R.E.M. – Collapse Into Now was the best way to say goodbye for such a long and storied career.

Glen Campbell – Ghost on the Canvas is another great farewell album filled with a little remorse and a lot of optimism for the future.

The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar proved to a breakout rock album from nowhere and the kind words of Dave Grohl didn’t hurt either.

CAKE – Showroom of Compassion showed the band’s passion for sticking to what they do best and also had them cutting loose a bit after such a long break.

Battles – Gloss Drop is great if you dig post/math/prog rock and want to be rocked without much vocal interplay.

Explosions in the Sky – Take Care Take Care Take Care is wonderful for atmospheric instrumental rock that isn’t as hard edged as Battles, Mogawi or The Fierce and The Dead.

TV on the Radio – 9 Types of Light gave us post rock/punk/funk all in one convenient package guaranteed to get you grooving or feeling introspective.

Stephen Malkmus – Mirror Traffic proved that even slackers have to get day jobs but can still wear slippers to the office.

Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost is fun and steeped in music history.  Listen close for an education or just to have fun.

Cage the Elephant – Thank You Happy Birthday was a step up for these Kentuckians and gave them some legs in the alt-rock world.

Foo Fighters – Wasting Light is my favorite album of the past year, Dave and the boys rock, why haven’t you picked it up yet?

Wild Flag – S/T girls don’t want to have fun, girls want to rock your face and make you beg for more.

Wilco – The Whole Love smart mature album from these elder statesmen of alternative country proving that the sweetest melodies can cover the heaviest subjects.

The Strokes – Angles was a punch of an album that might bring your faith back to guitar based rock and roll.

Honorable mentions: Death Cab for Cutie, Lykke Li, Radiohead, Steve Earle, Iron and Wine, Matt Stevens, Foster the People, Company of Thieves and The Fierce and The Dead.

Last March for my birthday, I decided to update myself with a new MP3 player.  Notice I didn’t say “an iThing” –  as a staunch Windows user, the only way I’ll endorse an Apple product is to win one or be given one as a gift.  My research led me to the Zune and I’m glad I made the choice.  Easy to use, colorful, handles HD radio, has a touch screen and is very small.  Within the past few weeks, I’ve taken a look back at all the other portable devices I’ve owned and how things have changed for me in the last 20 years.

First there was the durable, almost bulletproof, Sony Walkman.  I had more fun taping songs off the radio and using my Walkman to listen to them than riding my bike.  I still own the mix tape a friend made me that had Nevermind on one side and a mix of Offspring, Smashing Pumpkins, Bush and Nine Inch Nails on the other.  Nothing could beat that Walkman.

That is, until I bought my Philips CD Player in the spring of 2000; it was the recommendation of an ex-girlfriend, and though the relationship lasted two weeks, that CD player proved its weight in gold.  I’ve dropped this thing on my feet, the floor, pavement, and it still plays.  It has lulled me to sleep and played every burned CD and album I’ve owned.  Dependable and built like a rock, this was the end all of portable devices.

Then I graduated college and thought that I would use some of my gift money to buy an MP3 player, a Dell DJ to be specific.  I’m glad I went with one that was discontinued a few months after I bought it.  Thirty gigs of space and with the aesthetic of a silver brick, this allowed me to do one thing: bring every album I owned everywhere.  The downside to this particular brand was that the software was not compatible across later versions of Windows and I couldn’t add more songs after a year because of it.  No matter, for six years it served me well and I didn’t see a need to upgrade.

Of course, when things look shiny and flashy you have to have one.  I find it funny that the Zune is the same specs as the Dell but weighs next to nothing; it’s smaller than my Droid phone.  Yet the possibilities are endless, with being able to create playlists and mix albums with like-minded songs  — and Microsoft discontinued it, so I’m on the right path.  This is the last music gadget I’ll ever need.

Until something else cooler comes along…

The marketing execs and music industry monkey-suit men grabbed music by the throat and took what used to be an art-form and battered it until it became nothing more than a commodity; a shriveling, naked shell of its former self. We don’t love music anymore. We no longer have music collections, with a few hundred albums. We have music libraries with 50 gigabytes of songs that will play continuously for over a month. We have archives of music that we’ll never listen to, because it’s so easy to get and keep that we now take it for granted.

We suck on the latest celebrity teat (or is that tweet?) and we spend money on our rock stars and glamor gods like we’re some sort of supporter. We aren’t anything more than a puppet of the marketing machine that killed music. The strings of t-shirts and posters and celebrity video games are all being pulled because they work. They tug on the strings, you fork over the cash.

