grotesque Animal", "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse", "She's a Rejector".

4.  Ryan Adams - "Easy Tiger":  This was my most anticipated release of the year, and it didn't disappoint.  It has the usual Adams trait of having a couple of weaker songs ("Halloweenhead" is not one of them, contrary to many reviews), but overall is just an excellent album.  His voice is in top-notch form all the way through, and some of the songs became instant classics for me among his canon.  Best songs - "The Sun Also Sets", "Everybody Knows", "These Girls".

5.  Feist - "The Reminder":  Feist is great.  She's basically the queen of the Canadian indie-pop scene (I don't count Neko Case, since she isn't actually Canadian).  There are slow songs that aren't great, and kind of hurt the album, then there are songs that are transcendent.  She has a terrific ability to emote with her lyrics.  Best songs - "I Feel it All", "The Limit to Your Love", "1234".

6.  The White Stripes - "Icky Thump":  When I first heard this album in it's leaked form, I thought it was a shitty rip.  There was so much bass and low-end that I thought it was at times unlistenable.  It turned out that that was exactly how the actual album was.  Out of it's 13 tracks, 10 are very strong, and the middle three are not very good at all.  But it's a return to the older sound they had on "De Stijl".  It's a dirty, under-produced sounding record.  And it's great.  Best songs:  "Icky Thump", "300 MPH Torrential Outpour Blues", "Rag and Bone".

7.  Neil Young - "Live at Massey Hall":  This is kind of cheating, since this is a live show recorded in 1971 in Toronto.  Regardless, it belongs on the list because it's my list and I make the rules.  It's a solo acoustic Neil show, in which he plays songs that are typically epic grungy electric Crazy Horse songs in stripped down form.  It's a real intimate sounding show, and Neil is basically at his peak.  Best songs:  "Cowgirl in the Sand", "The Needle and the Damage Done", "Down By the River".

8.  The New Pornographers - "Challengers":  This isn't going to be released until sometime in August, but I am loving the leak.  The masters of indie-pop just doing what they do best - this may be the most talented band there is in terms of songwriting skill.  The hooks are always tight, and they remind you how great pop music can be when it's done right.  And they have Neko Case.  Best songs - "My Rights Versus Yours", "Challengers", "Entering White Cecilia".

9.  Richard Swift - "Dressed Up For the Letdown".  I am a total sucker for lo-fi melancholy pop music.  This is Richard Swift's forte.  I'm thrilled I get to see him open for Wilco in August.  The only problem with the album is that it's only 34 minutes and change long.  Best songs - "Buildings in America", "P.S. It All Falls Down", "Ballad of You Know Who".

10.  Blitzen Trapper - "Wild Mountain Nation":  This is like the little album that could of 2007.  Like Richard Swift's offering, it's a little over a half hour long, and also like that album it's great.  This band is sort of unclassifiable.  They don't really fit nicely into any specific genre, except maybe just "indie".  Some of it is more poppy, some more rocking.  All good.  I can definitely see this album moving upward as the year progresses.  Best songs - "Devil's A-Go-Go", "Summer Town", "Country Caravan".

There's been several other noteworthy albums this year - Low, Bjork, !!!, David Vandervelde, Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, Queens of the Stone Age, Bright Eyes, I'm From Barcelona, Chris Knight, The Besnard Lakes, Spoon, and Loney, Dear to name just a few.  I also have the leak of the upcoming Iron & Wine album, but I've only listened to it a couple times, so I won't include it just yet, though it will definitely be on the year-end list (or the third quarter one, should I choose to do one).  Supposedly there is a new Radiohead album due out this year.  Jens Lekman has one on the way.  Lot's to look forward to in the second half of this year.

Be on the lookout for another blog with my favorite songs of the first half of the year in the very near future.  It will of course include downloadable mp3's for all to enjoy.

In honor of my birthday, I present a gift... some mp3's of some songs I'm in love with at the moment.

The Veils have been one of the bands that I've gotten into in 2007.  Their newest album, "Nux Vomica", is pretty excellent.  Very good stuff.  This is my favorite off that album, "Under the Folding Branches".  Link:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/tsuk6q

A really underrated classic album, as far as I'm concerned, is the Magnetic Fields'"69 Love Songs".  It is precisely what the title says it is.  Some are long songs, some short.  Some great, some not so great.  Some transcendent.  One of my favorite songs on the album is on the first CD - "I Think I Need a New Heart" is basically a perfect pop song, to my untrained ears.  There are several others that are almost as good on that record.

