DrNo

What do you people have against the harpsichord?

I think Stay Positive is my favorite Hold Steady album, but I also think "One for the Cutters" is one of their best songs. "If one townie falls in the forest does anyone hear it?" may be the best line I've heard all year.

Stuff I really dig: Shearwater Rook Samamidon --All Is Well Beach House Devotion Silver Jews Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea Black Mountain In The Future Dr. Dog Fate Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes and Sun Giant The Hold Steady Stay Positive She & Him -- Volume One Murry Hammond -- I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm On My Way Sera Cahoone -- Only As The Day Is Long Stumptone -- Gravity Suddenly Released The Theater Fire -- Matter And Light Tallest Man On Earth-- Shallow Graves Neva Dinova-- You May Already be Dreaming King Khan & The Shrines-- The Supreme Genius Of... Dark Meat--Universal I

There's an appalling lack of Shearwater on all of your lists.

Fleet Foxes and King Khan. Two of the best live shows I've seen in quite some time.

I think I'm the only person not digging this one so far. I wasn't the biggest fan of The Stage Names but there were songs on that record that grabbed me from the get go. I'm not finding that to be the case here.

I thought it was Stephin Merritt the first time I heard it.

I know they're playing the Sub Pop Anniversary Fest along with a reunited Beachwood Sparks.

How does this one compare to his other stuff? I kinda think he peaked with Where Shall You Take Me?, but I keep hoping for another one that great.

I read a book about the Mountain Meadows Massacre. I think it was called American Massacre or something to that effect. It's also mentioned a little in Under The Banner of Heaven. I'll definitely have to pick this up.

Yeah, they've taken on a life of their own. It's fairly amusing to me. To answer the question above, though, this was the O.G. (Original Gallagher) and not his brother.

I went to see Gallagher Friday night for the paper I work for. http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark...iences_dead.php Thankfully I didn't have to pay. Granted, I wasn't expecting anything good, but I did always have a soft spot for the Sledge-O-Matic.

Bisbee Blue is actually one of my favorite songs on that record but I agree with you on the tour only cds. Scraping is especially badass

I think they're right on in this case.

Agreed. I loved Don't Fall In Love With Everyone You See when it came out. Still one of my favorite records.

I'm going to the Dallas show. 100 bones. General Admission.

I have to wholeheartedly disagree with you on the production. I think it sucks. Plus Ken diversifies on the record, but nothing jumps out of the speakers the way "Time Bomb" or "Victoria" did. The Murry Hammond solo record is sooooooo much better.

Seeing them this weekend. Cannot wait.

Yeah. It's a little Counting Crows or something...

Easily their worst album by a landslide.

Ditto.

It was quite awesome, though the DJ stuff only worked about half of the time to my ears. It was my first time seeing him without the Dukes, too.

No, but Steve Earle with a DJ sure is. I'm not really a fan of the new stuff.

I love Steve Earle but find the idea of a solo show with a DJ utterly frightening. Has anyone seen him on this tour? Is it worth paying 35 bucks for?

I love "Into the Woods". "a kitten on fire/a baby in a blender" is a better lyric than 75% of the crap on this new one. Plus, it wasn't, you know, influenced by Christopher Cross.