OK, as always, I seem to miss a bunch of albums from my 2007 list, so here are the albums I have heard since I made that list. These are all great things to hear as we move into 2008 and I yet again force you to see what music I listen to. Some of these probably would have made my list, namely Mike VIola and the Orion Experience. A lot of these are bands I saw on other people's 2007 lists, so I listened to them as well. Please enjoy and I will probably be back next week for my first picks of 2008.

Kenna - "Make Sure They See My Face" ***1/2 - Very good record. I hadn't really heard of Kenna before seeing an interview with him, and I was so impressed with the way he saw his music, so when I heard the songs I was intrigued. Hearing the whole album made me see that it is really worth it. Some of these types of records tend to be boring to me, but this has such an energy that is really engaging.

The Smithereens - "Christmas With The Smithereens" - *** - Well, I love Christmas songs, and really who doesn't? This is a pretty good record, has some interesting approaches, starts really good, but loses steam near the end with some fairly standard style songs.

Relient K - "Let It Snow, Baby...Let It Reindeer" - *** - This is really two Christmas EP's, because much of these songs were on their first Bonus Christmas EP from a few years back, adding in some new songs and filling out a full record. This is fine really, and makes for a good Christmas album.

Barenaked Ladies - "Barenaked Ladies Are Men" - *** - Good follow-up to their last record. It is probably a bit more energetic than that first one, which makes it sound a bit better than the last which had a couple great songs and then some not so great songs. The case is the same here, the great songs are awesome, the not so great songs start to drag things out, and with 16 tracks, you'd think they could edit a bit more.

Raul Malo - "Marshmallow World" - *** - A fairly predictable but enjoyable Christmas record. The orchestra in the back is really a great addition to the mix.

Mike Viola - "Lurch" - **** - Can't go wrong with Mike Viola. He serves up another plate of great songs with real meaning, it is a very entertaining record.

Rivers Cuomo - "Alone: The Home Recordings of" - *** - Interesting recording from the Weezer frontman. It gives us a glimpse of the kind of things he was into and the ability to create music that feels bigger than it probably is.

John Southworth - "The Pillowmaker" - *** - Just caught up to this guy this year, loved his previous albums. This is a bit of a departure, with more folkier sounds, etc., but it is no less enjoyable than his other albums.

The Ditchflowers - "Carried Away" - *** - Pretty good stuff from this band. A good mix of country-esque elements in basically pop songs. It is an enjoyable record.

Art Brut - "It's A Bit Complicated" - ***1/2 - Great album from these guys. It took me some time to get around to hearing them, but I am glad I finally did. They really do a great job of having a unique approach to the songs, while not betraying the appeal of music in the first place. It is a exciting and fun record.

Wiretree - "Bouldin" - *** - Good, interesting record.

The Orion Experience - "Cosmicandy" - **** - Awesome Power Poppin' record. They hit you from the first note with non-stop power and joy all around. It then continues in just the way you want it to and just keeps coming at you. Excellent work.

Poplord - "Poplord" - *** - Cool pop record, clean vocals and great songs that get you moving.

The Crayons - "What's Wrong With You?" - *** - Good record overall, the production on the record stands out, with a clean, crisp, mainstream sound, yet still having some aspects that reach for a different audience than most mainstream music like this.

The Look - "Popularity Boom" - ***1/2 - Cool record from this band, a lot of great sounds and they can do very light stuff and mix it in with some heavier stuff, but in the end it all comes out great.