Link to download "I Think I Need a New Heart":  http://www.sendspace.com/file/xrhp8i

I was only a mild Elliott Smith fan until recently.  I was a fan of "Either/Or" and "XO", and I always liked his lo-fi stuff.  Then Kill Rock Stars released the collection of unreleased songs, "New Moon" a few weeks ago.  I had heard most of the songs on the old Elliott Smith B-Sides site, but to hear them cleaned up a little more made a difference.  "Georgia, Georgia", which leads off the second CD, is possibly my favorite Elliott song.  Absolutely phenomenal.  Download it here:  http://www.sendspace.com/file/g2bhnr

The lyrics:

Georgia, Georgia
It's been many miles
Since I've seen your foggy smile
Close up and personal
Your arsenal of excuses
You never told her
When you walked out on the Savannah shoulder
With your veins all full of beer
Thinking, "Well, at least now everything is clear"
But, oh man
What plan
Suicide
It's just not that much different from my own affair
Always cussing and crying
How about if you
Tell me something new
Tell me what will make you happy
Oh, you
So deserve to be
There were protests and contests
Attitudes to cop
I want it all to stop
Three weeks ago you were all grace and charm
And now I know it was just a false alarm
Georgia, Georgia
I can't understand your sickness
You have no forgiveness
No attention left to pay
The quiet way you leave
And just forget it all
Just takes my breath away
How's that supposed to make me feel?
Yeah, well, how am I supposed to feel?

Wow.

I saw The Decemberists in April in Madison.  Probably one of the best two or three shows I have ever been at.  A song that I really wanted to hear, but didn't, was "Red Right Ankle" off of the "Her Majesty the Decemberists" album, which is probably my favorite of theirs.  I think it's one of their songs that people never mention as one of their best.  For me, I like it when Colin Meloy writes from at least a semi-autobiographical stance.  Download "Red Right Ankle":  http://www.sendspace.com/file/gsf8en

Of all the bands that I've heard for the first time in the past year, tops on the list is The National.  Their newest release, "Boxer", is one of my top five for the year thus far.  Their previous album, "Alligator", was also great.  My favorite release was "Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers" (I listened to it twice today, actually).  Every song is great on the album, but I think the high point is the closer, "Lucky You".  This is a band that will continue to do great things for a long time, you can count on it.  Download "Lucky You":  http://www.sendspace.com/file/u6va9u

Chris Knight makes hands down the best country music of anyone today, and unfortunately no one has ever heard of the dude.  He released "The Trailer Tapes" this year, which is a collection of demos he recorded 10 years ago or so.  Every song is top notch on the album, with pretty much just an acoustic guitar as accompaniment.  He's like a cross between John Prine, Steve Earle, and Townes Van Zandt.  One of my many favorites of his is "Here Comes the Rain":  http://www.sendspace.com/file/h1hcm2

The Modern Lovers are a great mid-'70's punk-ish band that was led by Jonathan Richman.  Their first, self-titled, album is a certified classic.  Strong from start to finish, with my favorite being "Girlfriend".  Richman is a really great writer, though I will admit I haven't gotten into his solo work a lot to this point.  Download "Girlfriend":  http://www.sendspace.com/file/xp3dks

Jason Molina is excellent, in any incarnation - be it under his own name, or with Songs: Ohia or Magnolia Electric Co., or any of his other projects.  I love his Songs: Ohia work the most, mostly because I am a bigger fan of the acoustic guitar he favored on those albums.  The best of those albums from my perspective is "Didn't it Rain", but a close second is the album, "The Lioness", that has my favorite of his songs, "Coxcomb Red".  Just a really great song, and he emotes with the best of them, along the lines of Will Oldham or Sam Beam.  Download "Coxcomb Red":  http://www.sendspace.com/file/d8wqmp

The Blow are just another in a long line of indie-pop outfits that I'm a fan of.  "Paper Television" was a record that I kind of over-looked last year, but it's very good.  "Parentheses" is the strongest song on the album for me.  Download it:  http://www.sendspace.com/file/rdkxo0

