Alright, so we're well past the halfway mark of 2008, and while it's a bit early for me to start making a top 20, I still like to make a journal of all the releases I've heard in a year, to keep track of them for myself, and hopefully to help someone else find something good. This will be updated on pretty much a daily basis, as I have a substantial backlog of music that I have yet to really piece together my thoughts on, or to even listen to at all. Also, I encourage recommendations, and nothing is off…

Well, 2007 has finally come to a close. It's been an interesting year, but that's to be expected. Let's get the boring stuff out of the way first, shall we?

The top-selling singles of the year ended up being Rihanna - Umbrella (feat. Jay-Z), Nelly Furtado - Say It Right, and Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry, with Plain White T's - Hey There Delilah continuing to be an never-ending annoyance. Amy Winehouse released the top-selling album of the year (Back To Black), and followed it up with amounts of tabloid attention that would make…

As anyone can tell from my profile, I listen to a lot of music. I listen to many kinds of music. I listen to music that most people outside of the internet have never even heard of. In fact, I listen to a lot of music that in reality is probably horrible, and doesn't deserve to be listened to at all. Yet I still do it, just like thousands (millions?) of others across this website and around the world. Why?

Because I'm a pretentious, arrogant, bitter music snob. And I know it.

If an artist signs to a major label,…

…and it's still not over. I figured I'd just repost this journal instead of continuing to update the old one, since new connections don't appear at the front of artist pages. Besides, I've changed some ratings as time went on, some up, some down. Anyway, as I said before, at the end of the year (or more likely early 08) I plan on writing full reviews of my favorite albums, but I'm still working on that.

Bolded text indicated albums that NO ONE should miss out on. Pick these up.

Italic text indicates albums added at last update.
Last update:…

I'm really not one to do these types of things, but what the hell? Might as well get it out of my system.

I guess I'll start this out by comparing my first weekly chart to my most recent one.

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j190/Final217/week1-2.png

Compared to

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j190/Final217/week2-2.png

Hmmm. Well, the first thing I notice is that I listened to MORE music this past week than the first week, as well as a larger amount of artists.

Ok then, is this the part where I'm supposed to say how amazing last.fm is, and how much awesome music it's introduced me to in the past…

I'm sick of seeing these damn "mainstream tests" every time I turn around. These myspace type things annoy me as it is, but this one in particular is just ridiculous.

I mean, am I REALLY supposed to believe that Explosions In The Sky are more "mainstream" than Rod Stewart? No. This is just one example, and frankly, it's too late at night for me to bother finding others. My point still stands. The internet is a completely different community than that of the mainstream music listener, the two can't be compared.

Discuss.

-random artist connections aka whoring out my…

1. "Doomsday Clock"
2. "7 Shades of Black"
3. "Bleeding the Orchid"
4. "That's the Way (My Love Is)"
5. "Tarantula"
6. "Starz"
7. "United States"
8. "Neverlost"
9. "Bring the Light"
10. "(Come On) Let's Go!"
11. "For God and Country"
12. "Pomp and Circumstances"

As we all know, last year Billy Corgan announced that his highly influential alternative rock band, The Smashing Pumpkins, were reuniting for a new album (tracklist above), albeit lacking…

Taken from my blog, go read it there if you want a FREE COOKIE!

Sound of Silver is the second full-length offering from James Murphy, aka LCD Soundsystem. However, the so-called 'sophomore blues' don't affect this mixture of dance, punk, and incredibly catchy tunes in the least. Here's the track-by-track.

1. "Get Innocuous!" (7:11)

Sound starts off with this club-ready hit. Beginning with a repetitive synth opening lasting almost two minutes, always increasing in intensity, Murphy shows that he is no stranger to dance music. This song is a great opener, but the ending leaves you wanting…

2007 Edit: Anyone who might happen to be reading this now should probably disregard this list. It was quite the rushed effort, please don't read too much into it :\

Well, I realize that it's almost February already, but I wanted to make sure of my choices. Anyway, here are my picks for the top 5 albums of 2006.

5. The Eraser

http://www.w-fenec.org/photos/2006/rock/thome_yorke_the_eraser.jpg

The solo debut from Radiohead's front man Thom Yorke is certainly a strong one. This album seems to focus a lot on Yorke's voice, as well as electronic noises. Normally, this wouldn't be my type of…

Frank Zappa

I've been recently wanting to jump into Frank Zappa's material, but that man has the most intimidating discology I've ever seen. Any suggestions on what to start with?