You think you’re getting music, but you’re not. You’re getting a product – carefully molded and produced crap, wrapped in cellophane with shiny artwork that makes you go “Ooh.” Let’s all commence throwing up in our soup, shall we?

This is when we started missing music. We threw the pop stars to the wolves and began to get back into what made us passionate about what is essentially just pleasing sound waves. We were busy taking the next steps while others sat idly on their couches, watching the latest music abomination on their TVs, and feeding the machine. They think they love music, but they don’t.

What they love is an idea that if you enjoy the same music as other people, you have an inherent connection. They love being part of a crowd. What they love, is the masturbatory idea that being a part of that crowd brings meaning to an otherwise meaningless pastime. They don’t love their music, because they don’t understand that music enjoyment is purely selfish. In order for you to understand this, you need to love your music and understand why you love your music.

Rome – Written and produced by Dangermouse and Daniele Luppi, this early taste of the soon to be released full length LP features Jack White on A-side ‘Two Against One’ and Norah Jones on B-side ‘Black.’  Each song is a well-crafted delight and this project only adds to the tally of White and Dangermouse for most side projects.

The White Stripes – Speaking of Jack White, to help celebrate RSD he repressed and rereleased the first two seven inch singles The Stripes put out on white and red vinyl.  ‘Let’s Shake Hands’ and ‘Lafayette Blues’ are two hard to find records that are now safe in my collection.

Kings of Leon – This collection of songs from their debut album Youth and Young Manhood also includes the B-side ‘Wicker Chair.’  First released in 2003 on CD, the red 10 inch vinyl of ‘Holy Roller Novocain’ looks much cooler.

Nirvana – The exclusive and elusive Australian tour EP from 1992 gets a repressing on some funky vinyl.  Hormoaning includes covers of songs by Devo, Wipers, Vaselines and a few originals and most of these songs would make it on the compilation Incesticide and various other singles.

Kill Rock Stars – Any good 90’s alt-rock junky, like me, has heard of this mythical compilation.  The label Kill Rock Stars pulled together Seattle’s best for a 1991 record that has been out of print for close to two decades.  Featuring songs by: Melvins, Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Kicking Giant, Nirvana, Pulp, Fitz of Depression and more, I got number 1685 of 2000.

Foo Fighters – Culminating covers that have appeared on singles, compilations and soundtracks Medium Rare is a lot of fun.  We can hear Dave and Company rip on Pink Floyd, Gary Numan, Mose Allison, Paul McCartney, Prince, Thin Lizzy and many more.

This was a book that had been on my radar for some time, and I was able to get a copy of it a few months ago.  Editor Sean Manning has collected some excellent articles written by music critics who are trying to put to rest some of music’s best rivalries.  For example: Jay-Z vs. Nas, Phil Spector vs. Timbaland, Metallica vs. Nirvana, Guided by Voices vs. Pavement, album vs. single and so on.  These are not your typical debates, and these are not your typical outcomes.  Each essay is written with careful wit and plenty of research to prove many points.

Many of the entries made me laugh and several I did not agree with, but it is always fun to read someone else’s opinion of your favorite bands or music and have some kind of mental discussion with them.  You do not have to be some kind of music geek (guilty as charged) to really enjoy this book, the writers paint enough of a picture to help you fill in the gaps about each band.  This was a tough find, yet a fun read.  If you have a chance, I suggest picking it up and giving it a listen.

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs: A look at suburban life or a call to arms for the middle class.  This album lived up to all the waiting we endured.

Band of Horses – Infinite Arms: Three is a charm for Benjamin Bridwell.  The surprising hit ‘Laredo’ was the cusp of what this album offered.

The Black Keys – Brothers: It was fun having Dangermouse on the last album and single ‘Tighten Up’ but the boys prove they can get back to basics in no time and groove well on their own.

Broken Bells – S/T: Dangermouse was going to be here somehow.  Recreating 60’s psychadelica for 2010 was easy for this duo making it easier to sing along.

Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma: Headphone music from a solid name in the underground hip hop world.  Featuring Thom Yorke, Ravi Coltrane, Niki Randa and Laura Darlington, this album was a lot of fun.

Cee Lo Green – The Lady Killer:  Hands down the best single of the year, maybe the decade, and a rebirth for soul music.  He knows no bounds and leaves bodies in his wake.

Local Natives – Gorilla Manor: If you want serious rhythm and afro-beat without the ascots (Vampire Weekend) you need this record.  They cover Talking Heads, need I say more?

Sleigh Bells – Treats: Loud, distorted, with saccharine vocals, this album needs to be played at high volume while you shout along.

Spoon – Transference: Full of interesting hooks this is a quality album worth revisiting every few weeks; it gets much better with age.