Of course, there is also a Ryan Adams album coming out three weeks from tomorrow.  It figures to be great.  There are only three tracks ciruclating to this point (as far as studio recordings go - every song but "These Girls" has been played live).  My favorite of these is "Everybody Knows", which I think is one of Ryan's strongest tracks, maybe ever.  Download "Everybody Knows":  http://www.sendspace.com/file/olijah

That's about it for now, I suppose.  Props to those that bought Wilco's "Sky Blue Sky" after endless prodding by me.  I'm going to see them on the 23rd in the big city of Davenport, Iowa, and will be sitting in the 4th row whilst doing so.  Hooray me.  Look for pics some time next week, because I plan on taking some.

So it's random mp3 time.  Off the iPod this time, so a smaller selection.



..>..>

MP3 Survey: Put your MP3 player on random and put the song that comes up as the answer
Personality
How would you describe yourself?:	Ryan Adams - "Tina Toledo's Street Walking Blues"
How would your friends describe you?:	Elliott Smith - "Easy Way Out" (that's probably pretty close, actually)
Your family?:	Ryan Adams - "The Drugs Not Working"
Are you generous?:	My Brightest Diamond - "The Robin's Jar"
Do you have a short temper?:	Elvis Costello - "Hand in Hand"
Are you a procrastinator?:	The Beatles - "Yellow Submarine"
How do you feel about yourself?:	The Decemberists - "I Don't Mind"
How do you feel about others?:	The Beatles - "Here There and Everywhere"
What do you think of puppies/kittens?:	Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - "Cursed Sleep"
Friends
How would you describe your best friend?:	The Decemberists - "The Crane Wife 1 & 2"
What do you like to do with your friends?:	Alice in Chains - "Heaven Beside You"
Where is your favorite hangout?:	Bjork - "The Dull Flame of Desire"
A phrase or word that would describe your group of friends::	Patti Smith - "White Rabbit"
What do you say about your friends when they are not around?:	Elvis Costello - "Big Boys"
Name something you'd like to do with your friends, that you've never done::	The National - "Murder Me Rachel"
Love
So what will or is your true love like?:	Tom Waits - "Wrong Side of the Road"
What does he/she think of you?:	Tom Waits - "Soldier's Things"
What do you guys like to do?:	The Replacements - "I Don't Know"
What will everybody be saying at your wedding?:	Bloc Party - "Sunday"
What will your honeymoon be like?:	Bob Dylan - "Queen Jane Approximately"
Any kids in your future?:	Daniel Johnston - "Grievances"
Describe the love you share::	Townes Van Zandt - "Fraternity Blues"
Describe:
your job:	Alejandro Escovedo - "Pissed Off 2 A.M."
your car:	Drive-By Truckers - "Daddy's Cup"
your house:	Palace Music - "We All, Us Three, Will Ride"
your family:	Feist - "My Moon, May Man"
your next vacation:	Neil Young - "On The Way Home"
the sky:	Patti Smith - "Within Without You"
flowers:	Bright Eyes - "If The Brakeman Turns My Way"
riding the subway:	Ryan Adams - "Tennessee Sucks"
walking down a dark alley:	The Band - "In a Station"
waking up early in the morning:	Bruce Springsteen - "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"
stubbing your toe on the door:	Antony and the Johnsons - "For Today I Am a Boy"
Random
What quote will you be remembered for?:	Mew - "Circuitry of the Wolf"
What does the bumper sticker on your car say?:	Drive-By Truckers - "Lookout Mountain"
What is the first thing you say in the morning?:	Ryan Adams - "Firecracker"
What is the last thing you say at night?:	Whiskeytown - "My Hometown"
What are the words that you are just waiting to say to the world?:	Bruce Springsteen - "Incident on 57th Street"
To your true love?:	Elliott Smith - "Bottle Up and Explode"
What will your gravestone say?:	Feist - "Leisure Suite"
Take this survey | Find more surveys | MySpace Surveys Bzoink - The Original Survey Site

Up to this point, most of the 2007 releases I have listened to have been great, some have exceeded expectations (of Montreal) and the others have met them.  That was until recently with Lucinda Williams' new release "West" and the new Son Volt album "The Search".  Both of these were releases that I had high expectations for, from artists whose work I have loved in the past.

