M&S we are agreed upon – I think it’s a great album, but I do wonder about the way this whole release package was engineered: LP made up of little under 40% new material, with remainder previously released on EPs in Europe. Therefore the natural/obvious audience would be, surely, the US (what traditionally don’t do/get EPs so much). But, Lo! They don’t release it in the US. Fuckinell’s up with that?

The Felice Bros… well that’s a whole other kettle of fish. Men’s music, I say. Never got that whole thing, but admit I never really tried either, beyond Calexico which I do enjoy on a limited basis. xoxo

Anyway i like you list Miss, and i will fire my fave 20 songs of the year you way soon.

PS i’d forgotten all about Clem Snide!!!!

I think the one thing that 2009 showed was follow up (2nd) albums were, in general, quite shite or utterly disappointing. Bowerbirds, Felice Brothers, The Builders & The Butchers? All of them very disappointing. I know you’ll have me for mentioning tB&tB in that, & I know they’d probably quite hurt to know I was disappointed by it in general, but I was in on the ground floor & their debut & original EP were quite flawless. Lofty heights to ascend by reply, I’m afraid.

Debuts, on the other hand, were amazing. Sure there was some dross but those bolts out of ther blue, when they were good, were generally phenomenal.

And yeah 2009 was a killer year for debuts especially. Thanks for turning me onto at least a third to half of what’s on my list this year xoxo

There are a few in there that highlight where out taste splits e.e Experimental De3ntal School. Like, really? Meh. But then you say the same to me about Jordaan mason & The Horse Museum, so I guess we’re about quits.

I’ve said this previously, & I have battered you with this, but Nic Dawson Kelly’s LP “Old Valentine” is perhaps the most consistently brilliant album of 2009. It’s out of the ordinary for me to say something so definite like that, given my aversion to ‘Best Of’ lists or declaring favorites & such, BUT this is fucking good album. It makes me beam like a mental whenever the first note strikes up — Bryan Ferry meets Gomez. Fucking brilliant.

As you know & we have discussed, 2009 was an excellent year for albums & music (from all genres) in general (don’t let any myopic fuckwit try & tell you otherwise based on their narrow listening spectrum) — I’d go so far as to say it’s one of the best in living memory. 2010 has a LOT to live up to, however it seems to be shaping up rather keenly: the newbies from Basia Bulat, First Aid Kit & Los Campesinos! (to name a tiny few of the advance copies floating about thus far) are really rather good. So, who knows. Next year might kill us with quality & quantity all over again.