Surfer Blood – Astro Coast: My favorite of the bunch.  Guitar rock with easy melodies and fun lyrics; these boys have a lot to offer.

Honorable Mention: Gorillaz: Plastic Beach, Kings of Leon: Come Around Sundown, Mumford & Sons: Sigh No More, Mike Patton: Mondo Cane, Yeasayer: Odd Blood, Weezer: Hurley.

Record Store Day is the celebration of neurotic folks, like myself, that still believe in purchasing physical albums to play in Walkmans, record players, stereos and what have you.  It is on this day, musicians show their gratitude to independent record stores across the country and release limited edition material to the foaming masses.

With big box stores reducing the size of their music selections, independent record stores have a chance to start winning folks back.  Since Wal-Mart, Target or Best Buy have limited offerings, you can take a trip to the small store and really find what you want or be convinced to purchase something else that you wouldn’t otherwise think to pick.  Not that I’ve ever done that to someone before, but it does happen to some unsuspecting victims.

To really get in the spirit of the event visit their website to see what stores are participating, what releases are offered and some all around general music news.  Many stores have live music by local artists, and tons of free samplers.  As the day nears, check the site for updates about releases and locations.  Some of us have the Super Bowl, the rest of us have Record Store Day.

“Hey, wait! Weren’t you the one who wrote an article on Grooveshark, an online tool for listening to music, just a couple weeks ago?”

Guilty as charged. I often hesitate to buy CDs, especially when I’m just exploring new artists, because I don’t know if I’ll ever want to listen to the music again after making it through an album once. However, once I know that I’ll be listening to an album more than once, I think it’s only fair to pay credit where credit is due, and start spinning the real CD.

“But CDs are so expensive.” Well, compared to “free music,” it’s impossible to argue that CDs don’t cost the extra buck, they do. CDs are worth the extra buck. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean you have to spend $13+ on a newly released album. There are all sorts of discount prices available if you take a couple minutes to search for the best deals. If you don’t have time to find the absolute lowest cost on a CD, I’ve found that YourMusic.com has been a very reliable and cheap Web site for buying CDs.

YourMusic is a branch of BMG Music, which my family has been using for years. They constantly offer great deals on CDs. For example, currently, every CD on the Web site is selling for $6.99. That’s with free shipping and handling, no strings attached (unless you count the fact that you have to subscribe, but it’s a free subscription). They have thousands of CDs including the Black Eyed Peas latest album The E. N. D. (Energy Never Dies), Owl City’s Ocean Eyes, John Fogerty’s The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again, and George Strait’s Twang. They carry just about every genre of music.

Like music? Get the real thing, and get it cheap at YourMusic.com.

This past week Columbia Records released a massive Miles Davis retrospective box set.  It includes all 52 of the albums he recorded for Columbia on 70 CDs, the CDs are even designed to look like miniature vinyls, along with a live DVD of rare concert footage and a book of photos and essays on Miles.  I’m not going to tell you the price tag, you’ll cry, but for what you get there is no substitute.  If you are a casual listener, I wouldn’t recommend jumping in with this.  For a die-hard fan, you probably have many of these albums from the remastered editions that were put out a few years ago.  Although, if you happen to pick this up, I’d love to borrow it from you any time.

Back in 1997 Soundgarden disbanded, and grunge officially died.  For over a decade we, the fans, have had to suffer through Chris Cornell’s side projects and solo albums in hopes that he’ll get the original band together.  A little Internet poking lead me to an article that Cornell and co., will be releasing a Soundgarden box set.  Not of their albums, instead B-Sides and new material that was recorded after their last album but never formally released.  The biggest ‘if’ of the whole deal is that the band could get back together next year for a tour.  Don’t get your hopes up yet; I want the box first before anything else.

I saw the boys back in 2007 at the Orpheum in Boston, and not much has changed since then.  I mean that in the best sense possible.  Some bands blow up with some extra album sales and get a crazy light show, but not the Kings.  Rather than pull away from their music with lighting and effects, you have a simple set, minimal talking and a lot of great songs.  Nothing against the bands that use effects, but maybe they are compensating for something. 

The Kings plow through big hits and incorporate new songs with a good selection of old ones.  You can see how they have grown on the stage and road during this performance, and opening for U2, Bob Dylan and Pearl Jam helped a lot as well.  They all look comfortable on the stage and don’t try anything too adventurous- they do what they do best: give a great live show.

Songs like “California Waiting”, “On Call”, “The Bucket” and “Crawl” all proved to be huge fan favorites.  You also have their latest hits “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” but it is “Cold Desert” that gives you the chill that these guys could really be great.  Until they release a new album, enjoy this tidbit to hold you over.