However, both of these albums are dull and lacking any sort of inspiration at all.  There are some very good songs on each album, but there are a number of clunkers on each that are so bad that they nearly erase the good moments. 

I still love that Lucinda Williams writes really personal songs, but the lyrics are just overly repetitive and lacking the bite of her previous albums.  She makes poor attempts at something resembling humor that fall short.  There are the high moments ("Unsuffer Me", "Everything has Changed") but there are real lows ("Wrap My Head Around That", "Come On") that halt any momentum that is building.  If you've never listened to a Lucinda Williams record, don't start here, I'd give it a 2 out of 5.

Son Volt have pretty much been a mediocre band since "Trace", which was a truly amazing album.  But they came back with "Okemah and the Melody of Riot", which was at least a good album a couple of years ago.  It raised my hopes that this album would be very good.  It just isn't.  Yeah.  They added horns (why, I don't know).  This is apparently supposed to be some sort of accomplishment according to some reviews, but the horns kill the one song they are featured prominently on ("The Picture").  There are more high points than on the Lucinda album ("Beacon Soul", "Adrenaline and Heresy", "Methamphetamine", and "Highways and Cigarettes") but the rest of the album just kind of sucks.  Jay Farrar tries too hard at times to not stray from the formula and this holds his albums back.  This would be about a 2.5 out of 5.

Fortunately, the new Arcade Fire came out this week.  This is at least a good album, not as good as "Funeral", but I have only listened to it a handful of times between the leak and the actual CD.  I'll likely have more on it once I listen to it a few more times.

And the new Wilco album streamed at their website last weekend.  It's pretty much terrific.  I'm really looking forward to being able to soak up a higher quality version in the near future, because it is a great album.  May 15 will be a very good day.  I'm looking forward to hopefully being able to see them a couple times this summer.

Haven't updated in a while, just thought I'd throw some songs up that I have been digging lately.

First off, I've listened to Jens Lekman pretty much every day this past week.  He's great (and what's really cool is that he answers e-mails you send him asking if he's playing the Pitchfork festival, even though he isn't).  Here's a couple from him (both off his "Oh You're So Silent Jens" collection):

Download Jens Lekman - "Black Cab":  http://www.sendspace.com/file/1kbb1u
Download Jens Lekman - "Maple Leaves (7" version)":  http://www.sendspace.com/file/uu71pm

The last few weeks I have been playing "Bonnie 'Prince' Billy Sings Greatest Palace Music" and loving the hell out of it, after adjusting to the shock of hearing what once were lo-fi gems turned into "Nashville Sound" songs.  Here's a couple:

Download Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - "Horses":  http://www.sendspace.com/file/i83ry4
Download Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - "West Palm Beach":  http://www.sendspace.com/file/wtnpgh

Continuing the trend of Swedish artists I have been listening to, I am loving the El Perro del Mar album right now.  I just got into it last week, after initially downloading it a few months ago and not really liking it.  She's very good, even though the songs are very repetitive.

Download El Perro del Mar - "Party":  http://www.sendspace.com/file/isbyx3
Download El Perro del Mar - "This Loneliness":  http://www.sendspace.com/file/udnpw7

And a few random ones I am liking a lot...

Download Pink Nasty (with Bonnie 'Prince' Billy) - "Don't Ever Change":  http://www.sendspace.com/file/nrn2pt
Download The Broken West - "Brass Ring":  http://www.sendspace.com/file/fsm7kh
Download Bloc Party - "Hunting for Witches":  http://www.sendspace.com/file/dn8vru
Download Bright Eyes - "Stray Dog Freedom":  http://www.sendspace.com/file/gtigl0

Enjoy.

I'm going to lean towards "no".  Amazing.

I did one of these a while back, and enough time has elapsed to update it, I think.  Just a list of my favorite albums of all-time.  This is a top 100 because I am extremely bored and hate winter.

