Giuseppe Zangara

This decade? Stankonia's in there, sure, but I don't know what else. If I considered this a year ago, I definitely would've given props to Young Liars, but now I think Return to Cookie Mountain is superior. But why not both?

They didn't know the real you. I'm finding, re Wetton-era, that I have no real favorite between Larks Tongues in Aspic and Starless and Bible Black. It isn't Red, for, as high the highs are on that one, "Providence"—which eats up almost a third of the album's running time—is more interesting than good.

Let's just eliminate the whole of Ontario.

This can be another general King Crimson thread, too.

THE THREAD

I'm convinced it'll be so much better live, prompting me to go back and keep listening to it until it finally clicks. Or maybe it won't click, but it'll still be better live. I'm hoping. Either way, I don't like that Turner's doing more clean singing. He sounds a little too nü when he doesn't growl.

Today, I listened to In the Absence of Truth for the first time since November. I gave it a good, solid, distraction-free listen, which helped give me a higher opinion of it than I previously had, but it's still my least favorite of the Isis albums. Still stoked to see them Tuesday, though.

I'd be willing to put Tindersticks in my overall top 20, but, after all these years, I still can't place one of the s/t's over the another. They cancel each other out.

I think their covering Randy Newman live over the last few years is working its way into the music. That's not a bad thing. And this album is definitely different from any of their other albums, but that's how Wilco goes. A.M. and Being There weren't anything like Summerteeth, which wasn't anything like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born. I wasn't expecting Sky Blue Sky to rank among their very best, but I at least wanted something good (and better than AGiB); based 1.5 listens, I think that's what I got.

It's over now. I just hit play again, but I don't know if I'm gonna stick around for the whole thing one more time. Regardless, based on one listen, I like it.

Whatever song I'm hearing now is the one they played when I last saw them live nearly a year ago. Better than I remembered.

I really, really like whatever the song that ends with the line "I know you don't live here no more" is. I'd know the title, but thanks, blocky, useless quicktime player.

I can't get the player to physically load on my screen. I don't know what track I'm on, but I'm still liking this.

Real downtempo vibe on this album, but it's kind of nice. The production's a lot warmer than on AGIB, which helps.

I liked the first song.

I think they're gonna have the stream up for a few hours, so you still have time to check it out.

I'm hearing it now.

Did you click the bird? YOU HAVE TO CLICK THE BIRD

I saw that, too, but it looks like I don't have the proper Quicktime set up for it. Currently downloading the latest update, so hopefully that'll help.

Seriously. "Later this afternoon," my ass. They can't get a late start on this; I'll probably be blacked out by then.

I'm pretty drunk right now, so there's no way I'm giving this a fair first listen tonight. Oops. I'll tune in, anyway.

Okay, contenders/definites so far for the 11-20 half of my all-time top 20: Slint - Spiderland The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life Todd Rundgren - Something/Anything? The Clash - London Calling New York Dolls - s/t Mission of Burma - Signals, Calls & Marches De La Soul - Three Feet High & Rising Oh man, I just need two more. Then the task of ranking them.

70s 1. David Bowie - Hunky Dory 2. Wire - Pink Flag 3. The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers 4. Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life 5. Todd Rundgren - Something/Anything? #s 1 & 2 are from the top ten; 3-5 are candidates for the top 20.

Yeah, I'm staying in for this. Drink some beer and listen to some tunes. Join me, won't you?