1. The Beatles - "Abbey Road":  It's still the one.
2. Bob Dylan - "Blood on the Tracks":  Thanks to a winter of discontent.
3. Wilco - "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot":  Basically perfect in every way, I think.
4. Lou Reed - "Transformer":  I went through a month where I listened to this 50 times, probably.
5. Uncle Tupelo - "Anodyne":  The alt-country zenith.
6. Whiskeytown - "Stranger's Almanac":  The brilliance of Adams reveals itself officially.
7. The Velvet Underground - "The Velvet Underground":  So much better than "and Nico" - Reed wrote such great pop songs on this record.
8. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - "I See A Darkness":  I turn to this album all the time.
9. Led Zeppelin - "III":  Acoustic Zeppelin is the best Zeppelin.
10. Beck - "Odelay":  Flawless songs.
11. Rage Against the Machine - "Rage Against the Machine":  As far as debuts go, this may be the best.
12. Bob Dylan - "Bringing it all Back Home":  Amazing record.
13. Wilco - "Summerteeth":  This album is always climbing for me, I listen to it the most outside of YHF.
14. Byrds - "Sweetheart of the Rodeo":  Two words:  Gram Parsons.
15. Willie Nelson - "Red-Headed Stranger":  Greatest country album of all time, maybe the last great one, actually.
16. The Beatles - "Revolver":  It's a little fluffy in the beginning, and hits real hard at the end.
17. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - "Cold Roses":  The one that made me an obsessive Adams fan.
18. Bob Dylan - "Blonde on Blonde":  Yet more proof of his genius.
19. Son Volt - "Trace":  Pretty much a timeless album, about the concept of time.
20. Dr. Dre - "The Chronic":  The only rap album I have listened to in a couple of years.
21. The Band - "The Band":  Constantly in a power struggle with Big Pink for my favorite Band album.
22. Van Morrison - "Moondance":  I am still able to play this album a couple times in a row, even after being over-saturated by Van Morrison a couple years ago.
23. Ryan Adams - "Heartbreaker":  Awesome, and he still might not have topped "Come Pick Me Up".
24. Wilco - "Being There":  Even if the rest of the album was nothing but a high-pitched squeal, as long as it still had "Sunken Treasure" it would rank this highly for me.
25. Led Zeppelin - "II":  Chock full of goodness.
26. Weezer - "Pinkerton":  Best Weezer album, even before it became the trendy thing to say.
27. Tom Waits - "Rain Dogs":  Waits is amazing.
28. The Beatles - "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band":  Overrated?  Certainly.  Amazing?  Undoubtedly.
29. The Doors - "L.A. Woman":  Most consistent Doors album.
30. Bob Dylan - "Highway 61 Revisited":  Chalk up another.
31. Sleater-Kinney - "The Woods":  Best album and last one.  They are missed.
32. The Band - "Music From Big Pink":  "Tears of Rage" starts it and it stays strong throughout.
33. Neutral Milk Hotel - "In The Aeroplane Over the Sea":  Can't beat "Oh Comely".
34. David Bowie - "Hunky Dory":  Most consistent Bowie album.
35. Leonard Cohen - "Songs of Love and Hate" - Genius poetic songs.
36. The Smiths - "Meat is Murder" - They never had a truly amazing record, unfortunately, but this is the best.
37. The New Pornographers - "Mass Romantic":  Indie-pop perfection + Neko Case.
38. Johnny Cash - "Live at San Quentin":  Favorite live prison album.
39. Wilco - "A Ghost is Born":  Slowly revealed genius.
40. Gillian Welch - "Time":  It's a revelator.
41. Van Morrison - "Astral Weeks":  Almost otherworldly at times.
42. Beck - "Sea Change":  Sometimes Beck can make a dude cry.
43. Palace Music - "Viva Last Blues":  Bonnie Prince Grunge.
44. Uncle Tupelo - "No Depression":  Spawned a movement.
45. Antony and the Johnsons - "I am a Bird Now":  Haunting and beautiful.
46. Dwight Yoakam - "dwightyoakamacoustic.net":  Just awesome.
47. Bloc Party - "Silent Alarm":  Killer songs.
48. Lucinda Williams - "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road":  Gritty.
49. Lou Reed - "New York":  Paints a picture of a place and time like no other album.
50. Nirvana - "In Utero":  Gutsy album, considering what they were following up.
51. Pearl Jam - "Ten":  Still a perfect album.
52. Neil Young - "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere":  Cowgirl. In. The. Sand.
53. Alejandro Escovedo - "More Miles Than Money":  Great live album.
54. Pixies - "Surfer Rosa":  Frank Black is the man.
55. The Beatles - "Rubber Soul":  Near perfect.
56. The Velvet Underground - "... and Nico":  "Heroin" is possibly the most difficult song I have ever heard.
57. The Rolling Stones - "Exile on Main Street":  Really one of the only Stones albums I love.
58. Tom Waits - "Frank's Wild Years":  "Innocent When You Dream" is one of his best.
59. The Flaming Lips - "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots":  Genius.
60. Josh Rouse - "Nashville":  This album is full of great songs.
61. The Jayhawks - "Hollywood Town Hall":  The most unheralded of the great alt-country bands.  This is their masterpiece.
62. Stars - "Set Yourself on Fire":  More great indie-pop.
63. The Decemberists - "The Crane Wife":  April 20th, bitch.
64. Lou Reed - "Ecstasy":  His most recent masterpiece.
65. Pink Floyd - "Dark Side of the Moon":  I have to be in the right mood for it.
66. Bob Dylan - "Desire":  His most overlooked classic.
67. Drive-By Truckers - "The Dirty South":  They kick Skynyrd's ass on their worst day.
68. Oasis - "(What's the Story) Morning Glory":  Really their only great album, as far as I'm concerned.
69. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - "Jacksonville City Nights":  So many terrific country songs.
70. of Montreal - "Hissing Fauna, are You the Destroyer?":  This will most-assuredly continue to move up.  A true modern day classic.
71. Neutral Milk Hotel - "On Avery Island":  "Gardenhead" is so amazing.  Mangum is a great writer.
72. Lyle Lovett - "Pontiac":  Always appreciate this album.
73. Johnny Cash - "Live at Folsom Prison":  Second favorite live prison album.
74. The Velvet Underground - "Loaded":  Most ambitiously poppy VU album.
75. The Replacements - "Pleased to Meet Me":  Best of their three classics.
76. Big Star - "#1 Record":  Possibly the birth of power pop.
77. Gram Parsons - "GP/Grievous Angel":  Great.
78. Bruce Springsteen - "Nebraska":  Sparse, which is what makes it great.
79. Rilo Kiley - "Take-offs and Landings":  Jenny Lewis is the love of my life.
80. Neko Case - "The Tigers Have Spoken":  So amazing - I was hooked on Neko Case the very first time I heard it.
81. Bob Dylan - "The Freewheelin'":  Full of the songs that affected the most change in history, possibly.  And the greatest cover ever.
82. Nirvana - "Nevermind":  This is one of the most important albums of my life, but at this moment I'm possibly burnt out on it.
83. Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - "Rabbit Fur Coat":  This is just a beautiful, folky album.
84. Tom Waits - "Blue Valentine":  Underrated.
85. John Prine - "John Prine":  Several great songs.
86. Elliott Smith - "Either/Or":  So raw, and just a great writer.
87. The White Stripes - "Get Behind Me Satan":  Love all their stuff, this one the most.
88. Leonard Cohen - "New Skin for the Old Ceremony":  "Take This Longing" is a holy shit moment each time I hear it.
89. Nirvana - "Unplugged":  The cover songs make this just great.
90. Sleater-Kinney - "All Hands on the Bad One":  Kicks your ass.
91. Bruce Springsteen - "The Rising":  Love it.
92. Metric - "Live it Out":  Emily Haines rules, pretty much.
93. Palace Brothers - "Days in the Wake":  I am no more a workhorse.
94. Tom Waits - "Swordfishtrombones":  This was the big change for him.
95. Joanna Newsom - "Ys":  She is timeless.
96. Bright Eyes - "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning":  Still the only Oberst I truly love.
97. The Replacements - "Tim":  Westerberg's coming out party as a great writer.
98. The Beatles - "White Album":  Too inconsistent, but the high points are so high that it has to almost be ignored.
99. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Matt Sweeney - "Superwolf":  Awesome, especially the harmonies on "Only Someone Running".
100. Daniel Johnston - "Yip, Jump Music":  Banging away at a chord organ with gut-wrenching song after song of unrequited love.  He makes it sound easy.